How Much/often to Feed 6 Month Old

You are doing JUST FINE.
There is nothing written in stone about this.
Don't believe all you read or hear.
Do what feels right to you.

Food at this stage is more for exploration than the actual nutrients. My daughter is almost 18 mos old and I swear, she lives on air! There are days when she just doesn't want to eat. I've learned that I can't force her and the more I try, the more she refuses. It sounds to me like you're doing just fine with the solids. The only thing I would suggest is varying what you feed him throughout the day. Maybe for breakfast offer food A, then for lunch food B, then for dinner leftover food A and B. That way he's getting a little variety. I know that I wouldn't want to eat the same food all day long. It seemed to help with my daughter, but all kids are different. Just keep offering the solid food to him.

My daughter didn't want to eat much at all, and was a nurse-a-holic. My pediatrician said as long as I was nursing her on demand that she was getting all she needed from me and the food was just an extra bonus. She is now two and weaned and gobbles down food and is very healthy. Don't worry it will all sort it self out, there is no magic formula, no matter what anyone says.

I would just take his cues as to when he is hungry and what he wants (solids vs. nursies). He will still get most of his nutrition from breastmilk, so as long as you nurse him on demand, he'll get what he needs. Some babies take longer to develop a "schedule", unless they are forced into one by necessity of a work/school schedule or otherwise. My daughter was the same way, never did anything twice the same way. My son was the opposite, I could read and predict him like an open book.

Laura

I think he's getting everything he needs from the breast milk. You might think of the solid food meals as "practice" for when he weans himself down to a couple of nursings a day and starts really going for the solids. You'll know when he really wants to fill up on solids because he'll become really demanding of the breast or he practically climbs out of his skin when he sees you eat. Most babies eat finger food by a year so you've got plenty of time. Another clue that he's ready to move towards solids is the "jungle boy" routine at the breast, where he plays around, blows bubbles, gets off the breast frequently, tries to stand up, etc. My babies let me know that they were done lying in Mama's arms and wanted to eat in the highchair this way.

My son will be 6 months on aug 8th. I feed him similiar to the way you do. Nurse him first thing then about an hour later I give him around 5 tablespoons of cereal and 2.5 oz jar of babyfood (Hes tried all veggies just started apples today actually). He sometimes likes to nurse afterwards also. he eats a lunch about 4 hrs later and its the same like 5 tablespoons cereal and a 2.5 ox jar of baby food. dinner time he usually isnt hungry and I just nurse him and sometimes he nurses in between. and then nurse before bed time. Ive always done things on demand with him no real schedule. but there are days that all he wants to do is nurse and thats fine. Breast milk is more nutrient rich for baby now then the the food honestly. and according to his daycare *he goes there 3 days a week* hes a very good eater. Hes not a heavy baby at all. I wouldnt worry. My oldest son wasnt an eater at all and now hes a 5ft 66 lbs 7 1/2 yr old :)

~M. Mommy to Darien (10-27-00) Allison (4-16-06) and T.J. 2-8-08 full time mommy, full time psychiatric nurse :)

You sound like you're doing a really wonderful job! I wouldn't worry about changing anything, just keep introducing new foods (the experts seem to think it's good to wait 4-7 days before introducing something new) as you like, and keep focussing on breastfeeding. At least that's what I've done with my 8 month old. We're pretty much on the same "schedule" as you are, but I don't worry overly about it if it changes a bit from day to day. Trust your instincts, although some pediatricians have plenty of wisdom, you're the parent, so you should trust your instincts. Unless you're in a hurry to wean (and I would not recommend that--it sounds like breastfeeding even exclusively for 6 months to a year is fine, from everything I read) I would not be concerned about how much solid food you're giving your baby. Follow his cues. On demand nursing is fine, as far as I can tell, best for all concerned. There's a helpful book called "Super Baby Food" that I like--I don't follow everything in it (we're still only on fruits and veg, and will move to grain soon, and then to protein by around a year) but it's helpful. We've been sticking to only organic foods, and real foods vs. processed baby food, though it take a little time and planning, there's a great method for preparing and freezing cubes of food, stocking up in the freezer, that you might find useful. Good luck!
:)

I am really old, so my advise will be that of a seasoned veteran. My children are 28, 26, and 10.

I gave them about 1/2 to 1 ounce of formula/breast milk before breakfast to tide them over. Breakfast was cereal of some sort and I started out with Rice, then oatmeal, etc. When I introduced solid baby food I started with vegetables since (and I don't care what anyone says) if you start with fruit you have problems with the vegetables because of the texture and the taste!!! Ever tried baby food green beans??? Horrid!!! It is no wonder I wore beets instead of them eating them!! I did use my blender with the 10 year old and just blended down whatever vegetables we were going to have as he got older. Yes, you can freeze it in small containers and the fresh ones I cooked myself were as good if not better than what I could purchase.
There was usually a bottle before nap, lunch was vegetables and maybe some more cereal at your child's age. Another bottle with nap, dinner was vegetables etc., and at bedtime there was cereal with the bottle. Believe it or not they sleep better through the night if there is some cereal at bedtime.

After vegetables I introduced meat and eggs. Fruit was next and the wonderful dessert type items were added last.

They keep changing the school of thought on when to start infants on solid foods, I have trouble keeping up with what is the popular decision of today, but I know this much, none of my children were ever considered overweight, I had no problems with vegetables (as a rule) with any of them. They thought afterschool snacks were things like carrot sticks, slices of cheese, peanut butter sandwiches or a piece of fruit and my 28 year old daughter has only had 3 cavities, my 26 year old has only had 4, and my 10 year old has had none.

Good luck. I am sure everything will be fine.

I didn't have time to read the other responses... but I make my own baby food and have a 7 mo and here's what I do:

She wakes up to breastfeed between 6:30am and 8:30 am. I feed her and if it's 7:30 am or earlier, I put her back down for another hour of sleep. If it's after 7:30, she's up for the day.

Three hours later, she shows signs of hunger, she gets some fruit and mixed cereal. Only 5 or 6 spoonfuls when she first started solids, but now it's a solid 1/4 or 1/3 cup probably. I make sure to not to feed her so much that she doesn't want Bmilk. Then I top her off with Bmilk.

She takes a 2 hour nap, and when she gets up, it's usually been 3-4 hours since she ate last. I breastfeed her.

After she's been up for a couple of hours, she takes another 2 hour nap. When she wakes up, it's usually been 3-4 hours and I give her some veggie like ground up peas or green beans, or sweet potato, or avocado. Probably like 3 tablespoons so she's still hungry for breastmilk.

She'll take another catnap usually, then nurse right before bed.

Here's a schedule of a typical day:

6:30 am Breastfeed then back to bed

8:30 am wake up for the day

9:30 am cereal w/fruit and breastmilk

10:30 am down for a nap

1 pm wake up, breastmilk

3 pm down for a nap

5 pm wake up, some veggie, a few toasted O's, breastmilk

7 pm cat nap

7:45 pm wake up

8:45 breastmilk and bedtime

I hope that helps! My daughter is on the long and skinny side (like her parents) and my Pediatrician said definitely focus on breastmilk because that's going to be a more important part of her diet at this point.

You are doing exactly what you should be doing...nursing is the most important thing for the first year, regardless of what the doc says (they are kinda clueeless about nutrition). His appetite will change from day to day, that is completely normal. SO long as he is pooping and peeing and growing, he is just fine! I also am nursing and making my son's food, he is now 15 months... I really feel that giving our kids proper nutirtion is one of THE most important jobs of motherhood. Nurse him on demand for however long you feel necessary. David now only nurses before naps and bedtime and he eats a LOT. But, there are definitely days where he eats less and some days more. Once your son begins moving, and especially walking, his appetite will change considerably. It sounds to me like you are doing everything just right! Take the ped's reccomendations with a grain of salt, they might be useful, but you are his mother and you know him best.
As a sidenote, I met a woman who breastfed her daughter EXCLUSIVELY (i.e. no solids at all) for eighteen months, and said she's healthy as a horse. Just to give you a little perspective. Sounds a bit extreme to me, BUT having healthy kids is the main goal, so I don't judge what worked for others if health is the goal! Also, I've got a ton of use out of the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. Good luck!
Cheers
P.

well honestly he doesnt need that much solids since he is just beginning my son is 6 m onths old too and how i feed him is a bottle every 4 hours 8 oz or so..and in between each one he eats a tub of 2nd foods or food i pureed myself so it really equals to 3 times a day solids and 4 bottles plus a little water or juice in between..i feed him an 8oz bottle first thing in the morning and about 2 hours later i give him a tub of food(fruits/veggies/desserts) and about 2 hours after that i give him another bottle etc. etc. but your right don't force him to eat anything he will adjust to his own schedule and let you know how much he needs and how often just let him eat until he stops thats what my doctor told me because only he knows when he's full

Good for you for nursing! A baby gets all the nutrition they need from the best food --which is your milk --for the first year and as a secondary source for the second year. Solid foods this early are just to get them used to different textures and tastes ( though sometimes needed to fill up big, hungry babies.) So don't worry about the amount --keep nursing first and let him guide you in how much solid food he wants! I raised 3 girls who are all very healthy with total nursing until they started reaching for my food at the table--my first two that started at 9 months and the youngest at 6 months--she has always been a "chow hound" as my uncle used to say--would eat anything and everything! I always nursed first and then fed solids--just mashed up a little of whatever we were eating-which was healthy home prepared food.

Hi D.! It is so funny how we have such a great plan on paper and the little one has another! I am going through the same thing right now. my daughter is a little over 6 months and she has her good and not so good days with solids. How long have you been giving solids? It has taken Thea a few weeks to get the hang of it. I also wasnt to consistant in the beginning b/c she really didnt "need" it yet. Did you get the book "Super Baby Food". I loosely reference it. I am trying to stick to homemade food and the book is a good guideline. I highly recommend it if you don't already have it. If its any help we just turned a corner 2 days ago and she is finally getting the hang of it. I guess persist is key. Now i just have to remember to feed her solids. I didnt realize how difficult it is to take the time to feed her solids. It was so much easier to just nurse. Also, i have noticed if I feed Thea solid first before bottle/breast, we get both in. If i would give her bottle/breast first, she would not be interested in the solids. hope i helped a little. let me know how it goes, since i am kind of going through the same thing. good luck- M.

What you are doing is exactly what I did for my first child and am now doing for my 6 month old. My only suggestion would be to make sure you nurse about an hour before you offer solids. That way, he isn't so stuffed from just having eaten. You're doing fine! Nursing is more important than solids at this age. Your ped wants him on 3 meals and snacks in preparation for weaning at 12 months (which you don't have to do). Good Luck!!

OK, first of all, don't ever apologize for doing what is PROVEN to be the best for your baby!!!!! You don't nurse him in the morning for your comfort, you do it because there is nothing else on earth that is as good for him as breast milk.
Second, you don't need to "feel that there is more nutrients in breastmilk vs. solids, so if I had to choose one over the other it would be breastmilk." It's proven that there is more nutrients in breastmilk. You should be nursing him and then a 1/2 to 1 hour later, offering solids.
Third, I don't have any idea where you read that a baby should be taking a 1/2 cup of food at only six months, but since the AAP, WHO, and UNICEF all say you should be only starting solids at 6 months, it's crazy to think that they would jump in and eat 4 ounces! Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't giving your baby enough. Breastmilk is enough to sustain him until he's 1-year-old and the introduction of solids are purely to get him used to new tastes and textures.

So, that said, what you want to do is nurse him as usual. For us it was when my son got up in the morning, after each of 2 naps and before bed and then if he woke up in the middle of the night. Then, after each nursing session, you wait a 1/2 hour to an hour and offer just about anything. Breastfeds don't need cereal so you can skip that. Breastmilk is sweet, so you can also skip the whole "don't start with fruits or they won't eat veggies" thing. That's meant to bland formula drinkers.
My son loved sweet potatoes and they are so easy to make, I used a pressure cooker. Cook them in their skins and then take off the skins and mash or puree them.
He loved peas - I steamed frozen peas and blended them.
Peaches, pears, and apples I just put through the food processor.
I mixed fresh mango and prunes as a dessert to help keep him regular.

I hope that's helpful. Feel free to PM me with any questions on making food. I made all my son's food.

***
I just read Stacee's message to you. While her children are obviously healthy, DO NOT go on what she said she did. No medical association agrees that putting cereal in a bottle helps a baby or that there is any reason to start a baby on solids before 6 months. A baby needs breastmilk or formula until AT LEAST age 1 and should be weaned no sooner. Solids don't have the same nutrients nor calories that BM or formula have. Her doctor should have been up-to-date enough to convey this to her. There are hundreds of studies done that show baby after baby diagnosed with malnutrition or worse, failure to thrive, when they are weaned from the bottle or breast too early. She was very lucky. Also, don't introduce dairy products like cheese and yogurt until 9 months.

It seems to me that your schedule looks good and I agree with you that breastmilk is the most important. The only thing that should be added is cereal. I usually gave that to my son in the morning with a fruit. I know that this issue is so difficult, because no one is ever able to help. You have to come up with it on your own. Good luck!

Hi D.,

It sounds to me like you are doing just fine. I never had much luck getting my 2 to be on any kind of a schedule--not that I pushed that hard for it, lol! Don't worry so much about what someone says a baby "should" be doing, instead focus on your own little one, after all, you know him best. As long as he is healthy, alert, meeting the developmental "milestones" more or less on schedule, I wouldn't worry. It's great you are nursing and not trying to force anything on him. Enjoy every day, it goes by so fast!

K. Z.

It looks like some others have already given some good ideas about the specific shedulong you asked for. I wanted to let you know that I also breastfed my daughter and started introducing solids at 6 months. Oatmeal or rice cereal and a fruit or vegetable. It took about a month to kind of figure out what worked for us. I pretty much offered food at my meal times and nursing was first thing in the morning, before naps about an hour or 2 after dinner, then again right before bed. She started sleeping through the night about a month or so after starting this solid food routine. Good Luck!

If your child is of average size, he should be transitioning over to solids. My first child started on semi-solids at 2 months... cereal in bottles, 4 months on mashed foods in cereal, 6 months eating yogurt, cottage cheese, apple sauce, mashed yams and carrots and by 8 months he was mostly on solids. I only gave him bottles or breastmilk to drink maybe once a day in a small 4 oz bottle. At 6 months I was putting him on juice, so the breastmilk was being transitioned out.

My second son started eating from the table at 6 months and by 8 months he was completely feeding himself and didn't need formula or breastmilk. I would give him formula maybe once or twice a day and juice a couple times a day depending how thirsty he was.

My kids are both in the 90th percentile for height and close to that for weight. Thus, their bodies crave the extra nutrients.

You might find it easier to stick to a feeding schedule when you can put small snacks in baggies and just bring them out when your child is hungry between meals. Give him a 4 oz bottle of juice or breastmilk/formula along with snacks. He can start eating at normal mealtimes as adults do around 6 months and just supplement with snacks in between. It's much easier to do that than try to push a feeding schedule. If he's not hungry, it doesn't matter because he'll have another snack or meal in about 2-3 hours.

My boys are 3 and 4 years old. They have pretty much kept the same eating schedule since they were about 6 months. Sometimes they act like they are starved and other times they can go without food for 6 hours playing. They are little adults. Their tummies will tell them when it's time to fuel up!

I have a 7 1/2 month old. At 6 months, she was sleeping from about 11 pm to around 6 am. Just about a month later, she is sleeping from about 7 am to 6 am. She eats about every two hours. Here is a typical day for me and its on her demand, but falls about the same every day:
6-6:30 am - nurse
Mom shower
7-7:30 am - nurse
play/nap
10-10:30 am - 1 container stage 2 fruit
11-11:30 am - nurse
play/nap
2-2:30 pm - 1 container stage 2 vegetable
3-3:30 pm - nurse
4-4:30 pm - 1/4 cup stage 2 cereal
5-5:30 -pm nurse
bath/play
6:30-7 pm - nurse
bed for night

I can nurse closer to feeding times if need be, but will usually just stay on demand feeding.
I thought that a schedule was no where in sight at 6 months, but she created it all on her own just a few weeks later. Hang in there, it will come soon.

Hi D.
Here is what my schedule is with my almost 7 month old twin girls:
Breastfeed both of them when they wake usually around 7:30am (when one wakes, I usually wake the other to keep them on the same schedule)
They usually wake from their morning nap around 10:30 and I feed them a bowl of oatmeal or rice cereal and then follow by breastfeeding them
Around 2 or 2:30 they wake from their afternoon nap and I nurse them again. Then around 5 I split a full jar of stage 2 vegetables between them and then nurse them again.
Between 7:30 and 8pm I nurse them for the final time of the day and put them to bed.
One of my girls sleeps 11-12 hours straight every night! The other will wake occasionally in the middle of the night but I can usually get her back to sleep without nursing her.
I have been following this schedule for about a month now and the girls are doing very well. The dr was very happy with the growth spurt they had once we introduced solids.
I am about to introduce fruits but haven't quite figured out when to do that.
Good luck with finding the right feeding schedule for your child!

I also have a six month old to be exact dec 21 our x mas present. She is my third girl. I too was hoping she would sleep thru the night by now. ( no luck)
she usually goes to bed by 9/930 wakes between 2 and 3 i give her a bottle. Then she get cereal when she wakes and i put 1/2 container of fruit in it.
Then bottle about 1 hour later. I give her water during mels to wash down food in a sippy cup also to help her get use to using one.
Then lunch a whole jar of fruit size 2, with water.
Same a bottle about an hour later
dinner veg or veg and meat ,water.
Followed by the bottel before bed.
I have tried giving cereal before bed or another jar of food just to try and get one solid night of sleep.
My husband is no help during the night.
Sometimes she wakes like every hr just to have her music turned back on or her pacifer.
This is just food for thought,i am sure you are doing a fine job.
Just thought you might want to here from someone in your same shoes. Good luck to you !!!!!

I too have a six month old (as well as a two year old) who just started solids 2 weeks ago. He is currently nursing 6-8 times per on a schedule similar to the one you mentioned. We usually do cereal and fruit in the morning and then veggie or more cereal in the evening. It depends what I have available in the fridge. I also make most of my own babyfood and follow alot of what they say in the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. I used it for my older son and it is such a great resource and has guidelines on what foods and portion sizes are appropriate for a child based on their age. Plus there are lots of great easy and yummy recipes in the book. Something else that might come in handy is to have the appliance called the Magic Bullet. It makes pureeing food so easy and is much easier to clean up than a food processor or blender. Good luck and keep following your sons cues for breastfeeding. That is the best thing you can do!

I truly recommend the book Superfoods for babies and Children by Annabel Karmel since you are making his foods. I am doing the same for our dtr & it gives a complete breakdown of foods all 3 meals & milk in btwn. The good thing is that you can freeze the left over food in ice-cubes & have it for @ least 2 wks b/c I usually make about that much. Three diffrent choices for lunch & dinner, oatmeal w/ a fruit for breakfast & then for supper. There is no set rule on how much food/milk your baby should receive, it totally depends on the child. Seems like you are already doing a great job, continue to feed on demand. Also the older your child gets the more he'll eat.

My schedule now for our 35 wks old is:
Breakfast: 8:30am Oatmeal w/ fruits
Lunch: 12:30-1:00 veggie mix e.g.mashed potato & carrot w/broccoli & cheese & a fruit
Dinner 3:30-4:00 Carrot, Cheese & tomato risotto/spinach w/ potato & a fruit.

She usually drinks milk on demand. Breastfed about 6 times a/i 24 hr period along w/ water. She hates juices that is why I push fresh fruit. She usually eats about 2-3 ice cubes of food , but mostly 2 on avg. Hope this helps.

The APA, and World Health Organizations both state that Breastmilk/formula should be the main source of nutrition for the first year. That said, my 9 month (almost 10 months) old eats 3 tbs at breakfast, and 2-3 tbs of food at dinner. I may give him a small snack of a cracker or fruit pieces once in a while. I am nursing him 6 times a day on a regular basis and add in a few on-demand sessions. My ped would like to see him eat more, but then he cuts back on nursing, but I have decided to follow his cues with solids.

When my son turned 6 months we started him on a more strict schedule. For numerous reasons. It helped us plant the day around his feeding times. It helps him know what to expect. So when he turned about 6 months I was nursing him when he first woke up in the morning, rice cereal mixed with fruit and a 3 oz bottle of pumped milk (because at the sitter's) between 7-9, lunch with a stage 2 Gerber food and a 3 oz bottle at around noon, a 5-6 oz bottle for a snack at 3, dinner with a Gerber stage 2 and 3 oz bottle at 6 and a 6 oz bottle before bed at 9. Just within the last few weeks I have cut out his night time feedings. So when he gets up in the middle of the night I just comfort him and put him back to bed. It has worked out beautifully for us. He is incredibly healthy and loves his food. Now that he recently turned 9 months I am trying to introduce juice and snacks to him, such as yogurt bites, but the rest of the schedule is the same. I also cut out the feeding right when he wakes up. We are trying to get him on a more mature schedule, trying to make him get used to the fact that he doesn't have to eat the second he wakes up. Though he needs his nutrition from milk/formula, he needs to learn how to use his tongue and learn how to swallow thicker foods. Unfortunately they are both important. Your son will let you know how much he wants to eat!
Good luck.

Hi D.,
Our pediatrician had recommended introducing only one new food a week so we could look out for allergic reactions, and I believe also so the baby could gradually become accustomed to solids. So breastfeeding should definitely still be the main source of nutrition for a 6-month-old. How much food a day to feed your baby is something your pediatrician can recommend, but I learned not to go to that person for breastfeeding advice, as this is not their domain and you may be led astray. Instead I always called a lactation consultant and went to a breastfeeding support group (at the Elizabeth Blackwell Center in Columbus), which was guided by a lactation consultant. I would just keep breastfeeding on demand at this stage and always nurse before feeding solids so your baby gets the best nutrition possible and does not prematurely wean. As for sleeping through the night... No matter what anyone tells you, even the doctors, many babies biologically cannot do it consistently until 2 years of age. Teething, developmental milestones, changes in routine, etc... Just about anything can influence a baby's sleep patterns. Read Dr. Sears on this issue and others of attachment parenting, and you will get a good idea of why crying it out is harmful to babies, so please don't resort to that! Congratulate yourself on breastfeeding and being a wonderful, loving mother! It is the hardest job in the world, and you are doing just fine from the sound of it!! Good luck!

Unfortunately I'm not a SAHM (sigh!) But your ideal schedule seems pretty similar to my 6mo old DD's, though you didn't mention cereal. She gets about an oz of cereal at each meal along with an oz of fruit; dinner adds an oz of veggies. Mid-morning and afternoon she takes about 1-2 oz from a sippy cup (she wasn't interested in a bottle once she started solids so we tried a cup). When I get home, I nurse before dinner (probably just for my comfort and her wanting to be close). She nurses before bed but over the course of the night it turns into her getting nursed on demand - I think it's more of a comfort thing with her especially since she's teething. [My DS is almost 5 and I now know from experience that this too shall pass!]
I hadn't heard about the 1/2 cup rule but that's probably about what she eats. Your pediatrician should be able to give you an idea of how much, etc. Our pediatrician had us start a very small amout of cereal (very soupy), then add the fruit (we did the same one for 4 days to watch for allergies, etc.) and finally add the veggies at dinner. I know this is much easier said then done, especially as a SAHM, but do you pump at all? I pump at work - down to one time a day :( and the sitter uses the milk to make the cereal and put in her sippy cup. I don't know if this is bad or good, but since I'm with her all day on the weekend I let her nurse on demand so we end up supplementing with formula on Monday at the sitter's. Did your pediatrician say what he wanted him eating for the three meals and snacks?
Many people will tell you what you should and shouldn't do but my advice is to do what works for you and your baby! Hope this helps - good luck!