K.M. asks from Argyle, TX on April 17, 2008
Solid Feeding with an 8 Month Old
I have an 8 month old little boy. I am about to start trying to work to three solid food meals a day and I am wanting recommendations. He wakes up aound 8 am and goes to bed between 8 and 9 every night. Right now this is his schedule...8am 8 oz breastmilk bottle, 11am cereal and 1/2 a 2nd fruit 3 oz breastmilk, 2pm 2 oz juice and 4 1/2 oz breastmilk, 5pm 1/2 a 2nd vegetable and 1/2 a 2nd meal with 5 oz of breastmilk, 8pm 8 oz breastmilk. So thats 28.5 oz breastmilk, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 veggie, and 1/2 meal throughout the day. Let me know your thoughts... I will try any suggestions and let you know how it works. Also, how many oz of BM and solid food should he be getting in a days time at this age? We have started the sippy cup but he does not have it down yet. He gets up on all fours and rocks so I am sure crawling is around the corner.
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B.B. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
If you would like to get 3 meals a day this is how you would do it. 8am Cereal w/fruit the whole jar and then a bottle. Lunch 11am whole jar of vegetable and meat and then at 1130 or 1200 give a bottle and then a nap. 3pm snack jar of fruit with 4oz juice. Dinner- 5 or 6pm jar of vegetable and meat. then at 7 bottle and then bed.
works great.
B.
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J.H. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
Hi K.,
Try checking out www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It has a chart that shows the amounts that different age babies usually comsume, and gives ideas of what types of foods they can eat by age - also has recipes for making some of it if you want.
Hope that helps!
J.
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B.B. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
If you would like to get 3 meals a day this is how you would do it. 8am Cereal w/fruit the whole jar and then a bottle. Lunch 11am whole jar of vegetable and meat and then at 1130 or 1200 give a bottle and then a nap. 3pm snack jar of fruit with 4oz juice. Dinner- 5 or 6pm jar of vegetable and meat. then at 7 bottle and then bed.
works great.
B.
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D.B. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
I have a 7 1/2 month old boy..here is our schedule.
6AM - 4 to 6 oz
8AM - oatmeal with 2 oz of fruit
10AM - 6 oz of milk
12PM - 2 oz of veggie and 2 oz of fruit
2PM - 6 oz of milk
4PM - snack such as puffs or cheerios with water (sippy cup)
6PM - 2 oz veggie and 2 oz meat (or 4oz dinner type such as chicken noodle, sweet pot/turkey)
7PM - 6 oz milk
At 8 months you can be doing some table food such as shredded chicken, starting to add dairy such as yogurt and soft cheeses too. We do not do juice as it is not needed and empty calories.
hope this helps! email if you have any questions!
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C.D. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
My comments are right in line with the others. My 9 month old (and has been for the past two months) is on a regular-three meal a day schedule with an afternoon snack. Here is her schedule. Wake at 8:00. Nurse right away. 8:30-9:00 breakfast (options-mixed grain cereal w/ 1/2 jar fruit and sometimes cut up fruit with it or jar breakfast #3's the ones with fruit and cereal (we were on #2's from 6-8 mos.) or yo baby fruit and cereal yogurt (when you are ready to introduce it) with pieces of whole wheat blueberry bread-just some variety for you). Play then morning nap b/t 10:45-11:00. Wake and then lunch. She usually sleeps an hour or an hour and a half. Lunch consists of small pieces of what ever I eat or whole jar of #2 or 1/2 jar of #3 dinner with 1/2 jar of fruit or real fruit pieces and juice/water from sippy cup (we have cut out that lunch time nursing so far). Play time then snack around 3:30 after we pick up my daughter from school (they love to snack together :-). This usually consists of nursing then variety of Gerber snacks like (puffs, wagon wheels...) or organic applesauce-the adult version-and Graham cracker sticks broken up and a little juice or water to wash it all down. Play then nap again from about 4:30-5:30. Wake then dinner at 6:30 with the family. Usually the same concept as lunch and I don't nurse her here either. Bath, play, then nurse at 8:00 for bed. I don't bottle feed so I am not sure how much breast milk she actually gets but there are, I am sure, plenty of web sites that can guide you in that direction. Good luck.
K.J. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
K.
at 8mos he should be eatting more table foods by now the texture is going to be a problem if you don't start him on something other than second foods he needs to be eatting different textured foods or you'll have a picky eater or full jars of third foods not just half seconds. all my kids were on table and baby food by 6mos, table food was mash potatoes, green beans, mushy things easy for them to chew. Do you give him any finger foods like cheerios? toast? I would increase the food and cut the milk back to 4oz bottles, he still gets all he needs from both he should be eatting more food now, not just milk, what has your Dr. said? now adays everyone of them is different. My kids did fine and are 16 and 27yrs. plus that's how I did my daycare kiddos with moms ok. just my two cents.
D.B. answers from Dallas on April 18, 2008
There is an excellent book about nutrition for the entire family and includes a wonderful section on infants, Nourishing Traditions. It gives very specific recommendations for exactly what you're looking for.
Also, please keep him on his tummy every waking moment. He needs to be crawling (medical term is creeping) and he needs to do a LOT of it. Don't go to him, let him come to you just to help him rack up more distance and also to teach him to move to meet his needs.
You're in a wonderful and amazing stage of life. Enjoy!!
D.
Mom to 8 (yep, all my own)
Neurodevelopmental Therapist
L.S. answers from Dallas on April 17, 2008
I think you have a dream baby, because he sounds perfect. i would definately start feeding him more, and i would cut out the juice bottle unless it is necessary for constipation. i would add in some more food in place of the juice. is he taking the breast milk because he likes it? i don't understand why he isn't eating the whole jar of food? he should begin to get more calories from food, and not seem to be drinking so much breast milk.
i don't think people measure the oz. of b.m. just what seems right. it should come out in about the same amt that goes in. if he eats alot, then he should have alot, or several small. if he eats for 2-3 days and has none than you have a problem. food in, waste out. in about the same proportions. and at a good pace.
keep using the sippy cup. he will get used to it.
sounds like you are doing everything great. now would be a good time to slack back on the breast milk just a bit by maybe a few ounces a week. by that time, he will be crawling. and he will definately need more calories for more activity. and you can beging feeding more of his calories in the form of food instead of liquids.
good luck,
L.
K.G. answers from Dallas on April 17, 2008
My little girl will turn 9 months in 1 week. For the last 2 months she has eaten 3 meals a day.
She can go about 4 hours between meals - but I basically feed her on demand.
When she drank mainly formula, she drank 28-32 ounces per day. Now that its supplemented with food, its less. Its less than 20 a day.
She eats level 2 fruit for breakfast, a whole package, followed by formula. I give her as much as she will eat - on demand - which is usually 4-6 ounces.
For lunch she eats level 2 veggie - followed by formula in the same style.
For dinner she eats a level 2 meat/dinner - followed by formula in the same manner.
All of these meals are about 4 hours apart - starting when she gets up which is about 9 am.
In between meals I give her the biter biscuits, the banana cookies, and cereal mixed with fruit juice. I give her about 4 tablespoons of cereal. Not too much. Or I make her an egg. Different "snacks" each day.
Then before bed she has a bottle - up to 7 ounces is the most she will take.
Its been working - she is about to move up to the level 3s in a month or so - and the formula will remain the same or go down - on her terms.
Be sure to give him the solid food first and follow it with milk. Otherwise he will fill up on milk and wont want to try the other foods.
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