I babysit in my home two other children and then have my daughter. One of the little girls I keep is my neighbors child. She will turn 5 mos on Sunday. Her mother has asked me to feed her cereal with fruit in the afternoon. Which I would be ok with, except, they started her on cereal in the evening at 3 mos and now she is on a whole jar of stage one with 2 big scoops of cereal twice a day. She eats it very well, but is still only on 4oz of formula. Which her mom has started weening her down from (spacing it out more). I worry they are trying to get rid of a bottle period and she isn't even 6 mos old yet. How can i voice my concern without being pushy, or mean. I know that as a mother you have the final say in things, but why haven't they upped her formula intake instead of giving cereal. I worry developmentally she is not getting adequate nutrition. Any suggestions??
It turns out that I was able to make a suggestion without being offensive. The baby was having VERY thick poohs and her mom asked me if I had any Ideas on how to help. I suggested she up her formula to 6 oz instead of 4 and then only give one "scoop" of cereal with formula to thin it out and a bit of fruit to taste. So she didn't get upset by my suggestion, and I was able to point out that formula should be her main source of nutrition until she is one....so hopefully she will slow it down and give her daughter time to get into solids.
Thanks though to everyones suggestions.
I don't really have any advice to offer. It's hard to confront someone about things to do with their child, even when you try not to be offensive. We're kind of on the opposite end as far as solid foods go. My son is on mostly milk, has hardly had any cereal, and sometimes doesn't eat solids for a few days. Our dr. told me at four months I could start cereal, but I waited until later. I hope you are able to find a way to work things out.
I would state it to her as question. That way you can give her your ideas under the disguise of simple question asking. Like "I thought babies were suppose to be getting more formula and less food at this age because the formula has more vitamins. Is that not the case anymore?" "Do you give her vitamins to m ake sure she gets everything she needs since the cutback on formula? Cold and Flu season can be bad for babies" Things along those lines. That way you can get information without telling her she is raising her child wrong and ticking her off. I "play" stupid sometimes with my SIL who has her first child. Then when I say what I thought was right she thins about it and usually says "Hmm, I never thought of that" and I follow up with a "I don't know! It's just what I read and I wasn't sure"
I completely understand you concern, but trust me she is still getting pleanty of nutrition. I am a mother of 6.5 mo. twins. . . and I am breast feeding both of them as well as feeding them cereal w/fruit or veggies 2x a day. I still only produce 4 oz of milk out of each breast for them and I am sure formula is most likely higher calories than my breastmilk. I just got back from my doc appt today with my kids' wellness check up and the doc said keep up with what I am doing they are fine. My kids by themselves backed off their eating to every 4 hours as well and are still keeping up developmentally and are growing just fine. . . so, she should be fine. Every kid's needs are different, but if you are still concerned with it just ask her about it. I am sure if you put it in a kind and helpful manner she would be glad to take your concerns into consideration. Good Luck!
If it helps you feel better I just took my 4 month old for his check up and he told me to start him on cereal now and in a month some veggies. I can imagine how this could be a sticky situation for you. Maybe just mention it casually to her just to see what she says but don't come across as telling her how to parent. Thats my opinion anyway hope it helps!
I would probably do what the mother asks. she knows her child better than you do and i'm sure she has discussed her babies eating habits with her ped. i started my daughter on cereal b4 she was even 3 months old and she loved it. she is now 7 months old and a very petite little girl...she wil only eat about 2 tables spoons woth of baby food or cereal at a time and still only takes 3-4 ounces of formula at a time. her doc said is normal and that her weight a physical and mental development are increasing at a steady level and that is what matters the most.
You just need 2 have a very cordial conversation with her in a tactful way.let her know that she needs 2 slow down with the cereal feeding and concentrate on the formula more,where the baby is so young yet.
she's on 4 ounces of formula how often a day? The reason I ask how often is because if the child has had reflux issues then the child won't get up to 8 ounce bottles, instead the child will take 4 ounces of formula twice as often...more frequent and smaller meals...also if the child has had issues with reflux, most doctors recommend cereal as it's thicker, but it should be mixed with formula for nutrition purposes. I'm trying to recal...if memory is serving me at that age a child should take 8 ounces of formula like 4 to 5 times a day...if she's feeding the child 4 ounces of formula 8 to 10 times a day, it all still works out the same. To be quite honest, nutritionally formula is all a child really needs for the first year..the introduction to cereal and jar foods is mainly for variety, to adjust the child's taste buds to different tastes and textures and to test for allergies. My suggestion is to give the child the appropriate amount of formula first and then give her the cereal and/or jar foods...don't forcer her...let her decide how much she will eat because you don't want to teach her to ignore her limitations. Another thing to take into consideration is how much the child weighs....they're only to take in so much per pound of formula...anything more is extra. I had a child that was only 2 days old when the doctor ordered him to take cereal right there in the hospital as his appetite was to huge and being that the formula is iron fortified, to much iron can be toxic. If you're unsure, I would recommend calling the child's pediatrition and having him/her advise you on what to do. If she's a first time mom, she may not be educated enough on infant care.
