Please help me figure this out - feeding related

For the life of me I can't figure out how much and when to feed her. It seems like she's never hungry (except her first bottle in the morning.)

Here's what I'm doing now

between 6 & 7 am - 7oz bottle
between 8:30 - 9: 30 - 2 or 3 tbsps of cereal, stage 1 fruit (never finishes)
between 10 - 11 - offer a 7oz bottle - takes a few maybe 3 or 4oz
1pm - offer a 7oz bottle - takes about 5
4pm - offer a 7oz bottle - takes about 6
5:30 - 6:00 - 2 or 3 tbsps cereal, stage 1 veggie (sometimes - rarely - 1/2 a fruit if she's still hungry
7:00pm - 7 oz bottle - takes about 6 oz.

She'll be 6 months tomorrow and I wanted to start trying stage 2's and add lunch and meats in, but if she's not finishing stage 1's isn't that too much?

Am I giving too many bottles? Should I be "chasing" her meals with a bottle?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Thanks!


ETA I need some kind of schedule for daycare - they want me to tell them when to feed her.

Message edited 5/31/2007 10:12:22 AM.

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

Jodi- Matty and Hannah are the same age- tomorrow is our 6 month checkup and I'm going to ask his Dr about this because I have no idea how to mix formula with solids on a schedule- here is what we do now....

6am- bottle- about 6 oz
7:30-9ish nap
9am- bottle 5oz
10:30 - 1/2 jar of fruit or veggies maybe cereal
12:30-bottle 5oz and nap till 2
4-5 1/2 jar of solids- fruit or veggies
5:30-7 nap
7- maybe some more solids? Depends
8-8:30 bottle and bed

This ALWAYS varies- sometimes he takes a 6 ox bottle sometimes a 3 oz bottle- I want to do stage 2 solids now too but I think I'm going to wait on meats for a long time- the jarred meats taste bad!

Anyway, I'll let you know what our Dr. says- I'm not sure if he supposed to be eating more solids!

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

I would try to hold her off until about 11:30-noon for that second bottle. Just push it back by about 10-15 minutes a day until you get to about 11am and then she will probably drink more. And she may be hungry enough to have lunch at that point also. Then once you add in lunch she should be able to go until about 3pm and have a bottle, then dinner and a bedtime bottle.

I would give her 4-5 bottles a day at that age. Molly just turned 7 months and we are down to 4 a day.

Here is our current schedule:

7:30-8am- 7 oz bottle, cereal and fruit
noon- 7 oz bottle, yogurt
3:30- 6 oz bottle
6pm-cereal and veggie
7pm bottle and then bed

Message edited 5/31/2007 10:24:27 AM.

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

This is what I do with Steven. he has definately decreased his bottle intake and increased his food intake. He's been on Stage 2 for some time now. You can start her she doesn't have to finish the whole thing.

7am - three formula scoops of cereal and one Stage 1 fruit, or 1/2 Stage 2 (but sometimes he takes a whole). 4 1/2 oz bottle (I use the other 1.5 oz for the cereal)

between 11/12 - One veggie and one fruit, 6 oz bottle (he ususally eats around 4 oz then an hour later looks for the rest).

3/4 - 6 oz bottle. He really looks for this bottle but won't eat the food.

6- one veggie and one fruit (sometimes only 1/2).

8 - 8 oz bottle. He sucks this bottle down!

Sometimes he will get juice with his 6:00 meal. If he wants his food at the 3/4 o'clock feeding, then I give him yogurt at 6. Sometimes I give him yogurt for breakfast or for dinner.

My ped. said not to start meats until at least 7 1/2 months, when we will start table food.

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

Also, if I give Molly cereal she usually only eats half of a jar of food. So you can still go to stage 2 even if she is not finishing stage 1s. Sweet potatoes and apples are a huge hit in our house along with the corn casserole and Ham/Pinapples/Rice mix.

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

Compared to Hannah, it seems like I am starving Leah


Since she is finishing her 7am bottle, I would wait and then give her food (fruit) & a bottle around 11am. If she's not finishing the fruit at 9am or the bottle at 10am, I bet she could hold off a bit.

Then, once she eats her "meal" at 11, give her just a bottle at maybe 3pm and than another meal & bottle around 6 or 7 then a bottle before bed.

Is she hungry, or are you just offering the food and she is taking it? Maybe wait and space out her meals a little more so she is hungry and then will eat the whole thing...

JMO

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

that seems like a lot of feeding to me- maybe lessen the frequency? DD is 7 months old and this is her schedule.

6am- 8 ounce bottle and jar of stage 2 fruit
10am- 8 ounce bottle
2pm- 5 ounces of bottle, 2 tablespoons of cereal and 1/2 jar stage 2 veggie and 1/2 jar stage 2 fruit
6pm- same as above...

that seems to be enough for her and has been the schedule she's been on for about 2 months now... I always make her an 8 ounce bottle- sometimes she'll take all of it- sometimes when eating "food" only 5-6 ounces....
maybe you need to space out the feedings a bit more?

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

Sounds like a alot. When DD was 6 months I tried not to follow with food right after a bottle. I would wait a hour. She will let you know when she is hungry, their bottle consumption does drop, so don't worry if she isn't drinking all her bottles.

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

I have no clue if this is "right" but this is what we've been doing and DD is 7 months old.

8 am - 2-3 tablespoons of cereal, small jar of fruit (2.5 ounces) and she usually drinks about a 5 ounce bottle

12 pm - Drinks about 5 ounces and a stage 2 jar of fruit or a yobaby yogart

4 pm - 5 ounce bottle and jar of veggie

8 pm - 6 ounce bottle

I think you can space out her bottles so she has one every 4 hours now. That might help.

Message edited 5/31/2007 3:47:17 PM.

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

DD is 7 months now and this is our schedule:

8 am 6 oz bottle
noon - 4 tbsp cereal and 6 oz bottle
4 pm stage 2 fruit or veggie and 6 oz bottle

6pm meat (usually a mix with the fruits or vegetables) and a 6 oz bottle.

Our ped had us start the cereal at 4 months, the fruits and veggies at 6 months and the meats at 7 months.

HTH

Re: Please help me figure this out - feeding related

DD just turned 7 mos but this is what she's doing (maybe that's why she's a peanut lol - but she seems OK eating this so far?):
6:30am - nurse (I'll guess 4 oz? who knows)
Daycare:
8-9am: 2-3 tbsp cereal, then rest of 5 oz bottle
12:30 ish: stage 1 fruit or veggie and (lately) more cereal, i'll say 2 tbsp probably
1-2ish: rest of a 6oz bottle (some of this is used for cereal at noon)

4-5-ish: 5 oz bottle
Sometimes at 6 she'll have a 4oz bottle, sometimes not. I get her at 6:30.

at home:
7pm: stage 1 fruit & veggie (bought a lot of stage 1's, trying to finish them off). If she didn't have 2 cereals that day, then cereal also.
Sometimes she'll eat more cereal, but less food, also.

8pm: nurse, sleep.

Usually wakes up 11:30 still hungry and nurses again, so I'm thinking of starting to give her bottles before bedtime to see if that helps..