Seeking Eating Advise

Dont worry too much about it. The bottle is his main source of nutrition, solid food is just for extra. You have time to increase his solid food intake. Just start feeding him little bits of what you are eating and he will get the hang of it.

P.S. Give him Cherrios instead of Kix. They are easier for him to eat :) Also they have many, many types of puffs that he could have. My son loves the sweet potato puffs, and also the banana ones. Go to your local store and they will have plenty of options, and they are good for him too!

Formula and breastmilk have about a GAZILLION times more nutrition in them than table food. Think about HOW much table food you'd have to eat to double your weight alone (much less adding height & bones/ organ size!) in 6 months.

If you're worried about him getting enough NUTRITION.. skip the table food/baby food ENTIRELY and stick soley with breatmilk or formula. At this age solids are just for tasting. They're not needed. They're extra. Like dessert at this age.

For the 1st year of life.... breastmilk or Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition. NOT solids and NOT other liquids.
This is per our Pediatrician as well.

Always... nurse/give baby bottle, on-demand. Always.
Always, give the bottle first, BEFORE solids.
Do not replace the bottle, with solids.
Or baby will be too full, to have his formula/breastmilk.

For the 1st year of life... 'solids' is only an 'introduction' to eating and foods. It is NOT their 'main' course.
A baby this age, does not have to, eat solids 3 times a day.
It is gradually worked up to.

Your baby, should not be eating Kix.

Continue with the bottle, that is pretty much all babies need for the first 1-1 1/2 years.

Don't give him kix. Give him rice cereal with jarred organic baby sweet potatoes or bananas or some other fruit-at lunch-give him a little meat-chicken or lamb-baby food-a yellow veggie-after he gets accustomed to these foods with no reaction-try some green veggies. Kix are empty calories-they give him some fast sugar infusion-but then quickly let him down because he has gotten no real nourishment. Please consult with his pediatrician-this is vitally important to his well being, health, and frankly, overall, his life. Please take this very seriously. I met a nurse tonight at a meeting and she said she went to greet some student nurses today-and all five of them were obese-this is a real problem in our country-even in the medical community-don't groom your son to be part of it.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with what everyone is saying. Now that your baby is 8 months old, you really should be starting to transition to a regular schedule of food. Not a ton of food, granted...he still needs plenty of formula or breastmilk...but 24 ounces a day is enough. That's 3 eight ounce bottles. Most people give a lot more than that.

Here's my experience...baby number one had no teeth until she was a year old, and I was so afraid she was going to choke, I just didn't want to give her table food. And she really didn't go for baby food...I THOUGHT she just didn't like it. So she did pretty much all milk until she was a year and a half old. It took me FOREVER to wean her off nighttime feedings, and she is an extremely picky eater because she didn't have a good start with food. However, she still LOVES milk, big surprise.

Now, baby number two...I was so determined not to make the same mistake. Exclusively breastfed, but I started foods very early...rice cereal at four months, fed with a spoon...and probably only a teaspoon once a day. Now, she is 10 months old, and eats three regular meals a day. Baby cereal mixed with fruit for breakfast along with a handful of cereal for her to feed herself (Cheerios, for example) and a cup of water. Lunch is baby food veggies and half a piece of dry whole wheat toast, or half a banana. Dinner is baby food veggies OR cooked soft veggies, cut up, usually both, and some other grain...another half piece of toast, little pasta, a vegetable mum mum, etc. She nurses in the morning, before first nap, after lunch, before second nap, after dinner, and at bed time...so, six times a day and she averages 4 oz (I know because I had to pump for awhile, and that's what she drinks.) per feeding...so, 24 ounces a day, and of course the three cups of water (which are more for practice, she doesn't drink but maybe an ounce or two.)

Now, here's the difference...baby number two is bigger than number one, but not NEARLY as chubby. She is just tall and healthy, she eats SUPER well, she sleeps well at night, and she isn't attached to a bottle or sippy cup. She'll eat anything you give her, whether it be spinach or beets or bananas or peaches or pears, plain whole wheat toast, whatever...she isn't picky, and I totally believe it is because I FED her these foods. I never push them on her...if she opens her mouth, I feed her, and I give her finger food...if she eats it, great, if not, oh well! Oh yes...and SHE has no teeth, either. I quit being so paranoid about her choking. My rule of thumb is, if I can mush it between my tongue and the top of my mouth, she can have it.

I would start now, if you can...do baby cereal for breakfast, and if you want, mix in a little baby food fruit. Do a little veggies for lunch, and a little for supper. Start giving something other than Kix...try very soft cooked carrots or green beans, cut up, or the toast (but don't use white, it turns mushy and is harder for them to break up and swallow.) Also, you could start giving some of the formula in a cup with meals instead of always in a bottle...the time is coming up to get rid of the bottles anyhow! :)

I hope this helped...honestly. I know everyone says all they need is formula or breastmilk for the first year (someone said a year and a half?!) but in my experience (and I know a WHOLE lot of babies, believe me) the ones who do only formula are tubby babies and turn into tubby toddlers. Like I said, mine is totally breastfed, but it's a good balance of food and milk and she is definitely healthy. And has a good relationship with food, where my oldest picks and eats like a bird.

At 8 months, the formula is his primary nutrition. Other (SAFE) foods are "practice" and "exposure" basically. So I wouldn't discourage him from developing that pincher grip on some veggie puffs, cheerios, etc but it's certainly not where his nutrition/caloric intake is coming from.
And why this random bottle-making? Isn't dad aware of his schedule of feeding?

3-4 bottles/day is enough....what does your pediatrician say?

& I see absolutely nothing wrong with your son eating food! But I would seriously drop the Kix from his diet....go with a healthier option, please! Some cooked vegies, some banana chunks....lots of good options out there - without relying on processed foods.

No he needs all those bottles. Any baby book or doctor will tell you that for the first year of life the primary source of nutrition should be formula or breastmilk. All the little extras like baby food or some table food is just to get your baby used to different textures and taste. So keep him on all those bottles. I actually never even gave my kids baby food. I just nursed them and as they got older just gave them table food. Once they were a year I started weaning and giving them cows milk in a sippy and then more table food.

Eating solids is basically just for practice now, and to expand his horizons. Formula (or breast milk) is a baby's main source of nutrition for the first year. Just make sure you're introducing all the veggies (one at a time of course), so he gets used to the flavor and will eat them as he gets older.

Maybe daddy doesn't feel comfortable feeding him solids, or maybe it gives him some bonding/cuddling time. Try to get him to let you feed your son solids before he mixes up a bottle, even if it's half a jar.