Hi My son is 6 months old and at his appt the ped said cut back formula to 18-24oz. I am seeing a different doc than with my other son who is almost 3. I don't remember cutting back the formula so soon. I do 8oz with cereal in the morning, then a jar of food and 4 oz at lunch but he still seems hungry, luckily its naptime and he will eat again around 330 another jar of food and 4oz formula, still seeming hungry and then we do 8oz plus 3 T cereal at 7pm. Do I give more food or go against doc and give more formula? what other foods other than baby food can I give. I just want him to be happy after eating & not get upset. Also any tips for making food at home???? thanks in advance.
I decided to try and stay in the doc's guideline of 18-24oz but we have been giving 24oz. My son is in the 90th percentile for weight so maybe thats why the adjustment. He is now eating some puffs and cheerios so that helps his hunger out but for the most part his body is adjusted or maybe it was just a growth spurt. Thanks again for all the responses.
Hi A., I am of the opinion that we should let children decide when they are hungry. As long as they are eating things that are good for them and as long as you are incorporating the other baby foods in slowly. Also, for the food at home, I bought a hand food mill and cooked veggies and fruit and ground it through the food mill. Now that I don't make baby food anymore, I can use it to make sauce.
Best of luck and lots of love. A.
Although pediatricians mean well, they aren't all knowing. You know your child better than anyone on the face of this earth. Go with what you feel is best.
I think what they are trying to do is cut back the formula and give more food...sounds like to me. Having a child just nursing (I nurse) and not eating any solids is okay for a child much older than that. Go with your instinct and feed him. Try a bit more food and see, but of course you don't want to overfeed him either.
As far as making your own 'baby food', it's really much simpler than some think it is. I would get some gallon size ziploc freezer bags and some ice cube trays..maybe about 4. I would buy fresh and fresh frozen veggies that you want your child to eat. (I also used the leftovers from dinner for our baby too.) Let's say one weekend, you cook carrots and green beans. After they are cooked, use a hand mixer to puree the veggies, then spoon into the ice cube trays and put in freezer. They'll freeze in no time and then pop them out and into the ziploc bag. Label what they are and do it again with other veggies. In no time, you'll have a freezer full of 'baby food'. I've had green beans, green peas, carrots, butternut squash (you can get it already pureed in the frozen section in a box at Kroger), sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc. I did this with fruits as well. Once you have a lot of them cooked..you don't have to worry about it after a while and all you have to do is pop one cube or two out of the freezer and warm it up and there it is.
I've actually used leftovers such as mashed potatoes or whatever and threw them in the ice cube tray too. Good luck!
Hi A.,
I have a 7 month old little girl and she started her baby food at 6 mo. She typically has 6-8 oz of formula at 4am. She'll have breakfast at around 8 am which consists of cereal with formula (4oz), a jar of fruit, and 4-6 oz of formula after that. She then has lunch at 12:00 pm which consists of 2 jars of baby food (1 vegetable and 1 fruit) and 4-6 oz of formula afterwards. Again for dinner she'll have 2 jars (1 veggie and 1 fruit) and 4-6 oz of milk. Then, she'll have about 8 oz of formula before bed at around 8:30 pm. Her doctor says she's perfect and and healthy.
The most important is to trust your feelings as a mom.
You are the mother, you know what is best for your baby. I have a six month old also. He gets solids only at supper and the rest of the day is milk.(he's breastfed) And as much as he wants. They are only 6 months old! Use your best judgement, he is already getting lots of solids. If he doesn't get enough liquids then you'll be dealing with a constipation issue.
All the best.
I have always heard and read that milk (formula or breast) should be the primary source of nutrition until 1 year. Go with your gut and give your baby what he seems to be asking for. I think it is rather strange that your Ped told you to actually cut down on milk intake at that age. My Ped told me that until 1 year of age that babies need a MINIMUM of 24 ounzes of milk a day. Best of luck!
Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is a must have for making baby food! The amount of information she includes is a bit overwhelming, so focus on just the early chapters where she gives a daily "super" diet and a schedule for introducing foods. Or, just look it up in a bookstore for an idea of when and how to introduce different foods if you don't want to buy it. My favorite thing about using this book (aside from saving money on baby food!) was that my kids got a much bigger variety of foods than is available in the baby food market. There were many fruits and vegetables that I would not have thought of feeding them. It was fun. And, no I wouldn't cut back on formula this soon. I'm surprised a dr. would say that, I'm wondering if he meant to say to cut back to 24 oz. slowly over the course of the next 6 months. Well, you'll have to figure that out, but my pediatrician said that up until 12 mos. they are supposed to be getting the majority of their calories from milk while they are just learning to eat solids. Just my two cents' for what it's worth!
V. (mom to Jacob 4yo, Katie 4yo, Aaron 2yo)
I'm really surprised you were told to cut back on formula. Based on what my doctor told me and what I've read in most parenting books is that the primary source for nutrition for the first 12 months is breastmilk or formula. At this age, the point of introducing solid foods is to introduce flavors, textures, and for them to learn how to swallow and eat from a spoon. Babies are better at regulating their hunger mechanism than adults. If your child is still hungry, then I would feed him more formula.
When it comes to the babies, you have to go with your gut. And it sounds like your gut is telling you that your child is hungry so you should feed him! Then do so. He is how my son was eating around this age-Breakfast:cereal with 1/2 stage 1 fruit mixed in, 4oz bottle. Lunch:1/2 stage 1 veggie and 6oz bottle, dinner 1/2 stage 1 veggie and maybe some fruit, 4-6oz bottle. And he would have a few 6oz bottles in between all that. Yes, my son was an eater! 20 lbs by 9months old!! Just go with your gut and with his cues and you'll both be happier!
Good luck!
S.
You can give your son any jars of the fruits: banana, applesauce, pears, apricots, peaches, or pineapple. You can also give him any jars of vegetables: carrots, squash, peas, spinach, beets, green beans.
P. S
I've never heard of that. I am a mother of 3. My youngest daughter ate 6oz bottles every 3 hours, which came to be 36oz of formula a day. Even if she didnt take the last bottle, she still ate 30 oz. That's not including the cereals or fruits and veggies. My doctor said she wasnt overweight, didnt have problems anywhere. She is almost 1 now and still very healthy. Eats plenty, very healthy appetite. Good luck.
I think it would be okay to give more formula. They say breastfeeding until about a year old is good, so why not formula. As far as eating, it really depends on how many teeth he has and his developmental stage. I used to get some of the dried fruit that's on the baby aisles. It is healthy and gets soft in their mouth if they don't have many teeth. I also used to get these little newsletter things from Gerber. They really helped me with figuring out what and how much my daughter ( now 19 months) should be eating when, based more on milestones than age. You can also get the info online. They have lots of coupons and things too. http://www.gerber.com/Nutrition_Feeding/Default.aspx
Also every doctor I talk to says to trust your mother's instinct above all else.
