Is your little one having difficulty transitioning to solid foods? You're certainly not alone! Join today's Q&A for expert advice from Registered Dietitian and Pediatric Specialist, Janel Funk.
Hi there,
My 5 1/2 month old son is ready for solids. So far we have been doing cereal once in the morning which he really enjoys. After this box we hope to switch to oatmeal and then start actual meals. I plan to make the food to start.
1. He currently drinks about 28-32oz of formula a day - how do i cut back on that as he eats more food?
2. Should their be 1 or 2 meals a day to start???
Thank you!
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Janel F.
How exciting! When you say "actual meals" do you mean more purees? Something else? |
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Megha I see - so I was told before that just for one meal start with food, then give the bottle until baby is full. The remaining meals should be all bottles anyway.... slowly advancing to 3 meals a day (cereal and 2 others) and then 3 larger bottles. |
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Janel F.
If I'm understanding your question correctly, you want to offer milk first, or at least make sure your baby's milk consumption is separate from his solid food intake (so maybe you're alternating feeding a bottle with solids every two hours to give time for your baby to digest) without cutting back on the amount of milk provided. Yes you'll be slowly advancing to three meals/day, and you may find your baby can tolerate 4 bottles/day (instead of three big ones plus solids) - for example: upon wakeup, after first nap, after second nap, before bed - with solids in between. Does that answer your question? |
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Megha Hi there – kind of. I was more saying that in the morning after waking the first thing he would get is 1 tablespoon of cereal or oatmeal. Followed by his normal bottle. The next meal would just be his bottle followed by the third meal being 1 tablespoon of puréed vegetable or fruit than his normal bottle. Then the next being a normal bottle, then a bedtime bottle (then he gets one at night). Gradually increasing the amount of his food from 1 tablespoon to 2 .... and cutting less of that bottle. He would go from 6, 5oz bottles to maybe two of those bottles gradually decreasing and adding the ounces to his other bottles.... eventually getting to 4, 7pz bottles and 2 meals. ?? |
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Janel F.
That is certainly something you can try, although I'd recommend he gets the first bottle of the day upon wakeup and not after breakfast. You may want to continue offering the same bottles as you have been to start, to see if he naturally takes less milk (or perhaps the same amount). In the beginning weeks of solids, more food might wind up on his face/hair/tray than in his tummy! So you want to be sure he's still getting adequate calories/nutrients from milk. |
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Megha Perfect! Yes :) as of now, my son has perfect aim! He loves loves food (so far) but yes I understand! Weight wise he is 98th % so calories are not an issue ;) but I’ll start with the bottle first then maybe after his first nap do cereal then milk, then veggie and milk for the next.... followed by bottles only. Ultimately i see him cutting the bottles when he eats and adding to the bottles when he doesn’t... balancing out the volume. |
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Janel F.
Yes it is tricky at first to find a good balance, because they seem to be eating, drinking milk, or sleeping all day long! And of course once you get the hang of it, they grow and change and you have to adjust. That's great he's loving food - keep it up! |
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Janel F.
Hi Suneetha - when introducing solids, you want to start with one time/day, and just 1-2 tablespoons at a time, as babies have tiny tummies. I recommend starting with any fruit, vegetable, or cereal. Is your baby 3 months or 7 months? (In your profile it says 3 months so just checking!) Generally I recommend starting solids at 6 months when your baby can sit unassisted, loses the tongue reflex that pushes his tongue/food out of his mouth, is showing interest in eating solids, and is starting to use the pincer grasp to pick up small things (like a small piece of food). When introducing a new food, I recommend giving it to your baby earlier in the day (as opposed to before bed) so you can watch for any signs of a potential allergic reaction. You can also wait a couple days before introducing another new food so you're able to determine which food causes any potential allergic reaction. Once your baby has tried a few foods, you can feel free to mix them for new flavor combinations, such as pear + spinach, or apple + sweet potato. |
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suneetha actually 3 mnths baby just asking for the future question .. one of the my nephew here .. she has 7 mnth ols.thats y asking |
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Janel F.
Great! Feel free to come back to ask more questions when your little one starts solids! |
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suneetha thank u so much |
How do I get my 9 months olds (8 adjust) twins started on stage three or should I wait ? They have been eating solids three times a day stage 2 for about a month and a half now.
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Janel F.
Hi Bianca, I'm a twin mama, too! Congrats! Starting solids is so fun (and so, so hilariously messy) with two babies. How are your babies doing on stage 2 solids? Can you gradually advance the texture? Do they do well with small pieces of soft food, like banana or avocado? Between now and when they are a year, you'll be advancing towards regular family food (as long as the texture is appropriate) so it doesn't have to be so black and white. You can provide pureed baby food for one meal, and a combination of soft bits of food at the next, as tolerated. If you feel they're ready, go for it! Exposing them to touching/seeing/mashing/grabbing small bits of food off their tray (even if not much of it actually makes it into their mouths and tummies) will help them advance their eating. |
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Amber Our current feeding schedule is: 8oz bottle (formula) upon wake-up (6am) and then I offer a bottle every 4 hours after that. A total of 4 bottles/day (32oz). He doesn’t finish the bottle always, usually somewhere between 4-7oz, occasionally 8oz (he always finishes the whole bottle before bed). I feed him breakfast at 7-7:30a, lunch at noon and dinner at 5p. What modifications, if any, should I make now that he is a year? Thank you. |
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Janel F.
Hi Amber, Now that your baby is one year old, you may transition him to whole cow’s milk, provided he has a balanced diet of solid foods (cereals, vegetables, fruits, and meats). |