Mom Seeking Advice on How to Decide How Much and What to Feed to 7 Month Old

As everyone else has said, my experience has been that babies will let you know when they've had enough. I just thought of something to add... You might want to keep an eye out for constipation. It didn't happen with my first baby, but my second got constipated when I started him on fruits and veggies. It kind of freaked me out! But I just started using a small amount of baby prunes every morning with breakfast and that took care of the problem. I just thought I'd give you the heads up in case it happens. But again, it doesn't happen to all babies.

Good Luck!
L.

Dear H.,
I learned the same thing with my 2 children. The thing is there really are no guide lines. Kids will let you know when they have had enough. Don't worry,I believe you will do just fine. Can I recommend the mixed cereal. The rice seems to always make them constipated.

http://www.gerber.com/fpidea?ideaid=idea1
The gerber website has guidlines and suggestions for every stage of eating. It is very detailed. I hope this helps!

Dear H.,

It is my understanding that babies cannot really overeat. They just get what they need. If your son is eating well, all the better. I promise you that you will soon go through stages when he will refuse food (milk or solids). If he eats a lot of solids, he will probably need less milk over the course of the day. So make sure you introduce slowly a variety of vegetables and then fruits and he will be fine.

My pediatricitan gave me a food guidleines chart from 0 to 1 year. It isn't intended to be a "you must feed this" kind of thing...more of a helpful suggestion as to when to start introducing foods. I stick to the 4-6oz serving sizes with my 11 month old. If he's still hungry then I let him have a cracker or a handful of veggie puffs. Every baby is different at what level they get full at. If you'd like the food chart I can scan and email it to you, just let me know.

Does your pediatrician have any advice? At my son's 6 month appointment, he told me to feed him until he pushed the spoon away. He never eats more than he wants, it seems. Good luck!

H.-

I assure you he won't eat more than his belly can handle. It's what makes babies smarter than adults; they know when to stop eating!
I can also tell you that as his mother you are the one and only person who can understand your babies needs. My mother has gotten advice from one of the best people in the world, my grandmother who had 11 children (back in her day it was whole milk and Kayro syrup for the ones that couldn;t be breastfed, whatever was mushy enough on the table to eat. Lo and behold, all 11 turned out just fine). They have both told me "You tell the doctor whatever it is they want to hear, and you do what you think is best. The doctor doesn't wake up with your baby, feed him, change all his diapers or know his personality. Only you do"
I took that advice to heart because so many physicians want you to "make sure you give them veggies first, or they will never eat them if you give them the sweeter fruits" "don't give cereal until 4 months old, blahblahblah. Do this, do that, well guess what? He's my kid, I'll do what I want and what I think is best for him.
So if your little one is content with 4 tablespoons, then 4 tablespoons it is. He WILL let you know if he's not getting enough. If his stools are normal and his wetting enough diapers (at least 6 a day) then he is fine. Give him a couple veggies, maybe throw some fruit (baby kind) in his cereal, watch him try new things. No one expects you to be wondermom,this is your first baby, just relax and watch your baby for cues on what he needs. It will come to you. Best of luck, don't worry so much!

Per earlier response, following is link to BabyCenter's guide. I found it helpful as a first-time mom myself:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyfeeding/1400680...

Trust you instincts. Your baby will tell you when its hungry and full. I had a hard time recognizing the signs myself. If the baby turns his head away he is finished. Also try the beech-nut or gerber websites for info. I found them useful!
Good Luck!

babycenter.com has a good age-by-age guide to feeding your baby, it is almost exactly the same as the pamplet my pediatrician gave me. Hope this helps.

My experience with my 2 children has been that they will eat till they are full, then start playing or talking. Once they get "distractable" they would continue to take bites when offered, but they would also be happy to be done. Thats when I get them cleaned up.

I used to offer a fruit mixed with cereal in the morning, veggie mixed with cereal for lunch and then a fruit and veggie for dinner at that age. They of course also nursed whenever they wanted to. HTH!

Hi H.,
Sophie's (my daughter) pediatrician gave us a chart for feeding. She made it clear that the chart was a guideline...that some children would want more, and some would want less...and act uninterested when they were full. If I remember correctly, it was a quarter cup of cereal and half a jar of food at 7 months. THAT IS A GUIDELINE...:-) For instance, Sophie always ate more than the chart said..as she is a VERY active child...so she expends so very much energy. My friend's baby (whom I take care of all week while my friend works) eats exactly what the chart says and is full. She turns her head when she is done, or does not open her mouth anymore. They let us know in their own baby ways when they are done. You will learn the ques your son gives. Our best to you. Trying new food is such an exciting time!! For you and your baby :-)
Many Blessings,
Jenny ( and baby Sophie)

Babycenter.com has a lot of good info. I went with a couple of tablespoons of each new food (veggie, fruit) a day, and gradually worked up so that we were at about 1/2 cup of fruit and veggie by the 1-year mark. Our pediatrician told us to just feed our son until he refused food, but at that rate, he'd look like a sumo wrestler, so I went from 1-2T to 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup gradually. He'll be 1 year old tomorrow, and he eats about 1/3- 1/2 cup of fruit or veggie at each meal. Good luck!

H.,
I'm a 48 year old mom with an 8 year old still at home and I've read every book it seems that came down the pike when I first started having children. I helped raise 5 brothers and sisters before I ever left home and one thing I can tell you is there is NO book that can tell you how much or how little. You need to relax and watch his eating habits as you are the only one who can judge how much. Usually at that age they will quit eating when they are full. They tend to roll the food in their mouth or spit it out playing. If he acts like he is starving every time you feed him or acts whiney when you are done he's still hungry. If he relaxes or becomes playful he's full. Play it by ear and just enjoy the little tyke going through the changes. My daughter I have at home was the first baby I or my doctor for that matter ever saw consume 2 full ounces of milk 5 minutes after she was born. We all shook our heads in amazement. The doctor said it was almost unheard of and he himself had never seen it. So go figure the're all different. Good luck. Watch those green beans though they look better in the jar than they do on you. HA HA

"You tell the doctor whatever it is they want to hear, and you do what you think is best. The doctor doesn't wake up with your baby, feed him, change all his diapers or know his personality. Only you do"

that is the best quote I've heard from anyone in a LONG time!

My baby is 4 1/2 months old...he mostly gets formula ( I'm one of the weird ones who doesnt produce milk- learned that with #1...)at dinner he gets a jar of fruits or veggies...whatever I feel like, and sometimes cereal...then a formula bottle w/ cereal in it.

I know hes full when he wont take the spoon anymore, and usualy about an hour after that he will have 6-8 oz of the formula w/ cereal.

I don't believe you can "over feed" a baby. Its always been my understanding that they cant eat to keep eating, like older kids and adults!

When my son was that age the doctor told me everything he needed is in formula/breastmilk. Food is just a bonus, and as long as the baby is tolerating everything fine then feed him what they want.

Feed your son until he is full. Once he is done he wont eat anymore, you kinda have to let him show you the amount, just remember, cereal and baby food dont have as many calories as formula or breast milk, so the thing to do is make sure he gets the correct amount of formula or breast milk, then let him satisfy himself with the cereal and baby food.

Along with this weblink and my ped, I found that my baby falls right in with the "average" feeding schedule for his age. My son is 7 months old and has been eating solids now for a little over 1 month. He's up to a total of 3 jars a day, given at different intervals. I agree w/ the other moms, they will not over eat - and they have little cues of telling you they're done. You're doing a great job! Keep it up!

http://www.gerber.com/phase/feeding?phase=9

Kids that young will not overeat. You don't want to force food on them, but at the same time you are probably not overfeeding him. I would utilize the website given by one of the other moms, and stick to maybe 1/2 to a jar of veggies when you start those next week. If it is good food I would not worry, but with sugar and those other bad foods of course be careful. If he is still breastfeeding he is getting a good amount of nutrients, so the other is bonus.

Mom thats working hard,
Have you spoken to a lactation counsultant? Did you know that a breast fed baby really doesnt even need to be fed anything else. I have four children ages from 9 to 1 year. When I started to ween about 6-8 months is when I started to substitute with cereals and fruits and then vegies. What you baby is eating is all he/she needs. Also, if your getting healthy bowls and wet ones and if your baby's weight is right on track there is no need to worry.

If he seems satisfied, then that's all he needs. I never measured anything out when feeding food though. I think mine ate a lot more than that though, plus breastfeeding (on demand) At 7 months, if he has teeth, you can even start introducing table food, as long as there are some teeth, he will be fine. Just no honey until he's 2.

Read Super Baby Foods---great book.

We started my first son on cereal when he was 3 months and he would stop eating when he was done. When he started on jar food he usually never ate a whole jar, but like I said, he would always stop when he was done. He was a little on the chubby side, but when he started walking he stopped gaining weight, and he's been 27 pounds for about 6 months and he just keeps getting taller and taller. No one told me how much to feed him except him and I think he did a great job!

This is the beauty of babies. Grown ups either don't eat enough (and don't know why they have no energy) or they eat too much (and don't know why they feel sluggish and gain weight). But babies will naturally eat just the right amount. If he hasn't had enough, he will cry for more. If he has, he'll stop eating. If he eats too much, some of it will come back up. Now this will probably not apply anymore as he grows into a toddler, but by then you will have learned how much he eats at each sitting, and he'll start to be able to tell you if he's hungry or had enough. But for now, his little body will take all the guess work out of it for you. Just provide nutritous food for him until he turns it away.