8 Signs You’re Overfeeding Your Baby

As a new parent, you might often find yourself without a clear idea on how to feed your baby, or how much food your baby really needs. There are many parenting forums advising parents to feed children on regular intervals regardless of their hunger just to get them accustomed to a schedule, while others ask parents to ensure that their kids get a certain quantity of food in each day.

However, it is to remember that all children are entitled to their own capacity for food and if you stick too close to a feeding schedule or food portions, it can result in overfeeding. Here are 7 signs that can help you identify if your child is being overfed.

1. Your baby is overweight

One of the most obvious signs that should tell you that your child is being overfed is his or her weight. you do not need to be a ped to understand that if your child is overweight for her age, you may need to reconsider her regular food portions. Sometimes, higher fat and sugar in the administered food can also result in excess weight gain for the child. So, in order to try to maintain a well-balanced diet for your child, you will have to cut-off on the over feeding part, and focus on providing healthier options for your child’s well being.

2. Your baby throws up food after feedings

If you do not trust anybody else, trust your child. Because babies are generally pretty good at telling parents when they are full, and they do NOT wish to have anymore food. However, if you are following a strict diet pattern and prone to force the baby to finish her portions – rather than let her decide when she doesn’t want to eat anymore, your baby may start throwing up after every feeding. Even though it is perfectly normal for kids to throw up a little milk after having gulped down air along with it while breast feedings, if you observe that he or she is throwing up more than usual , then it might be a sign that he or she is being overfed, and maybe you should stop there before your child gets any more uncomfortable.

3. Your baby refuses to eat after a point

You do not need to gauge your child with excess food to make sure he or she grows up healthy.  If your baby refuses to eat after a certain point during a feeding, do not force him or her to eat more, it will probably result in them vomiting out the excess or worse – cause stomach upset and gas. If your baby refuses to eat after taking just a few bites, you could atleast try to feed her a few times. If he  or she has already eaten a major chunk of her portion before refusing to eat any further, it could be an indicator that she is full, and you should probably leave him or her be.

4. Your baby is lethargic

It is a statistical truth that overfed babies tend to be less active and less outgoing than those babies that have been fed just the right amount as a part of their diet. You do not want your child to grow up a lethargic person – and in order to avoid that , you will have to consult a legit dietician and stick to whatever chart she makes for your child to follow. It will also be productive if you include more fruits and veggies in your child’s diet so that he or she has the chance to grow up healthy.

5. Your baby’s stomach is upset often

If your child’s stomach is frequently upset, poop pattern is unusual or gets stomach cramps etc., then you can be sure that these are ominous signs of your child being overfed. Even if you have managed to train your child to clean up every last trace of his or her food portions, you would have little control over how their body digests it. In most cases, your child’s body will not accept this continuous intake of food against the body’s needs. And as a result, there will be stomach upsets and other related ailments that reject the excess quantities that were overfed.

6. Your baby cries a lot after feedings

If you stuff your child’s mouth with food that clearly he/she doesnt want, then it is going to create a lot of discomfort for the little  soul. It will be irritating and even hurting for your baby, and in all cases of overfeeding, you’ll know you are doing it when your child cannot take it anymore and starts crying. And it will not be a pretty picture.

7. Your child gets a lot of gas 

if you are over feeding your baby, then being overfed might often result in the formation of excessive gas in the child’s GI tract – which may make him or her uncomfortable after feedings. Gas is in itself a painful ailment, and for your baby to get it because of you might make you want to step back and evaluate your parenting skills a little.

8. There are a lot of left overs in his or her plate

As said  before, your child is the best judge on the matter of how much he or she needs to eat in order to stay fit and healthy. they will know when their capacity is at full and they cannot intake anymore. if you see leftovers on the side of the plate, you will know that the portions administered were more that what they could eat. so, maybe you need to start will smaller portions of a range of foods, and see how much nutrition they can take in.

overfeeding is not a luxury, it hurts children more than you can imagine. it is marginal torture upon the poor little souls – even though it probably comes from a good place in the parent’s heart. making sure that your baby is healthy does not entails stuffing or gauging your child. let your child eat and breath free – at their own capacity. and you will see a healthy baby growing fine in your arms.