Eating Schedule for 7 Month Old

Honestly he doesn't need solids at all...seriously. Breastmilk is all he needs for the first year or so of life. Solids are "play food" and "practice" I wouldn't worry about meals, or how much he should be eating until after a year, and then let him decide how much and how often he needs to eat.

J.,

YEAH! On the breastfeeding!!!! Honestly, your milk has the perfect nutrition for your baby through 12 months. Introducing solids at about 6 months is great, but really they should be a supplement to your breastmilk. As baby gets older your son will want more and more solid foods. Let him help you navigate through the food thing.

You may also want to google: baby led weaning. It introduces table foods instead of purees. Soft cooked veggies like broccoli and parsnip are great starters. (and fyi...baby's are just as likely to choke on a puree as they are a piece of very soft cooked broccoli.) Their gums are pretty hard and soft cooked veggies get chewed up just fine. The benefit: you're introducing the REAL taste and texture of food. I did this with my daughter, she will be 2 next month. Honestly, the child eats anything I put in front of her. There are a couple of things she just isn't fond of... like green peppers. But I have NO issues getting her to eat a balanced diet. Every other mom I know who has a toddler, can't get them to eat anything but pasta and french fries. I don't have that issue. She eats what we eat.

As baby gets more and more coordinated and gets more active, he will want more food. He'll let you know what he needs. Baby's are really good at making sure basic needs are met.

Good luck!

He really only needs YOU for a few more months. I wouldn't push the formula thing...you have your own built in!

Keep breastfeeding! You don't need formula but at about 6 months babies start needing other nutrients too like from baby food. By 7 months we were doing at least two or jars of baby food a day along with about three breastfeedings. Just follow his cues too. As long as you're doing a good mix of both you're fine.

I would talk to your pediatrician. He or she knows your baby and can direct you better with his or her training and the needs of your child.

I have an 8 month old. I feed her 3 meals a day and then nurse on demand.
I feed her until she is full and not clamoring for the food-or starts to throw the finger food onto the ground. She eats when the rest of the family eats- so 9, 12, and 5.
And probably nurses about 7AM, before her 10:30 nap, again before her 2:30 nap, and then around 6 or 7. If she wants to nurse sometime between then, I let her her, too. Hope that helps!

ditto the other replies..the baby only need breast milk for the first year.. baby food is just practice for eating later.

I did one meal a day..till about 7 months.. then 2 meals aday till about 8 months.. I started 3 meals a day at 9 or 10 months..

You dont want to add too much solid foods or the baby will not drink enough milk.

If you are lucky you can pump enough milk and never have to buy any formula. I pumped when I worked and I made it to about 10 months with no formula.. then I had to supplement.

Hi J. B,
Congratulations on making it this far with breastfeeding. Each child is different and so breastfeeding experience with each child will be different. I breastfeed all 5 of my kids and can atest to that. If you child seems ready and you have the patience go for it. Some of my kids didn't stop nursing till they were 2 (not by my choice) some stopped at 4 months, so depends on the mom-child experience. As long as your child is having approriate urine/bowel movements and gaining the appropriate weight you will know if he is getting enough also talk to his pediatrician. Much success and if he starts throwing food remember to duct. :o)

I asked the same question at 8 months, so if you look back a couple of months, you can find my replies.

What I found to be best is to play it by ear. Keep nursing!!! At 7 months, my little guy was eating some pureed fruit in the morning and some pureed veggies at about 2:00 pm. He didn't start with 3 meals (BF, L, and D) until now (11 months).

Good luck.

There is no reason to introduce formula, ever, as long as he's getting enough from breastfeeding. Save the money! He is getting everything he needs from breastmilk and will continue to do so for at least the first year.

We didn't do purees with my daughter, instead we just offered her whatever we were eating. If we had broccoli, we gave her broccoli. If we were having chicken, she would get chicken. Of course, she didn't actually ingest anything for about 4 months after we started offering but again that wasn't a big deal because she got everything she needed from my breastmilk. So jus tkeep with your regular schedule of nursing him, and whenever you eat, offer him some food (either jarred or what you make, either is fine). If he doesn't want it, don't force the issue. You don't want food to become a power struggle. All you can do is keep offering.

Good luck!