adding formula to baby food? baby not eating enough?

[peterkin]

My pediatrician suggested we try to "encourage" DD to drink more formula ... she is gaining weight OK but not as fast as she used to (which I think is normal, b/c she's 9 months) and she has never drank the "average" amount of breastmilk or formula ... she's always been a light eater. She used to be in the 50th percentile and is now in the 20th percentile on weight (75th in height all along). But I've read the Ellyn Satter "Child of Mine" book and really, I'm trying not to worry too much about this -- god knows I worried so much about her liquid intake for her first 4 months or so, b/c she's never eaten as much as most babies do ... but she is growing, she's reaching developmental milestones (well, she's not crawling or cruising, but she's standing, clapping, pincer grasp, smiling, laughing, sleeping great, etc) ... So anyway I was a bit worried when I learned she'd only gained 12 oz in the past 2 months, and that she wasn't in the 50th percentile anymore, but on the other hand, she SEEMS fine ... and my pediatrician doesn't have kids so I think sometimes she just goes by the book ... DD eats about 20 oz formula per day (+ 2 oz in cereal) whereas the doctor says 28 is more normal. Oh, and DD eats solids great, about 8-10 oz plus 1/4-1/2 c. cereal ... she didn't like solids until about 7.5 months but now likes them much better than liquids, though she's not really into chunky table foods yet.

Well anyway, the doctor suggested we get her to eat more formula. But DD has never wanted to eat very much -- we offer it to her, she never finishes a bottle! And Satter says not to force a child to eat, to trust them to know how much they need ... so I don't want to overcompensate for something that's not really a problem ... yet of course I want to be sure my baby has enough nutrition!

OK, gosh, here's my real question: has anyone tried putting formula powder into a baby's solid foods? I mean other than cereal. I wondered if it would dehydrate them, or if it would be a way to increase the calorie content of the foods without forcing her to drink formula she doesn't want! And it would alter the taste, so I don't know if that's good. I am thinking I will try to offer her some higher calorie foods (ie, mac & cheese?) as she looooooves veggies and eats a lot of them now ...

Well, anyway, it's a weird question but I just thought I'd ask ...

Mom to Kay 09/14/02

[egoldber]

I am NOT a ped, but it sounds to me like the two of you are doing terrific! And I wouldn't stress myself out over 28 ounces vs 20 ounces a day. As long as she is eating lots of healthy foods and drinking as much as formula as she WANTS, I wouldn't worry. And my DD was taking a similar amount of formula at around the same age.

And I would not add formula powder to her food. One thing you might want to do is add something like tofu to her food. If you mush it, it mixes pretty effortlessly and invisibly into yogurt, cereal, and pretty much anything pureed. It'll add a little protein boost to her food without the stomachache that formula powder might!

HTH,

[SeekerMage]

I would trust your instincts....maybe she is just not a big drinker? My three year old is like that...she eats great but sometime its a fight to get her to drink and during the summer im worried she will dehydrate because she sweats so much! But thats besides the point. I dont think that I would add formula to her foods but add cereal to her food instead. We did that a lot in daycare for the kids who were big eaters it thickens the food up and adds more calories I think? not sure but its an idea. To me go with what she likes, if she is eating solids well then go with the solids and dont worry about the high formula intake.

Another suggestion is ask another pediatrician! We are switching peds for this very reason we dont agree with what he said about my daughter suture in her lip so we are looking else where (he said she probably didnt need stiches that it would heal on its own, but yet he didnt see the hole she had in her lip nor seem concerned that it looked as if it were open again...oh well she is surviving!)

I also agree if she is thriving then so be it! she probably has a high metabolism or is just very petite. Besides since when did we have to worry about our kids being a percentage number? If she is happy and appears to be healthy so be it!
just my two...five...etc cents!

[nathansmom]

I've had the same problem with Nathan. He barely drinks 18 ounces a day. Nathan gained 2 ounces between 2 months and 4 months. I was told that as long as he is gaining weight not to worry.