6mo old - really confused on food quantities and timings. Am I overfeeding?

[bumblecat]

Hi there,

Would really appreciate any help any of you can give me - after reading virtually all of the posts and FAQs (plus the BW book), I'm still really confused....!

We started Artie on solids 3 weeks ago, and the good news is that he absolutely loves it! From day 1 he ate really well and he loves virtually everything we give him (we did a couple of days of baby rice, then progressed fairly quickly onto a variety of different veggies & fruits - I'm following the Annabel Karmel book which is very helpful).

Anyway, the questions I have are:
1) is he eating too much
2) the timings of the feeds, and
3) the dream feed

(Sorry - can you tell I'm confused yet...?!?)

At the moment, his feeding routine is as follows:

7am bottle c. 7oz
11am bottle c. 7oz
12am solids veggies - c. 3-4tblps
3pm bottle c. 7oz
4pm solids fruit - c 2-3tblsp
7pm bottle c. 7oz
11pm dream feed c. 5oz

As you can see, he's eating an enormous amount of food (I think he's been going through a growth spurt, but thinks don't seem to have calmed down) - on average around 32oz of milk per day, plus quite a lot of solids!

So, firstly, is that too much? Can a baby be 'a pig' or is it correct that they simply eat what they want therefore he's just hungry at the moment?

Secondy, is the timing of the feeds right? I've read a lot on these boards that suggests that this is along the right lines, but if so, he's eating every 3hrs and we haven't even included breakfast yet (will only add that when he 'asks' for it - am hoping this is a way off.....!)

Thirdly, how do we drop the dream feed? I know that in theory we should add the amount that he drinks then to the other bottles through the day, but I really don't think he could fit anything else in his tummy, plus he's got a bit of reflux anyway, so is possetting quite a bit anyway.....

All in all I'm TOTALLY confused by all this...! He's put on a lot of weight recently (haven't had him weighed, but I can tell) - am I overfeeding him?!?

Thank you so much for your help....

[Dree]

Well here is what I think, at 6mths my dd ate 2-3 Tbsp of cereal for bfk. Then I gave her 2-3 Tbsp of fruit. I would wait 30min to 1hr at most and give her a bottle. She would eat anywhere from 4-6oz. When teething they eat less. Then for lunch I would offer her 2-3 Tbsp of veggies and wait again 30-1hr and give her a bottle 4-6oz. Then for supper I would give her cereal and fruit, bathe her every second night. Then give her a 6oz bottle and off to bed around 6-6:30pm. I was still doing a DF then so, I would give her a 4oz bottle at around 11pm. Just to give you an idea my DD wakes up usually between 5-6am..

I hope that helps 

Dree 

p.s Please keep in mind, I am told boys tend to eat more than girls. I was also told by many people that cereal helps fill the tummy. So, you might want to give it a try. 

[Ydnic]

THANK YOU for posting this!  I also have a 6 month old and was confused about quantities even with all the info out there.  This is a lifesaver.

Cindy

[Dree]

Bumblecat -  How is your LO doing today ?? Did my info help you at all ?

Dree 

[bumblecat]

Hiya

Sorry not to reply sooner - Artie keeping me very busy!

Thanks for the info, it definitely gave me some pointers. I'm still a bit all over the shop though, to tell the truth - the amount he's eating has definitely decreased (it was def a growth spurt), but he ate loads of solids yesterday so I added in breakfast today (making it 3 meals per day) although this has had the knock on effect of reducing the amount of milk he's drunk, unsuprisingly. I've also changed his schedule as it seems a bit crazy to be feeding him so frequently, and 'lunch' and 'dinner' aren't really at the right times.....!

So all change really - I think I'm going to keep trying different things - one thing that I'm clear on now though is that babies can't be 'piggy'. If they're hungry they want to eat more, and they stop when they're full...so I guess if he wants to eat a lot then I won't stop him...!!

Cindy - what's your routine / amounts etc for your LO?

[Carrie~Ryan~Adam]

I don't think your LO is eating too much. It sounds like you have a good schedule too. Similar to ours, only we do breakfast and lunch (will add dinner any day now). I BF so I have no idea how much milk my DS is getting (he's 7 months), but lately it doesn't seem like much. Since starting solids, my DS hasn't gained weight or grown much, so I'm concerned he's not getting enough to eat/drink - he much prefers real food to anything liquid now! But he seems happy and healthy enough.

FWIW, here is our "normal" schedule:

8 a: wake & BF
9a: 1/3 c cereal with 2 oz formula + 4 oz fruit (just added the 2 oz recently)
12 p: BF
1 p: 1/3 c cereal with 2 oz formula + 2-4 oz veggies
4 p: BF
7 p: BF & to bed
Most nights he wakes at least once to eat - sometimes twice. I'm trying to figure out if it's becoming a habit or if he isn't getting enough during the day and wakes hungry. And if it's the latter, how can I get him more calories and nutrients during the day.

[Pammers]

thanks for this posting....I too was wondering if my LO was eating too much...his amts sound pretty similar to yours Bumblecat...

I was getting worried that I was overfeeding him.. .but he would take the food (grabbing & putting the spoon in his mouth) & then turn away/ignore it when he was done...

this is our routine:

6:30/7am: wake & bottle (7oz)
8am: 2-3tbsp cereal
8:30/9am: nap (60-75min)
11am: bottle (6-7oz)
12pm: 2 tbsp veggies,2 tbsp fruit
1pm: nap (2hrs)
3pm: bottle (6-7oz)
4/4:30pm:2-3 tbsp cereal & 1-2 tbsp fruit/veggies
5:30pm: catnap (sometimes...starting to drop this)
6:15ish: bedtime routine (bath, story etc)
6:30/7pm: bottle (7oz) & bed

I still DF (but decreased the amts over a 1 wk period as I increased his solids intake)
no Df over last 4 nites...seems to be working OK

our LO has been a great sleeper (7-7) but over the last 2-3 wks has been waking 2x/nite b/c of developmental stuff (rolling over/getting stuck etc)....he goes right back to sleep if you flip him...

does this seem like a lot of food?? i never know....it's pretty much a guessing game to me

any feedback would be great

Pam

[Nadia's Mom]

Bumblecat & Pam,

I know exactly how both of you feel. My DD started solids when she was 4 mos and I've never had a messy highchair or floor because she has never allowed any food to go anywhere except her mouth. By the time my DD was 6 mos she nursed (at least!!!) 5x a day and ate at least 15 to 20 tbsp of solids a day (which included breakfast and lunch). She ate so much that I got scared and asked her Ped. if that was normal. He said to feed her as much as she wanted because she would let me know when she was full (which was never). I followed his advice and added a lunch around 8 mos, at which time she was still nursing 4x a day and now eating at least 30 tbsp of food. I still continued to worry because I just couldn't believe that a baby could eat that much but the Ped. explained to me that my DD was very active (crawling at 6 mos/ walking at 9) and as long as she was growing at a normal rate to stop stressing over it. It wasn't until she got a cold and didn't feel like eating that I finally realized that she always had the capability to stop eating when she was full or didn't want to eat, it just so happen that I was feeding her the amount that was right for her because she wasn't crying for more food when I was done and she wasn't turning her head when I still had food in the bowl.

I guess I would have been just as worried if she didn't have a healthy appetite and was a picky eater. Either way, I've come to understand that my DD knew what she wanted and what she needed when it came to food and that I was the one that needed to understand that she knew what she was doing 

[binxyboo]

Here are some sample routines that you might find helpful https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68458.0

Just remember milk first, solids second, and all should be fine!

[Pammers]

Michelle & Patricia,
thanks very much for the support & info

by looking at the schedules, he seems to be on par with the feeding & is taking his milk b4 solids...i guess it just seemed like a lot to me but he lets me know...so I'll go with that

everybody who sees him always just tells me how "fat" he is & it gets me worried sometimes...but in my view a rolly polly baby is healthy (not too mention cute)...he's totally active & everthing so he's not being slowed down by his wt

i go next wk for his 6mos check & weigh in so I'll go from there

thanks for the feedback
Pam

[Nadia's Mom]

Pam,

Quentin isn't fat at all but extremly healthy as you stated. People use to tell me at times that Nadia was a little rollie-pollie but when she went to her doctor visit she was right on schedule and that was all that I cared about. She's a year now and has lost almost all of her baby fat but she eats even more like a grown man than before. I'm glad she eats well because that means she's active and expending alot of energy. Enjoy him being healthy (chubby  ) now because it will go away and believe me you'll miss it (like I have when I look at old pictures) and wish for it back.

[Staughty6-8-06]

My experiences with my son are pretty similar to all of you with the exception that he would eat solids all day long, but im not sure he's getting enough milk. He is a fast eater, but i wonder if he is bored with nursing b.c its so fast (sometimes like 2 or 3 minutes!) He is 7 months old and about 22 lbs (was 20 lbs at 4 months so hes always been big) hes incredibly acitve, crawling, pulling up, starting to cruise. I offer the breast first and hes so distracted (even in a dark room) that he bobs off and on or will strongly drink for a few minutes adn be done. I've thought about pumping for a day to see exactly how much milk he is getting, but right now it just doesnt seem like much. So to try to see if he will drink more, ive decreased the solids. here is our schedule:
7 am BF
8 am Cereal (about 2-3 tbl. and about 2 oz fruit
9 Sleep til 10:30
11 BF (not much)
12: about 2 oz veggies, 2 oz fruit
1: Sleep until 2:30 or 3
3: BF
4, 4:30 2 oz veggies
6:30 BF and sleep

Should i offer more solids adn drop a feeding or stick to smaller amts and still try to get him to drink more milk? he also still wakes every once in a while at night, but is usually not hungry. he'll suckle for a minute and go back to sleep so i guess its related to other things.
any ideas?

[Dree]

Hi Staughty,

My DD is 8mths old. I read over your post and think you should increase his solids per meal by 1 more oz. I slowly did that for my DD and she is not a big eater.

You are only giving 2oz veggies for dinner ?? I think you should offer cereal and fruit about 2-3 oz of each. 

I usually offer my DD cereal and fruit in the morning, Veggies and chicken (just started that. she is not a fan) and fruit for lunch and cereal and fruit for dinner. I also offer 4 bottles of formula anywhere from 4-6oz per bottle. I usually do that first then offer her solids.

I hope that helps
Dree 

[Staughty6-8-06]

hi Dree
the thing that just stuck out to me in reading your post is that you offer 4 bottles, Staughty has 5 feeds right now. Would it be ok for me to drop a feed, i wonder? i read at this age he shoudl still be having 5, but maybe if i drop one, he will increase the amt of milk at the other feeds. thats my  main concern. he'll eat solids all day, but he is not drinking enough milk (i dont think at least). then i could also increase his solids. hmmmm.. maybe?

[Dree]

Staughty - Have you done a yield ? I think you BF exclusively correct ? This will give you an idea of how much milk he drinks. I know that if you FF like I do, your child should at the very least drink 20oz plus solids. My Ped told us that. So far so good. Sofia does 4 bottles anywhere from 4-6 oz per bottle. She no longer does the DF. Does yours ? We dropped it at 7mths old. I believe Tracy mentions that in her book. Perhaps you should give it a try. Please keep in mind that Sofia is over 8mths old.

Let us know how it goes
Dree