Do Bottle-Fed Babies Gain Weight Faster Than Breastfed Babies?

The average baby has tripled his birth weight by the time he celebrates his first birthday. However, a breastfed infant gains about one pound less than a formula-fed baby during the 12 months, according to website AskDr.Sears.com. Both breast milk and formula provide adequate nutrition for your baby, despite the relatively modest difference in weight gain.

Significance

Bottle-fed and breastfed babies grow at about the same rate during the first few months of life. As mid-year approaches, formula-fed infants often start to gain weight at a more rapid pace than babies who breastfeed. It is believed that excess water retention is largely responsible for the extra weight in formula-fed babies. Formula contains more salts and minerals than breast milk so giving your bottle-fed baby water can help the kidneys excrete the extra sodium. Bottle-fed babies also tend to have more body fat than breastfed infants after the first six months, notes AskDr.Sears. Formula-fed infants tend to take in more calories than their breastfed peers.

Feeding Patterns

Although some formula-fed fed babies may be a little chubbier than babies who nurse, breastfed infants usually eat more often than babies who drink formula, explains HealthyChildren.org, the official website of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It takes longer to digest formula, so a bottle-fed baby tends to eat less often than a breastfed infant. Newborns nurse every two to three hours, while bottle-fed babies start out eating every three to four hours. All babies need fewer feedings as they become older, because their stomachs become large enough to hold greater quantities of milk or formula.

Hunger Signals

Be on the lookout for signs that your formula-fed or breastfed baby is hungry. Sucking motions, smacking his lips, sticking out his tongue or sticking fingers in his mouth, and in the case of nursing infants, moving his mouth or head in search of mother's breast are common hunger cues, notes HealthyChildren. A baby cries as a last resort to express his need for food. Contact your doctor if your baby is fussy or cries after a feeding, instead of seeming full and content.

Considerations

Examine factors other than breastfeeding versus bottle-feeding when you look at why one baby gains more weight than another. A baby may have inherited a particular metabolic rate that burns calories faster or slower than another infant. An infant with a laid-back disposition may not burn as many calories as a more active baby who wants to get his body moving as soon as possible.