How chunky is too chunky?

[Anonymous]

OP. My DD was a larger child also (25 lbs at a year). She rolled over late, sat up late, crawled late etc.... Ped said a chunkier child will hit milestones late b/c they have more weight (makes sense). As long as your child follows the same pattern on their growth chart (no sudden drops or increases in wt % etc....) it will be fine. My DD drank 40-45 ounces of formula a day plus ate table food (she hated the jarred stuff so we went right to mashed table food). Ped, again was not worried. At 3 1/2 she is 43 lbs very tall (solid but not fat in the least). FWIW at 7 months she wore 18 month clothes. At 12 months she wore 24 month clothes. It's totally normal and within the range of where a baby can be. Do not attempt to lessen what your child eats (unless under a doctors care to do so).

[Anonymous]

Op don't worry about weight just yet and please don't put him on any diet. Our doc told us you can't overfeed a child under 2 years old. Also, once he starts to walk, his weight gain will slow down dramatically!

[Anonymous]

I don't think you should worry about the child's weight- I think its fine for a baby to be a bit chunky, but I would call the doc and ask about the formula intake. My doctor told us we should never exceed 32 oz of formula in a day, which is what a book I have also says. I've heard you can give as much breastmilk as they want, but I don't think its the same with formula. (The doctor didn't tell us anything about limiting solid food) I'm sure everything is fine, but I would call the doctor and ask rather than waiting a month.

[Anonymous]

I would also call and ask about the amount of forumula because I have been told to not exceed 32 oz as well. However, I would not worry about the weight at all!

[Anonymous]

Feed your baby if he is hungry. Trying to "cut back" - geez. Not trying to make you feel bad, but the facts you tick off make me feel bad for him. He is just trying to grow based on what his body is telling him. I third the "Child of Mine" recommendation. More importantly, if you have underlying food issues, you may wish to talk with someone. Many kids have voracious appetites, and that is much better than the converse!

My DD was OFF the charts (breastfed only) - she was something like 24 lbs. by 4 or 5 months? Can't remember now. But like some other posters said, she gained only 1 lb. in the next year. My ped said that's very common, esp. for breastfed babies. Since your son is on formula, I am not sure how that factors in, but I hardly would be worried about ANY weight gain in a baby. Just wait until he starts crawling and walking like crazy.

[Anonymous]

Formula is different than breastmilk, so without knowing how all the pps fed their babies, I would be careful about their advice. I had heard max 32 oz of formula. PP who says not to "cut back" said she did all breastmilk- it was a different story for her. Breastfed babies are often fed on demand and are supposed to self regulate. There IS a such thing as too much formula. Moms who breastfeed don't neccessarily always realize this.

Oh, and I don't think the weight is a concern, but I would call your ped.

[Anonymous]

both my children were very chubby (bigger that yours at 7 months) and have slimmed down considerably at 5.5 and 2.5 years. They still have healthy appetites but are good at recognizing when they are full and eating a variety of foods. Please don't worry about this at this age.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is possible to over feed a formula fed baby if you are insisting on baby finishing a bottle just because you don't want to waste it, etc. But a hungry baby voraciously sucking down a bottle should be allowed to eat as much formula as he wants. Mine ate well over 32 ounces at one point -- close to 40 -- and my ped said if he is really hungry, feed him what he wants. He was off the charts at 6 months but has already slowed down at 10 months.

[Anonymous]

Unlike most posters who had chubby babies, I had a chunky baby who loved to drink and now I have a chunky toddler who loves to eat. Everyone said he would slim down once he started crawling...then walking...then running...but it just never happened. I didn't, and still don't, worry about it too much. I make sure he gets predominately whole and healthy foods, stay away from processed foods, no refined sugar, no juice, and limit milk. I follow ellyn satter generally and i dint plan to get too worried about weight until maybe pre-k.

[Anonymous]

10:38 again. My DD did eat 40-45 ounce bottles for some time as an infant. She was always starving. She isn't necessarily heavy now, but she is solid and she eats a lot. It's healthy but it's a lot. At 3 1/2 she has just started to slow down in the eating department. She has started to lessen the portions she will finish. However, she will still eat a wide variety of foods. Ped is in no way worried.

[Anonymous]

My son is huge, 15 mths, 32 lbs and 34 in. He was born at a whopping 10 lb 1 oz. He's growing out of 2T clothes.
My ped said not to worry at all. He eats like a 2 year old because he's the size of a 2 year old. He's proportioned and we're not at all concerned.
Since he started walking, he has not thinned out. Instead he has grown 3 inches and gained 3 lbs (in 3 mths). It's just in his genes (Dad's a big guy).
I would not worry at all and bring it up at your next ped appt.

[Anonymous]

By the way, whether a baby gets breast milk or formula makes no difference- if you bottle feed with either and insist upon baby finishing the bottle then you can overfeed. Regardless of what is the source of their milk, babies should be fed until they are satisfied (and not past the point of satiety). The statement that breastfed babies cannot be fed too much only is true if they're directly nursing and not bottle fed. So if your baby really is hungry for that much, I wouldn't worry about it at all- feed him and enjoy the chubbiness because it won't be around forever!

[Anonymous]

I second what PP said about finishing the bottle. It sounds like your little guy is genuinely hungry, OP, and this is probably just his normal growth curve-- my DD ate a ton at that age and was long and skinny, and I would almost be in tears at the doctor's appointment as they lectured me about trying to fatten her up. (Time for a new ped.)

That said, I have seen overfed seven-month-olds. You can tell not by their weight but by seeing that their caregivers resort to the bottle for EVERY complaint. Whenever the baby is tired or fussy, they pull out the bottle. I am just mentioning this because although it sounds like this is totally NOT what's going on with you, it can happen. One of our relatives refuses to give her child a pacifier but the child very clearly has a need for a lot of sucking, and that (bottle-fed with breast-milk) infant is about the size of yours. That said, most parents are better at reading their children's hunger signals than that, and if your kiddo is going crazy for the jarred food, too, it sounds like true hunger!

[Anonymous]

dont worry i have the queen of chunky monkey babies.. she is 9 months and weighs almost 30 pounds and wears size 5 diapers.. she is just now trying to crawl. But honestly they all do it at their own time.. Yes she is a little behind the other kids but even the little bit of moving she does helps.

[Anonymous]

It is typical for babies to be chubby. Not all babies are, but if they are it is not a bad thing. If he's hungry - feed him and let him eat until he's full. Don't withhold food, that's calling for a disaster. Babies (and kids) need a lot calories.