My daughter is 6 months and she eats solids three times per day. That's what her pedi recommends. She has 4 oz of cereal in the morning, 1/2 - 1 jar of fruits for lunch, and 1/2 - 1 jar of veggies for dinner.
My daughter is 6 months and she eats solids three times per day. That's what her pedi recommends. She has 4 oz of cereal in the morning, 1/2 - 1 jar of fruits for lunch, and 1/2 - 1 jar of veggies for dinner.
Seeing as how babies shouldn't start on solids until 6 months old that seems like a lot of food! Even the AAP doesn't recommend more than a tablespoon or so when first starting.
Some pedi recommend starting cereal at 4 months. We gave our daughter cereal just after 4 months. We started with a tbsp or so of cereal. She's now 6.5 months and eats about a full 4 oz. jar of purée for lunch after her bottle (3-5 oz. of BM). After I BF she'll eat 1/4-1/2 jar or purée about an hour later. BM is still where she gets the majority of her calories. Purée is pretty much to introduce foods and different tastes and textures. We also give her puffs. About 3 after her dinner. Works on that hand eye coordination.
After our last check up we upped L's solids to 3 times a day too. He usually eats about 2oz or so each time. I think it depends too on their size and how they were gaining on formula or breast milk. We have had good weight gain So doc said he could have as much as he wanted as long as he didn't cut down on nursing too much.
My lo breastfeeds the will sometimes eat 2-3 ounces of solids. He LOVES it. He will bang his hands on his high chair tray when I run out and I will make more for him until he doesn't want anymore. I don't know where he puts it all! But he's solid popping 2-4 times a day too so I guess everything is working out good. Every baby is different.. I just offer food until he doesn't take anymore. I figure he knows when he's full!
DS eats 3 meals and a snack (or two) most days. Some days he's hungrier than others. I try not to get too hung up on whether he's getting too much/too little because I did that with DD and drove myself crazy. If he's hungry he lets me know; same when he's full.
Meals are usually 3-4 oz. of purees or 1 container of Stonyfield baby yogurt (4oz.)
Snacks are pretty much anything - a cube of cheese, a handful of puffs, a baby cereal bar, some avocado chunks, a mini muffin
I do a modified form of BLW with him and it's working great. He also eats ~four 8oz. bottles/day too.
Thanks for the replies. So this is how DD has been going. She wakes at about 2am and I give her 5oz. She usually drinks it all. She wakes around 7am she eats at about 8am. I use the Baby Bullet. So, she has 2 tablespoons of dry oatmeal cereal which I mix 2oz of BM. Then one container which I believe is 2oz of a veggie and another container of fruit. She goes til about 12 I give her a bottle of 5oz and she goes down for nap. About 1-2hr nap. Then she has dinner around 4pm-5pm. Same as breakfast. Then bedtime she has 5oz and that's about 8-9pm. I know that's not a lot of BM. It's only 19oz. I tried to give her a bottle after her meal she doesn t drink it. Even the 5oz bottles I give for lunch, bedtime, and middle of the night she sometimes doesn't dri k it all.
My daughter is 6 months and she eats solids three times per day. That's what her pedi recommends. She has 4 oz of cereal in the morning, 1/2 - 1 jar of fruits for lunch, and 1/2 - 1 jar of veggies for dinner.
Seeing as how babies shouldn't start on solids until 6 months old that seems like a lot of food! Even the AAP doesn't recommend more than a tablespoon or so when first starting.
I agree. I went to LO's 6 month appt yesterday and the Ped looked shocked that I didn't follow her 3x a day diet regimen for LO that she prescribed at his 4 month appt. *eye roll* Anyways, now she is really pushing the 3x a day, 2-4 oz each feeding. I don't understand why all peds don't follow the AAP...
My son is 7 months old and won't eat solids. We have been trying for a month. At first he just gagged and threw up every time we tried. He now swallows better but just won't open to eat. He will grab the spoon and bring it to his mouth when he wants a bite and he will grab the spoon and push it away when he doesn't want any. The latter happens the most often. I'm not sure what to do. I have tried purees and soft chunks of avacado and cooked carrot. Any suggestions?
My son is 7 months old and won't eat solids. We have been trying for a month. At first he just gagged and threw up every time we tried. He now swallows better but just won't open to eat. He will grab the spoon and bring it to his mouth when he wants a bite and he will grab the spoon and push it away when he doesn't want any. The latter happens the most often. I'm not sure what to do. I have tried purees and soft chunks of avacado and cooked carrot. Any suggestions?
That's all you can really do is continue to offer solids or mashed up foods and give him time to get used to it. My first child stayed on purees for a long time.
Can you put food down in front of him and let him try grabbing it himself, even if it's messy?
My son is 7 months old and won't eat solids. We have been trying for a month. At first he just gagged and threw up every time we tried. He now swallows better but just won't open to eat. He will grab the spoon and bring it to his mouth when he wants a bite and he will grab the spoon and push it away when he doesn't want any. The latter happens the most often. I'm not sure what to do. I have tried purees and soft chunks of avacado and cooked carrot. Any suggestions?
What do you feed him? Did you start on cereal? Butternut squash and acorn squash is a big hit in my house. Bananas too. She had to get used to eating apples, and all the veggies. I was also told to try to mix some BM/Formula into the food.
@Bigboobsmcgee I have not tried letting him feed himself. I just let him grab the spoon and help. Maybe I'll let him grab the food himself. Today he really enjoyed mashed avacado and mashed carrot. But he threw it all up afterwards.
@dmack911 we did not start with cereal. I had read alot that said to not give them grains so young. I have been considering giving cereal now to try it out but my husband has decided he is against it. We started with mashed avacado. I have since pureed green beans, peas, and carrots and mashed carrots. And we have tried to baby food jar of apples. With the purees I homemade I did mix breast milk into it to thin it out. I also did some with water to thin it in case he didn't like the taste of the BM mixed. We also have done some just mashed with nothing mixed in.
I just wanted to suggest something that might help with introducing baby to new tastes and textures. My LO is almost 7 months and has ate solids since 4 months. We didn't have to try this, but maybe it'll work for others!
We bought a mesh fresh feeder pacifier looking thing and loaded it with cubed watermelon and let her suck, chew, and bite down on it. She loves it! It's similar to a pacifier so it's already a little familiar, but there's tiny holes for the juice and tiny tiny bits of the fruit to come out. You can obviously put any fruit and veggie in it and it's not hard to clean. The bag thing attached is decent sized and the handle is large enough for baby to grasp with both hands.
I thought that could help. It took her a few minutes to get used to, but she loves the juice that she gets from it. We have tried watermelon and pears so far. Its messy, but worth it. Also, you can freeze fruit to put in there and it helps with teething pains. Paired with the cold fruit and the texture of the bag it seems to do really well for that!
Forgot to add that we started with rice cereal. I added only a little to her 4 oz bottles at 4 months old. Not enough to thicken the milk, but to add the taste to it. She was then able to get the new taste but wasn't just thrown into something new. I also added a baby spoon full of fruits to her bottle to give her a new taste and then went to giving her spoons of it. That way the taste wasn't something strange to her. I don't give cereal anymore unless it's already in her baby food. She's on stage 2 baby food and one of her favorites from Gerber is pears with cinnamon oatmeal. Its thick, so you might add some formula or breast milk to thin it to baby's liking.
My baby started solids at 4 months as her doctor said I should since she had been showing interest since 3 months (strange). She eats 3 times a day and I was told by WIC to let her eat as much as she is willing to eat at that time. She eats about a small container worth each feeding, sometimes more. It is strange to me that she is so enthusiastic about food so early. Even if I feed her before we have dinner, she wants to have what we are having. So I give her pieces of a rice rusk (she doesnt know thats not what we are having but it appeases her) My first 2 werent like that at all. I had them wait til 6 months and went super slow. I guess every baby is different.
Forgot to add that we started with rice cereal. I added only a little to her 4 oz bottles at 4 months old. Not enough to thicken the milk, but to add the taste to it. She was then able to get the new taste but wasn't just thrown into something new. I also added a baby spoon full of fruits to her bottle to give her a new taste and then went to giving her spoons of it. That way the taste wasn't something strange to her. I don't give cereal anymore unless it's already in her baby food. She's on stage 2 baby food and one of her favorites from Gerber is pears with cinnamon oatmeal. Its thick, so you might add some formula or breast milk to thin it to baby's liking.
Just wanted to comment on this so that others don't try what you did. Putting rice cereal in a bottle (regardless of the amount) is a choking hazard and not ever recommended unless a baby has severe reflux. Not only is it a choking hazard but it is replacing formula or breast milk which is the main source of nutrition at this point.
She was fine. Like I stated in my post I didn't add enough to cause any change in the consistency of the formula. I added a teaspoon to 4oz. She noticed the difference in taste was all. I did it with her doctors approval who told me it was safe as long as I didn't add more than 4 teaspoons.
She was fine. Like I stated in my post I didn't add enough to cause any change in the consistency of the formula. I added a teaspoon to 4oz. She noticed the difference in taste was all. I did it with her doctors approval who told me it was safe as long as I didn't add more than 4 teaspoons.
I have fed my baby and if there was a little left over of her cereal i would pour it into her bottle and let her drink it at bedtime. I didnt want to waste it. It was such a small amount and the cereal was so watery to start that i dont think it made a difference.
You shouldn't add cereal to baby's bottle. You can ask your doctor about it or read through the medical advice and studies online or in books regarding adding cereal to baby's bottle.
"It's always better when we're together."
-Jack Johnson
This is a tough question to answer because all babies are different in terms of amount and what they eat. Unless your doc says he/she is out of range for weight, then don't worry much. I used to write down how much my daughter ate and I drove myself crazy if if was a lot less or a lot more than her typical. If you think about it, most people have days where they eat more or less or feel more thirsty or less thirsty... it just varies. Currently, my 7 month old takes about 4 or 5 bottles/day ranging from 4-8 oz each. We offer her solids morning and night and she will usually take about 4 ounces of fruit/veggie along with some cereal or a small container of yogurt. We never added cereal to her bottles. Her first food was quinoa (I was ambitious and wanted to start her on something non-traditional) which she loved until we gave her other things and now she doesn't like it much anymore.
There are so many "rules" during pregnancy/child rearing... don't eat this while pregnant, don't put cereal in bottles, don't put baby on stomach to sleep, blah blah blah. Sure they all have SOME bearing but honestly, just trust yourself and go with what feels right for you and your child in every situation and I'm sure things will be fine. The rules change so often it's just not worth the stress. My grandmother was telling me recently how when she was raising her babies, breastfeeding was NOT recommended. She fed her babies whole milk with Karo syrup in it, put her babies to sleep on their tummies and ALWAYS had 2 layers on them at all times in all weather. And I can say that all 5 of her babies are perfectly happy and healthy adults now. I think there's a million ways to raise a healthy happy baby.
Starrynight, I agree with you. But I also think that it makes sense that things change and will continue to change as scientific research advances. Cultural norms are a good place to start. Expert guidelines are a good place to cement your ideas. If you're reading something up-to-date it will be based on the most recent research. The bottom line is that all of us should be striving to do what we need to do to result in better health for our babies. When you learn that something that was traditionally done may not be best practice, to me that's an easy time to embrace new thinking.
Of course, obviously, everything boils down to one single thing: parental choice. A lot of new thinking is disagreed with- even by some health professionals. In most cases you should go with your gut and decide what works for your family.
Health guidelines are changing but many of the old rules still stand. I think personally it is very important for ALL parents to be well-informed and be aware of the current recommendations, research, cautions, guidelines. Once you are aware then you get to choose for your own child. I think that's so important though not to rush into any decisions blindly or dismiss new guidelines out of hand before you at least inform yourself about them!
"It's always better when we're together."
-Jack Johnson
I have to disagree wth you StarryNight. The reason that they do not recommend cow's milk before 1 year old is that it is harder to digest for a young baby's developing GI system, and more importantly, cow's milk does not contain enough iron for a child ages 6-12 months old. A baby lives off of it's stores of iron from the womb for the first 6 months of life, but after that, they need to get iron from breastmilk or formula as well as food (that is why you should check labels and try to give infants who are eating solids spinach and proteins such as meat, eggs and fish in their diet). Karo syrup, which is corn syrup, has 16 grams of sugar in 1 tablespoon, and whole milk has 13 grams in an 8oz glass, so that is almost 30 grams of sugar in one 8 oz bottle or cup, which is a lot of sugar, and not a lot of iron. Your parents and their siblings did not die, and may be relatively healthy, but that does not mean that that is what you should be feeding your baby. Our parents and grandparents generation (and ours and our children's as well) are now facing an obesity, heart disease and diabetes epidemic, so anecdotal evidence of a few healthy people who were fed this way is not good data to base decisions on. Our parents and grandparents did lots of things years ago because they did not know better, but now we do know better. And not everything may have killed children, but if we can make the next generation healthier, smarter and stronger than we are, why wouldn't we want to? Would you want to put your baby in a moses basket in the car? The babies who did not survive are not here to talk about why you shouldn't do things like not use an infant car seat or put newborns or young infants to sleep on their stomachs.
I have to disagree wth you StarryNight. The reason that they do not recommend cow's milk before 1 year old is that it is harder to digest for a young baby's developing GI system, and more importantly, cow's milk does not contain enough iron for a child ages 6-12 months old. A baby lives off of it's stores of iron from the womb for the first 6 months of life, but after that, they need to get iron from breastmilk or formula as well as food (that is why you should check labels and try to give infants who are eating solids spinach and proteins such as meat, eggs and fish in their diet). Karo syrup, which is corn syrup, has 16 grams of sugar in 1 tablespoon, and whole milk has 13 grams in an 8oz glass, so that is almost 30 grams of sugar in one 8 oz bottle or cup, which is a lot of sugar, and not a lot of iron. Your parents and their siblings did not die, and may be relatively healthy, but that does not mean that that is what you should be feeding your baby. Our parents and grandparents generation (and ours and our children's as well) are now facing an obesity, heart disease and diabetes epidemic, so anecdotal evidence of a few healthy people who were fed this way is not good data to base decisions on. Our parents and grandparents did lots of things years ago because they did not know better, but now we do know better. And not everything may have killed children, but if we can make the next generation healthier, smarter and stronger than we are, why wouldn't we want to? Would you want to put your baby in a moses basket in the car? The babies who did not survive are not here to talk about why you shouldn't do things like not use an infant car seat or put newborns or young infants to sleep on their stomachs.
This. My mom never made me wear a seatbelt when I was little and she smoked in the car with us kids but would I do those things now with my kids? HELL no. I can't stand hearing "well, our parents and grandparents did X,Y,Z and look at me! I'm fine!!!" That is not a valid argument.
I have not made the same decisions my grandparents have. I do research & make my choices based on that plus what works for my family and child. My point is simply that there are a million ways to raise a baby and it's stressful when doctors, media & other mothers try to tell you that there's only one way. My LO did not BF and we put her to sleep on her stomach. These are 2 things moms are often shamed for.Maybe if I explained why I did those 2 things I'd be judged less, or maybe not. It doesn't really matter. It is what works best for my baby & she is very happy and healthy. I have done the research and I am informed when I make my decisions. It is entirely possible that by my next child, research will say don't put baby on their backs or they'll esphyxiate on their vomit... I'll read that research & still do what works for my child whether it's back or front. Research isn't always valid & doctors aren't always right. However, all babies are different.
I have not made the same decisions my grandparents have. I do research & make my choices based on that plus what works for my family and child. My point is simply that there are a million ways to raise a baby and it's stressful when doctors, media & other mothers try to tell you that there's only one way. My LO did not BF and we put her to sleep on her stomach. These are 2 things moms are often shamed for.Maybe if I explained why I did those 2 things I'd be judged less, or maybe not. It doesn't really matter. It is what works best for my baby & she is very happy and healthy. I have done the research and I am informed when I make my decisions. It is entirely possible that by my next child, research will say don't put baby on their backs or they'll esphyxiate on their vomit... I'll read that research & still do what works for my child whether it's back or front. Research isn't always valid & doctors aren't always right. However, all babies are different.
Moms shouldn't be judging other Moms. We live in a world that increasingly wants us to make the 'perfect' parenting decisions or face criticism and judgement from others. Our job is to support each other, not tear each other down. Support can be so powerful and judgment so damaging.
You shouldn't judge a mother who is feeding her baby with formula. There are many reasons a mom may choose not to breastfeed (or not) and others should not be judging that Mom and the Moms should never feel guilty. There should be no stigma. You do not need to breastfeed to be a great Mom.
I think every parent should know the recommendations about safe sleeping for babies. The safest way for a baby to sleep is on their back and not their stomach. Whether you follow that advice or not, it is a fact we should all be able to know and agree upon. We should also all know the reasoning behind it: back sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS. Some parents put their babies to sleep on their stomach after talking to their doctor and getting it cleared with them, and some parents put their babies to sleep on their stomach on their own without input from the doctor.
In my opinion the really important thing is to avoid parents putting babies to sleep on their tummys because they don't know or believe that back is safer. If you know the current guidelines and the reasoning, then it's up to you about how you implement it. I'm not doing everything perfectly and following every guideline either. In this case, I always put my baby on her back. And even then I worried a bit about SIDS. Ever since they changed the guidelines the SIDS rate has dropped HUGE and we are losing way less babies. So I've embraced Back is Best. And they've proven that there is no risk of asphyxiation from spit-up if babies are sleeping on their backs.
I think it's wise to try to follow the most up-do-date info on health and child care. As science continues to advance, the information we have will become more and more accurate and scientifically sound. Things are bound to change and hopefully keep improving. We are learning so much about child development and healthy beginnings and we've come so far. A great example of this is how much death from SIDS has dropped over the past 11 years. It used to be a much more common issue before the Back to Sleep campaign in 1994.
I don't want to judge any Mom who puts baby to sleep on their tummy. Let me be clear: I want the facts to be really top of mind in these forums to help inform and educate each other. But there's still room for: "Well A is best practice but B is what I do and it's worked for me." I just draw the line at people not taking recommendations seriously or being in denial about them. (Not saying that anyone here is doing that.) I will always try to share correct info with other Moms and hopefully I will never make anyone feel judged if they don't use that info in their parenting practice. I will be the first to admit I do a lot of things differently than what is recommended!
"It's always better when we're together."
-Jack Johnson
dmack911
member
Re: Feeding 7month old
What has your Pedi said?
Usually at 7 months you are giving solids once, maybe twice a day and it's usually only a few spoonfulls. Let your LO lead.
Seeing as how babies shouldn't start on solids until 6 months old that seems like a lot of food! Even the AAP doesn't recommend more than a tablespoon or so when first starting.
Piper, 4/10/10
Connor, 3/16/15
Morgan, EDD 9/22/16
So this is how DD has been going. She wakes at about 2am and I give her 5oz. She usually drinks it all. She wakes around 7am she eats at about 8am. I use the Baby Bullet. So, she has 2 tablespoons of dry oatmeal cereal which I mix 2oz of BM. Then one container which I believe is 2oz of a veggie and another container of fruit. She goes til about 12 I give her a bottle of 5oz and she goes down for nap. About 1-2hr nap. Then she has dinner around 4pm-5pm. Same as breakfast. Then bedtime she has 5oz and that's about 8-9pm. I know that's not a lot of BM. It's only 19oz. I tried to give her a bottle after her meal she doesn t drink it. Even the 5oz bottles I give for lunch, bedtime, and middle of the night she sometimes doesn't dri k it all.
That's all you can really do is continue to offer solids or mashed up foods and give him time to get used to it. My first child stayed on purees for a long time.
Can you put food down in front of him and let him try grabbing it himself, even if it's messy?
@dmack911 we did not start with cereal. I had read alot that said to not give them grains so young. I have been considering giving cereal now to try it out but my husband has decided he is against it. We started with mashed avacado. I have since pureed green beans, peas, and carrots and mashed carrots. And we have tried to baby food jar of apples. With the purees I homemade I did mix breast milk into it to thin it out. I also did some with water to thin it in case he didn't like the taste of the BM mixed. We also have done some just mashed with nothing mixed in.
We bought a mesh fresh feeder pacifier looking thing and loaded it with cubed watermelon and let her suck, chew, and bite down on it. She loves it! It's similar to a pacifier so it's already a little familiar, but there's tiny holes for the juice and tiny tiny bits of the fruit to come out. You can obviously put any fruit and veggie in it and it's not hard to clean. The bag thing attached is decent sized and the handle is large enough for baby to grasp with both hands.
I thought that could help. It took her a few minutes to get used to, but she loves the juice that she gets from it. We have tried watermelon and pears so far. Its messy, but worth it. Also, you can freeze fruit to put in there and it helps with teething pains. Paired with the cold fruit and the texture of the bag it seems to do really well for that!
This is a tough question to answer because all babies are different in terms of amount and what they eat. Unless your doc says he/she is out of range for weight, then don't worry much. I used to write down how much my daughter ate and I drove myself crazy if if was a lot less or a lot more than her typical. If you think about it, most people have days where they eat more or less or feel more thirsty or less thirsty... it just varies. Currently, my 7 month old takes about 4 or 5 bottles/day ranging from 4-8 oz each. We offer her solids morning and night and she will usually take about 4 ounces of fruit/veggie along with some cereal or a small container of yogurt. We never added cereal to her bottles. Her first food was quinoa (I was ambitious and wanted to start her on something non-traditional) which she loved until we gave her other things and now she doesn't like it much anymore.
There are so many "rules" during pregnancy/child rearing... don't eat this while pregnant, don't put cereal in bottles, don't put baby on stomach to sleep, blah blah blah. Sure they all have SOME bearing but honestly, just trust yourself and go with what feels right for you and your child in every situation and I'm sure things will be fine. The rules change so often it's just not worth the stress. My grandmother was telling me recently how when she was raising her babies, breastfeeding was NOT recommended. She fed her babies whole milk with Karo syrup in it, put her babies to sleep on their tummies and ALWAYS had 2 layers on them at all times in all weather. And I can say that all 5 of her babies are perfectly happy and healthy adults now. I think there's a million ways to raise a healthy happy baby.
This. My mom never made me wear a seatbelt when I was little and she smoked in the car with us kids but would I do those things now with my kids? HELL no. I can't stand hearing "well, our parents and grandparents did X,Y,Z and look at me! I'm fine!!!" That is not a valid argument.
You shouldn't judge a mother who is feeding her baby with formula. There are many reasons a mom may choose not to breastfeed (or not) and others should not be judging that Mom and the Moms should never feel guilty. There should be no stigma. You do not need to breastfeed to be a great Mom.
I think every parent should know the recommendations about safe sleeping for babies. The safest way for a baby to sleep is on their back and not their stomach. Whether you follow that advice or not, it is a fact we should all be able to know and agree upon. We should also all know the reasoning behind it: back sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS. Some parents put their babies to sleep on their stomach after talking to their doctor and getting it cleared with them, and some parents put their babies to sleep on their stomach on their own without input from the doctor.
In my opinion the really important thing is to avoid parents putting babies to sleep on their tummys because they don't know or believe that back is safer. If you know the current guidelines and the reasoning, then it's up to you about how you implement it. I'm not doing everything perfectly and following every guideline either. In this case, I always put my baby on her back. And even then I worried a bit about SIDS. Ever since they changed the guidelines the SIDS rate has dropped HUGE and we are losing way less babies. So I've embraced Back is Best. And they've proven that there is no risk of asphyxiation from spit-up if babies are sleeping on their backs.
I think it's wise to try to follow the most up-do-date info on health and child care. As science continues to advance, the information we have will become more and more accurate and scientifically sound. Things are bound to change and hopefully keep improving. We are learning so much about child development and healthy beginnings and we've come so far. A great example of this is how much death from SIDS has dropped over the past 11 years. It used to be a much more common issue before the Back to Sleep campaign in 1994.
I don't want to judge any Mom who puts baby to sleep on their tummy. Let me be clear: I want the facts to be really top of mind in these forums to help inform and educate each other. But there's still room for: "Well A is best practice but B is what I do and it's worked for me." I just draw the line at people not taking recommendations seriously or being in denial about them. (Not saying that anyone here is doing that.) I will always try to share correct info with other Moms and hopefully I will never make anyone feel judged if they don't use that info in their parenting practice. I will be the first to admit I do a lot of things differently than what is recommended!