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EAT => Feeding Solid Food => Topic started by: Lindsay27 on January 29, 2013, 15:51:22 pm

Title: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on January 29, 2013, 15:51:22 pm
My DS is 9 months old and for the last little while he was either STTN or until between 4am - 5am, but over the last week he's been waking between 1am - 2am so I am wondering if it is possibly a hunger waking.

He gets 3 solid meals a day and 3 x 8oz bottles.  I've always gone on the light side of solids, because he would get too full and not finish his bottles, but now he is taking all bottles fine so I am wondering if I need to increase his solids?

Just want to know what the recommended amount for solids is at this age (ie. in measurements of cups).  He eats both purées and finger foods - I usually tend to give both at meals, purees first so I know that he's actually ingesting it, and finger foods after.  I also give him cereal with breakfast.

I just am looking to see if I am giving him way too little or not?
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on January 29, 2013, 15:54:42 pm
Also wanted to add that since he's been waking between 1am - 2am I have been giving him a small 3 - 4oz bottle and he settles back to sleep fine.
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: <Catherine> on January 29, 2013, 18:16:03 pm
Hi :)

It sounds like he's having a fair amount, but if you think he's still hungry i'd be tempted to up the milk rather than the solids if he'll have it - milk is still the main source of nutrition at this age and I'd say he was having the lower end of the recommended amount.

Have a read here....

Routines for Solids and Bottles/BF's 6-12months
Amount of Formula/Bottles/BFs when having Solids
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on January 29, 2013, 19:31:13 pm
He has actually increased his milk intake quite a bit over the last few weeks, he was doing way under the recommended amount, only about 16 - 18oz per day.  I had a post on the bottle feeding board, and no matter what we tried, 3 bottles, 4 bottles, decreasing solids, nothing worked and we just sort of settled on the fact that he just takes less than the average baby since he was happy and content and didn't show hunger cues throughout the day.  So, now that we are at 24oz is a HUGE improvement.

I'll try upping the bottles, but he does leave a little bit (maybe 1/2 ounce) so he isn't really draining them.  I'm not really sure it's a hunger waking or not?  I just thought it might be since it was so much earlier in the night?
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Buntybear on February 01, 2013, 21:20:22 pm
What kind of foods are you giving him? Maybe it could be a habit now  ???. I don't think it takes long for a bottle at a NW to become a habit  :P
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lolly on February 01, 2013, 21:26:27 pm
We actively weaned our DD's nightfeed at 8 months - if he is taking at least 20oz of milk and solids then he doesn't need formula at night. If he's not draining bottles it's probably not worth increasing them as you will just be wasting formula, you can increase the dairy and protien in his food which will help keep him fuller.

How much is he having now? I think the best way to wean a nightfeed is to reduce the bottle by 1oz every 3 nights and then when the bottle gets to 1 or 2 oz just offer water.

Laura
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on February 01, 2013, 22:41:07 pm
For breakfast he has a few tbsp of cereal mixed with yogurt and cut up fruit - bananas, mangos, pears, peaches etc.  For lunch we do a variety of things - cut up veggies (sweet potatoes, squash), fruits (avocados as well as those already listed),  he will also eat pita or nan bread with hummus, and pasta with tomato sauce...so any combo of these items.  Dinner we stick to mainly veggies & meat or pasta sometimes in puree form, sometimes not.  He really likes feeding himself, so I just find it hard to quantify how much he's getting.

When I feed in the night I have only been giving 3oz, so I am thinking it is habit.  Last night he woke at 12:30pm and 2:30pm (he's been waking at these exact same times for a few days), and I resettled both with no feeds, and then he slept until 7:30am.  So, I think maybe I should just completely cut the NFs out, especially since I know he's getting a good variety of foods during the day.
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: *Kara* on February 02, 2013, 04:28:16 am
I would just cut the night feeds cold turkey since it did work - 3 ozs is only about 60 calories so there is little change that is doing much for him if he is hungry (which I don't think he is).  24 ozs is totally fine at this age for formula - I would offer some whole grain carbs with one of his meals (mine always ate the most at lunch - still does actually). 
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on February 02, 2013, 14:10:46 pm
No NF last night, and he did fine :)  He woke at 3am with a coughing fit, but settled himself to sleep.  I agree, just cutting it out cold turkey is probably for the best, I know now that if he wakes it's not a hunger waking.

I would offer some whole grain carbs with one of his meals
Do multi-grain cheerios count!? LOL :P  He eats about a zillion of those in a day!
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Buntybear on February 02, 2013, 20:00:55 pm
Sounds like he is getting a great mix of solids; meats, carbs and veg/fruit.
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: *Kara* on February 03, 2013, 06:23:15 am
Quote from: *Kara* on Yesterday at 08:28:16 PM

    I would offer some whole grain carbs with one of his meals

Do multi-grain cheerios count!? LOL :P  He eats about a zillion of those in a day!


LOL!  I hope so ;)  I buy them at Costco for DD!
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on February 04, 2013, 13:49:41 pm
Okay, so I haven't fed the last 3 nights in a row...and the last 2 nights have been pretty awful, particularly last night.  He woke at 10pm (which I actually think was my fault because I dropped something near his room when I was going to bed at it made a loud bang), and then at 12:30pm which I resettled him for, and then from 2am - 6am he woke about every 45mins.  At 6am I resettled him and he slept until 7:30am.  He ate all his bottles yesterday (didn't drain them but took the majority), and 3 solid meals, so I really wasn't sure if they were hunger wakings and I should feed him  ???  I know the general rule is to resettle them but if they wake an hour later it is probably a hunger waking.

BUT, some point about all those 45min wakings - he woke up coughing each time, and settled himself back to sleep.  Since we are in the dead of winter our house is really dry these days, so part of me was thinking that was maybe part of the problem.  Also, his PM naps have been awful and he's pretty well been refusing them for the past week (though, I did manage to get one into him yesterday), so we've been having awful nights full of some OT wakings.  The other thing is, when he did wake up at 7:30am and I tried to feed him, I barely got him to wake 3oz...which makes me think that those wakings weren't hunger related if I can't manage to get him to take a decent bottle this morning.

I'm so confused right now!     
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: *Kara* on February 06, 2013, 05:57:06 am
Sounds like the dry air is bothering him hun.. does he take water from a sippy/bottle at all?  I would be prepared when you head to bed with a drink of water for him if he wakes, take it to him and resettle after a drink to quench his thirst...
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on February 06, 2013, 13:30:30 pm
I think you are right and I've been bringing water for him to bed each night.  I'm going to get him a new humidifier today because his is so loud and doesn't work that great, so I think that should help...hopefully!

He's teething something fierce and he's congested, so I think all of those things are more likely contributing to the horrendous nights.  DS slept with DH and I last night because the only way I could get him to settle is if he was on me. 

Sigh, another bump in the road!  In any case, I don't think it's hunger!
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: *Kara* on February 07, 2013, 22:41:05 pm
They do go through patches of wretched sleep but it's good to know that teaching with BW means you will get back on track easily when he is ready :)

Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: Lindsay27 on February 08, 2013, 00:04:00 am
BW means you will get back on track easily when he is ready
And thank heavens for that!  He is battling a cold so our nights have been horrendous.  Hopefully it'll pass soon :)

In the meantime, I've fed in the night a few times because his eating during the day has tanked since he's been sick. 
Title: Re: How much to feed 9 month old?
Post by: *Kara* on February 08, 2013, 04:29:57 am
That happened here too when DD was younger and would get a cold...