solid schedule

[legend_018]

My daughter turned 5 months on August 28th. For about 1 month now she has been introduced to cereals.
Currently, she has 1 tablespoon oatmeal in the morning mixed with her formula and 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice at night mixed with her formula. I have been taking it slow since she was a very colicy baby where we had to change formulas a bunch of times before we found one that worked. When she turns 6 months I'd like to start introducing more. Or should I start doing that now? I have read some tips around different baby websites and it looks like I should eventually increase her cereal to anywhere between 5 and 9 tablespoons a day spread through out the day and introduce fruit and veggies "one at a time" starting with 1 teaspoon and increasing to about 1/4 of a cup.
Does this sound right?  So would I feed the 1 teaspoon of fruit for example for a good week and than slowly increase it to 1/4 cup?
Her formula intake has been less lately for some reason. She used to drink closer to 30 ounces a day even after I started feeding her cereal. Lately, she's been closer to the 20 ounce a day mark. She doesn't even seem that crazy about eating sometimes.  She's more interested in watching the dog walk around the room "lol". She definetely likes it though, just a ya ok this is what I'm suppose to do.
If all the above is a good average does this sound normal? In additon to her formula feedings. Also please help fill in the blank
1. morning 2 tablespoons of oatmeal cereal with 1 teaspoon of fruit "gradually increase to 1/4 cup"
2. afternoon something?
3. night 2 tablespoons of rice cereal with 1 teaspoon of veggie "gradually increase to 1/4 cup"

note* total 4 tablespoons of cereal so far?

any help or ideas thanks!!!!!

[legend_018]

thanks for the tips so far. hmm ya the doctor said not to worry that sometimes they go through weird stages where they don't eat as much. she also spits up here and there and recently had a bladder infection. Yesterday she had a total of about 23 ounces from 6:30am to 9:00pm "which also included the formula used in the cereal". But than she did wake up at 3:30am starving and eat 4 ounzes. She than went back to sleep and didn't end up eating again until after 8am. I had to drive 40 minutes with her to take her to day care at 7am. She eats every 2 hours or so during the day and I'm having day care try to work on increasing that to every 3 hours to see if her tolerance for eating build upmore. The doctor made us put her on a 2 hour schedule because she used to eat a lot to self sooth and it woudl make her colic/tummy aches or what ever was going on worse. She was a big time snacker the doctor would say. I guess maybe I'll just stick the schedule I'm on with the 1 tablespoon of oatmeal in the morning and 1 to 1/2 tablespoons of rice at night until she is 6 months and than start increasing the cereal and adding the fruit and veggie serving.
I need to have some average or I won't feel a little organized. Plus I have to get things ready for day care.

[luvmyboys2]

I'm going through the samething with my son right now (5 month on aug. 27). He could care less about the bottle. He was taking anywhere from 24-30 oz a day to about 22 oz a day. this has been going on for 3 weeks now. He recently got his 2 bottom teeth in. I thought that was why his intake decreased, but it's not. He rather play w/ his hands and feet than drink his bottles. Its so fustrating. I added cereal a week ago and he loves it. I'm more worried about his formula intake than the amount of cereal that he eats. He eats cereal no problem.  Here's how his schedule goes:

7am 5 oz
8am 1 or 2 tbls. of cereal
9-10:30 nap
11am 5 oz ( i Pray for 6 oz)
1:00-2:30 nap
3pm 5 oz (still praying for 6oz)
4:30 nap (45min)
6:30 5oz
7:15 or 7:30 2 tsp of cereal
8 bed
I just added a df 2 nights ago because he's not taking that much durning the day. He'll take 4 oz.

I've tried everything under the sun to get him back to where he used to be. Nothing's working though. Good luck w/ your daughter and let me know how its going.

Jodie

[TJ & Stephy's Mommy]

luvmyboys2,
have you tried mixing the cereal with some formula so that he will still maintain or keep up his formula intake?

[luvmyboys2]

yes, he won't drink it.

[legend_018]

funny thing after weeks of eating less, last night from the time we got home 6:30pm until the time she went to bed "9:30pm"... she had like a total of 10 ounzes including the rice cereal. I'm lucky if she drinks a total of 6 ounzes in that time frame lately. She slept until about 6:15am, altough I did here her up at around 5:20am but she must of fell back to sleep. She had a 4 ounce bottle when she woke up. She was getting fussy and I was bouncing her in the fishy chair when she fell asleep. She's been sleeping for about an hour now I think. When she wakes i'll do the oatmeal cereal and try to get her to take another 4 ounces...we'll see "lol".

[luvmyboys2]

Good luck. How long has she been doing this?

[legend_018]

in regards to "How long has she been doing this?".

I'm sorry, but doing what?

[gemmah]

My daughter is nearly 7 months and she used to do that all the time, 1 day have 6oz every feed and then some days 3-4oz. I think they just have hungrier days.  I always find if I sit in a room with her on my own no distraction she eats more, also make sure milk nice and warm.

[legend_018]

thanks for the suggestions

[luvmyboys2]

How long has her formula intake been less?

[legend_018]

well I want to say close to 2 weeks but all of a sudden Friday night she started turning around. She's eating like a piggy this weekend so far "lol'. I'm much happier. I think yesterday she ate 26/27 ounces plus her cereal.

[luvmyboys2]

that's great!! How know how fustrating it can be when they don't want to eat!!!

[legend_018]

since she seems to be eating better now I'm just going to stick with the 1 tablespoon of oatmeal in the morning and 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice at night and when she turns 6 months which is in 2 weeks I'm going to start introducing her to some veggies and fruit with those meals. I might increase her cereal as the next 2 weeks go by.