You are very welcome, Paddys mother. Because every child is unique, I know that some do need more calories and at the rate your child is gaining weight with - basically - your milk only, I would think he has no troubles taking your milk. It is a fact - demonstrated fact as opposed to theory - that children grow in spurts, not steadily over a long period of time, and that at times are hungrier. If I have learnt something over the years (I,m more grandmothers age than mothers age) it is not to be a fundamentalist of anything, but try to hear your deep instinct when you react to your own baby. The night pattern does look strange, but there,s a thread about sleep problems as well.
However, if you feel baby is hungry, it is very likely to be the truth. And when I tell you that two/three teaspoons are not enough (for hunger or nutrition), I maintain it. It is a fact. If half a cup is too much or too little (considering most is milk) is open to the following consideration:
3 teaspoons are 15 cc, 2 are 10 cc (cubic centimeters). Or 1.5 ounces, 1 ounce (fluid ounce). Just a ship in a regular small glass (the ones used for wine).
One cup is half a pint, or 236 cc. A bit more than a glass (the regular ones used for water or milk).
Half a cup is 116 cc.
Your child, when mixing solids and milk will need as a minimum 500 ccs of milk, that is two full cups and it will not hurt if he takes a bit more.
A half a cup of cereal mixture will contain mostly milk, as you wont need more than two teaspoons of cereal, perhaps a bit more, to make a mushy mixture. This is not, in any way, an exxageration. Besides, I have not recommended that anyone forces a baby to "finish up" (anything offered), but to let him he is will willing and eager.
I do not know of any expert who discourages the use of cereals, or carbs in general and yet I know many who forbid going overboard on protein and that is basically what milk is. Cereals are a wonderful source of fiber, calories and complex sugars that your body must proccess and that your body needs as an adult and even more as a growing child. They are also a good source of b-vitamin, e-vitamin, iron and calcium and contain 6/12% protein.
Now, milk is a very complete food, it contains enough of almost everything, except iron and C vitamin. It is not so brilliant on B or E, either. But mother,s milk will contain more of these nutrients if she eats enough veggies and fruit.
One of the reasons to start solid foods at 6 months is to provide for more iron and C vitamin, in a natural way and not thru medication. Number one, for reasons that are not understood or identified in research, vitamins taken on their original food form work more efficiently than supplements. Number two, giving vitamins or iron as medication can have side effects, and a notorious one of iron is constipation.
Industrial cereals made for children (not the ones made specifically for babies, which are controlled in more countries), l contain added sugar and sodium, added vitamins (to compensate for the ones lost in the overprocessing) and are not to be recommended for anyone. Natural wheat, corn or oats are a very different matter and should form part of our diet (for adults or grown children, preferably whole grain).
What one ought to aim for is the maximum diversity of food, and the failure of our societies is normally eating too much meat, milk products and potatoes, rice and bread as sole staples of a diet (an adult diet, I,m talking about), together with the use of industrially prepared food and soft drinks and sodas. Even when one takes veggies, one tends to take only two/four kinds depending on cultural factors. We tend to eat a lot of peppers and tomatoes in Spain, together with marrow (zuchini) and aubergine (eggplant) like in Italy or France. Others tend to go heavy in mushrooms and aspargus or cabbage.... but miss the glorious variety of the whole vegetable range, from artichokes to beets, aspargus to brocoli, eggplant to watercress....(rarely used in Spain and a wonderful green to add to babies purees).
In general, we take too MUCH fat and PROTEIN, not too much complex carbs. And we are not getting any slimmer or healthier by eating that way. Actually, spanish doctors say not to give more than a protein meal a day to small children, as that together with the milk is more than ample. And really, in this I do know what I am talking about!
