Are You Overfeeding Your Baby? Look Out For These Signs

While it’s vital to feed a newborn, overfeeding is unhealthy. It may result in health issues for infants.

There are a lot of challenges that first-time parents face. They get overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of a newborn. Some people don’t know this, but you can overfeed a child and it’s not good for their health.

Giving them too much of anything is bad, including feeding a baby more than they need. This might happen because parents don’t understand how much food their child needs, and they mistake other issues for hunger.

It’s a common misconception that if a baby is crying, it must be hungry, but this isn’t always the case. In this article, we explain the signs of overfeeding a baby so that parents will know what to look for.

Signs of Overfeeding a Baby

Here are some signs that your child is being overfed that you should watch out for:

• Weight increase – If your baby seems to be gaining weight in an odd way, it could be an indication that they are drinking too much milk.
• Excess of Urine discharge – If your newborn baby is urinating more often than usual.
• Change in Bowel Movement – You may be feeding the infant too much milk if he has frequent bowel movements with brief gaps between them.
• When you try to feed the infant and he stops drinking milk, it means he is satisfied.
• Additionally, crying while drinking milk is a sign of overeating.
• While drinking milk, the baby is spitting it out.
• Another indication that he has ingested more milk and is already full is his unwillingness to be fed.

Why shouldn’t you feed the newborn baby too much?

Parenting can sometimes be overwhelming and first-time parents don’t understand the signs that their baby is overfed. Here are some of the reasons why overfeeding a baby is bad:

• Bottle-fed babies sometimes swallow too much air which leads to gassiness.
• Some babies might drink too much milk, and this can cause gas or abdominal pain.
• Babies who drink too much milk may have a frequent bowel movement. This will make them feel weak.
• If a baby drinks too much milk, he might gain weight quickly and this could cause several health problems.

Advice to Parents

Here are some suggestions for parents to avoid overfeeding babies:

• You should set a timer every 2-3 hours to feed your baby, or as suggested by your pediatrician. A fixed time will help them get into a routine.
• You should also fix the amount of milk to be given. If your baby is not drinking or rejecting the feed, don’t forcefully feed them.
• If you think there’s a problem and your baby is rejecting the milk very often, consult a pediatrician.
• Every new baby born has different needs, so it’s important to understand what your child needs before you start feeding them.

It is important to be mindful of how much milk or formula your baby consumes each day. Always consult with your pediatrician if you have any questions or concerns about your baby’s growth. Thanks for reading!