Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Three-Month-Old Feeding Best at Night | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
Lately, my three-month-old baby does not seem to be hungry during the day, refusing milk even up to six hours after the last feeding. When he is offered milk, he sucks reluctantly, while crying and struggling. Despite not taking milk for the last six hours, he only manages to finish three ounces in 30 minutes. However, he feeds every three hours at night, finishing four ounces in 10 minutes. As a result, his intake has fallen from 800 ml to 500 ml a day.
Can you offer any suggestion as to why he is not hungry during the daytime, preferring to feed at night when he is half asleep, often choking on his milk? Should I reduce his night feeds so that he will take more during the day? Thank you for your help.— Newmum | | | ANSWER |
December 21, 2001 | | | Dear Newmum,
Everyone thinks feeding an infant should be easy, but it often isn' at all. Few things worry parents more than a baby who is not eating well. You are certainly not alone in having this problem.
During the first few months of life, the main developmental task for babies is to get their biological rhythms working well, so that they are eating, sleeping, and being alert on a reasonably predictable schedule. It's easy for these cycles to get mixed up, and lots of young babies are awake more at night than during the day, or want to have a bottle often during the night, so that they are less hungry during the day.
The first thing you need to do is to make certain that your baby has been examined carefully by his doctor, so that you can be sure there is no ear infection or other problem underlying the feeding issue. It will also be reassuring to have the doctor monitoring your baby's growth, to make sure that he really is getting enough nutrition.
(If you have already returned to work, and your baby is being cared for by a nanny or child-care provider, then the daytime feeding problems might have to do with differences in the way you and the provider approach the feeding.)
Next, try to help your baby learn that daytime is the time to be more active and to feed more. Do this by being more interactive and playful during the day, and much quieter and more business-like during the night. Try to space the nighttime feedings out a bit more by letting your baby fuss just a bit before going in with a bottle. Don't keep feeding your baby until he falsl completely asleep, but rather put him back in his crib drowsy, so that he has a chance to fall the rest of the way asleep by himself.
It's very upsetting when a baby won't eat as we expect him to. If you feel yourself getting anxious about feedings, there's a good chance your baby is sensing that anxiety, too, and that might make it harder for him to eat. This might be a good time to give yourself a little break. If possible, maybe your baby's father could offer the feedings during the night, so that you can sleep. There may be a friend or relative who could come in during the day, to give you a hand with feedings and other chores, and also give you some adult company (by three months, many mothers I know are dying for a grown-up to talk with during the day).
There are lots of reasons why feedings may not be going well. If the suggestions I've offered don't help, be sure to talk with your baby's doctor. — by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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