Q&A: How much baby food to feed my 8 month old baby?
Question: How much baby food to feed my 8 month old baby?
My baby is 8 months old and I think he eats a lot. I’m not sure if I’m over feeding him or if he’s eating the norm for an 8 month old. This is his schedule. He wakes up between 7 and 8 and gets a clean diaper and a 6 oz bottle. Another diaper around mid morning. At noon he has lunch – a 2nd Food “breakfast” (they’ve got the jars that are like country breakfast or fruit and cereal etc) and a 3rd Food fruit. Then he gets another 6oz bottle and diaper and goes down for a nap from 12:30 to between 2 and 3. Obviously I change him again when he wakes up from his nap. Then at 5 he gets a 2nd Food “dinner” (I.e. Chicken noodle dinner etc) and a 3rd food veggie and some juice(2 oz water & 2 oz juice). Then you know diaper changes when necessary. And finally bath time at 8:30 and an 8 oz bottle afterward. Goes to bed at 9 and sleeps like a rock all night. I don’t make him cereal with formula anymore because every time I feed it to him he pukes. But when I give him the jar food that is like fruit and cereal he does fine with it. I’m concerned that not giving him cereal is not healthy. I’m wondering when I’m supposed to start introducing table food and how to do so. I’ve tried to start giving him the puffs but he only has his 2 front bottom teeth and i get super nervous that he’s going to choke. I’ve also read that I should be starting to introduce the sippie cup so I bought some with different types of nipples to try out some different kinds and he will not drink out of any of them!! From all the info I’ve shared does anyone have any input? I would greatly appreciate some opinions. Thanks!!!
Answer:
Answer by Susan Bolden
Well, honestly, it sounds to me like you’re feeding him a lot of solids already. I have a five month old who I have just started to give oatmeal cereal once a day mixed with breast milk. Other than that (which he gets just before I put him down for the night) he nurses on demand. I’m planning on adding another meal of cereal when he’s six months old (in a couple of weeks). This is what I did with all of my other kids (I have 5 others) and they all thrived on this type of schedule for solids.
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He doesn’t need to be eating cereal. THere’s nothing in it that he requires. (The iron that cereal is fortified with is also present in formula.)
As for his food in general — it looks like he’s only getting about 20 ounces of formula a day. That’s very low. At this age solids are still mostly ‘just for fun’, and formula is the basis of his diet. It would appear that you are offering is solids first, so he’s filling up on them, and then not being hungry enough for formula.
I would recommend offering more formula. Offer his bottle first at each feeding (and try offering a fourth bottle, and maybe even a fifth sometime during the day — 25-35 ounces or so is still the typical range at 8 months, and he needs a minimum of 24 ounces/day), and then, only after he’s finished his milk, offer some solids and let him eat what he enjoys.
I’d also recommend skipping ‘country breakfasts’ and ‘chicken noodle dinners.’ If you read the labels you’ll see that they are mostly just starch. If he still needs purees (more on this below), and likes chicken, try offering a jar of plain chicken and a jar of veggies or fruit. And skip the juice too. (I’d offer a bottle at dinner rather than juice.) Diluted juice is ok when he’s drinking from a cup, but should’t be put in a bottle. (Think of the bottle as a replacement for the breast. Juice doesn’t come out of our breasts, so don’t put it in the bottle either.)
Finally — he doesn’t need teeth to eat finger foods. He chews with his gums, and will do so until he gets molars, which probably won’t be for another year or so. If he can pick up food and put it in his mouth, he can eat it. As long as it’s soft enough to gum up, he won’t choke. At worst he may gag at first, but that’s a protective reflex that keeps him from choking. So I’d try offering some finger foods. By 8 months most babies can manage it. Cut up fruits and veggies, small pasta shapes, shredded cheese, very small bits of meat/poultry, eggs, rice, potatoes, etc. are all good things to try. ALso, if he self-feeds he’s less likely to eat so much and will then take more formula. If you try and he can’t yet pick it up, or keeps gagging, wait a week and try again.
For the sippy cup too, just keep trying. Some babies are ready sooner than others. There’s no rush.
okay so i don’t feel as bad anymore i feed my 8mo a lot too and i breast feed him he takes 8 feedings of milk a day i would say he eats about 6 to 8oz a feeding then he eats 1st foods in vegetables and 2nd foods in fruits because he was preemie he cant do to good with 2nds he was 2mo early but he eats 3 jars of baby food a day the he has his 2 feedings at night and when i told the doc about his feedings he told me to tone down his feedings and which i did do he doesn’t eat as much as he was eating and i stopped his feedings at night and he is a big baby but it will all fall off when his start moving around my daughter did