How many oz of solids?-7 months

[apayne]

My dd is 7 months.  How many oz of solids should she get throughout the day?  I know the majority of her calories should come from breast milk.  She is very active (she crawls, pulls herself up, sits on her own).  Up until now I have just done a few tsp (1oz) in the morning and then (2-3 oz in the evening for dinner).  I am thinking about adding a lunch in.  I don't know if I should take some of the calories she is getting from dinner and giving them to her for lunch or just adding on an extra oz or 2 for lunch.  Is adding a lunch a good idea?

I just found the topic of solids-when to start https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=57557.0

Under the stage 2 is says to feed 2 tbsp to 1/2 c.  How much would you recommend giving in a day(solids)?

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi there, just saw this,
The most important thing at her age is that she gets enough milk. With bttles you can easily measure, with bf it's a little trickier so you can keep your eye on it. Eventually you do want to move towards 3 meals a day but it is not so urgent that you do it now. I would add in a little bit of lunch, and see how she goes. As long as she's drinking enough then just give her what she seems up for.
I don't know what "method" of feeding you are doing. We did a combination of BLW and frozen food cube purees for ds (with jars too when we were on the go or busy).  He was also very active (still is!! ) At 7mo I would give him one or two cubes 3x a day along with a couple things he could pick up himself and suck/gnaw on. If he seemed to really want more I would give it to him, and sometimes he didn't finish each meal. I was bf but am pretty sure he was fine with the milk intake at that point.
HTH, good luck
jess x

[valeriemanning]

Hi,

My daughter is 8.5 months now and for the last 4 weeks or so I've been giving her:
2 tbsp of cereals + 1 tbsp of fruit for breakfast
2 tbsp of veggies + 2 tbsp of fruits for lunch
2 tbsp of veggies + 1 tbsp of fruit for dinner
On top of that she drinks 4 bottles of 4-5 oz of milk per day
(1 tbsp = 1 ice cube = 1/2 tiny food jars)

Everybody says that the milk is the most important and I agree but even if I decrease the amount of solids she takes, she won't drink more milk. So I've started to introduce cream cheese and also try to put more milk in her cereals or use yogurt instead.

At some meals she'll eat everything, others she'll have a few teaspoons and will be done. She's pretty good at giving me the signal when she doesn't want any more (turns her head, starts to play...)

[apayne]

I need some reassurance:

I really want to bf until at least 18 months.  I am worried that my milk will dry up before that.  Because my dd is very active and wants to explore I am concerned that she bf long enough so she isn't empty but doesn't drink long enough to get the hind milk.  I feel/hear the let down.  A few minutes after that she is on and off the breast.  I have tried feeding her in a dark room.  I have to switch feed and keep prodding her to drink more.  She is always eager to eat solids (I rarely get the signal of her being full).  I know milk is the most important food.  I really don't want to give her formula.  Any suggestions?

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Apayne,

IKWYM about drinking less milk. At a certain point I remember my ds becoming totally uninterested in bf anymore as he just wanted to explore everything. It did eventually get a little better.

I think it's probably a good idea if you cut and paste your last post into a new topic on the breast feeding boards. They ladies there are very knowledgeable and can probably point you in the right direction in terms of techniques to get you lo to drink more milk. There are also ways to get your milk supply up, such as taking fenugreek and blessed thistle (buy from a health food store) in combination. I did this and I think it helped. You can ask about this on the BF boards too, they helped me a lot.

By the way I am just wondering, do you ever pump and, if so, do you know how much you've been yielding? Perhaps it's an idea to pump for a feed and have a look at what you yield now to get an idea?

Good luck, jess x

[apayne]

Thanks for your help! 

I have only pumped a few times but not recently.  I will have to do that.  I have read that it isn't very accurate to do a yield.  What do you think? 

I usually only use water to make her foods more liquidy.  Should I pump and use the milk to do that?  It just takes so long that I didn't know if it was worth it.

[kate585]

Charlie eats much like your dd.  Only a few minutes on each side. Since he is a 20 pound 6 month old, I think he's getting more than enough.     I would talk to your doctor if you are really concerned.  If she is gaining weight, I don't think there is any need to supplement with formula.  Some babies are just quick eaters, but get what they need.

As for solids, Charlie is eating:
cereal and fruit
fruit and veg.
veg. and fruit

Over the course of the day, he'll eat 4 oz. of each so about 12 oz. total.  Sometimes more, sometimes less. 

Good luck!

[jess, lukeys_mom]

With us I felt like Luke was just getting distracted and not taking enough milk. He was growing well so that wasn't the problem but my boobs weren't as full as they once were after a while and he wouldn't be up for finishing the task and emptying them, there were too many distractions.
At this point for you I don't know if you have to worry so much about whether your lo is drinking hind milk, but I understand that your supply can be a concern. From advice I got on the bf boards I started regularly pumping after feeds to get my supply up, as well as feeding only lying down in a dim room with less distractions. It probably would have worked better to let him bf more regularly but I couldn't figure out how to work that into our routine and I am a control freak    I stopped at 11 mo due to supply but had wanted to go longer, that is why I would advise you to have a chat on the bf boards if you feel like it is truly getting problematic and want to ensure that you can keep your supply going.

[apayne]

Thanks so much!

The last few nights my DD has been waking up more often than usual with gas.  Could that be from her food being too thick?  other ideas?

I should add that she is having regular bowel movements (several a day).  They are the consistency of clay.  Does that sound normal?

How early in the evening do you feed your lo his dinner?

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Does your ds tend to be gassy? She might be easily sensitive to food. Are you introducing foods with a 4 day wait rule? In other words only introducing new foods once every 4 days max so you can see it's effects?  There are definitely some foods that cause more gas in certain lo's than others (my ds and cauliflower for example!  ))

Bowel movements also vary by little ones.  Too runny or too hard on a regular basis is definitely indicative of something but in between there is a big playing field that is normal.

Texture is not necessarily impt but the type of food is. For example bananas and oatmeal are binding foods that may help make poo more solid, while kiwis, prunes, apricots and peas have the opposite effect. Yoghurt can be a helpful food in keeping a little one's tummy in balance. We introduced at 7 mo which is recommended where I live but check with your ped.

I am not sure what specifically is affecting your lo but perhaps you can keep a little journal or log for a week or two where you track what she's eaten and what kind of affects it has on her tummy, mood, and poo. Then you can ave a better idea of what to serve in small doses or not at all. For example I did this with my ds and realized he was getting terrible diaper rash from tomatoes (still does) so I can only feed them to him in small amts. Every now and then I give him a little more to see if he is less sensitive, as food sensitivities usually go away as your lo gets older.

HTH!

[apayne]

Thanks!  I think her food was too thick.  I was giving her chunks of carrot and bananas.  I think she was swallowing them before she gummed them enough 

What do you recommend if a bowel movement is consistently interrupting her nap?

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hi there, I wish I could give you advice there but (not to discourage you!) my ds has had the same problem for ages. Come to think of it, waking from naps with a dirty diaper only happened for a few weeks but then seemed to kind of work itself out on it's own in time. But he still wakes in the night from time to time with dirty diapers.  The only thing I think has worked is keeping an eye on what he eats for dinner and trying to make this his lightest meal.

Maybe there is someone else reading along who can advise further on this one?
x