For those of you with big babies...

[jojo2324]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!