Feeding patterns

[llghoney]

Can you tell me what your feeding pattern is for your baby up until 1 yr. old? I know I had a thread on something similar. And I remember someone saying milk should be the main food til age 1. Some books I'm reading don't really say that.

 

[Birbitt]

Well I went by my children's cues....with my oldest he started eating watery cereal at only 3 months old this was because he was such a hungry boy all the time! He seriously would eat an 8 oz bottle of formula every hour! So our pedi suggested that we try spoonfeeding him some extra watery rice cereal..it worked. Then at about 4 1/2 months we began feeding him carrots, applesauce, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Then we just started offering new foods one at a time. I would basically feed him cereal in the morning with a bottle if he wanted it. Then a bottle sometimes two between breakfast and lunch then for lunch he got a fruit and a bottle if he wanted it and again usually two or three bottles between lunch and dinner...then at dinner he got a veggie and a bottle and then one more bottle before bed for the night. He'd sleep from around 9 to 4 or 5 am and he'd get a bottle then and we'd go back to bed until he woke again for breakfast.

With my youngest he didn't start on even cereal until 5 months because he just wasn't interested in solids or hungry for them. so at 5 months we started with watery cereal and moved on from there but he didn't start veggies and fruits until almost 8 months (he just wouldn't try them). So for him starting around 5 months he basically had the same schedule as my oldest only for him it was cereal for breakfast,lunch, and dinner.

 

[Leanna]

Are we talking 'solids' here? Elijah is 7.5 months and eats 'solids' at lunch and dinner. Soon he will also have some cereal for breakfast.

 

[llghoney]

Well I went by my children's cues....with my oldest he started eating watery cereal at only 3 months old this was because he was such a hungry boy all the time! He seriously would eat an 8 oz bottle of formula every hour! So our pedi suggested that we try spoonfeeding him some extra watery rice cereal..it worked. Then at about 4 1/2 months we began feeding him carrots, applesauce, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Then we just started offering new foods one at a time. I would basically feed him cereal in the morning with a bottle if he wanted it. Then a bottle sometimes two between breakfast and lunch then for lunch he got a fruit and a bottle if he wanted it and again usually two or three bottles between lunch and dinner...then at dinner he got a veggie and a bottle and then one more bottle before bed for the night. He'd sleep from around 9 to 4 or 5 am and he'd get a bottle then and we'd go back to bed until he woke again for breakfast.

With my youngest he didn't start on even cereal until 5 months because he just wasn't interested in solids or hungry for them. so at 5 months we started with watery cereal and moved on from there but he didn't start veggies and fruits until almost 8 months (he just wouldn't try them). So for him starting around 5 months he basically had the same schedule as my oldest only for him it was cereal for breakfast,lunch, and dinner.

See this is where I'm wondering as to what to do. Grace still eats every 3 hrs only around 4 oz (she'll be 4mnths this coming weekend). She will eat more at bedtime sometimes. But I mean I don't see her eating every hour. Maybe she will I don't know.

Are we talking 'solids' here? Elijah is 7.5 months and eats 'solids' at lunch and dinner. Soon he will also have some cereal for breakfast.

Solids & formula. What is his schedule as in how much at a time does he eat both?

 

[Linnis]

DS started having solids at 6.5-7 months but no significant amount until after 15 months. Then again I didn't have plans to wean at 1 year. I think if one plans to wean at one, the child will have to learn to eat more solids and less formula/breast milk sooner.

Most of my friends who weaned near 1 year by 11 months their babe was down to nursing or taking three bottles a day and the rest solids.

 

[Birbitt]

Honestly I'd wait to introduce solids until either your baby is not satisfied with just nursing/formula alone like my boys were or until your baby is interested....Otherwise it's just a big mess and waste.

 

[llghoney]

But they don't know they are interested until you give it to them?

 

[angelsgirl]

Maddie is almost 7.5 months old and she isn't on solids yet. She is still satisfied by the milk she is getting. I think Maddie is ready for solids in most other ways, she can sit for about 1/2 hour without being held up, can pick things up with her fingers (little things, stuff i don't notice straight away!) and i'm pretty sure her tongue doesn't push things out anymore (when i give her the teething relief stuff she doesn't push it out anymore).
But she isn't asking for more food, so i'm happy not giving her anymore. Plus it's not a bad thing for bub's to wait a little longer before they have solids. I've had people telling me from when Madeleine was about 4 months old that she should be on solids. She is a very hungry eater to begin with and people only noticed that and not how she was after she was finished with the bottle.

ok I've rambled on enough. I should get Maddie her morning bottle now!

 

[Hadassah]

Jonathan's about 6.5months old, still really no solid action here. We've tried potatoes with no interest and tongue reflex. The only reason we did was to say we did it, he didn't like it and isn't ready so we can be honest when the pedi asks.

as for his eating pattern, I dunno how many ounces or ml of milk he gets since he doesn't take a bottle or sippy at this point.

He was eating every 1-3 hours the last 2 weeks. BUT yesterday he started on a 3-4 hr schedule and I actually got some sleep last night. He's kept up so far today with the same.

Teething, he's got almost 4 teeth... but he's not sitting up on his own much (maybe 2 minutes) if I really can get him to sit -- he's more interested in standing!

He watches us eat if it involves a spoon, but isn't so very interested in other things we are eating, and doesn't make a chewing motion while we eat or reach for it.

 

[jgonz]

But they don't know they are interested until you give it to them?

Not necessarily.

And I remember someone saying milk should be the main food til age 1. Some books I'm reading don't really say that.

All the literature that I've read (LLL, all lactation expert organizations, and the AAP) have stated that breastmilk (or formula) should be the primary source of nutrition for 1 year.

The WHO, AAP, and LLL all recommend that you wait to start solid foods until the (healthy) baby is approx. 6 months old. This cuts down on the possibility of food allergies/sensitivities, and gives the baby's gut plenty of time to mature.

Signs to look for to see if baby is developmentally ready for solids:
1) sits up unassisted
2) has developed a pincer grasp (forefinger & thumb can pick up tiny objects)
3) tongue development now includes a chew & swallow reflex, not just sucking reflex (if the baby still shoves his/her tongue out and pushes out anything you put into their mouths automatically, they aren't developmentally ready for solids yet).

Good solids to start with are sweet potatoes, avocado, and bananas. You can do jarred baby food, or make your own. Cereals have traditionally been introduced first, but newer studies are showing that grains are harder to digest and thus should be introduced Last.

Most babies start showing interest in table food that their parents are eating. Some just grab food right off their parent's plate and shove it in their mouths... Others are just fascinated with the process of eating itself. Some families will put the baby in the high chair and give the baby some basics to start off with (to see what they'll do with it) while the family eats, while others do a more structured approach with sitting down with jar food and feeding the baby at specific times. Some babies are ready at a little before 6 months, while others refuse solids until around a year.... it's all normal.

Abel (now 7 months) eats every 2- 3 hrs during the day. That includes bottles of breastmilk/formula, cereal, and jar food. He has cereal at breakfast time, and jar food at dinner time, with 5- 7 bottles of breastmilk/formula over the course of the day/evening.

HTH~

 

[Leanna]

See this is where I'm wondering as to what to do. Grace still eats every 3 hrs only around 4 oz (she'll be 4mnths this coming weekend). She will eat more at bedtime sometimes. But I mean I don't see her eating every hour. Maybe she will I don't know.



Solids & formula. What is his schedule as in how much at a time does he eat both?

How is she growing? Is that 3 hours around the clock-- so 8 feedings x 4 ounces? 32 ounces in a 24 hour period? When is her next well baby check?

The bottles here are about 7 oz, and the times he is getting baby food to check for allergies then about 4 ounces. There is a huge difference between almost 4 months and 7.5 months though.

 

[jgonz]

Abel has eaten 5 oz bottles forEver it seems... He'll usually have 6 bottles per day, so 30 oz per day. (Occasionally 5 or 7, but usually 6.) Now he eats the solids On Top Of the same number of bottles.

 

[llghoney]

Jgonz, the books I've been reading say that if you wait til they are around a year old to feed them solids that they want to stay on the bottle longer.

Oh & does eating teething rings & trying to put everything in their mouth count as no toungue thrust.

Leanna, her weight & height were good last doc visit that has been over a mnth. I go back Thurs. (2nd round of shots ) so I will find out her weight. She only has 5 bottles a day. She sleeps thru the night.

 

[Leanna]

Jgonz, the books I've been reading say that if you wait til they are around a year old to feed them solids that they want to stay on the bottle longer.

Oh & does eating teething rings & trying to put everything in their mouth count as no toungue thrust.

Leanna, her weight & height were good last doc visit that has been over a mnth. I go back Thurs. (2nd round of shots ) so I will find out her weight. She only has 5 bottles a day. She sleeps thru the night.

I have never heard that thing about the bottle, but I have never had a baby make it to one year without solids and I think that would be very difficult to do. But that does not mean you need to start her at 4 months either, especially if she is only eating 4 x 5 = 20 ounces per day. A 3-4 month old should be eating 24-35 ounces and no solid food. Solid food is *lower* in calories than formula so until she is eating more reasonably I would not recommend changing any of her formula consumption to baby food or she might lose weight. I really do not believe that the majority of 4 month olds are ready for solid food. You will not regret waiting another month.

What is the rush? What are these books you are reading?

We wean from the bottle at one year and haven't had a problem yet.

 

[jgonz]

Jgonz, the books I've been reading say that if you wait til they are around a year old to feed them solids that they want to stay on the bottle longer.

I've never heard that before.

I know Several breastfeeding moms who had babies who refused solids for close to a year (and a couple who's babies refused most solids until after a year). When they were all ready for solid food, they started eating it with no problems. I've not had that with any of my babies (breast or formula fed)~ although I did have a couple of babies who weren't interested as early as I expected them to be.

 

[llghoney]

One book is "What to Expect the First Year." They say that the sooner the better to introduce solids. Really starting around 5-6 mnths. I'm in no rush to start her but wasn't sure about weaning her from the bottle either.

 

[jgonz]

I absolutely Hate the What to Expect books. They give out a lot of misleading (if not downright false) information.

IMO a better choice would be Dr. Sears' book on nutriton, or the Super Baby Food book (seen here at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Baby-Fo...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229353166&sr=1-1 ).

 

[Sign Of The Fish Burger]

I absolutely Hate the What to Expect books. They give out a lot of misleading (if not downright false) information.

IMO a better choice would be Dr. Sears' book on nutriton, or the Super Baby Food book (seen here at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Baby-Fo...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229353166&sr=1-1 ).

ha- I was just coming here to suggest BOTH books.. great minds think alike I guess

Here are some articles I found for you:
Starting Solid Foods:http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/t032000.asp
No Food Until 6 Months: http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/fit12.asp

The current recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics are for exclusive breastfeeding or formula until six months. We have learned that before 6 months, a baby’s gut is not ready to handle anything else. Starting a baby on jar food too soon puts him at risk for developing many digestive problems later in life.

Early Solids: http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/fit18.asp

Oh and I agree- you NEED to ditch What to expect...