Can I please have some feeding help?

SweetPTater · November 2011

How much is your LO eating? LO is almost 13 months and he's still on formula in bottles. We're transitioning to milk in his bottles, but I'm completely terrified that if I stop giving him formula he won't get all of the nutrients he needs since he's not a great eater. He doesn't eat very much, and I'm thinking it may be because he's still getting 4 6-8oz bottles of formula/WCM a day in addition to 3 meals and 1 afternoon snack.

What is your feeding schedule? Does LO still get bottles of WCM at different times than meals? Or should I be only giving him sippys of WCM with his meals and not in between? Do I need to add another snack or 2?

Also, are there guidelines about how many servings of fruits/veggies/meat/dairy I should be giving him each day? I'm worried I'm going to starve my kid!

Aloe0l · November 2011

go to wholesometoddlerfood.com for good nutrional/serving info.

As for bottles/formula/milk...DD was breastfed, but transitioned to sippy cups around 10mo, and then a little after one year she refused all breastmilk sent to DC (she would still nurse at home). But, since about 9 months, she has been getting 3 solid meals plus an afternoon snack a day, and I only offer WCM at meals. In between, she gets water or sometimes juice watered down in a sippy.

And, we went cold turkey from BM to WCM.

But otherwise, DD is a pretty decent eater, and isn't picky. There are days where she eats everything and then some, and some days she doesn't eat but a bite or two. I just go with the flow.

ANJ410 · November 2011

He won't starve. By a year old his body is capable of pulling all the vitamins and nutrients it needs out of the foods he eats. If you are still mainly feeding him purees, I would start introducing more finger foods. Plan his meals just like you would plan yours, a serving of fruit or veggie, a protein, and a grain/carb. Actually, the best thing to do is just feed him the same thing you are eating and let him eat until he shows signs that he's full.

As for WCM, everyone does their own thing, so you will have to figure out what times of the day are best for you and your LO. As long as he is getting 16 oz a day of milk and other dairy, he is getting enough.

One suggestion I make is to only give milk in a sippy. Giving it in a bottle makes it a lot harder to kick the bottle down the road.

ASmallWonder · November 2011

Well, he definitely isn't going to eat a ton if he's taking in, what, up to 32 ounces of formula a day? That's very very filling. Try cutting back, slowing if you want, but do cut back and offer him more food. They actually don't need as much food as people think. A serving size for a toddler is pretty little

MomOfTrips · November 2011

ANJ410:
He won't starve. By a year old his body is capable of pulling all the vitamins and nutrients it needs out of the foods he eats. If you are still mainly feeding him purees, I would start introducing more finger foods. Plan his meals just like you would plan yours, a serving of fruit or veggie, a protein, and a grain/carb. Actually, the best thing to do is just feed him the same thing you are eating and let him eat until he shows signs that he's full.

As for WCM, everyone does their own thing, so you will have to figure out what times of the day are best for you and your LO. As long as he is getting 16 oz a day of milk and other dairy, he is getting enough.

One suggestion I make is to only give milk in a sippy. Giving it in a bottle makes it a lot harder to kick the bottle down the road.

I agree with PP. Toddlers will eat when they are hungry. Some days he may eat a lot and others he may seem to just pick at stuff.

At about that age ours would have 3 meals a day and two snacks. They rarely drink milk but love cheese and yogurt so we make up for their dairy intake that way. Also we let them have their sippies within reach all day (usually just flavored water). Some parents do this some don't. Good luck and hope it gets better for you!

ANJ410 · November 2011

I just reread your post and realized that your LO is drinking way too much formula for his age. By 10-12 months he should have been cut down to 16-24 oz and his food intake increased. That is why he is not that hungry for food. You need to make his meals his main source of nutrition and as you transition to WCM think of it as the beverage accompanying a meal or snack, not as the meal itself.

SweetPTater · November 2011

ANJ410:
I just reread your post and realized that your LO is drinking way too much formula for his age. By 10-12 months he should have been cut down to 16-24 oz and his food intake increased. That is why he is not that hungry for food. You need to make his meals his main source of nutrition and as you transition to WCM think of it as the beverage accompanying a meal or snack, not as the meal itself.

That's what I was afraid of. I had asked my pediatrician about it at his 12 month appointment and he just told me to replace all of his formula with milk but wouldn't go into specifics, just saying that all parents did it differently. I will cut back his milk intake and offer it with meals. This seems so obvious now that I see it spelled out!

Thank you so much!

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