1St Time Mom No Clue on How to Feed!!

Updated on February 29, 2008
L.V. asks from Arlington, TX
6 answers

Well, I have a 8 month old daughter, she drinks about four or five bottles of milk per day, three to four ounces. I don't really know how to or when to feed her baby food! Or at least Im not sure if I'm doing it right or healthy.

like this morning she ate a bit of rice cereal then a little while later drank a bottle. Then I fed her a couple of the gerber cheetos

in the afternoon then later she took another bottle and took a nap.

She woke up played and then I gave her a small piece of a jelly sandwhich (not alot of jelly just enough to give it a bit of flavor and not be so dry) and probably an ounce of white grape juice.

She will get hungry later and drink another bottle then usually I give her some baby food, shes on the 2nd foods but she doesnt finish the entire container just maybe half of it and she'll have a bottle before bed.

Im not sure if thats a good feeding schedule?? Or if I'm feeding her too much food for such a young age?? She weighs about 20 pounds I dont think shes overweight but am I setting bad habits for her?? I eat pretty healthy, I dont like junk food all that much so we dont have much at home just probably some honey buns but other than that its pretty much fish and vegetables and fruit and chicken.

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

You feed her exactly as you would feed yourself. Is it healthy to eat cheetos in the morning? I also wouldn't give her jelly just yet...too much sugar. It's ok if she doesn't finish the food in the baby food jar. You can either put a certain amount into a bowl & save the rest, or you can feed her from the jar & throw the rest out.

This is how my son ate at that time:

Morning: bottle with baby cereal & some pureed fruit

Nap

Lunch: meal, veggie, & fruit in baby food jars, milk in a cup

Nap

Snack: fruit, pick up items such as cheerios or gerber puffs, or yogurt

Dinner: meal & a veggie from baby food jar, "desert" from a baby food jar, milk with cup

Bedtime: bottle

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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

I agree that you should try to get her on a similar feeding schedule for you. Just as a point of reference: my 10 mo old has cheerios and a banana while I eat breakfast (around 7am); a bottle just before her morning nap (around 9 am); lunch is usually some rice cereal and veggies (sometimes she eats the whole containter, sometimes not) followed by a bottle around noon. She gets another bottle around 3, and dinner with us around 6 (depending upon what we're eating, she'll get some version of that--e.g. mac and cheese, or peas and potatoes--or her own food). She then gets one more bottle at bedtime.

Definitely ask your pediatrician how much formula per day she wants your baby to get. Then, my philosophy is, give your baby as much food as she wants, but don't force feed her! Part of learning healthy eating habits, I think, is learning to eat when you're hungry, and stop when you're not. Also remember that none of us eats the same amount every day--depending upon what I'm up to, some days I just eat a bit, other days I'm starved. Your baby's the same way. She'll learn to let you know when she's hungry. If my DD is still hungry after the food she's given, she'll point at the bowl, and/or sit there looking at me with her mouth open. When she's full, she'll try to push the tray away. So I try to follow her lead.

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H.L.

answers from Dallas on

When they start eating solids, you should feed them on the same schedule that you eat...breakfast, lunch, dinner as well as a morning snack and afternoon snack. If she seems really extra hungry in the afternoon & evening, then she's not getting enough during the day. It doesn't take much to fill their tummies, but that also means that their tummies get hungry more often. As she moves away from the bottle, she will eat more solids at each meal & snack.

Hope that helps?

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S.R.

answers from Dallas on

My youngest will be 9 mos in a few more days. He was born 9lb12oz and I'll guess that he is easily 20lbs. He has an appetite like nothing I've seen before! He usually eats 3-4 jars per meal, 5 meals stage 2's and stage 3's. Yes, he empties the containers. He's tried to take himself off of formula and bottles. We find ways to talk him into at least 10-12 oz a day. He's not overweight, not underdeveloped at all. As his activity level increases, so does his appetite. My decisions on what to feed him relates to the fact that he has 3 teeth and is cutting 7 more at this time.
Now he throws temper tantrums if we don't share our table food with him. Scrambled eggs, silver dollar pancakes, and only round cereals (Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Cherrios)that have been soaked until soft in milk are a few of the breakfast items we've begun to share in addition to his cereal and fruit. He also loves toast and muffins. We pinch off small bites for him.
He loves to pick up green peas, kernels of corn, or diced cooked carrots or green beans and try to self feed. Spagetti-o's require a splat mat and bath immediately following. I keep a close eye on him. He likes mashed potatoes, over cooked (until really soft) macaroni, and occasionally rice. I have a mini food processor that I started using recently to chop up some of what we eat, so that I could make sure the consistency was what he could eat. Now he's trying cheeseburger mac, spaghetti and meat sauce, and gerber toddler meals.
As you can see, we are not concerned with carbs or sugars yet. He also seems to sleep better at nap times when he's had a little more table food. But I don't consider my child to be the rule. Trust yourself. Beautiful Ava will tell you and you will do fine. Have fun!

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C.T.

answers from Dallas on

I have a 7 month old son and an almost 4 year old. My 7 month old son is about 28 lbs.(he was huge at birth) and drinks 6-7 oz. at a time plus eats a small amount of baby food twice a day, so no I don't think your feeding her too much. If she's hungry she'll eat, if not she won't. I would lay off the juice though. It has lots of sugar and real fruit is better. I think as long as the ped. says she is healthy and she's happy and you feel good about what she is eating then you're doing fine.

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K.H.

answers from Dallas on

Theres a book called Super Baby Foods that I would recomend. You can also ask your pediatrician. They should have given you some information about solids. My son is about to start solids so I need to brush up on the guidelines too!

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