Feeding a 8 Month Old Girl

Hi, H..

My daughter is 8-months-old and she's on solid foods three times a day and having between 4-5 nursing sessions a day. She's eating about a jar of food (about 2.5 ounces) per meal mixed with baby cereal (oatmeal), with the exception of breakfast where she eats about half that amount because she typically nurses on both breasts. Since you are doing formula, you should feed the baby the formula first before feeding a meal because that's where most of the baby's calories and nutrients are going to come from. My daughter's pediatrician said that solid foods are more for socialization, so they understand mealtimes and they learn how to eat, but it's most important that they have formula/breastmilk. If you haven't done solids yet, you'll have to go slow and don't expect the baby to eat a whole lot. It took a couple of months before my daughter was eating 2 ounces. Your baby will let you know if they want more. Don't stress too much about it. Another caution, make sure you try veggies (bland foods) first before fruit (sweet), otherwise, you'll have a really tough time later trying to give your baby the stuff that's most important for nutrients. Good luck. I hope that helps. :)

Hey there H.:

I was confused too about this, so I keep it simple. My girl has a bottle when she first wakes up and then I feed her breakfast (cereal/jar of fruit) about 2 hours after that. Then I feed her cereal and either a jar of fruit or veges every 3-4 hours until bed when I finish her day with another bottle. She has been exclusively formula fed so if you are breastfeeding that might change things for you. That seems to be working for now but things seem to change overnight and could be different even next week! Good luck.

S..

Are you feeding pre-made baby food? because the food is packaged in stages 1, 2, 3, etc... and portion is pretty much accounted for there. IF you are making the food at home, two - three tablespoons is a pretty good serving. Remember a baby's stomach is tiny and just learning how to digest solids, so start slowly. Have you consulted your baby's pediatrician, they often have handouts to go home with you. Good luck.

I found this guide to be very helpful. I feed my son breastmilk at his usual times and then add the three meals in thru out the day. Hope this helps!

http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...

I'm 26 years old with my first daughter who is 8 months old. I'm actually breast feeding my daughter, and she doesnt need as much milk anymore. I noticed because she doesnt latch on as often. But her schedule for eating is around 8:00am every morning she has her bowl of baby oatmeal/barley cereal around 2-3 oz. Then has her milk around 9:30am. I try to feed her again a snack around 11:30am maybe a piece of smooched apples, or banana.Usually around 11:00 or 11:30 she takes a nap, so she sometimes has a couple ounces of milk, 4oz. Around 12:30pm she will have her lunch, sometimes chicken with a vegetable.I boil her vegetables, like a couple slices of carrots, or zuchini. Then until around 2:00pm she has another snack of fruit, or her teething crackers. Through out the day, I always try to give her a little something, even though it might not be alot. I always give her a sippy cup of water that goes with her everywhere. She is learning to drink from her cup. My daughter has some more milk around 4:30pm and another nap. Dinner begins around 6:15pm, more vegetables, and some pasta(All her food is always smooched and cut into tiny pieces). That is usually her day during the week. Weekends the schedule changes, because she likes to sleep in with Mommy, and when where on the go, she drinks more milk. Also when I have lunch, I have my daughter in mind so I always get something that I can give her. I only get boiled chiken, so I can give her the chicken, or her Dad gets fries, and gives her the inside of the potato. Just remember every day is different, and your child will let you know when she wants food. I live in Glendale, CA

Like many things, this may be one of those questions for which the answer is "it depends."

Some babies have almost weaned themselves by that time, others go on to nurse much longer: some have really taken to solid food by that time, others still want to cling to the breast or bottle.

I had three who were each very different because they ranged from very petite to very "tall."

But I had a great pediatrician who assured me that for the most part, the baby would eat what was needed if the healthy choices were offered. For babies the main guidelines would be the same as for the parents: whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, milled grilled or broiled meats (avoiding fried foods and white breads--both of which are packed with unhealthy calories). When they were that age I would often put chicken soup or beef soup into a hand-mill to turn it into baby food and that usually went over well with them.

They are unlikely to overeat or undereat if there is healthy food available. Whenever I worried that my first (petite one) wasn't eating enough (she only ate what seemed to be three or four bites at every meal), he told me not to worry--there's no magic amount. As adults, we forget when to stop, but babies still have that reflex that makes them stop when they're not hungry anymore, as long as we don't give them empty calories.

That said, there are some helpful guidelines here: http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y... (after posting, I see this has been mentioned before).

But again--trust your baby to know when he or she has had enough and don't worry too much. Kids can pick up on our obsessions and paranoia about food, and they will come up with those soon enough! :)