My 6 month old son is my second, and it seems that I understood everything more easily for my first, I guess because my attention wasn't divided, lol. Anyway, my son is extremely large for his age. We exclusively breastfed for 5 months, then intermittently began dabbling in table foods. I know when starting table foods, you should really only start with a little per serving/ per day. My twofold question is this: how much is given in general "per serving" early on, and does the amount necessarily increase because he is really, really big? Thanks!
The fist of your little one is usually what they say his stomach can hold, so use that as a guide for serving.
Hi Barbara,
At six months, you should first be introducing solids. Very little is "needed." At this age, when you are just introducing solids, they are for tasting and experimenting, not for nutrition. Your baby's milk, whether breastmilk or formula, is his primary nutrition the first year, foods have very little nutritional value for baby at this time. The food should not replace any milk feedings. Large babies still get their optimal nutrition from milk, so give him a couple of "tastings" a day. At this age, a tablespoon of food reallly is a meal.
Good luck :)
We started TASTING periodically at around 6 months (no actual "servings" until a year old)... but ideally the 1st year should be 99% breastmilk or formula... and the 2nd year should still have breastmilk/ formula in their diets.
I didn't count any table food as "a meal eaten" until he was older than a year. There's just not enough nutrients in table food for their growing bodies unless you're feeding them pure fat mixed with pure protein and enough vitamins and minerals... aka formula (or suet, come to think of it). They're not only doubling in size 1-3 times that first year (can you even IMAGINE how much food you'd have to eat to double your size in 6 months??? Now double that... because you'd need to grow bones twice your height, and strap those bones with muscle), they're also growing neural tissue (brains and myelin sheath). Table food just doesn't cut it. Just THINK of how much you'd have to eat to just strap on double your weight. And even that wouldn't be enough. Mind blowing, no?
Give him a little bit (a tablespoon or so), if he finishes it and seems to want more, give him a little more. Again if he finishes, give him a little bit more. Each time cutting the portion in half. He will let you know when he has had enough.
