I exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months. We switched to 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 formula since then. How many ounces should my daughter get daily? I nurse in the mornings and then give her 5 bottles (4 oz each). She also gets two "meals" a day (oatmeal in the A.M. and squash - veggies of the moment) in the P.M.).
Hello,
It was about 7 months when my daughter was on the following schedule.
7 am - breakfast
8:30 am - bottle (usually about 7 oz)
nap
12:00 - lunch
1:30 - bottle (6-7 oz)
nap
4:30 - dinner
6:30 bottle (6-7 oz)
bed
She is now 9 1/2 months and is still on the same schedule. She eats anywhere from 18-21 oz of milk a day and 3 meals. Her morning bottle is usually when she drinks the most.
Every baby is different and it's especially hard to gauge how much a breastfed baby is getting, but....having said all that, I have always heard it should be 1/2 their weight. For example.. if the baby weighs 14 pounds, then usually they will drink 7 ounces per feeding. I don't know how accurate that is because I strictly breastfed my little boy. Just thought I would at least share with you what I have heard. Good Luck! :-)
sounds good to me. as long as she is peeing and pooping regularly and is happy and doing things on time for her age then she is getting plenty (in most cases). i wouldnt worry.
Somewhere between 4-5 months we started giving my son 6 oz bottles every 3+ hours, rather than 4 oz bottles every 2 hours. I nurse him in the morning before he goes to daycare, then I nurse him when he gets home. He also gets dinner of rice cereal. Then nurse him before bed.
I think moving to larger feedings less often will ease his transition into regular meal times of solids eventually.
Our rule of thumb has been: as long as his bowels are moving and his belly seems content he's doing fine with the food routine.
My daughter is almost 7.5 months and we started giving formula exclusively at about 5 months. She takes 5 bottles a day (one being in the middle of the night). She'll drink about 6oz per bottle. We also give her cereal in the morning and veggies/fruit for dinner - if I remember! She is small (15-20 percentile) and weighs almost 16lbs. I was afraid she wasn't getting enough but the doctor said as long as she is content and staying on her "growth curve" then she is fine. Some days she seems a little hungrier than usual, and other days she'll only drink 2-4oz in her bottle. I just try to follow her cues. As long as her bowel movements and wet diapers are good then I'm sure she's fine. Every baby is different. I've heard they should still be getting most of their nutrition from breastmilk/formula for the first year anyway so the babyfood amounts are really up to you. Sounds like she's doing fine!
The 10 month old girl that I babysit eats less than you say your daughter eats, (not nearly as much milk,) and is quite chubby and chunky. She eats one 6oz bottle before the AM nap, Baby food for lunch, a few crackers for snack, then a 6 oz bottle before the afternoon nap, baby food for dinner, and a 6 oz bottle before bed. This little girl has rolls of fat. I'd say you can tell if you're feeding your child too much or too little after a couple weeks, according to how much they are gaining. Mostly I use my intuition to see if my own kids are feeling and looking healthy and fed adequately and not unhealthily overweight.
It's so hard to say but I started feeding 3 meals a day with food around that time. I have a 10 1/2 month old now. I think I did about 4 feedings a day with 6-8 oz. each. Try spreading out the formula/breast milk bottles and see how she does with more in each bottle. Just an idea but I think she's doing great. Feeding is not an exact science.
Good luc!
Hi , Your baby should be drink 8oz bottle now. half breast milk and half formula.
So long as your baby is wetting and soiling 6-8 diapers a day and is staying on her growth curve I wouldn't worry. It sounds like you're doing just fine. As she gets older you'll be able to cut out some of the formula as long as you're still breastfeeding which will be less expense for your family both for the formula and the increased risk of illness. Good job for continuing to breastfeed! Keep going for as long as you can.
I use the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron as my reference...and I'm on baby #3. My kids have never eaten as much as she says, but, here is what she says for a daily routine at 8 months:
Wake up - breast/bottle
Breakfast - 3 food servings (1 serving equals 2-3 tbsp.), breast/bottle
Lunch - 2 food servings and breast/bottle
Supper - 3 food servings and breast/bottle
Bedtime - breast or bottle of water
plus one or two snacks with water/juice
She says that the baby should be drinking 29-32 oz. of formula a day plus 2-4 oz. of water/diluted juice.
My baby (10 mo.) is in the 90th % for height and 25th for weight. He eats about half of that amount and drinks about 32 oz.
Good luck!
hi there!
it sounds like you're doing everything just fine. my son is 9 months. our pediatrician had him eating anywhere from 25 to 30 oz. of formula a day at 6 months. but, around 7-9 months, we started cutting back on formula and introducing another meal in its place. by 6 months, he was having a bottle in the early morning, followed by rice cereal and a fruit for breakfast, a mid-morning bottle, lunch (which consisted of a fruit and/or vegetable, an afternoon bottle, a late afternoon bottle, dinner (which consisted of a meat and a vegetable, our pediatrician had us introducing meats at 6 months), and a bottle at bedtime to top off his tank! he's consistently been in the 75th percentile for height and weight, so i've never felt that we're underfeeding or overfeeding. they won't eat if they're not hungry! now that he's at 9 months, we've cut out more formula and have put a snack in its place. he'll eat a fruit or veggie around 3:00 instead of formula. i hope this helps. i was always nervous about the whole feeding thing because there really isn't a plan to follow...good luck!
