If baby doesn't finish bottle do u offer it again later ?

[TraciG]

Sydney only eats half her bottle lately so I try the rest maybe a half hour later, my sister-in-law thinks I shouldn't do this what do u all think ?? I dont think half her bottle is enough, aslo my SIL thinks she should be eating every 3-4 hours ,no way Sydney goes 2 to 2 1/2 hours !!!!!!!!!!!

[Momof3Labs]

Traci, you gotta stop listening to those relatives!! Who knows YOUR baby better - you or your SIL? I guarantee that you do! If you aren't sure if Sydney is eating enough, talk to your ped, not your SIL. There are very wide ranges of normal quantities and frequency, even among formula fed babies.

I really mean it when I say you are going to go absolutely nuts if you keep on letting your family get to you. It will NOT get better as Sydney gets older, it will only get worse!

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine - she addresses bottle feeding in addition to solids feeding, and will give you more confidence in your ability to feed your baby (remember, it will only get harder) and a MUCH better plan to follow than the one your relatives are haphazardly laying out for you.

[nathansmom]

I'm going to agree with Lori. Stop listening to everyone but your baby. She'll tell you what she needs.
Nathan ate every 2-3 hours until he was about 5 months old. I always reused my bottle if he didn't finish. Just put it back in the fridge.

[TraciG]

I do plan on getting the book Child of Mine, will go this weekend, to hard with the baby !!!!!!!!!! I was just curious.

thanks guys

I went to a group today for parents & children, u all now I need it with all my questions !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[deborah_r]

Tracy,

I looked through Child of Mine, after reading Lori's suggestion, and Satter says the bottle is good for one hour after the start of a feeding. And the book is an excellent resource, I would recommend it as well.

[hobey]

Traci:

I agree with everyone who posted follow-ups. You know your baby best. Trust your instincts and forget about what everyone else says! You'll go nuts otherwise. I remember stressing about what my mother and in-laws suggested when DS was born (comparing other babies, telling me what worked for me and my sister, etc.) that I was a total basketcase wondering if I was doing ANYTHING right. It took my DH to remind me that we are the parents and we will raise our child our way. That's not to say we don't *listen* to others. We do, then we decide if the advice is right for us based on what we've learned from Nathan.

Sydney will let you know when she's hungry and if it's every 2 hours, then it's every 2 hours. Every baby is different and they all have the means of regulating themselves. As I've said before, you're doing a great job. Just relax a bit and let Sydney guide you on this journey.

Oh and as for your original question, if Nathan only drinks half of his bottle, which is now 6 oz, I do put it in the fridge just in case he decides he's hungry again within the next hour. If not, I pitch the bottle.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[hobey]

Double Post

[TraciG]

Sometimes if Sydney doesn't finish the bottle I will keep it in the fridge for later also, sometimes i'll re-use the next day is that bad u said u throw out after an hour ??

[JenCA]

We do not re-refrigerate a bottle if DD doesn't finish it. We'll leave it out and consider it good until one hour from the time she started eating. Then, it gets tossed. The idea is that bottles of formula become little breeding grounds for bacteria if they sit out for longer than an hour. I do not have information about re-refrigerating a bottle and using it later, but my gut instinct says no. I would definitely NOT re-feed the same bottle the following day.

As for what your SIL said about feeding every 3-4+ hours--it's hooey. If your child wants to eat every 2 hours, then so be it. FF infants cannot necessarily go longer between feedings, as the myth goes. My FF DD goes anywhere from 2-3 hours between feedings at 6 mos. Definitely just watch your child's cues and don't listen to people who tell you how things "should" be. You know your child best!

[papal]

Finally an avatar of the the baby who has been keeping her mom very busy!!! What a cutie Traci!

I agree with everyone. DO NOT listen to ANYONE else. Follow your instinct!

[hobey]

Jen said it best. I'm not comfortable with keeping the formula longer than an hour due to bacterial concerns so we pitch it if he doesn't eat it right away.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[SeekerMage]

I agree with what everyone says....she will let you know when she is hungry etc. Lil'bit goes every three to four hours...but sometimes its every two to three just gotta know her cues .....I also thought that I would add that we re-refridgerate our EBM bottles and use them sometimes the next day - reheating and all. Per my LC the small amount of bacteria that gets into the bottle is more or less fought off by the good bacteria in the breast milk and the benefits outweigh the "risks" and besides that its soo hard to toss that liquid gold! HTH

[sntm]

re-refridgerating it shouldn't be a problem, but you can't rewarm it then. so leave it out, or refridgerate and give it cold.

and definitely toss after 1 hour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[TraciG]

Thank you I am planning on getting the book.

[amp]

If Sydney does *not* drink out of the bottle, you can refrigerate it for 24 hrs I think. If she drinks some and stops, you can only save it (refrigerated or not) for 1 hr. We sometimes stretch that to about 1 hr and 20 min. or so, but that's it. It has to be dumped after that. Bacteria can breed in the bottle after that point.