My daughter will be 8 months in a few days and I'm wondering how much she should be eating. A friend of mine said her ped. told her that her son should only have 3 bottles a day and he's only a couple weeks older than my daughter! I thought that was crazy! My daughter takes at least 4 during the day and still wakes up at night for 1 or sometimes 2 bottles. She doesn't normally take more than 5 oz. at a time. She eats cereal w/fruit in the am., veg/fruit for lunch, veg/fruit at dinner, and sometimes cereal again before bed.
Hello Citymommy,
My Daughter is 7 months and she drinks 3 to 4 (6-7 oz) a day and Cereal at 10am with fruits, then for lunch veg/fruits, and for dinner which is around 6pm she will have veg/fruits and her last bottle of the day.
hope this helps!
Sounds normal to me. Has she started reaching for food? You may try some finger foods during meals, like cut up cantelope,watermelon,avocado,bananas,beans. Stuff she can mash with her gums or little teeth.
i would ask your pediatrician. every child like every adult is different. but 3 bottles a day does sound weird. she may be feeding her little one too much solids.but also remember your child is not drinking a full 8 oz bottle at a time where hers is. and mine did too at that age.so for each feeding yours in drinking 5 oz--so she misses 3 oz per fedding that the other child gets so in 3 feddings that is 9 oz your child had missed so that is a whole other bottle plus 1 oz. see what i mean. so it is about the same as her child gets. except the night feedings if her does not feed at night.if you are concerned about the night feeding maybe you should do hr dinner a bit later or give hr more food at dinner time or make sure you add cereal to hr night bottle so maybe she will quit waking up at night wanting fed.
J.,
Any pediatrician who suggests that a baby ONLY take a certain number of bottles daily is merely making a suggestion. You need to remember that every baby is different and the doctors have these charts they use as a "guideline." I have 3 children but only supplemented with formula with my last child due to breastfeeding issues. I offered a bottle to my baby any time he was hungry. Once he was eating solids (like your baby is), I offered a bottle after every meal and whenever in between. Remember that once you begin introducing solids, the main source of nutrition will come from the food but formula will supplement AND provide for her thirst. I would suggest that you try feeding your daughter a small bowl of cereal (farina, Cream of Wheat) or mashed fruit just before bedtime. IF she's waking up during the night because she is hungry, this last meal will help get her to sleep through the night. At 8 months, she really ought to be sleeping through the night. All babies are different but our goal as parents are to make every effort to get them sleeping through the night. And if she's still getting up after you try feeding her a bowl of cereal, then I would suggest offering water instead of formula just to see if it makes a difference. Some babies get up during the night just so they can be in the comfort of their mommy's arms and they get a warm bottle to boot. If she knows she is getting water in the wee hours of the night, she may not be so willing to wake up and make the effort to wake you either. It's all trial and error...good luck!
Hi J.,
I have a 8month old son too! Research a lot, ask pedriatician and friends like you are doing now, and believe me you will figure out learning how ur baby eats.
Remember just as a suggestion for 7-9 month old they should be drinking around 21-32oz of formula which means like maybe 3-4 feedings and 7-8oz per bottle...yep, I've been researching too, I forgot from my first one....but, I'm going to tell you what I feed my son, and maybe you can get an idea, and might help you....remember all babies are different and they wil eat when they want and know when they are full!
1)wakes up (@ 6:30am early starter) I give him 6-8oz of formula. 2) around 9am I give him baby cereal mix w/formula in a bowl. Usually I use 5oz of formula in it. 3)
During the day I give him lots of water and juice mix w/water. 4)Around 12:00pm I give him 1 baby food lunch or dinner and 1 fruit (stage 2 he hates stage 3 won't eat it at all), and juice. 5) maybe 2pm or so, I give him 6-7oz of formula. 6) maybe like 5ish pm I give him veggies w/water. 7) and around 7:30-8:30pm I change him to his pj's and give him 8oz of formula w/cereal in it (depends how long you've been giving him in his bottle), for me it works it helps him stay full longer and sleeps ALL NIGHT LONG!!!! from 8:30 till 6am. And remember to give him juice and water in between all feedings.
Also, J. you said she wakes up in the middle of the night, do you know if she is teething? it might be that. But just in case what I do before giving him the last bottle when I'm changing him to his pj's I put baby orajel and give him Humpreys #3, and it helps him w/the pain so he can sleep better. Try little by little to stop giving her bottles at night if she is feeding good during the day she might be used to it by now and maybe that's why she keeps waking up.
Hope it helps!Good luck!
I would go by the total amount of formula/day, not individual bottles, especially since she'll only take 5 oz at a time. When my son was 8 mos, he only drank 3 bottles/day, BUT he would take 7 oz each bottle. As long as she's getting 20-25 oz/day, that's fine. If you're really not sure, check w/your pedi. And remember, every baby is different, these are just guidelines!
Sounds like your daughter is doing fine. She's having 3 meals (veggies, fruit and cereal) plus her milk. My grandaughter's ped. advised the mother to try and substitute the night bottles for water, to discourage her from waking up for extra feedings, but that is up to you. If she is gaining weight well, and seems healthy, what's the problem? Every child, every mom and every ped is different. Don't worry, you're doing it right!
Hi J.,
My pediatrician was never worried about the number of bottles or breast feedings, but he was of the belief that by 8 months, they should not be eating during the night (regardless of bottle or breast), as it can actually be disruptive to their sleep cycles. While all babies are different, it is very rare that an eight month old would actually NEED to eat during the night. I would say check with your pediatrician and see what he/she has to say. I would not worry about the number of bottles, but I would try to eliminate the nighttime feedings and get your little one sleeping through the night.
BTW: If your friend's baby is eating eight ounce bottles, and yours only five ounces, then they are probably getting close to the same total amount over a 24 hour period. If you eliminate the night feedings, you might find that your daughter will increase the amount she takes during the day to make up for it.
She should eat what she needs to be satisfied. Don't let the doctor tell you when your child should be hungry or how much they need to be satisfied. Every baby is different. Plus, her bottles are small. If she was eating and drinking 8oz bottles at that rate, you might have a concern. But it sounds to me she is just a goo eater. Don't worry about it
Hi J.,
Your daughter should be taking as much as she wants at this age. Every child is different and their appetite varies according to their needs. I would say your friend needs to find a new doctor, no child should be starved or deprived of what their body needs.
J.
No two babies are alike. During the day, I don't think you should be worrying. If she's hungry, let her eat. If you think she should be eating more from the bottle, try feeding her less solid foods. Or try the bottle first.
My pediatrician suggested that I feed my boys three times a day, but they adjusted well to it. If not, I wouldn't have pushed it. Sometimes, I still feed them what I call a "snack bottle" in the afternoon if they're hungry.
I go under the theory that if my boys are happy and healthy, whatever I'm doing is okay.
I have to agree sounds normal to me...at 8 months my son was getting a morning bottle when he got up with oatmeal cereal and 1 stage 2 fruit, then a bottle just before his am nap, Then lunch which was usually shaved turkey, and a fruit and a veggie. Then 1 more bottle before his afternoon nap. Then he would have a snack of puffs or cheerios here and there dinner with us (whatever we ate I just cut it up super tiny) and another before bed (all bottles were made to be 6oz-8oz sometimes he finished then and sometimes he didn’t)...he was always a great sleeper and he wasn’t waking up for it at night anymore but each child is different, so that’s no biggie. Yeah try some new finely diced or mushy foods here and there; it can be fun for both of you...
My thought would be that if your baby is healthy and your pediatrician agrees that she's healthy, keep doing what you're doing.
I always fed on demand (my son was on formula, too) and he's very healthy and active. His metabolism is high, so our ped said there was no problem with keeping a quasi schedule, but also feeding on demand. At that age, formula and 1st foods are all they can have, anyway.
Good luck!
J.,
I have a 14 month old & I seem to remember her saying 24 oz at that age....but I was still breastfeeding. Check with your doc to be sure. But I seem to remember 24 oz being what she said.
H.
my baby is four days shy of 8 months and her feeding schedule is virtually identical to yours. sounds right to me!
I took my son to the pediatrition on December 8. My son was 9 months old. The doc said that he should be taking in 24 oz to 28 oz of formula and having three meals a day. Cereal and fruit in the morning. Vegtables and fruit for dinner and lunch. The paper I have says that he should 4 oz of food at each meal. Hope that helps.
