Starting solids - whats your feeding schedule?

DS is 5 months old and I'm introducing solids. The ped told us to start with cereal - which he has been getting in his bottles since 3 weeks old. I did, but he honestly hates it. So, I skipped over it and went right to veggies which he loooves.

My question is: does he NEED cereal or oatmeal in his daily diet or can he just have his formula and veggies/fruit?

And what is/was your feeding schedule for your 5 or 6 month old? I'm really kind of lost as to what he should get throughout the day. My Ped is very vague with this, so I dont feel i'm getting it right. I feel like he's being underfed

Re: Starting solids - whats your feeding schedule?

My DD hated oatmeal at first too, so I went to veggies, then fruits, and now we started back with oatmeal again. Almost all of their nutrition comes from formula/BM now so these solids are just for practice.

My DD will be 6 months on Monday, this is pretty much her schedule:

7am: 8oz bottle
10/10:30: 6oz bottle, 1-2oz of veggies or fruit
2pm: 6oz bottle, 1-2oz of veggies or fruit
5/6pm: sometimes 8oz bottle, sometimes 6oz and then 1-2oz of veggies

She seems to like everything, and has a better time now with the oatmeal now that she understands how this whole eating thing is supposed to work. Remember to give time in between introducing new foods, like 3 days. And don't give up, my DD at first didn't understand, but after a few days seemed to catch on. Its so cute now to see her smacking her lips together and "chew"

Also, our schedule changes when we're out etc. If we're busier that day at she only gets solids once, so be it.

Re: Starting solids - whats your feeding schedule?

We started a couple of weeks ago. DD is 4.5 months old.

6 a.m. bottle 7 oz.
8 a.m. oatmeal (unless we're introducing a new food, then she gets that instead)
9 a.m. bottle (about 4 oz.)
noon bottle 7 oz.
4 p.m. veggie (sometimes I mix 2 - if she doesn't seem crazy about the newer veggie, I'll mix it with sweet potatoes, which she LOVES.
5 p.m. bottle 7 oz.
7:30 (ish) bottle (about 5 oz.)

At this point, they don't NEED the cereal. Their main source of nourishment is from breastmilk or formula.

Maybe as you introduce fruit, you can add it to the cereal to make it taste better? I plan to do this. I suppose you could add the veggies, but the idea of squash & oatmeal (or the like) is to me, even if the kiddies don't know any better.