Feeding routine for 6-9months

[EricaM31]

Hi everyone!

My lo is 7 months 1 week and here is our feeding schedule:

I would like some feedback to make sure I'm not feeding too much solid

7AM wake and bf
9AM - solids oatmeal with apple, and prune and or pear (6 tbsp)
9:30AM - Nap
12PM - bf
2PM - solids usually 5 TBSP mixed veggie sometimes some fruit and or yogurt as well
3PM - nap
4:30PM - bf
6PM dinner ( meat and veggie and either yogurt or fruit for dessert) 6TBPS total sometimes less depends/
7:30PM - bf and bed as;eep by 8pm

I usually always bf before solids once and a while I bf her before her afternoon nap and then give solids after nap and bf before bed but she still gets 4 bf sessions in the day.  I usually feed her solids until she doesn't want anymore.

[Whatbit]

Hi Erica... your schedule is very silimar to mine and my DS is 7 months old as well.  He eats about 6Tbsp a 'meal' or so and BF 4x/day.  I was told that as long as they're still BFing a good amount (can't know quantity, but you know a good BF from a distracted or short one) then 4x/day is good until about 10 months old- someone correct me if I'm wrong- and at that point in time you can start going down to 3... 

6am- BF
7:30am- solids (oatmeal mixed with fruit)
10am- BF
12- solids (meat, veggie(2 kinds) and fruit)
2pm- BF
4pm- solids (barley or rice, veggie (2 kinds) and fruit)
6pm- BF and bed

[Intransit]

MY DD is 6 months 2 weeks..and a few days--currently I do this:
7am 6oz bottle
8am fruit and cereal
11 5oz bottle
3  6oz bottle
4/430 fruit/veggie
630 6 oz bottle and bed.
Im wondering when to start a midday feed??? Any signs I should be looking for? sometimes she has a hard time making it to the 4 hour mark for her afternoon bottle..

[Whatbit]

I started the mid-day meal when DS couldn't do the 4 hours anymore (aroudn the same age as your LO).  I started with more of a snack (just fruit for ex.) and then moved onto fruit and veg and then added meat after a few days. 

[Intransit]

Alright, I'll add some fruit midday and see if that helps--thank you!

[lyssabz]

My son is 6 1/2 months old.  I too have been wondering if I give him too much solid food but here we go:
6:30-7 am wake and BF
8:30-9- stage 1 veggie mixed with oatmeal
11 am - wake from nap and bf
12:30 - lunch - 6 tbsp of oatmeal
2:30-3 - wake from nap and bf
5 pm - dinner - 6 tbsp of oatmeal
6:30 - bf and bed
10:30 - DF

I am still introducing veggies but will start giving them during the day instead of just in the morning.  I will also stop the DF soon.  I just don't know if that's too much solid food but he downs it all so fast... so then I wonder if I am giving him enough!  I will probably go up to Stage 2 food and see how he does.  This boy is just love to eat!

[Whatbit]

Hi Lyssabz.  A couple of posts back EricaM31 asked pretty much the same question... here's my reply:
H
6pm- BF and bed

Hi Erica... your schedule is very silimar to mine and my DS is 7 months old as well.  He eats about 6Tbsp a 'meal' or so and BF 4x/day.  I was told that as long as they're still BFing a good amount (can't know quantity, but you know a good BF from a distracted or short one) then 4x/day is good until about 10 months old- someone correct me if I'm wrong- and at that point in time you can start going down to 3... 

6am- BF
7:30am- solids (oatmeal mixed with fruit)
10am- BF
12- solids (meat, veggie(2 kinds) and fruit)
2pm- BF
4pm- solids (barley or rice, veggie (2 kinds) and fruit)
6pm- BF and bed

You can also check with your Dr, of course   Is your DS eating the whole jar of food?  Hungry little guy!  Just make sure that he's still taking full BFs.  You're right about working on dropping the DF...  doesn't really need it anymore because he's getting so many calories during the day.  I make my own food but have bought a few jars to have on hand and the stage 2 are the same size at the stage 1, right (no sure where you are located and how they might be different aroudn the world)?  It's the thickness of the puree that's the difference.  If it's the size, I would stick with the stage 1 for now.

[All4Love]

My son is 6 1/2 months old.  I have also been wondering if I give him too much solid food but here we go.
Here is his routine:

Wake: 7:00
BF 7:10 x 10 min
8:10 2 tbsp cereal in 1.25 oz BM, Stage 1 jar of fruit
BF: 11:30 x 12 min
12:30: 2 tbsp cereal in 1.25 oz BM, Stage 1 jar of  fruit, Stage 1 jar of  veggie
BF: 3:30 x 10 min
5:30: 2 tbsp cereal in 1.25 oz BM, Stage 1 jar of  fruit, Stage 1 jar of  veggie, plain yogurt mixed w/fruit
BF 6:45 x 12
Bed: 7
BF: 2:00

He finishes everything! But hasn't gone up in his weight percentile...Pedi. says he has a good metabolism...wish I did!

[Whatbit]

Wow!  That is a lot of food!  He might be getting longer rather than heavier right now...  mine seems to do that   I've read that a lot of kids have a really big appetite while they're going through growth spurts (obviously) and developmental growth stages but it can taper off, so keep watching your LOs signs for fullness.  At some point in time the appetite will go down and it's not a problem or a bad thing... just means that a developmental or growth plateau has been reached. 

[MeAndVee]

OMG!  I only wish my son ate that much ever!  I'm curious too whether he is getting taller/longer.

[All4Love]

He is taller than heavy, but my guess is that this LO is in CONSTANT motion!! We had a super long day and when I picked him up out of his carseat he actually stayed asleep. My husband and I both had to take a long look at him sleeping on my shoulder because this is something we only get to see in other peoples babies!

[Whatbit]

My husband and I both had to take a long look at him sleeping on my shoulder because this is something we only get to see in other peoples babies!

LOL!

[*Heather*]

I'm wondering if anyone can give me feedback on introducing solids.  My DS just turned 5 months old and weighs 16.5 pounds.  He's a big boy who is progressing very strongly (flipped tummy to back at 5.5 weeks; flipped back to tummy at 4.5 months; is almost sitting up on his own, very strong little boy).  So, the pediatrician told me to start feeding him solids -- 4 Tb rice cereal for 2 weeks (2 T during 2 different feedings during the day).  Then for the next 2 weeks, barley. Then 2 weeks after that, oat.  Right now we're on barley. Here's what I've been doing for the past 2.5 weeks:

7am         BF
11am       2T barley & BF
3pm         BF
6pm         2T barley & BF
10:30pm  BF

I have a couple of questions:

1) Should I be feeding him solids at 7 and 3, instead of 11 and 6?  Are there pros/cons/repercussions I should know about, or is it really no big deal?

2) Do you think it's a problem that he's eating at 6 when he wakes up from his catnap?  I found that I have to get him to bed by 7/7:15 at the latest or he wakes up earlier than 7am, which causes us problems.  So our routine is wake at 6pm from catnap, eat dinner, small activity (sometimes it's a bath), then wind down for bed at 7.  He has no problem going until 10:30pm for his DF.  Thoughts?

3) When I started introducing barley, I gave DS 1T rice and 1T barley.  But I keep the two separate.  Is it OK to mix them?  Better to keep them separate? 

Any thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!!
Heather

[MeAndVee]

When my DS was that age we did lunch only.  Followed by lunch and dinner a month later.  Then added breakfast to it.  Not sure it really matters.  Is he eating alright?  Still taking adequate amount of milk {you know nursing as long and as often}.  At this age milk is still very important. 

Also, don't see why giving cereal before bed would be a problem.  Unless you find him more fussy after or closer to bed.  Like I said I did lunch and dinner and he was just fine.  But thats just my experience.

Since he has had both and no reaction I think it should be alright to mix them.

You are soooo lucky to have a baby that eats.  DS was such a hard baby to get to eat much of anything except fruit.

[Whatbit]

I agree with MeandVee- watch out that the milk intake isn't being affected since you're BF and feeding solids at the same time.  Do you BF first and then do the solids?  That would be my suggestion or BF and then give the solids 30+ minutes later or so.  Our routine looks something like this, for example (DS is 7.5 months):
6:00am- BF
7:00am- solids (cereal and fruit)
10:30-BF
12:00- solids (meat or fish, fruit and veggies)
2:30- BF
4:30- solids (cereal, fruit and veggies)
6:00- BF   

Also, don't see why giving cereal before bed would be a problem.  Unless you find him more fussy after or closer to bed.

I agree.  Once you add other foods, it might be a good idea to split it up so that his tummy isn't so full before bed because that's harder on the digestive system.  I also found that DS would throw up if during his bath if it was too close to dinner, but every LO is so different!!  It's really your call as long as the milk is still the main food, you can do what works for you.
 
I didn't mix cereals at the beginning but I would give oatmeal one meal and then rice another and then barley another, just to mix things up for him. Now I buy a mixed cereal as well.  Ther's no reason why you can't mix them once they've been introduced and your LO is fine with them.  Sometimes the consistency can get a bit strange when I've done it- I think the rice congeals funny sometimes. 

Good luck with everything!!