update on babysitting my niece (was priorities)

[ktgrok]

It is going well, although I'm exhausted. She and my daughter are less than 9 months apart, so it's hard. They are paying me $150 a week, and although I meet them halfway in the morning they are coming here to pick her up. I watch her for about 8 hours or so. I wash her bottle too, which I hadn't planned on, but whatever. Not worth causing problems about, it only takes a few minutes. But man, I hate bottles, lol. ONe of the reasons I breastfeed.

 

Anyway, it's going well. The only snag is they feed her a TON in my opinion, and she spits up a ton. Since she has been here i was feeding her when she seemed hungry, only as much as she eagerly took, which often meant 2-3 oz then a break, then another 2 oz. She didn't spit up even once. They say she normally gets 6oz at a time, so today I gave her 5oz at a time and she spit up everywhere. ugh. But, it's there baby, and I would want someone to listen to me about caring for my child, so I will listen to them about caring for theirs. Even though it is dumb.

[Lolosoli]

I don't know the history of the story.....but, I do feel that bottle feeding parents push way to much milk into their babies at one time. Most do it (IMO) so they don't have to feed as often. Sigh....

 

I'd continue to feed her smaller amounts (just like breastfed babies do) more frequently and explain why to them.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Yeah for them doing the right thing! Sorry about the spit-up, but good for you for respecting their wishes, even if they're wrong.

[UnsinkableKristen]

I do feel that bottle feeding parents push way to much milk into their babies at one time. Most do it (IMO) so they don't have to feed as often. Sigh....

 

 

 

That really isn't a fair generalization to make.

 

 

OP, I'm glad you are feeling a little better about the situation. I hope that things smooth out soon.

[vonfirmath]

I don't know the history of the story.....but, I do feel that bottle feeding parents push way to much milk into their babies at one time. Most do it (IMO) so they don't have to feed as often. Sigh....

 

I'd continue to feed her smaller amounts (just like breastfed babies do) more frequently and explain why to them.

 

My baby was bottle fed (precious liquid gold), did not spit up a ton, and quickly ramped up to drinking 4-5 oz at a time. When he kept showing signs of being hungry after finishing a bottle, we'd make another 2 oz and fee dthat too. That's how we realized it.

 

I would MUCH prefer him to have taken smaller bottles. Then I could have pumped a great proportion of his nutrition, at least at the beginning. But I'd already had the experience of discovering I was starving my baby with my anti-formula stubbornness so I was not going to not give him food he was obviously needing.

[athena1277]

My dd was a bottle baby. We used the 4 oz bottles only. When she was tiny we fed her more often. Once she started on solids we followed this advice: If she's still hungry after a bottle, she needs more solids in her diet. It worked. It also helped me gauge how much she needed to be eating to be full/satisfied. HTH.

[kchara]

That really isn't a fair generalization to make.

 

 

:iagree: My bottle fed baby spits up all of the time, but he also eats and eats and eats. There's a balance there, but it's hard to find sometimes.

 

OP, I"m glad things are smoothing out somewhat. :grouphug: