So...Lucy stared eating solids at 4 months. She was great with rice cereal, loved it, has always been a pretty good eater. We introduced baby food a few weeks later, and that went well. The problem is that over time she wont drink as much formula. (she is a formula feed baby) And it's gotten to the point that it's like she just drinks like 3 ounce to tide her over and she holds out for the baby food she knows is coming in a few hours. The doctor told me she should be drinking about 25 ounces of milk a day, and she gets maybe 18. (and I have tried a few different things and I can't trick her...)
So by the time (which I am still trying to keep a 2-3 hour feeding schedule like i was with bottles, is that wrong at this point?) I sit her in her high chair she has started the past week screaming bloody murder, crying more than i have ever heard her in her life! This continues the whole time I am making up her oatmeal and fruits and veggies (which take a few min) Then when I sit down to start feeding her she is like on edge and I have to SHOVEL it in her mouth so fast, literally if I skip a beat she looses it again! She acts like I haven't feed her in weeks! She is mostly herself the other times of the day-slightly more whiny but pretty normal. I just don't know what to do. She will be 8 months next week and I just want to know what should I be feeding her, how much, how often? What did you do? I thought that it was okay to be dorpping bottles and doing more solids, but it seems you have to just have them drink more at fewer sittings.
So here is what we are doing now (roughly)...what needs to change?
7:00- 4 0z formula (keep in mind these formula amounts are not by my choice-that's all she will eat- and that's with me sitting over her singing popcorn popping over and over distracting her to eat just one more ounce! it's a struggle! And she wont let me hold her to feed her anymore!)
10:00- 1 cup of oatmeal (we do TONS! from what i see online this is too much-maybe?)
1.5-2 ounces of veggies
1.5-2 ounces of fruit
12:15- 3 oz formula
3:30- 4 oz formula
5:30- exact same as 10:00
7:30- 6 oz formula
i also give her finger foods during the day like cheerios and puffs and things...but i just want to make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs and doesn't become a snacker like her mommy!
HELP!?!! How do I do protein? What do you do? Thanks friends! :)
18 comments:
One thing i'm going to tell you might come as a shock..not all doctors are right..AND the internet isn't always right. You and Eric are THE BEST judge at what is right. That being said, I am going to tell you. Babies are finicky and picky and demanding and know what they want. So if she is wanting more solid food. give it to her. The formula on a schedule thing is not neccessary. Giselle would take a bottle usually before a nap and bedtime that's it.By about Lucy's age she didn't have a bottle when she woke up. She wanted food..and more food. hahaha they are definitely related. Have you tried any finger foods yet. cheerios. puffs. crackers stuff like that? You might want to try a few cheerios while you are mixing breakfast ready. so she has something. The high chair is a signal for i'm going to eat so yes if you don't give her something pretty quick she will be mad. What about water? Do you give her a sippy with her lunch or dinner. just so she knows water is with meals. if so you could dillute formula and make it more watery. just a thought. Mostly, try to remember she is eating and growing. The formula thing is good to have and she is getting it. The better though is the solid foods, a lot of babies don't like it as much as she does at this age. So this is a good thing. She is a fox so not too suprising. ALSO, this could easily be a phase. Next month she could be back to liking 6oz every time. Just try to go with it and know that she is just fine.
Good Luck. they keep you guessing at every stage.
Thank you Lisa! yes...she wont do a sippy with water or we have tried even giving her some bottle with her meal....she wont take it. she wants the real stuff. Yes i also give her finger foods during the day like cheerios and puffs and things...but i just want to make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs and doesn't become a snacker like her mommy!
The only suggestion I have is to give her formula again, before her meal. So do the bottle at 7 am and maybe give her the oatmeal then. Then at 10 give her a bottle and fruits and veggies (at this age, Evan, my good solid-food-eater did up to 8 ounces of fruit/veg). Bottle at 12, snack and bottle at 3 (I'm assuming this is after a nap), offer bottle again before dinner at 5:30, then bedtime bottle.
That said, is she growing fine? If she is, don't change a thing except to have her food prepared ahead of time or, possibly move her to three solid food meals a day. Once again, Evan loved solid foods and he'd eat B-oatmeal, fruit, L-veggie and fruit, D-oatmeal and veggie, plus snacks every day. So you'd have to feed her the solids earlier (which might keep her from freaking out) so 8-12-5:30.
Basically-if you think you are not getting her enough food because she is not growing, gaining weight, try feeding formula before feeds as well as the other times throughout the day. If you are just worried about her being hungry for solids but not about weight gain/growth, feed her an extra meal of solids each day and increase the amount of fruit/veg at the meal. Formula is the most calorie dense food, but if she'll eat enough quantity of solid foods, then go for it.
Clara is NOT into solid foods. I can get her to take about half a stage 1 jar of fruit or veggie most of the time, and 1 tablespoon of oatmeal, but that's the whole day besides a handful of puffs. She's losing weight too because she'll only take about 20 ounces of fluids (I know because sometimes I work and she gets pumped milk) so I'm really working at getting her to eat more, so keep up the good work. Lucy sounds to be doing really well.
I didn't do formula for Ryan so I'm probably not the best person to give advise, but since she loves oatmeal, have you tried mixing it with formula (or do you do that already)?
I do think it's important for her to still get the formula until she turns one. So keep on trying to squeeze it in. As long as she gets SOME everyday, then you're good. Formula/breast milk should be their main source of nutrients until they turn one. I think that's the general consensus among pediatricians, and a good rule of thumb. But don't stress over it--it's better for Lucy to be eating adult food and to be happy and full then to go hungry. Give her all the food she wants! When I was nursing Ryan, I think the last few months until he turned one I was only nursing him a few times a day. The rest of his intake was adult food.
To get more protein, will she eat egg yolk? (I don't know why, but you're not supposed to give them egg whites until they are one...some allergy thing.) Ryan loved eggs, and still does. Try introducing those to her...they are perfect finger food because they are squishy and easy to chew and easy to break into small pieces. Does she like cheese and yogurt? Try those if you haven't already.
Maybe offer her formula again right before the oatmeal routine and then make her oatmeal with formula (you can add spices or fruits to change the flavor if she doesn't like it). The oatmeal is very filling (because it expands in her stomach) and she feels really full afterwards. That's probably why she likes it! Ultimately, if she's gaining weight and staying hydrated, she's probably ok. Good luck! :)
With my little ones, once I started feeding them solids I would give the boys their solids three times a day. My schedule was usually: a bottle (or nursing) right after they woke up, some baby food fruit for breakfast (not too much about 1 or 2 jars), another bottle before their first nap, baby food for lunch with us, another bottle before their nap, dinner with us, and another bottle before bed. I guess I used when they were about to get sleepy and looking for some time to snuggle with me to give them their bottles. I made meal time for baby food and bedtime for nursing. If they were ever thirsty during meals them I would give them a sippy of water. I guess theis is how it has always been really easy for me to wean them off of bottles at a year. Thats just how I did things, just to give you some other perspective.
Well It seems like you have a lot of advice to sort through but I thought I would throw my two cents in. I think the reason the docs want her to continue on the formula more is because it provides more diverse and healthy nutrients than the solid foods. Formula provides nutrients such as fatty acids, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals etc... The oatmeal has only little nutritional value. If I were you I would try giving her a bottle first before her solids, but if she wont take that then give her veggies and fruits first and finish her up with formula then oatmeal.
Also, sometimes we assume our kids want to eat all day. Maybe space out her food a little and let her get a little more hungry in between meals. She may just not need that many calories. There are great variances in every babies appetite and no doc. can know exactly what each baby needs but you can trust your gut.
Wow this is all really helpful...thanks so much! Keep it coming! just so you know i do mix formula with the oatmeal...also I don't know if lucy is growing properly I haven't been to the doctor since her 6 month. how do i know? And can i give her normal adult yogurt and cheese? What do I do for meats...anyone?
well if it makes you feel any better my 17 month old will NOT eat food, and only wants milk!! ha ha. we should mix them together to create the perfect eater! One thing I have learned about being a mother, is that the books, the doctors, the fads, the advice... its all just information. you should try to follow it as best you can, but never be stressed if things dont go just right. If Lucy is growing, and happy, that is what matters most. Before baby books were written, and schedules were pushed, moms just had good ol instincts. mix formula with food, give her bottles when she will take them, but dont be too hard on yourself as a mother. You have MUCH harder battles to fight, save your energy for those ones. :)
oh and they have baby food with meat in them. I also gave my kids egg yolks (you are not supposed to do whites until after 1) for protein.
Kara is on formula now, she boycotted nursing a few weeks ago, so hope this helps since they're about the same age:
6-7 am: 6 oz formula
8: oatmeal or yogurt plus bites of whatever we're eating
10: 5-6 oz formula
12 pm: Size 2 tub fruit plus bites of finger food
1:30: 5-6 oz formula
4:30: 5-6 oz formula
6: Size 2 tub veggies plus bites of our dinner
7:30: 6 oz formula
She sometimes will leave out a bottle but most times it's 5 bottles a day. She really doesn't get snacks in between her 3 meals, so she's always pretty hungry for her bottles. For protein I do yogurt, eggs, and tiny shredded pieces of meat mixed in with the baby food. Kara won't eat the baby food with meat already mixed in...it's nasty! And I agree, it could be a phase!
Try the Stoneyfield Yo-Baby Yogurt. It's all organic and mixed with fruit (some are 3-in-1's with veggies mixed in too). They are really good! They have them in the organic fridge case at Kroger and by the normal yogurt at Martin's, Walmart, Whole Foods or Trader Joes. You'll find the most flavor options at Martin's & Whole Foods and they're pretty much the same price wherever you go.
Our baby did the same thing, but with breast milk when he was Lucy's age. Now that he is weaned, he does it with formula. We just feed him a lot of cheese and yogurt and mix formula into his baby cereal. And our doctor prescribed a multivitamin that we give to him too. He is skinny, but he is healthy.
I want to clarify that formula is important and Solid food is important too, and that you don't have to worry about her getting a certain amount of formula in a day. It is super important when they are little but not when they are older babies. Nichole I saw Lucy and I can tell you right now, she is healthy and doing great. Even Jillian my peanut daughter who was never on the charts and I stressed about constantly had her own prefrence. She only nursed but liked table foods. She was growing just not on the chart but on her own chart. Lucy is doing everything she is supposed to. If you think she is snacking you might be right. BUT BUT she is a baby and like I said before it is a stage...also Nichole you are the best example, if you don't want her to snack..then you know what you got to do. Hide it in your room and don't show her..hahaha!
OH, love that i spelled erik's name wrong earlier...bad sister in law. Love you!
Are you counting the formula in the oatmeal in your total? If not, count that in too, and I bet you will be pretty close to what the doc is wanting her to get. Also, she's really not that far off what he is recommending. My advice? Relax a bit. Does she look healthy? Is she wetting plenty of diapers? Is she happy between meals? If so, she's fine! I know it's so hard, you want to do everything perfectly. (I'm finding that doesn't go away as they get older!!) But the sooner you learn to let yourself relax and take things as they come, the happier you all will be!! You're doing great! ;)
Nichole! I went through with a lot of what you are describing with James. It was very hard to relax and just go with the flow. I counted every ounce, every minute of sleep, logged and charted, you name it, I pretty much did it. But, with Johnathan, I have almost taken the opposite approach. Rather than trying to "follow the parent help books to the T," I have really tried to pay attention to the signs Johnathan gives me of hunger. I still try to follow a general eating/feeding routine, but I really try to look at what he's telling me rather than how much he's not had that he should have had. I feed him solids 3 times a day, now, whenever James and I sit down to eat. There is so much more I could write, but you already have such great tips from everyone, I'll just leave it at that! You are doing great! Much love to you, Erik, and Lucy!
I forgot to say, that the worst thing about having kids is feeding them.
End of story.
Oh, and egg yolk is just fat (not protein), but get her used to eating it and it will be easy when she turns one to give her all of the egg, and then the whites will be a great protein source. I get the omega-3 eggs since those are great for you.
Hey Nikki, you probably already worked it out, but I have had the same problem with Oli and my doctor told me that as long as she gets at least 12 oz a day of formula she is fine with whatever else she eats. Looks like you have tons of great advice but I thought I would let ya know what my doctor told me. You are a great mom!
Meg Peterson
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