Feeding routine for 6-9months

[marlabarla]

Thanks so much for your reply.  was wondering if it could be a growth spurt.  Shouldn't all babes by on 3 meals by 7 months at the latest, or can it be later than that?

x

PS Marlabarla is my daughter's nick name!

[Freya'sMum]

There's not really any 'shoulds' when it comes to babywhispering, including introducing solid foods - I'm a fan of baby-led weaning, where babies self-feed from about 6 months - it can take them ages to get the hang of it, some don't even start until gone 7 months.

Babymilk is the primary nutrition for babies until at least 9-10 months, and until then solid foods are supplementary, providing a top up to help hunger and nutrition, after this the balance begins to change, and gradually solid foods provide the main nutrition, with milk as a supplementary drink (20oz until 24 months).

You have all the time in the world, relax and enjoy!

Ax

[fitzyp]

Hello Freyas Mum,

Thanks so much for the advice...sorry it took so long for me to thank you..I lost where I had posted my message haha. Still a bit new to this.
His milk feeds are more or less the same..and I have now dropped backto 4 meals a day..a little larger as you suggested..I think he just likes his grub like his mum :-)

I have recovered thanks...they think a grumblin appendix ..hoorraahhh!! By the way ..what does HTH mean?

Thanks
Kirsten

[Freya'sMum]

Kirsten,

HTH? means Hope This Helps? And if you ever lose your posts again, if you click on the 'show new replies to your posts' link right at the top of the page, just above the length of time you've been logged on, it highlights any threads you've posted on that have had any new replies!

Ax

[owens3116]

hi could someone offer me any advice please
my little girl is six months old and her feeding is like this at the mooment does it seem ok to you

7am wake 7oz bottle
9am porridge
10 nap
12pm lunch usally diner of meat and veggies pureed a sip of juice and a yoghurt
2pm nap
3pm 5oz bottle
4pm nap
5pm dinner usally rice pudding
7 bed and 7oz bottle

[Freya'sMum]

Well, a routine is a very personal thing for you and your lo, so if it's working for you all, great!

My only concern is that dd seems to be having less than 20oz babymilk in 24 hours... current advice is for babies to have between 20 and 30oz formula/breastmilk when solids are established (the range gives room for individual babies' needs), it suggests that at 6 months los should be having their pre-solids quantity of milk still (so if they had 25oz before solid foods were introduced, then at 6 months they should still be having 25oz plus solid foods).

I guess from the other dairy-based solid foods in your routine, that she is getting more 'milk' than the 19oz of formula, I'd just make sure that it doesn't reduce any further until at least 9-10 months! Babymilk remains the primary source of nutrition until this age, other common babyfoods just don't have the same fat/calorie content!

Ax

[owens3116]

thanyou for your help its alwsy nice to have others opionion i think i will up her milk a little

[trekkiesara]

My baby is almost 7 months, and our schedule includes 4 bottles of formula, 7-8 oz, and two solid food meals, one of rice cereal, usually about an ounce of formula mixed with cereal, before her 6 or 10 am bottle, and in the evening a couple of tablespoons of veg and a couple tablespoons of fruit before her 6pm bottle.

Does this seem normal? My husband thinks we need to be giving her more solids but she seems ok with what she has.

[Freya'sMum]

trekkiesara,

sounds good to me! There can be a tendency to over-feed babies at this early age, her milk intake should remain at it's pre-solid foods quantity with a gradual increase in solid foods until about 9-10 months when the 2 quantities even out, and then the continual increase in solid foods means that they become the main diet with milk as a drink!

Take her lead, babies are pretty good at regulating their solid food intake!

Ax

[shanlbc]

I know this quetion has been probably been answered on other posts but here goes anyway...

DS is 5mos 1 wk old.  We started cereal at 4mos for a couple of days but gave up because I started thinking that was really too early and he hated it anyway.  We started back again at 5mos and are just doing a few small baby spoonfuls in the evening.  We started with rice cereal for a week and have moved on to sweet potatoes for three days and now green beans.  I am not combining any of this, just giving him tastes of the food and texture.  Over a three day period, he only ate abou 2/3 of the smallest jar of babyfood, so not very much.

I have a couple of questions...when do I add in a breakfast routine?  He is taking in 30-32oz per formula per day and does not seem hungry for more.  He will not eat more than 6oz per bottle (it's tough to get him to take that much) and he is on a 4hr EASY.  He still wakes once at night because he will only take 3 or 4 oz at the DF and that puts him at a deficit of about 3 or 4 oz, which he takes at about 4am.  

He can sit unsupported and is very interested in the food I am eating.  He seems ready for solids other than the fact he is not hungry all the time.

Should I just keep trying small amts of new foods every several days and wait until 6mos to start breakfast, since I know he doesn't need the extra calories?  Or should I go ahead and start a routine for breakfast as well?

Also, is it true that starting on fruits oo soon will give LOs a sweet tooth? DD (who is 16yrs old now) HATES veggies and I am hoping DS will like them better.  How long should I wai to start fruits?

Thanks!!!!!

[Freya'sMum]

shanlbc,

Ds is still at the very beginning of the wonderful adventure that is eating! It really doesn't matter how little he eats, like you said he's getting the nutrition from his milk, and isn't really hungry for more, so trust his appetite, offer him tastes (either as purees or, as he's interested in your food, as finger foods - plenty of young baby suggestions in the recipes section , and let him enjoy the whole thing - there really is no rush at all! One 'meal' a day is plenty for now!

There's an ongoing debate about the sweet-tooth risks of starting a baby on fruits - it didn't happen with either of mine, they like fruits and veggies (and icecream and plain rice cakes ) equally and started with carrots and pears, yams, parsnips and apples - I think the trick is to offer a wide variety of flavours and textures from the outset, and focus on the social aspect of mealtimes rather than trying to get them to eat - takes the pressure off baby and parents!

Just my thoughts,

Ax

[newmama12]

Hi, I was hoping someone could look over dd's schedule and see what you think. This schedule tends to flucuate a lot depending on dd. So it's not always at these times, but close enough! Do you think it needs anything? I'm debating whether or not to add a morning cereal feed, along with the evening one. (btw...I just started cereal on her one week ago and she LOVES it!). She gobbles the 1.5 tblsp meal in the evening. Sometimes I think she's just hungry, especially if I skip the 4/4:30 ff and only bf. Bfdng does not tie her over after the inital one in the morning, which is why I ff after nursing if she still seems hungry. She doesn't throw it up or spit up, so I'm assuming she's hungry and really does want it.
Thank you!

7am - bf
8:30-9:15 - nap (she's the queen of 45 minute naps!)
9:30/10 - bf (and sometimes additional ff 3-4 ounces)
12-12:45 - nap
1/1:30 - bf and ff if necessary (3-4 ounces)
3:30-4:15 - nap
4:30- bf and ff if necessary (3-4 ounces)
5:30/6 - 1.5 tablespoons of rice cereal
6:45ish- 5 oz ff for bed
7:30- bed

[Freya'sMum]

Hello!

Tbh, a schedule is so personal to you that it is difficult to comment objectively - my most sensible response is to say that if it works for you and your lo, then brilliant!

Regarding her solid foods, it is unusual for babies to be introduced to them at the evening meal - when it happens, it's usually because mum and dad want their lo to sleep thru the night however it can actually have the opposite effect, especially for babies as young as your lo, because solid food can be an irritant to immature digestive systems. The recommendations are currently to delay weaning until 6 months, however if you have chosen to do so earlier, I would caution against rushing to introduce solid foods more frequently or of a wider variety until 6 months, to minimise development of allergies and digestive discomfort.

If dd is still hungry, I would advise to offer more milk rather than more solid foods. At this age solid foods simply supplement the nutritional content of babymilks, and have few of the essential fats and calories that babies need to grow and develop - if babies seem to need more food, milk is the food to offer as it is the best food for the job!

HTH a bit?

Ax

[newmama12]

Ax, thanks for the advice! Actually, she did start sttn before adding the cereal. However, I am wondering if she stopped sttn due to the evening feeding. I decided that I'm only going to feed her the cereal in the am for a week or so and see if that helps out night situation. I only changed the feeding to the afternoon cause I thought that was when she was the most hungry. I totally agree with you on giving more milk. That's what I've been doing as well.

[Freya'sMum]

In that case, keep right on doing what you're doing, you seem to be doing it just right - trust your instincts, I find that on the whole, they turn out to be right!

Ax