My Sons Eating Habits

Tell your pediatrician to go to hell. Excuse my bluntness, but you need to switch pediatricians. Children under 12 months old shouldn't be weaned. Babies that young can't overeat if you're not forcefeeding the baby. If you're giving him sufficient affection and cuddling, he's eating because he's hungry.

You can go to the Centers for Disease Control website and look for "Clinical Growth Charts" and plot where your child falls. They also have a section for children's BMIs, so you can get a reality check on your child's weight. A lot of parents with overweight children don't think their children are overweight. On the other hand, a pediatrician who thinks a nine-month-old should be drinking out of a cup needs her head examined.

When you switch pediatricians, don't go to a different one within the same practice, switch practices entirely. Don't tell them you're going or why. Ask for your child's medical records "for your own files." Then ask your neighbors who they like.

If the other pediatrician says the same things about your baby's weight, you may have something you need to get to the bottom of. I mean, if your baby really is that hungry and is overeating that much. Personally, I'd feel comfortable discounting what your current pediatrician says because he's stupid enough to think that babies under a year old should be weaned. But if the second pediatrician also has concerns about your child's weight -- well, I'd listen, then.

It also occurs to me that if you are feeding your child something other than formula in the bottle, that will cause your child problems. A lot of parents fill a bottle with sugar water, or juice, or soda, which is terrible. Juice is nothing but sugar water, really, and there are more vitamins in the formula.

Hang in there.

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Hello S.,
I ma first time mom as well...I would not worry about the food nor the bottle...he will get to it when he gets to it...My son is 14mont old and would not even try sippy...he is still on bottles and occasionally drinks from "normal" adult glasses. As far as food goes give your son whatever he needs...My experience is their bodies are smarter than we are. My son sometimes refuse to eat certain food..or refuse to eat at all ( sometimes it is teething sometimes stomachbug)..the day later he eats like a piggy. When he was 9 month he was over 22lb and in 18-24month cloth. He slowed down and lost some weight when he started to walk. So do not obsess about it...do what feels right..you are the mom.

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My son was on the bottle until 1yr. I would intoduce the sippy cup now. They have so many on the market now it's alot of choices. As for overfeeding the child, that's crazy. Unless it's a tyroid issue? Just a thought. I have son off the chart due to his height and not weight. He's only 3 1/2 and is borderline out of 5t clothes! The small "boy" sizes ( I wanna cry saying that) is fitting in legnth but gappy in the waist.
I would ask for a second opion.

Good Luck

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Hi,
If your son is always hungry n gets upset when wanting more, I would start giving him SOLID FOODS! try giving Cereal for breakfast, cut up Hot dog & macoroni for lunch, and whatever You eat for dinner,( and by givin him his own spoon or fork to eat with....You'll see the joy he will have). Both my kids started Solid Foods at 6 mos old, and sippy cupsw/ deluted juice should be used during feeding times n bottles at nap & bed time. just my insight....GOD BLESS
A.

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S.,

First let me say that I sympathise with you. My son in 22 lbs and only 6 months old with 4 going on 6 teeth and eating cereal plus 2 jars of stage 2 a day with a couple of bottles. Next I would say to follow your instinct. Since he is younger, he may just need that time to learn the motor skills. Good luck!

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As for the sippy cup/bottle issue. I waited until around 1 year. My kid wasn't reay yet and that's okay. You might want to try AVENT bottles. They have one that comes with a nipple and a soft sippy cup spout and it also comes wiht handles. My son is almost 14 mos. and that's what he uses. Ever so often, I try to give him the regular hard spout and he doesn't like. jsut not ready yet. Good Luck - W.

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of course, the neverending battle between doctors and bottles.
they all say drop the bottle by the time babies are 12 months. i did not until the day after they turned two (believe me, they survived). i did start giving them water in sippy cups around 12 months but not the milk.
as for food, i personally would wait until he is 12 months to start the table foods.
but you may want to start 3 meals a day plus 2-3 healthy snacks. at that age he should be getting something every 2-3 hours.
good luck
vlora

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aslong as his height is proportionate to his weight your son is fine. what was his weight and height at birth. was he always big for his age? as for the bottle, it seems as if children are expected to do much more at such an earlier age. as a mother of three boys i do not see the problem with your son still using a bottle. i usually take the bottle away at about a year. and your son still has a few more months so introduce the cuppy when giving him juice and he'll come around.

also he sounds as if he may be ready for regular foods.

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As someone else mentioned, babies' bodies are very smart. Except in extremely unusual cases, they are very good at gauging how many calories they need. I would not be concerned with the quantity of food your child is eating as long as you are offering only a variety of healthy choices, there should not be a problem. 9 month olds are busy and he may need those extra calories right now. By 9 months, my little ones were eating a lot of table foods and snacks. You might start offering some healthy fingerfoods if you haven't already as snacks to help him get the extra calories he seems to be craving. Tiny pieces of soft fruit - peaches, bananas, etc are great. Cheerios and some of the babyfood fingerfoods are good choices as well.

9 months is definitely on the young side for eliminating the bottle. I do have to admitt that I am not one to encourage the ongoing use of a bottle either though. I nursed both of mine and we never did formula so bottles were not a big issue for us. I did pump occasionally and gave them bottles but after 6 months when they started with food, the frequency that I did so dropped and mine were never attached to the bottle. I always introduce a sippy cup with water as soon as I start table food. They may or may not figure it out right away, but it lets them start practicing and getting used to it. Plus it was a great distraction to keep them busy while my husband and I ate our dinner. By the time they stopped nursing, they were so familiar with the sippy that they had no need for a bottle.

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Like the mothers are saying, keep him on the bottle til one year old at the earliest. I have two kids and my daughter was that was, eating up a storm and was always a big girl. She was born 9lbs 11 oz and i just felt like she was always eating. The doctor never told me to take her off the bottle, she was about 18lbs at 3 or 4 months. She was always off the charts, now 3 1/2 yrs old she is 45 lbs and 42 inchs tall. My son on the other hand is little born 7 10oz and just got back from doctor and he has lost a one pound and the doctors are flipping out. So do what makes him happy and worry about it only if he is gaining massive amounts of weight and not gaining height.

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Trust your instincts and your baby. I agree with the other moms about kids eating what they need when they need it. As long as you're offering healthy choices for him, let him be and feed him what he wants.

I had good luck with the sippy cups with straws. I weaned my daughter off the bottle around 1 yr. but that was one of those things that I'll do differently with my next one. My girl was NOT ready to be off the bottle, but I did it anyway because every book said around 1 they should be off the bottle.

Take your time and follow the baby's lead. I'd suggest looking into other pediatricians. It sounds to me like you need one who is more in tune with you, THE MOM. We spend LOTS of time with our kids and we know them well. I think it's the sign of a good doctor when he or she takes the parents seriously too.

Good luck-
C.

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I know you have gotten tons of responses by now, but I will still add mine. Your son is not over fed!!!!!!!!!!Also, Let him have a few bottles a day, and a sippy(I love the first sipster)it has a soft rubbery spout. Giving him table food is great too. I wish my 16 month old daughter ate like your son. What does your doc think he is over weight? I mean come on, at least he is not starving...He's tall!!!!!!!!!!!!My ped told me that they should be off the bottles at the same time as formula.My daughter is 16 months old, and has just recently gotten off the bottles completely

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My son was the same with the bottles he was 3 before he was totally off of them and our DR's were not happy but they are only little once! My son's teeth are fine. He's now 7. It is a solw process every child is different ! Hope that helps!

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S., my son is the exact same way! My advice is to listen to yourself and your son instead of your doctor on this one. My son just turned 10 months old today and wants nothing to do with a sippy cup...he just bites on it! I wouldn't really worry about his weight, either. If he's hungry...feed him! There is no 'mold' that all babies fit into, ya know? Just trust yourself :)

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My son was a big baby and he ate all the time still does at 19 months. I gave my son a bottle till he was a year old and then moved milk to a cup. He drank his water out of sippy cups. He liked the nubby cups for milk and is a fan of the cups with straws. That might be easier for him give it a try. My docotr told me to feed him and not to worry about weight they are babies who are growing. I was told if he was 5 and eating this much then to look at the paper work but now leave him be. Maybe you should look into a different doctor and get another voice on the matter. Enjoyy your son.

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My son is 10 months old and we are pretty much off baby food all together. He eats applesauce and pureed fruit still with his cereal, but other than that, he pretty much eats what we eat. He's been eating like this for a few weeks. He also mostly uses the sippy cup during the day and the bottle only for his early AM and his bedtime bottle. He also weighed 21 pounds at his 9 month appointment. Why does your ped not want him on real food?

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I also have a 9 month old and he is 22.5 lbs and 29 3/4 inches tall, so he is off the charts too. My doctor doesn't seem to be concerned at all about me overfeeding him. He has always been on the high end of the charts so he is consistant. I feed him about 3 7 oz bottles of formula a day and then for lunch and dinner I give him 2 4 oz jars of baby food, fruit and veggie or meat. He had been starting to eat regular food too, like mashed potatoes, grilled cheese, pureed chicken, crackers, bread, cheerios and noodles. I don't know why your doctor would even suggest taking him off bottles, I mean hes not even a year yet. My doctor just said to introduce a cup to him, which I have-a sippy cup with no spill valve, and I have to hold it for him. But for the formula, I would say stick with the bottles. Every doctor is different, some are more strick then others, if you arent' comfortable with what they are saying, go see another Pediatrician to see what they say. You can switch at any time, you need to be confident in what they tell you. Good luck and if you need any more info, you can email me at ____@____.com.

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Your son is hungry, feed him! Don't worry about what that silly DR says! Just make sure you're giving him healthy food choices!! At his age snacks of Cheerios and such are good for him. Get rid of your stage 2 foods and start feeding a bit more table food along with the stage 3's.

As far as the bottles... My Ds wouldn't hold it right either... But I just gave him a cup and everytime he got frustrated with it I would show him how to tilt it up. Eventually he caught on.... I can't believe your DR is so opinionated about these issues!!! Your son does have teeth, so a bottle will eventually not be the best thing for him, but neither is a sippy so I know that isn't the reason he said it.... I don't see why the DR is saying he should be off the bottle.... But anyhow, just keep showing your son how to tip up the bottle/ cup, he'll get it!

No matter what, remember your his mommy and you know what's best for him!!

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Hi S.:
I think you should just go with your motherly instinct and not worry about what your doctor says. It doesn't sound like your son is overweight. He may just have a high metabolism and require more food. If he is hungry, I say to feed him more. Something that will stay with him longer. I never believed in giving children a set amount of food and limiting it. My daughter eats all the time - she actually grazes and she has always been 50% with weight. I could never limit her food intake. She would be skinny as a rail and she's already thin.

In regards to the bottle, I also say go with your instinct. My oldest daughter had a hard time holding cups and bottles. I found these hand grips that slide onto bottles. That made it easier for her. And I went with my gut instinct as to when to take the bottle away. I believe all of my children were at least 1 1/2 to 2 years old before I took the bottle away. When they were more comfortable with sippy cups, then I got rid of the bottle but it is sometimes a difficult transition. Do what you are comfortable with. Doctors are good for advice but they don't live with your child and you are the parent, so you have the final word:)

Take care and good luck.

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hey ... first i would like to say ..ur doc dosnt sound very nice lol but the bottle issue .... ur son will learn... he is only nine mos old he is still a baby my one year old still get a bottle with water in it at bed time i got her off it during the day thank God.. but did u try a nuby sippy cup they are at wal mart and kmart i have even seen them at walgreens... they have a soft spout much like the nipple of a bottle make the transition from bottle to sippy much easier... and with his meals... have u tried snacks in between meals like the gerber fruit and veggie puffs or there lil crackers... or even the the gerber i think they are called garden mashed pototoes they smell horrilbe but the kids love em... they may be a lil thicker and feel better in his tummy... my girls loved them... i also have given them around that age ravioli.. ok well i hope some of this helps... dont let ur doc make u feel like u dont know what u are doing... ur his mom ... u know how he is all day.... and honestly its baby fat... he will grow!!! promise... ok oh by the way my name is K.... talk to ya soon and good luck hope i helped in some way

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MY daughter was in the same boat as your son. She was going into 24 months/2T at her first birthday. She was eating table food at 9 months. Don't let your doctor tell you to keep your son hungry. Feed him. Children generally don't over eat at this age, that's a learned response. My daughter is almost 6 yrs. old now and she is still tall and thin.(she is in size 8)She is healthy and active and eats quite a bit still.Also your son is only 9 months old, give him 3 more months before taking his bottle away. I had a pediatrician tell me to give my children table food instead of the jarred baby food when I could(use food processor if they can't chew yet)Then your son will eat until he's full, you won't be concerned about the amount and the food will taste better. Good luck!

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Hello there... I thought they tell u to start weaning them off the bottle when their about a yr?? well maybe im wrong BUT my son who just turned a yr stopped using the bottle hmm i would say about 11mths, i did introduced it to him early so he can play with it and know what it is, i wouldnt rush it hun, i mean im not Doctor and im a new mommy but they basicly get the hang of it on their own... as far as the food...Kyler is still on stage 3 now but im not sure how much he would eat since i have been giving him "big people" food so cant say an opinion there...lol... everything will be fine... take care...

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I have never heard of having to take your child off of bottles at 9 months, I have always been told to try to wean them off around 12 months onto sippy cups. My son was no where near ready to come off the bottle at 9 months old. I waiting till he was 11 months and then started trying to give him his 4oz of juice in the sippy cup to try to wean him from the bottle but it took a while for him to get used to it. I also feed him until he is full and don't worry about over feeding him as long as he eats healthy. I figure for as active as he is he needs all the nutrients he can get because he is burning so many calories throughout the day. At 9 months old my son was also 21 lbs, 30 1/2in and eating 3 large meals a day plus snacks and drinking 4-5 8oz bottles of formula and the occasional juice. Don't be too concerned with what the doctor said, you are the best judge of what is right for your son. If he is hungry feed him! I hope this helps.

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S. sounds like your son and mine have a lot in common, except my son is now 11 years old, 5 foot 4 inches and 155 pounds. He was born 9 pounds 1 ounce and 24 inches tall. At 8 months he was drinking from a regular cup (only because he could hold one), so I took him off the bottle. He also was eating table food for every meal, however he had 10 teeth at that time, I think you said your son only has 5, so I would stick with the graduates and healthy snacks. Doesnt really matter what he eats as long as it is healthy. As for the shots question, I have always stuck with the vitamins, I give both my children all natural vitamins. My daughter who was on a cupboard full of medication for her health problems is now only on maintence medications, thanks to her vitamins. I think more Doctors should help parents explore natural sources of health instead of pushing medications right up front. Of course in some cases the medications are definately needed but in most situations preventative vitamins win. Hope some of this helps.

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Follow your "motherly instinct"! I wouldn't allow my child to go hungry and I have never heard of taking a child off bottles at 9 months old! I have a 8 month old who is still nursing and probably will be for a couple more months. I know people that have soley nursed their babies until 1 year old so how is bottles any different. My daughter never took to a bottle or she would be taking bottles as well. I think around one year most bottles should be replaced by cups but I know the night time one is difficult to wean. It sounds like you should find a second opinion or just follow your heart...

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Hello S.,
Ok the bottle thing i don't understand only because it is at 12 months that they should be off of them, the sippy cup i understand, my daugther had a hard time with them at first, so i gave them to her with out the stopper in it and that helped her out alot, she was off of the bottle at a year with no problems, when she was about 11 months i put the stoppers back in and i didn't give her anything else to drink out of for the rest of the day and she got it in about 3 to 4 hours, and it was not problems for her at all, because the only time after 6 months that she got a bottle was for formula and she got water and juice in a sippy cup so when we went to regular milk we got rid of the bottles at the same time and she had no problems what so ever. I hope that this helps you.
good luck
S.

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S.-

I, too, am the mom of an "off the chart" child who is now six years old. I couldn't help but respond to several things in your question.

First, at nine months, your doctor is a little overzealous at wanting him off the bottle. Both of my children phased into sippy cups from 10 month to a year, and that is early for most kids! If he's still on the bottle at kindergarten, then you can worry!

I also wanted to suggest that if baby food is not filling him up, you might want to start giving him "regular" food. He should enjoy eating with his own hands now, and it will take him longer to eat, filling him up more effectively. Brown rice is a great, natural, healthy filler food, as are soft veggies like peas.

Don't stress if your son is a big eater as long as his height keeps up with his weight. My son is six, weighs almost 100 pounds... but is also over 4 and a half feet tall!!! He's perfectly healthy, althletic, and the envy of every football coach around!

L.

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Also have a 9 month old and she eats like your son. She is only 18 lbs. but eats 2 jars of food at a meal also. Table food really helps. My daughter loves shredded cheese and mac n'cheese. Our doctor also recommended spaghetti w/o sauce, mashed potatoes, and soft cooked vegetables cut small. Your sons body may be telling you he is ready for more grown up food. If he wasn't hungry he would let you know. I am shocked your doctor wants your son completely off bottles by now. Our doctor told us not until 12-18 months. In the meantime she gets a sippy cup with water to practice with. Of course most of the water runs out of her mouth and onto her shirt. Every child learns new things at different times. Just let him practice and play with the cup and one day he will just pick it up and drink like a pro. Good luck finding a new doctor and hopefully the next one will be more helpful and understanding.

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I'm sorry you're having a difficult time with this. I didn't read all the responses so if I'm repeating things I'm sorry but I disaggree with the ones I did read for the most part.

With the food issue, I would stop with the stage two foods altogether and only give stage three and table food becuase it's more filling and it sounds like the little guy is just hungry. He should be eating food at least three times a day as well. You didn't mention how many times a day you feed him but he shouldn't eat more than three meals and a snack. IF you find he's hungry with that amount and his bottle then leave some healthy snacks like cheerios or those baby crakers around. The other thing we did for my daughter is we started her on the little toddlers meals along with her stage three meals and that helped to keep her feed.

As for the bottle issue. You're not going to like this but your going to want to start weaning him off as soon as possible. It'll make life easier for you in the long run. The plastic sippy cups aren't always the greatest, my duaghter didn't take them either but there are the nuby ones from walmart with a silicone spout that are really good. They also come with nipples so you can have it as a bottle and a cup to help ease the transition.

We started giving her a cup when she stared having juice at about six-seven months. Just so she could get used to it. She had it at her chair and we put juice in it so that she would think it was a treat. That really helped get her used to drinking out of it.

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S., I'm sorry you are having a difficult time. I'll tell you, if I listened to everything the doctor tells me, I would have lost my mind by now. Your child is telling you he is hungry. You are not overfeeding him on your own, he is asking for this food. So listen to him. The boy is a hungry little guy and that's ok! As for bottles, every doctor is different. My doc wanted me to take my daughter off of bottles by 12 months and I said ok and then went about whatever my daughter wanted to do. I give her sippy cups with water or juice but she just won't take her milk unless it's in a bottle. I give it to her. Besides, although Nuby cups are really good transitioning cups and I absolutely do recommend them for the transition, if you look at the spout, they are exactly like a nipple, made out of the same kind of rubbery material and all. So, my advice, listen to your son- he's not going to steer you wrong about how to feed him. And relax. You're doing everything just great. Don't question your abilities as a mom (although I know it's easier said than done). You're doing a great job.

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S.~
My son was 15 months old before taking him off the bottle. The reason for this was he NEVER held it himself. I always did becuase he couldn't so a sippy cup wasn't an option for us. My response when my doc said to nix the bottle at 15 months was, "he'll dehydrate!!" He didn't!! He was fine, and probably would have been fine at 9 months too, but I didn't force the issue. I personally think 9 months is too young to be off the bottle, especially when they promote breastfeeding until 1 year of age. Is you doctor aware of this?? I can see trying to give him a sippy cup thru the day, but if he needs a bottle for a drink just don't make it fun for him ie don't let him carry it around the house etc. (not that he's walking yet! lol)

By the way, my son will be 6 next week and he turned out just fine being on a bottle held only by an adult until 15 months!!

Good luck!
T.

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I would say get a new doctor! My Children were introduced sippy cups at this age, however they did not fully get the concept until closer to 11/12 months old. I have never heard of a doctor suggesting a baby be off the bottle at nine months old, as for his eating habits, have you introduced finger foods for baby? For instance cherrios, Gerber ginger foods that melt like cherrios? In between meals, or even some mashed up bananas, applesause?

My oldest is seven and he is 45 inches tall, and weighs 54 lbs, however he is a solid kid, and he eats, always has in fact by the time he was 1 he was on regular food. Some kids just require a little more than others and if he is not overweight then I would not worry to much about it.

Seriously get a second opinion.

If he isn't getting obese than he isn't overeating. You should start giving him some solid foods. The baby food probably isn't enough for him.
He probably likes the bottle because you have made it comforting and fun for him. Try some different tactics to try to make the bottle seem boring to him, and make the cup seem better. You have to sort of trick him out of wanting the bottle. If you don't try something, he may be 4 and still nursing the bottle. You don't want that. If you are worried about him spilling the cup, let him practice outside with it.

I am sure that I fed my son 2 jars of baby food. A fruit and a dinner one I believe. Like 2 times a day. Ur doctor is nuts. Try the sippy cups from Walmart that have straws if he likes drinking out of a straw

Trust your son!

My son ate like crazy, just like yours and was big--but from 10-13 mo he only grew 1/2 inch and gained 2 lbs! He is tall and lean but has been SO ACTIVE and STRONG, and I credit that to his extra intake earlier.

Your son may just be in a growth spurt--

My son is 14 mos old, and he's gone from eating 32 oz of babyfood a day and nursing non-stop at 9 mos to now, at 14 mos, of only eating 14-20 oz a day. It makes us soooo worried--but the ped says its fine...and that they eat based on their growth needs

Hi S.,

I had kind of the same issue with my son. He was a big boy since the day he was born. Weighing 9lbs 10oz. And at 5 months old he was wearing clothes from 18 month old. The Doctors once and a while would tell me he is a little over weight but would check that and tell me it was fine because he was also tall for his age range. So I stopped worrying about what the doctors said since I knew I was feeding him nothing but good food. I would worry if he didnt want to eat.Many people think he will become an overweight baby or something but like I said if all he is eating is good healthy food I dont see what harm it will do to him. Some babies just have a better appetite than others. Now that my son is 19 months he east a little less and since he walks and runs well at this age they stop getting chubby.

Hope this helps.

hmmm dont know where your doctor practices, but i have NEVER heard of one that tells parents to take bottles by 9 mo. hes still drinking 24oz a day or so right? most babies at this age are just learning how to hold their bottles. I have heard of 12 months, but most doctors say by 18 months definitely. Really really really get a second opinion on that one. I actually never gave my son the stage 3 foods. Maybe he is eager to experiment. Try giving him some soft cooked white rice, and steamed chicke pieces and see how much of it he eats. I actually met a baby just like yours, big and tall, same age wearing 18-24 month clothing, and he would eat a lot as well. He actually ate a triangle of a kids portion quesadilla and chicken tenders. Probably not what you want to do.