Food for 6+ month olds

[jackie011]

I am SO lost when it comes to food for DS right now.  I casually asked a coworker (with 5 kids of her own, my IRL mommy expert) what brand of formula she'd recommend as just a back up, as my pumping output is pretty low right now.  This led into a whole conversation about how I'm not feeding my child nearly enough milk or solid food.  Um, DS is 20+ lbs at almost 7 months.  I think he's doing just fine! 

So, I've spent the few hours since that conversation stewing about it and trying to figure out what to change here. I keep going back to the fact that my child is happy, growing, and thriving, so I'm obviously doing something right. 

What does a day of eating look like for your 7 month old?  Right now we're just doing one serving of purees at "dinner." I plan to start sending a second serving to daycare so they can serve him lunch, as well.  I'm going to check in with his teacher tomorrow to see what all I need to bring/prepare. 

What about finger foods?  When do I introduce those and what sort of foods should I try?  I just feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't like that feeling!

[indylady]

That's all we were doing too. Sometimes in the morning, I'd feed DS some puffs if I needed to buy some time and get something done in the kitchen. Now, at almost 9 months, we feed him two "meals" of puree or whatever we're eating but still, some days it's not a ton of real food. You're doing fine!

[purplecow0206]

Adding a second meal in at 7 months is just fine!

As for finger foods, each kid is different. I started them at about 7.5 months because A kept on grabbing the spoon from me and I was tired of fighting with her for the spoon, so I tried a few puffs and she did fine with them. I started by introducing soft fruits, steamed veggies and baked/shredded meats.

If your DS seems fine with purees and doesn't seem hungry, KOKO. It sounds like you're doing a great job.

[browneyedgirl9]

DS loved food, we were doing purees 3times a day then. But every baby is different

[bananapancakes]

We just do one "meal" a day right now although not too much is getting ingested just yet. Tonight he had scrambled eggs, steamed sugar snap peas, and roasted sweet potatoes. He also ate a little bit of a pouch and attempted to drink some  water. I still BF on demand.

I plan to start a 2nd meal at 7 months and a 3rd at 8 months.

[rex]

i think at 7 months i wasn't even consistently doing food everyday because of laziness. one meal a day seems perfectly fine.

[jackie011]

My frustration really comes from the bottles. I'm with DS three days a week and nurse as needed. Then, two days a week I leave 3 4oz bottles for the ILs to give him, with ample back up in the freezer. My coworker, and the others that joined in on the conversation, thought that was very low. They said I should pump after feeding him to boost my supply and bump him up to 6-8 oz bottles. So, feed him bigger bottles, but space them out. The thought of pumping at home makes me want to cry!

[sjh722]

One meal a day sounds perfectly fine to me at 7 months. I think we might have added in another serving of solids around 8 months? It was 8 or 9 months before she was eating a significant amount of solids, from what I remember.

If I were going to supplement, I'd start with Costco brand because it's the cheapest and see if it worked, then move up from there.

[winemaker06]

Every kid is different, so don't listen to them!
My 9-month-old is still getting 4 oz bottles every 3 hours at daycare. I don't know that I'll ever increase that.

We started 2 meals a day at 7.5 months. DS hated food at first so it took a bit to ramp up. Then went to 3 meals a day at 8 months because he was really interested and seeming to eat more often. We started finger food at 8 months and 4 weeks later, he still isn't very good at getting it in his mouth. It's pretty much just a huge mess.
So you're doing perfectly fine!

[purplecow0206]

And on the bottles...the most she ever took in a day was 16 ozs (4 4oz bottles) and the largest amount of ounces in a bottle she ever took was 5 oz (3 5 oz in a day, this was after she started eating 2 solid meals).

If he's happy and not fussy, he's FINE.

[chicago]

Oct 28, 2014 20:04:31 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

My frustration really comes from the bottles. I'm with DS three days a week and nurse as needed. Then, two days a week I leave 3 4oz bottles for the ILs to give him, with ample back up in the freezer. My coworker, and the others that joined in on the conversation, thought that was very low. They said I should pump after feeding him to boost my supply and bump him up to 6-8 oz bottles. So, feed him bigger bottles, but space them out. The thought of pumping at home makes me want to cry!

No. If your baby is happy, he's happy. I've also read a lot of literature that suggests that most bf babies never take more than 5oz. This is a sore spot for me. DD gets a 4oz and two 3.5oz at DC. DCP made a comment about how another bf baby gets three 6oz bottles of bm and I should be feeding my daughter more. Sometimes people need to mind their own business.

[catsarecute]

I'm so happy to read this. Dd is 6.5 months and we are just doing one meal of purees a day. Adding more seems overwhelming!!!

[WillabyWallabyWu]

So happy to read this. I've tried to do two meals a day since he turned 7 months, but I've been especially inconsistent with that. He's lucky if he gets two purée meals a day more than a few times a week. Weekends are my absolute downfall.

[jackie011]

Oct 28, 2014 20:18:08 GMT -5 chicago said:

Oct 28, 2014 20:04:31 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

My frustration really comes from the bottles. I'm with DS three days a week and nurse as needed. Then, two days a week I leave 3 4oz bottles for the ILs to give him, with ample back up in the freezer. My coworker, and the others that joined in on the conversation, thought that was very low. They said I should pump after feeding him to boost my supply and bump him up to 6-8 oz bottles. So, feed him bigger bottles, but space them out. The thought of pumping at home makes me want to cry!

No. If your baby is happy, he's happy. I've also read a lot of literature that suggests that most bf babies never take more than 5oz. This is a sore spot for me. DD gets a 4oz and two 3.5oz at DC. DCP made a comment about how another bf baby gets three 6oz bottles of bm and I should be feeding my daughter more. Sometimes people need to mind their own business.

Thank you!  I attended a Baby & Me group hosted by the lactation consultants at my hospital.  I distinctly remember asking about larger bottles and she brushed it off that they're mainly for formula.  She made me feel like I was doing just fine by giving him between 3.5-4 ounces, based on some formula she gave me.  I never really gave it a second thought until today.  As I said, my kid is growing, he's happy, and I just don't see the need to make myself crazier by adding in pumping after nursing. 

We were out of town and I went a few days without pumping.  The same thing happened in September when I went a few days without pumping.  Supply tanked and then rebound as I got back into the routine.  We'll see what happens over the next week. 

Thank you all, again and again.  I can't imagine not having this board to get me through DS' first year!

[purplecow0206]

I really think starting solids is just as much a mindfuck as bfing. How much, when to start, when to switch from purees to finger foods, BLW vs purees, the possibilities are overwhelming!

[jena]

Only my 3rd kid ever needed more than 4oz bottles.

As for solids, if your kid started eating at 4mo, then yeah they are probably eating more by now. But if your kid started eating at 6mo (or later) then that's OK too. DS wanted nothing to do with food at 6mo do he stated at 7mo -by 10mo he was eating mostly table food for his solids (and still nursing like a fiend).

There is no one right way.

[Birdie]

People DO need to mind their own business. DS gets the amount per bottle that he gets because he'll upchuck it all if he gets any more than that in his tummy. It's a battle we've fought since he was born. I would LOVE to be able to give him more per bottle and space out his feedings, but we're doing the best we can.

DS is EFF and just turned 8 months old. He takes a bottle every 3 hours unless something happens like he naps through the 3 hours or we have to squeeze them in at the end of the night to get him full.

An example of our day:

Wake up - 5oz
Daycare - 5oz
Daycare - 1 Puree
Daycare - 5oz
Daycare - 1 Puree
Daycare - 5oz
Evening - 5oz
Bedtime - 5oz

I tried to do the feeding myself but found that it was hard to fit one in at night when I don't get home until 5:30-6 sometimes and he still takes a little cat nap before bedtime. I had to hand it over to daycare to do. I've been thinking about adding in breakfast though of oatmeal or yogurt. However, when I had daycare feed him 3 times a couple weeks ago they made a comment to DH that made me feel like I was doing something wrong. Ugh it's stressful.

[Birdie]

Oct 28, 2014 21:12:10 GMT -5 purplecow0206 said:

I really think starting solids is just as much a mindfuck as bfing. How much, when to start, when to switch from purees to finger foods, BLW vs purees, the possibilities are overwhelming!

Yeah and everyone and their mom (and MIL and aunt and sister) has their opinion on the "right" way to be doing it. Oh you're feeding him too much! Oh you're not feeding him enough! He's going to choke! You're babying him!

[natablue]

You are doing just fine. We started with just one purée "meal" a day, at dinner.

Then we stated having daycare give him one during the day, and if he for another one at night, great. If not, oh well.

At eight months he was consistently having two "meals" of purees a day, plus puffs and water in a sippy.

As for his milk intake, don't listen to anyone else. DS is nine months (as of Monday) and has always taken four ounce bottles. The most he ever drank away from me for a workday was 16 ounces. I always send 12oz to daycare (3 bottles) and leave one at home for mil because she watches him until DH or I get home. Now that he's consistently eating purees, he only drinks two bottles at daycare. They always save the third for the next day or send it home.

[kershnic]

I have to give them table food more than once a day??? . Hahaha, you're funny.

[Deleted]

Oct 28, 2014 20:04:31 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

My frustration really comes from the bottles. I'm with DS three days a week and nurse as needed. Then, two days a week I leave 3 4oz bottles for the ILs to give him, with ample back up in the freezer. My coworker, and the others that joined in on the conversation, thought that was very low. They said I should pump after feeding him to boost my supply and bump him up to 6-8 oz bottles. So, feed him bigger bottles, but space them out. The thought of pumping at home makes me want to cry!

Your coworker needs to keep her opinions to herself. I pump for DD and she has 2 4.5 oz bottles at daycare plus purée for lunch and a little fruit purée the afternoon for a snack. Your baby doesn't need 6-8 oz bottles if he isn't still hungry. DD was on two 3 oz bottles and 1 2oz bottle a day (10hours) before. So in 2 months she has only gone up .5 oz a day. If your baby is happy and growing and not clamoring for more food, you are doing just fine!!

[shelbyann]

At DD's 6-month appt, our pedi mentioned that we should shoot for having her on at least one solids meal a day by 6 months, 2 by 9 months, and 3 by 12 months. Now, at 8 months, she usually gets at least breakfast and dinner, and sometimes lunch if it's convenient (but I don't stress if she misses it).

We started puffs right at 7 months and I think they really helped her "get" the concept of picking up food and putting it in her mouth. We started doing almost all finger foods at that point too and now she rarely gets anything mushy, except yogurt. She definitely prefers to feed herself! Scrambled egg and steamed broccoli are a couple of her favorites, I think because they're easy for her to pick up.

Oh and all babies are different when it comes to bottles. My EBF baby has never taken more than 3-4 oz from a bottle, usually closer to 3. One of my local mom friends has an EBF baby the same age/size as DD who will take 6-7 oz at a time. Do what works for you!

[Deleted]

The girls are 7.5 mos and they get solid food at breakfast and dinner. They are eating mostly purees and some finger foods. They nurse on demand when I'm working from home or have bottles when I'm gone.

Their purees are usually about 3 to 4 TBS worth and usually one of those TBS is coconut cream. (The whole reason we are doing purees at all is to give them the coconut cream and other fats to increase their weight). They often do not finish the puree for breakfast and sometimes eat a little more at dinner.

Bottom line, if your kid is happy and growing you are fine!

[Deleted]

Oct 28, 2014 20:04:31 GMT -5 jackie011 said:

My frustration really comes from the bottles. I'm with DS three days a week and nurse as needed. Then, two days a week I leave 3 4oz bottles for the ILs to give him, with ample back up in the freezer. My coworker, and the others that joined in on the conversation, thought that was very low. They said I should pump after feeding him to boost my supply and bump him up to 6-8 oz bottles. So, feed him bigger bottles, but space them out. The thought of pumping at home makes me want to cry!

Hahaha, I just saw this. Uhm, no. Breastfed babies often never take more than 4 or 5 oz. Some take more, but it isn't unusual for them not to. J never took more than 3.5 oz (and it was usually 3oz.) the entire first year. The girls barely will drink 3oz. I have tried leaving 3.5 or 4 and they wouldn't touch it. 3 is their max. You are fine!

[bananapancakes]

This seems like a good place to add my gross AW! This morning in L's diaper I just saw "evidence" of the sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas he ate last night. We've been working on finger foods at dinner time for 2 weeks and I think that's the first time that he's really swallowed anything. Yay!