how much should I feed my 8mth old?

[PinkBinkie]

Hi Mums
How much do I feed my 8mth old at each meal? Is their a certain amount of tablespoons she is meant to be having? She's only a little bubba (6.4kg) and I wasn't worried until I had her weighed a week ago. Now the midwife wants me to keep coming back to check on her! I feel awful. She's a very happy baby and very active (crawling fast and pulling herself up). She mainly likes yoghurt and fruit to eat as well as finger foods (though I'm not sure how much ends up in her tummy so I don't really count it as a meal) and she HATES rice cereal, even the flavoured kind. The midwife wasn't too impressed when I said that! The midwife also said that yoghurt and fruits should be treated as a dessert after the meal, not as the meal itself. I ended up saying "Well, I can't force her to eat".

So how much should I feed her? And what is your feeding routine?
Please help!
Thankyou
Jodi:confused:

[Goosie22]

Hi,
You are right you can't force her to eat. All you are doing is giving her a chance to try different food. Her milk feeds are what will give her all she needs untill she wants to eat, you just keep offering different types of foods in different ways and she will eventually eat something. If she is happy maintaining her weight and she is doing lots of wees and poos then don't worry about her weight its not the only indicator of health.
G:)

[cwsmum]

Wow, you do have a little bubba...my DD was 5.4kg at 8weeks, she is now 12 weeks so I'm guessing she is around 6kgs now...how big was your bub when she was born?

I can't remember exactly how much DS was eating at 8mths. I started him on solids at about 4 mths. I used to cook up a few meals for him and freeze them in 250ml Decor containers. He was eating a full one of those for lunch, and dinner, by 10 mths. Mostly they were mixed veges/veges and pasta, rice or couscous. A few meals each week also had meat in them.

[thirdtimeround]

OMG, get a new midwife! I was worried at 7 months when my ds wouldnt eat anything but rice cereal, yoghurt and fruit. He was also bf. My early childhood nurse said that milk forms the majority of your babies food intake until they are one. That this time of introducing new foods is experimenting, trying new things, tastes and textures and not to be too wound up about what they do and dont eat. I agree with Goosie22 bubs will try what she wants when she wants. My ds is 10 months now and still only eats cereal etc but is now showing an interest in other foods. He would eat about 6-8 tablespoons of food that he liked when he felt like it and somedays he would eat more or less. Now I offer him a good sized main portion and if he complains for more I give him finger food (such as bread, fruit,etc). Dont stress, if she is putting on weight, she will eat in her own good time. I lost so much sleep over ds eating habits, now I am relaxed and letting him do what he wants we are all much happier.

[deb&patrick]

have you tried the furit cereal in jars and cans? my 10 month old refuses all rice cereals and baby cereal. My dietican friend told me that the jars and cans are a great alternative. try water crackers or other savory biscuits with cream chees (even the flavoured cream cheese is good) or hommus - my little boy loves homus on water crackers.

Yoghurt is not a dessert!!!! neither is fruit!!

If your baby only wants those things, let them have it.

[~Chick79~]

Ryan hated rice cereal as well but i tried him on the heinz cereal with banana (and usually i mixed in a small tin of pears or apples with the cereal) and this he ate.

I never really followed how many spoons to give them - he would often turn his head away once he had enough...

I know golden circle (or heinz can't remember the exact brand) makes a cereal called banana Porridge in a jar - maybe even try that to begin with! It is for babies from 6 mths so it should be right for your bub!

Good luck! I am tackling the issue of getting my 10mth to drink water!

[lukaelmo]

Hey Bubbalucy.

My little dude is 7 months old and only weighs 6.3 kilos. I too only started to worry about this after various visits to the CHN, when she told me I would have to check in with them fortnightly to weigh the dude :( .

I have come to realise that the reason the dude weighs less than other babies is because he is just generally way smaller than them. He has chub, is perfectly happy, and would possibly be even happier if his mum stopped trying to make him weigh more just in order to hear a good word from the CHN.

Anyway, his feeding schedule goes like this:

7am breastfeed
8.30 brekkie: two types of fruit + marscapone (21 percent fat :D ) or yogurt + rice cereal.
11am breastfeed
12.30pm lunch: meat and veggies
3pm breastfeed
4.30pm dinner: meat and veggies or veggies and cheese
7pm breastfeed
11pm breastfeed

If the dude wakes between 11pm and 7am I also breastfeed him.

I try to add cheese or full fat yoghurt to his meals...

If your little person is happy, don't worry like I did, just stop going to the CHN :D . I really believe that you would know if there were something really wrong.

Good luck, and I am glad that someone out there has a little dudette :D

[Rainbowbrite]

MJ is also a littlie so I know what its like. MJ also hated Farex so I didnt force her to eat it. Just keep experimenting till you find something she likes. MJ still now at 9months goes on & off her solids but she's happy, healthy & full of beans so i'm not worried :)

RB

[Aprilsmum]

My DD is 9 mths old and weighs only 6.4 kg. She, like your little one is doing just fine though and boy she can eat!!! She eats about 1 cup of solids 3 times a day. I just wanted to say this just to show that the amount they eat, doesn't necissarily mean they'll put on weight. You could try giving some sweeter pureed veges - sweet potato, pumpkin, peas etc. Anyhow, don't let the CHN interfear with you intuition.

Happy cooking.

[Refresh]

AAAAAAAarrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh CHN's:mad: :mad: :mad: :rolleyes:

[JATS]

My son is 6 months old and besides his rusks he refuses to eat anything, occasionally he'll want some rice cereal or apple custard but NOTHING else! Tried all sorts of fruit and veg. He's a pretty big boy though, very happy and active and I figure when he is ready he will eat!

[PinkBinkie]

Hi Mums (and dads)
Thanks for all your advice and positive encouragment! I am feeling much better after I vented to you guys, my partner (and had a cry), and my mum.....

I'm not going back to visit this midwife. I felt like a little school girl justifying myself! I've made an appointment with my doctor on Monday just to be on the safe side and to put my mind more at ease. I also read on another thread that you can buy something called 'polyjoule' from the chemist to add more calories to bub's food. I forgot to say that the midwife wasn't too impressed when I said Lucy sleeps through the night, therefore not eating/drinking for 12 hours at the most. I thought this was normal? And I'm not disturbing her sleep (and mine) to feed her. She'd wake up if she was hungry (sorry.....whinge whinge whinge!!!)

Goosie 22 - Thanks for your advice. And it's true that weight is not an only indicator of health!

cwsmum - Lucy was 3.2 kg when born and 48cm long. She is now 67cm long so head circumference and length are within the 'normal' ranges. Thanks for your advice!

Tobie - get a new midwife I will! That makes me feel better thinking of food as experimenting not such a fight between me and bubs to get her to eat more! And she does have days when she'll eat more than others. I think I need to relax too!
Thanks

Deb - yes, I've tried the cereals in jars and cans, bub didn't like them either. But I'll give the water crackers a go with cream cheese. That's a great idea. Thanks

Leisha - I can certainly understand why bubs doesn't like rice cereal. It's like clag clue! I'll give porridge a go and see what she thinks. Thanks. And I know what you mean about the water situation! Lucy isn't a big fan of that either.

Ali - another bub the same size!! So we're not the only ones. And, like you, I can't imagine Lucy any bigger and she is chubby for her. She's not just skin and bones! Marcsapone? Is that a type of cheese? For lunch we added cream to her vegies and tuna and she loved it. I read on another thread to try cream to add more fat to meals. I'll keep an eye out for marscapone when I go shopping. Thanks for letting me know your routine. We're basically the same except for the 11pm feed.

Donnelle - a relaxed attitude is what I need.........Thankyou for your reassurance.

Bess - glad to hear there's other happy, healthy bubs out there who are the same size as Lucy. She does like the sweeter veges, certainly not potato.

Katie - you obviously know what I mean about my visit with the midwife this morning :D

[Refresh]

FWIW, my bub is almost 20 months and weighs 9kg:) NOthing wrong with him ,he's just little:) They all grow at different rates and end up being different sizes (just like adults.....:rolleyes: ) I am sure there's nothing to worry about...bubs are pretty smartm, they know when they are hungry and when they are full! Follow bubba's lead and you cant go wrong. Good luck

[lukaelmo]

Hey Bubbalucy, yes, marscapone is a type of cheese, it kind of tastes like cream... Having recommended it though, I take it back for a bit because Luka was spitting up a bit today which is really unusual, he hasn't really done it before. The marscapone is the latest intro to his diet, and it is quite rich so I am going to take it out, and perhaps try again with it later.

I am really passionate about smaller babies, they really do not seem to be accounted for on the system. What are you supposed to think when you are told your child isn't on the charts because he/she is tiny??? Now that I am over my paranoia about Luka's weight, I can see he is just small. He isn't as interested in food as other babies. But you could say exactly the same things for adults.

As for trying to force more food down your little one's throat, well we all know that doesn't work at all.

Sometimes just one negative word from a CHNs can ruin your whole day; but I don't think they realise this. Please don't feel bad if your GP says the same thing as your CHN, mine did and I think she had me more worried than anyone.

I will stop my rant now, and I am sure there are plenty of excellent CHNs out there.

Hmmm big rant from me huh?!

[Refresh]

and I am sure there are plenty of excellent CHNs out there.


ummmm, yes, of course there are:o Good chn's, yes:D
LOL:rolleyes:

[lukaelmo]

ummmm, yes, of course there are:o Good chn's, yes:D
LOL:rolleyes:

Surely there has to be ONE? Somewhere? Anywhere?

[Refresh]

LOL...of course:D

[Snugglepot]

I add cottage cheese to DS's vegies, he loves them then! You can buy a creamed one so it is not as lumpy. I also cook all my vegies together with a little chicken stock, they are tastier that way. Don't worry about your bubs weight, as everyone said, they are all different!

BTW, I have a FANTASTIC MCH, my mothers group even gave her flowers when it finished up!

[lukaelmo]

BTW, I have a FANTASTIC MCH, my mothers group even gave her flowers when it finished up!

See, I knew there would be one out there ;)

[jembelina]

Ummmmm.........yoghurt and fruit not a meal????? Since when???? Ds is 12 months old and that is his lunchtime staple! Anyway......stop worrying. As you said, you cannot force her to eat. No big deal if she wont eat rice cereal - would you after you'd tasted anything else??? You could try vita brits or porridge, a hit with most bubs from what I can gather (and cheaper too!!). I think if you are offering her a variety of healthy yummy foods, what more can you do. If you feel you need to get more into her try mixing new stuff with things she already loves - there is no rule that says you can't mix vegies with yoghurt - I know many mothers who do this to get veg into bub with success! Sorry, I'm probably not much help - but my theory is this - it's not about weight - I think it's about sparkling eyes, shiny hair, glowing skin, happy/alert baby. No one knows your baby better than you nad you will know if something i snot right!
Good luck!

[jembelina]

Oh, and my CHN is fantastic!!! I love her - great advice, never judgemental and very accepting of all different ideas.

[PinkBinkie]

Thanks Jem - yep, Lucy looks very healthy and never gets sick (touch wood) so I totally believe you when you say weight is not the only indicator of a healthy baby. I feel so much better today and more relaxed, especially after recieving all these positive messages to my cry for help! Poor Lucy! Mummy wasn't very happy yesterday!

Kez- great idea about the cottage cheese! The cream seems to be working a treat but cottage cheese may be more nutrional. Thanks for the advice.

And their are GREAT CHN's out there. I just ran in to a rude one and in 8mths of having a baby that's not too bad ;)

[Pommy Mummy]

Hi
My suggestion is that you add 1 teaspoon of rice cereal to her fruit and then each day try and add an extra teaspoon of rice cereal each day until she is eating equal parts fruit to rice cereal. My 7 month old has been a great eater I'm really lucky. his current routine is as follows:

Breakfast on waking (7am-8am)
210ml of formula
2 tbsp baby muesli with 2 tbsp fruit

lunch (11.30-12)
180ml formula
4 tbsp various veggies

2.30 - 3pm
180ml formula

5.30 - 6pm
2 tbsp rice cereal and 2 tbsp fruit

7.30pm
bath
210ml formula
bed

and then we start again in the morning.

[PinkBinkie]

Thanks Pommy Mummy
I copied your routine down. Maybe I should space my bottles apart like you have done so that Lucy will feel like eating more. I try and leave 1-1 1/2 hrs inbetween bottle and solids to give her time for the milk to settle. And I've tried the fruit/rice cereal for breakfast without success. This morning I gave her multigrain banana cereal with formula and yoghurt. She wasn't too keen but I'm going to keep trying!