when to add baby cereal?????

My baby will be 2mths Sunday. I love my precious chunky monkey but I feel overwelmed with his eating habits. He takes 4oz of formula EVERY 2 hours. Im not shoving a bottle down his throat everytime he cries, he is literally showing signs of hunger. This has to be too much? He was 7lb 9oz at birth and last week was 12lb 12oz. Everyone is suggesting putting cereal in his bottle, can I please have some honest opinions.

I wouldn't put cereal in his bottle......many peditricians would tell you the same thing!  Maybe increase his formula another 1-2oz each feeding and see how he does.  You might also consider giving him some soupy cereal made with his formula in the evening before he goes to bed to see if he will last longer before his next feeding at night.  Don't be surprised if he spits most of it out at first though....as they need to learn how to get it to the back of their throats and swallow it.  Have you called your peditrician to see what they suggest?

Well, the pediatrian says give him water or pacifier but he does not want it. He will scream until he gets formula.When I feed him the four ounces he is satisfied until the clock strikes 2 hrs then he is screaming that he is starving?
I feel like all I do is feed him. By the time he drinks it and I lay him down or pack the car to go somewhere he is ready to eat again. He is up most of the day, he doesnt sleep very much at all. The dr. says some babies do and some dont sleep alot?

The peditrician suggested giving water?  No, don't do that. He is probably going through a growtch spurt, I would increase amt by 1oz and see how that is tolerated.

the good news is.. he sounds 100% normal... if hes hungry.. feed him.. he doesnt need cereal..

ohh and reference sleep... my daughter hardly napped...  she is now 1.. and will take 1x 2 hour nap.. thats it.

I think there are thicker formulas out now for this very issue. Look at the Enfamil website.

my son is 9 weeks tomorrow and he eats 6 oz at a time and is good for 4 hours and that is breast milk! I agree with PP, I would increase by 1 or 2 oz a feeding.

My 8 month old has had the same problem since day one.  One of my office's peds suggested the water thing too...think it's an old school thing (not sure), but I didn't really agree with it.  I switched her to Similac sensitive with Rice Starch added and that did the trick.  You dont have to use the sensitive, but any formula with a slightly thicker consistancy might be what's needed.  Also, I truly believe in feed by demand...just my personal opinion.  If they need to eat more often, feed them more often.  The thicker formula will hopefully fill him up better so you don't have to feed him so often though.....which makes life much easier! :)

(I would try to wait if possible for a few more months on adding cereal...just my opinion though)

Good luck

-Jennifer

I am no pediatrician but I can tell you what has gone on with my daughter. She is 3 months old as of tomorrow. She was also 7 lbs, 9 oz at birth. About 2 weeks after birth she started having episodes of projectile vomitting her formula up after feedings. It got even scarier when she was vomit ting in her sleep and we had to prop her up so she wouldn't choke. I was constantly on edge with that and her Pediatrician told us that she has Acid Reflux. Shortly after that around 1 month old she started acting like she was starving all of the time but would only eat 2 ounces at a time without getting sick after wards. So I was feeding her like every 1 1/2 to 2  hours and 2 ounces every feeding! Pediatrician told us that babies with Acid Reflux want to feed more often because of the burning feeling in their throats and chest. Feeling the liquid in their mouths help alleviate the discomfort of the Acid. So he told us to feed her less ounces but more often so she would still get the amount of ounces she needed daily. At exactly 2 months old she began showing signs of Colic. Every evening she would scream uncontrollably, her hands and feet would turn cold, she would stick her legs out in a stiff position, and her tummy would look distended.  Pediatrician told us there isn't anything we could do for colic and that she would grow out of it eventually. I did my research and found gripe water. So between gripe water and Milicon drops her pains got much better. Pediatrician did change her formula to Enfamil AR (which has rice starch in it but doesn't have cereal in it) it is thicker and it did satisfy her a lot more. She was placed on this for her Acid Reflux. The thicker formula kept her from vomit ting so much. She is also taking Zantac twice a day, which I think helps also. In the 1-2 weeks we have noticed a much happier baby. She is now taking 4 ounces every 2 hours during the day and one feeding at night she is able to keep 6 ounces down (she only wakes up once at night always around 4 a.m.) 

Does your baby cry every 2 hours all day or is it more so in the evening? Also babies can have acid reflux with no spitting up/vomitting as a symptom. He may just feel like he needs that quench if his chest is burning. I would call your Pediatrician back. Our Pediatrician told us that he did not want our daughter on cereal until she was at least 4 months old. Ped has us give her 2 ounces of prune juice per day because she had hard painful stools. I mix it in her formula because she doesn't like the taste. We do not give her water though and the only reason he has us give her juice is because it is not safe for newborns or infants to have hard painful stools. The juice has helped so much with that! 

Anyways, not sure any of this information helped but I would definatly consult his Doctor about the constant crying for more food. He may have a medical problem that needs to be addressed like my daughter has. I can completly understand the overwhelming feeling you have with the feedings! I will tell you this, it does get easier. Reach out to family or friends for support!