How Much Formula and Food for a 8 1/2 Month Old?

Hi,
On the way to get finger foods not slippery, mashing up cheerios into powder and coating them with it works, i.e., bananas, toss them in a bag of cheerio powder and they can grip it much more easily. Mine loves cheerios and enjoys the mushy-ness of bananas, so they go well together. :)

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Send me your e-mail and I can send you a chart approved by the government food program I am on with my Day Care. I have sent many other mamasource mamas. It is a cheat sheet they gave us, from Child Care Group. G. W

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Go to www.babycenter.com they have an age by age guide to feeding your baby.

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It sounds to me like he is getting plenty to eat. He looks so skinny because he is so tall!! WOW! 30 inches at 8.5 months. If he was excessively cranky between meals and food calms him down then I would say he needs more, but if he is happy and continues to grow and gain weight then I wouldn't let what other people say influence you and make you worry. Have you tried feeding him graham crackers or biter biscuit things? He also might enjoy small pieces of bagels as finger foods. Popcorn is a choking hazzard until they are 3 yrs old so avoid that. best of luck!

Your son may look slim but 22 lbs and 30 inches at under a year is quite sufficient. 75-90% on the growth chart means that he is bigger then 75-90% of babies his age. Just because he looks skinny does not mean he is not getting enough. Go by his personal growth curve and where he stis on the growth chart.

Don't worry about what other people think. My son was about 15 pounds at that age and he is the tallest in his class now. Everyone told me to worry, that I should have started food sooner, etc. I remember people looking at him, asking how old he was, and shaking their heads sadly as they said, "Oh" softly. He was healthy and under a pediatricians care and just fine. You can't compare one to another...they all grow at their own rates.

Hi L.,
My Jackson is 9.5 months and is 30" and 21lbs. and doc says he's super healthy. He gets 4 8oz. bottles a day and has three meals. Some finger food I like are the gerber "puffs" and there is some freeze dried sweet corn kernels. Both dissolve very easily in the mouth and are easy to pick up. I hope it helps.

It would be ok to give him like mashpotatoes and small bites of meat. Also like applesause. My one year dauther loves gerber turkey weines.

It sounds to me like he is doing great. The fact that he wants to try more finger foods wonderful. Don't worry too much (easier said than done, huh?) but keep following his cues like you've been doing.

Some good options for beginning finger foods are cooked and cubed sweet potatoes, boiled cubed tofu (if there are no soy allergies), avocado. For meats, my kids always liked the Gerber Graduates meat sticks. Canned green beans were always a favorite too.

Hope this helps!
S.

How timely was your post? I just brought my daughter back home from her 9 month appointment. This is what he told me about feeding her. I can feed her anything except honey- even peanut butter, but only a little bite at a time since she could choke. He said use the same rules you did when you were first introducing foods- feed new items and then wait a couple of days to see if she had an adverse reaction. I have trouble getting the 18 oz. of formula he wanted me to get in her after her 6 month appointment so he said to try to get at least 9 oz. but try for the 18 oz. of formula. I can augment her dairy/ calcium intake through any flavor yogurt or softened cheese. I am so excited as this really frees us up for keeping her interested. We also have a long baby and she is thin for her height. I am no longer concerned since he said we were on track for her. Good luck.

J.

Definitely feed him if he is hungry. My son was also VERY large. He weighed a little more than yours does at this age and was slightly shorter, so he was "chunky". The doctor's didn't like the fact that he was in the 95% on the chart, but he followed the curve just like he was supposed to. He is now five and the tallest boy in his class and he is not chunky at all. But, he definitely can go through eating spurts where he eats more than the adults do.

I think the key is sticking to healthy foods. Another food NOT allowed now is peanut butter. Don't put it on break or crackers for him yet. For healthy finger foods, I like carrots. Plus, if you chop a sweet potatoe and then steam it in the microwave, the pieces hold their shape and are also good finger foods.

I was so confused, too! I bought the book put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics which is really specific with the sample menus. I found it to be a great resource! The name of the book is CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5. It tells you how much to give to them at each stage. It's wonderful!

Keep in mind, most all of his nutrients is still coming from the formula at this point, it is great that he is wanting to eat more food, the best thing to do is check with your doctor about how many ounces he should have.
As far as food, Gerber Graduates has lots of finger foods, try some of them. Look in to the book What to Expect the FIrst Year and What to Expect in the Toddle Years, Check a local Half Priced Book Store but they have lots of ideas for snacks and some awesome recipes in there. Good Luck!