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jojo2324
10-24-2002, 04:43 PM
Just wondering when the weight started to kind of plateau? DS is just shy of four months and is definitely 20 lbs. (Not quite sure as it was a mommy stand on the scale alone, then with baby measurement. If anything he is more, not less.) My back can't take it for much longer! Forget the Baby Bjorn, the Hip Hammock is even worse and he seems to be too short for the Baby Trekker. (His face disappears even when it is on the highest setting, which kills my shoulders.) I am getting a bit concerned even though the ped says he is fine as long as he follows the growth curve. It's just that I read all of the other posts and 26 lb 18-month olds (Could he possibly only gain 6 lbs in 14 months?) and 20 lb 8-month olds and 13 lb 5-month olds, etc. My baby's a mutant!

I imagine that once he starts moving around and burning some calories that he might begin to taper off. Actually, we joke that he's so heavy that he won't be able to support his own body weight and he'll just lay around letting mama take care of him until the end of time. DH thinks that I'm going overboard buying clothes, but honestly the only size that isn't too small on him is a 12-18 months! And shoes! His feet are enormous...I have heard that it isn't a good idea to put hard-soled shoes on babies who are not yet walking, but other than slipper socks or moccasins, what shoe is made with a soft sole past size 4? Those are starting to get tight.

Sorry for the rant. I guess my question is...What did you do with your babies that were too little to sit up on their own and too big for the infant seat but too heavy to carry, even in a supportive baby carrier? What about babies who especially like to be held? Obviously we have a stroller, but I'm just thinking about the grocery store. I'm just worried that my back is going to be put through quite an ordeal. It's been really hurting the last week. I would love any advice!

egoldber
10-24-2002, 07:21 PM
If he has adequate neck control, you might try a backpack carrier. But if it's the contact he wants, then that may not cut it.

I have a friend whose baby was 24 pounds at 6 months. Now at 14 months, he's only around 26 pounds. He just started leveling off. Once they get mobile, they don't gain weight nearly as quickly.

When Sarah got too heavy for me in the Bjorn (around 20 pounds), I started using a sling as a hip carrier. I cna carry her like that for ages. I think it might be a little better than the Hip Hammock, personally, because part of their weight is carried by the fabric of the sling and more evenly distributed across your back and shoulders rather than being in a small strap which digs in at your shoulder. But I have never actually used a Hip Hammock, so that is only a guess. It's worth a try. You can get used slings off eBay pretty cheaply.

Hang in there!

mommychic
10-24-2002, 08:44 PM
On babiesrus.com, check out the "highchair helper". Many moms say this is great for using in the shopping carts when baby can't sit up just yet. I believe it's under $15.

Lisa

Annette_C
10-24-2002, 09:46 PM
Joanne, how big was Gannon at birth? Does he eat a lot? Is he on solid foods yet? Sorry about all the questions but I know your baby and mine are a week apart and mine was 9 lbs, 4oz at birth and is about 15 lbs now that she's 4 months old (official weigh in is next week for the shots visit). She eats about 30 to 35 oz of formula a day and rice cereal.
I can imagine how sore your back and arms must be! I know I get pretty sore holding Sabrina and she's so much lighter than Gannon.
I wish I had some suggestions but I hope it will get better for you.
Annette :)
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

daisymommy
10-24-2002, 09:49 PM
I hear you on this one (it seems our baby's are very much alike!) Josh is only two months old and weighs 13 1/2 lbs! He is in the 90th %tile for his age. He is gaining a liitle more than a pound each week, so by the time he is 4 months old, he too will be at least 20 lbs! AAAKKK! My back is crying already! I have no suggestings, just letting you know you aren't alone. One Ped. in the office group asked if I could slow him down at all--what a laugh. Josh screams bloody murder like he's been starved to death the second the clock strikes two hours past his last feeding, and he won't stop crying till the bottle is in his mouth...4 oz. down the drain each time. Another Ped. said not too worry about it, that at least he was happy and healthy, and eventually he would "elongate" rather than growing out sideways. She also said this isn't the time to be cutting back on daytime calories becasue than he would wake up more often at night to make up for it, rather than sleeping through the night.

jojo2324
10-24-2002, 11:23 PM
He was 8lbs 7oz. I haven't started any solids yet, just straight bm. Heavy G (one of his many nicknames) is the same way...He's nowhere near any sort of routine (sigh...) but screams like hell when he wants to eat and I don't get there immediately. He's not even a %tile he's so big! He was gaining about a pound a week up until about 2 months and then I think he started to slow down a bit. I can't remember exactly, but I think he was 13 lbs at 2 months and 16 lbs at 3 months. He has to go back in 2 weeks for those blasted shots so I'll know for sure then what he weighs now. Actually, when I look at those numbers, he hasn't slowed down at all!

I am thinking about the cart straps. He has good head control, but is by no means supporting his back. If I lay him on his tummy he can lift his head and neck well but can't support himself with his arms stretched out completely. Do you think that's strong enough? TIA!

Sorry, another thought...I don't want to wean entirely from bm, but I wouldn't mind if he took a bottle every day of formula just to get a slight reprieve. Besides, I'm tired of sterilizing every day. (He gets EBM when I'm at work.) Did any of you find a major weight fluctuation once formula was introduced? I don't want to make him any bigger and I've heard that formula fed babies tend to weigh more. I suppose if he is still primarily bf then it shouldn't factor in too greatly, right?

kathsmom
10-25-2002, 01:09 AM
Hi, Joanne!

I am glad that you posted this question. My DS has gained a lot of weight too, and he's only 4 1/2 weeks old! He was 7 lbs. 6 oz. at birth. For his 1 week checkup, he was 7 lbs 10 oz. I took him to the ped. this past Monday, because he has been really congested and nothing I did was helping him. I joked to the nurse before she weighed him that he was probably 10 lbs. It turned out to be no joke! He weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz! I hate to see what he weighs next Monday when we go back for his 1 month checkup. The ped said that obviously the congestion was not affecting his appetite or feeding ability. She said that she knew babies who were 2 months old who weighed less than Andrew.

DS is formula fed and has been since birth. He takes Similac Advance ready to feed (he hates the powdered formula). He takes 4-6 oz every feeding. I am starting to wonder how I am going to carry him if he gains weight this fast over the next few months!

Let us know how he is doing (as well as your back!). Take care!

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)

twins r fun
10-25-2002, 09:38 AM
I can't imagine what clothes shopping is like for you guys. You must be spending a small fortune and getting frustrated at packing away all these cute but hardly worn outfits. My boys are pretty much going through a size a season and it's still a big expense. Granted I'm buying for 2, but they've only just hit the 12-18 month size (one of them-the other is still in 9-12)at one year. I can't believe some of you guys have had to buy all those different sizes in only a few months. Yikes!

Nicole

mamahill
10-25-2002, 01:41 PM
My friend's baby is only a couple weeks older than Ainsleigh and he was a moose until he started crawling. He began crawling at 5 months (Ainsleigh likes to just sit) and since then my friend thinks he hasn't gained much weight. I've heard that they start to slim down (or stop the growth spurt) once they move more. Oh, and he's entirely BF. I feel bad for your back problems -- I had sciatic nerve issues throughout the pregnancy, so I know how hard that can be.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ainsleigh was 14 lbs 10 oz at her 6 month check-up (I was 14-3 at my 3 month, so she obviously doesn't get it from me) and strangers are always saying, "I bet she's 4 months." When I tell them she's almost 7, I've had people say, "Wow she's really small." One woman said (to dd), "You're tiny! Is your mom feeding you?" I wanted to say, "I'm supposed to FEED her? Sheesh, why didn't someone mention it!" My gosh, she eats 5 times a day, plus a big bowl of oatmeal and veggies/fruits for dinner. She IS doing this weird pilates thing, though, where she raises her head and shoulders and legs off the ground (while on her back) and holds it for quite a while (over and over again). So maybe she's working off whatever I give her.

Sorry for going off -- I suppose whether they're "too big" or "too small" we feel like we're not doing a good enough job. Ah motherhood...

Shirale
10-25-2002, 01:52 PM
My daughter is the exact opposite in terms of weight gain (just hit 18 at 10 1/2 months) but I do have a girlfriend whose baby was at 6 months more than double my daughters size and as soon as her dd started to roll over, sit up, crawl etc- she slowed down and is now much slimmer! Still bigger than mine, but her parents are taller so it makes sense. Anyhow- in general, once they begin to move their weight steadies. Also, my friends Ped told ehr to "excersize" her baby, move her arms and legs around!
Joanne,
Hannah Anderson makes soft sole slippers that are much bigger. My daughter wears 6-12 mo clothes and is just starting to walkand their 12 mo size is a little big but pretty good! And she can't pull them off! I also can't imagine how much clothing you must have to buy...lucky for us dd stays in whatever size she is in for a while!

m2tandk
10-25-2002, 01:59 PM
I had a 10 pounder at birth(he was so cute though!). He was 20 pounds at 5 months and by a year he was 35, but stayed at about 35 til he was almost 2. He had no trouble getting around or sitting up within normal time limits. He walked at a year also. My friend's baby boy was 8 pounds 13 oz and was 25 pounds by 6 months and he has not stopped. He is almost 5 and weighs 85 pounds! It all depends on the baby/child I think. My DD was 8lb 5oz at birth and she was 20 pounds by 8 months and probably 26 by a year. She grew steadily and normally. Now she is a 5ft 3 inch teenager weighing 130lbs and looks great! She did everything in the normal time frames too, walking, sitting up, rolling, etc..

Hope this eases your mind about big babies.

BTW my friend's 85 pound son definitely needs a diet. She lets him eat way too much! I have seen it all! I mean, my son is now 12 and weighs 87 pounds, only a couple of pounds more than this 5 year old BIG BOY!!

Kelly

Kristine
10-25-2002, 02:33 PM
I'm having these great recollections of my brother when he was born. He was over 9 pounds and after that put on the weight like it was going out of style. My mom did feed him formula, but he didn't eat solids until probably 6 months and he was the fattest baby you have ever seen in your life. I was only 4 1/2 and called him Humpty Dumpty. He was so fat that he could barely control himself and rolled right into furniture constantly.

People kept asking my mom what she was feeding him, but she was just giving him formula and not doing anything wrong. Heck, I remember eating ONE sugary cereal when I was a child and that was it. My parents were very much into eating well. As a child he played as all kids do and had no weight issues. In fact, he's in his mid 20's now and is 6 feet tall and weighs 132 pounds. It's truly disgusting!! He can eat whatever he likes and he doesn't put on weight.

The best story of all however is a friend of mine who was born so large that he broke the Los Angeles County records in I think it was 1969 for birth weight. He was almost 15 pounds at birth. His mother delivered with no drugs whatsoever. He's fond of telling me this horror story since I think I'm going to have a big baby, although I really don't think I could do it so naturally in such a case! He's another skinny one now and just ended up being very tall at 6'6.

mary b
10-26-2002, 07:32 AM
HI Joanne, my DD was right on Gannon's weight path. If Gannon follows Noe's wight chart, I have great news for you! She was 20 lbs at 4months (a combo of BM and formula) and 26 lbs at her 13 months. Yep, she only gained 6 lbs in 9 months. It is true, once they start moving they do really thin out. I look at pictures of her as a "baby" and can't believe how much thinner she is in the face. I would just encourage all movement and not worry about it too much! Does he had enough head control to try the Exersaucer/doorway jumper etc?

We just really followed the peds lead and started her on cereal at 3 months since she wasn't getting satisfied and solids around 6. At 9 months, she was pretty much on 95% table food.

As for blowing through lots of cloth sizes, I found brands to be so mis-sized that she still can wear a few 6-12 months and can go as far as 2T right now. I have received so many hand-me-downs that it really hasn't affected my wallet too bad.

In terms of how to carry him, I hear your dilemma. I almost cried when I realized that we really couldn't find anymore more room to stuff her in the Snugride. I did read that the Field's said the SR wasn't good for big babies, but to be honest, I didn't really pay too much attention to it. We did a few things, for church, the store, and some restuarants, I would take her from her convertible and put her into the Snugride if she was sleepy/or tired. This worked for about 2 months. (I also used the stroller for some resturants). Then, her head control was fine to put her in backpack/highchair/shopping chart. I found one of those grocery store straps at a garage sale for $1 and really found it useful. I wish I would have tried a sling to be honest with you. I didn't and probably will next time. I didn't have back problems but have had severe pain both wrists from the constant pressure.

Hope this helps, sorry so long!
Mary

suzska
10-28-2002, 01:35 AM
I can't help you guys too much. Evan was 7 lbs 1 oz at birth and until recently has always been on the low end (25-50%) for weight, and about average for height (50-75%). He's almost 20 months and was just under 25 pounds at his 18-month appt. He was 33" tall. He has always followed the clothes sizing pretty closely (well, except for that big head--I had to buy him a 4-7 YEARS-size winter hat this year. His head size didn't change in 3 months, though). He tends to outgrow the sleeves and necks of tops before he outgrows the length. He's in 24 months/2T stuff now, and he's taking a size 7 shoe. Everybody has always commented on how "big" he looks, but he's never been a big baby. I think it was all the hair and teeth that made him look older.

Aren't they suppose to double their birthweight by 5 months? I can't remember anything now, and it's only been a year. Evan didn't hit 20 pounds until he was just over 12 months (I know we didn't have to worry about him outgrowing the weight limit on his convertible seat before he hit a year).

jojo2324
10-28-2002, 12:48 PM
Well, I try to get everything on him at least once...And I honestly don't mind getting some new stuff :) I'm certainly not shopping for myself anymore! DS has a knack for christening each of his outfits with a nice poop stain though, whether he's worn it for 15 seconds or 15 days, pretty much everything has a nice splotch right above his butt. What can you do? Hopefully baby #2 won't be such a mutant and can actually wear this stuff, poop stains and all.

thorsmom
10-30-2002, 07:35 PM
Joanne,
I was in a very similar situation with DS. At 4 months he was about 20lbs. He has slowed down a little and at our 6 month check up he was about 24lbs. Luckily for me he started to sit up around 4 1/2 months. He was still a little wobbly until about 5 1/2- 6 months.

I never tried the baby trekker but used a Theodore Bean until recently. I could usually carry him for about 2-3 hours before my back hurt. But I needed to keep moving. If I was just standing my back would start hurting much sooner. I just switched to a tough traveller back pack. I am considering getting the Hip Hammock. They have a store that sells it locally here so I am going to bring DS in and try it out with him. What don't you like about it? I had the MAWS hip carrier that I got at the Right Start and it didn't hurt my back but the strap that goes around my neck really started to bother the one side of my shoulder.

At the grocery store I was able to put Alexander in the grocery cart front seat at about 4 1/2 months and just brought a fleece blanket and padded around him. But that will only work if Gannon has pretty good neck control. Alexander had good neck control at that age but slouched a little (hence the fleece blanket).

On the plus side of having a bigger baby I weighed less than my pre-pregnancy weight 3 months after giving birth and boy are my biceps getting toned (lol).

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Sandy
Mom to Alexander Thor 3/16/02

jojo2324
10-30-2002, 09:17 PM
Me too! (In the weight department.) I'm getting spoiled because I know that once I wean it's all gonna come galloping back, especially with all the chocolate I can't help but eat...

The hip hammock just really hurts my back. I guess it's the strap that goes around my neck and shoulders. It's very wide and stiff. Also, I find that I have a harder time doing things with the HH than with the BB because my balance is so off-kilter.

We just got one of those shopping cart harnesses so I am going to try that. I am also going to get a TB because he really likes to be held. He has good neck control, but he slouches as well. I suppose he's just so fat that he kind of tumbles forward! He's 21# 6oz as of yesterday. The ped said today that sometimes it takes a bit longer for bigger babies to hit milestones because of their size. He hasn't rolled over yet. He kind of twists his back, but nothing close to a roll-over. Doesn't that seem bad? Shouldn't he have at least rolled over by now?

Annette_C
10-30-2002, 11:57 PM
I don't think it's bad, Joanne, that Gannon hasn't rolled over yet. In fact, Sabrina hasn't either and she was 15 lbs, 25" at her 4 months ped apptmt yesterday. She does the same thing, twists her back and tries really hard but she only gets half way through it. The ped said she's in the 75% for weight and lenght but in the 90% for head size. I personally think that's why she can't get the "roll over" move yet: her head's too heavy! LOL:) Kidding aside, every baby is different and will do certain things before others but, soon enough, they all catch up.:)
BTW....glad to hear Gannon is doing better and that it's nothing serious.
Annette :)
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

Shirale
10-31-2002, 10:32 AM
My DD is not by any means a big baby, genrally 25% or less but her head is 95th%! So when she is all bundled up people always say- oh what a big baby...!!! I think that it took her longer to learn to sit up (she sat up alone, puled herself to sitting) at 7 months! But she did roll over early at about 10 weeks (at least one way). Anyhow- many babies have little bodies and big heads!!! So Cute!!!

jojo2324
10-31-2002, 12:15 PM
Goodness, can you imagine 15 pounds! Was he a month late or something? Actually, DH's paternal grandfather was 14 lbs at birth, and same thing, no drugs. His adult height was 5'4" :) So go figure. And the rest of the family is well over six feet tall (on the men's side).

thorsmom
10-31-2002, 05:36 PM
I've seen some good deals for new TB's on ebay. I got mine from babystyle with a online coupon that gave me $15.00 off.

Sandy
Mom to Alexander Thor
3/16/2002

suzska
11-03-2002, 12:54 AM
That was Evan--25% for weight, 50% for height, and 97%+ for his head! Add the ton of dark hair and all the teeth and everyone always thinks he's bigger than he is! At his 18-month appt. he was 50% for weight and 75% for height, but still 97%+ for his head (and it was the same size as 3 months before!). I think he had just gone through a growth spurt so he was slightly above his "normal" curve. I could never put the cute little hats on him that came with the cute little outfits that people gave me--his head outgrew the hat long before his body was ready to wear the outfit! He's still my little cutey, though! ;-)

daisymommy
11-04-2002, 01:46 PM
UMMMM....whats a TB? Josh who is now 14lbs. at 2.5 months is killing my back from being held so much as as well. The BB hurts my shoulders, the OTSBH is comfy but Josh looks all scrunched up in it and cries (I probably don't know how to use it right. I wish someone closeby could demonsttrate in person). I need to find something that could hold him up on my shoulder where he likes it, thats also comfy.
Joanne, I'm so glad that things are getting a little better with Gannon! Thanks for the star too!

jojo2324
11-04-2002, 02:37 PM
You're welcome! Theodore Bean. It's another baby holder, but I guess it's better for bigger babies. Haven't tried it yet, still need to order one.