Food food food

[Benandrewsmum]

Hi

My little guy is 7 1/2 months old and I really don't know if I am giving him enough nutrition in his diet. He seems to live on fruit and just a tiny amount of veges.

He has fruit and rice cereal for breaky,
usually fruit/fruit gel and custard for lunch,
then he has some sort of vege puree for dinner.

I have also started trying him on toast and vegemite (seems to like it, but not sure how much he actually eats)
Have also tried him on cucumber...yummy
and cheese - not a big fan.

I would love it if other people would share their daily menus for kids about the same age.

Lots of suggestions would be appreciated!!

Thanks

Donna

[the_queen]

Vallerie was right into the yogurt at that age. Also mushed up weetbix (no lumps) (i know on the box it says "from 8 months" but Vally got it from 6 months, and she was fine with it - she has no food allergies though, and there's no history of allergies in our families)
Vallerie LOVED vegemite on toast (still does!) and sometimes I would spread pureed fruit (ie strawberries or other "jam-like" fruits) on the toast for her.

When you say he likes the cucumber, do you think part of it is that he gets to pick it up and feed himself? Maybe try steaming some carrot sticks, or long green beans. Or maybe some soft fruit, like peel a very ripe nectarine (which is a bit tricky!) and let him suck on that. Finger food is not just about nutrition, it also helps with their motor skills and cognitive development (as I'm sure you know - you sound like a wonderful mummy!!)

[JanetF]

If your son is bf then he's getting quite sufficient food. Food at his age is really more about taste and exploration than nutrition because his main food source of bm is perfectly balanced and gives him everything he needs. Babies can happily and healthily be on bm solely until they're 1 so he's right on track. Even if he's a ff baby he's still supposed to get most of his nutrition from it not food.
These websites have GREAT info on bubs and food.
www.askdrsears.com
www.kellymom.com

[Harmony83]

That sounds about what my 9 month old DS eats! He has cereal with puree for brekky, custard/yoghurt/fruit gel/fruit or veg puree for lunch, and mixed veg puree for dinner... He loves his finger food as well, which he gets as a snack or if he is still hungry after a meal - he loves, boiled carrot stick, bananas, vegemite sangas, arrowroot bikkies, home made rusks, soft fruits etc... It's fun all this learning, isn't it! I love watching him discover a new food! So gorgeous...

[meshan]

A serve of food is considered the size of the palm of your hand, so a serve for a baby is very small. Considering it is recommend you have 3 serves of vegies and 2 of fruit a day it is not hard for a baby to get that, even though it doesn't look like they're eating much.

[Aprilsmum]

My angel just loves her food. Here's her daily solids menu. She is also on 5 BF a day.

Breakfast - 1/2 weatbix and some baby rice cereal. Vegemite on toast finger.

Lunch - 4 Cubes of Veges and 1 Cube of Meat (all mushed together) and a 60g tub of baby yoghurt.

Dinner - 3 Cubes of Veges and 1 Cube of Meat 1 Cube of Pasta (all mushed together) plus about 1/3 tin of custard. Sometimes I also grate some cheddar cheese and put it in her veges too. She loves cheese.

Also - At around 3ish I will give her a biscuit to munch on. She like the Mild Arrowroot biscuits. She also has plenty of sips of water throughout the day.

What a little guts!

[Aprilsmum]

Ooh - forgot to mention that I was advised to offer savoury before sweet. Its meant to stop them developing a sweet tooth. I don't know if it worked or not but she seems to just love her veges.

Also - I do give her fruit for her afternoon snack instead of a biscuit sometimes too.

[reAllytee]

I agree with Aprilsmum on offering the savoury before sweet as i was also told this & have found it to be true with my bubs. They love sweet & why wouldnt they breastmilk is sweet & so is formula in some regards especially compared to vegies. Ive had to "bribe" my 9mth old of late with having say 3 cubes or half a tin of vegies before he can say have his tub of yoghurt or 3 cubes of fruit seems to have worked so far hehe. He would live on yoghurt & fruit if he had his way !
Try & stick with sweeter varieties of vegies if you find bubs is rejecting them say pumpkin, sweet corn or sweet potato they seem to go down better then slowly mix in other vegies when they are hapily eating or adding yoghurt to vegies also works a treat.
But as long as your serving "rounded" varieties dont stress bubs will let you know if he wants more !
My routine is something along the lines of & has only increased in how much is served & snacks as he gets older.
6 or 7am - Bottle
8 or 9am - Brekky - Either rice cereal / fruit / yoghurt / weetbix with toast fingers.
12pm - Lunch - Either vegies / fruit with either yoghurt / fruit gel & water.
2pm - Bottle
5pm - Dinner - either vegies / meat & vegies with past / rice with either fruit / custard.
6pm - Bottle
His snacks range from finger foods of fruit or vegies like pieces of potato or baby carrots to toasted vegemite fingers or if he is very lucky something like a yoghurt or jelly !
My bubs is a very big eater though he is in a size 1 & is only 9mths & im now having to buy size 2 :eek: So maybe im not much help ! hehe :rolleyes: