Posted by
hortons
18 yrs ago
although she means well, our helper seems to enjoy (challenge herself) feeding our 10 month old boy as much as she can until he is visibly FULL. I often have to say he's had enough please stop now. She prepares a wonderful congee mix, however always sits with him, with a huge bowl full, and begins feeding. When he complains, she distracts him with a toy, he opens his mouth and down it goes. I'd say he'd be eating around 16 ounces of solid - did the maths, thats 32 tablespoons!!! Then she follows him up with a 7 ounce bottle before bed, 1 hour later.
So, how much is enough? How much is too much?
thanks
penny
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this happens about twice a day, he obviously doesnt need small meals through the day...
the congee she makes is a fantastic mix. meat, veg, rice and pasta. it really is a full compliment. you are right though, he should be eating more with us these days. with a good set of teeth he'll love using them.
just found another downside to eating far too much in one sitting...6 soiled nappies through the day equals a very sore bum. poor little thing
thanks for the reply. got a formula online today, one tablespoon of solids per month of age. doesn't seem like much. however add 8 ounces of milk and perhaps a banana and the meal is bigger.
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katyw
18 yrs ago
Is it a cultural thing perhaps? (ie, they do this in her country of origin?) My inlaws do this (they are Chinese) and it really grates on me too and I have to ask them to stop as he gets very distressed. They also do this with my 2 1/2 year old. They sit next to him and virtually try and force him to eat.
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mine is 6 months. when he starts getting fussy, distracted, etc i stop for awhile and try again. but if he still refuses at the second go, i stop completely - we're not supposed to force feed them. he likes his solids so far so don't want to turn him off by stuffing his face with food! by the online formula you found, my bub is a big eater as he can eat at least 6 tablespoons per meal!
to build on katyw's comments, maybe it's not a cultural thing but her background - in sg, most of the domestic helpers are from the phillipines, indonesia and sri lanka. many come from very poor families so to them, it's a big waste of precious food if the baby doesn't finish it all.
perhaps you can suggest to her to cook half the usual food portion in future? that might be more manageable for your child and your helper won't see the food go to waste.
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thankyou all, although a big part of his diet....he doesn't just eat congee, he often will eat a banana, chew on a biscuit or try some bread. thanks cara, we will be trying him on new foods though, a good idea to have him experience new tastes.
you are right wheelymate, it is a cultural thing to make him eat everything and not waste a single drop. wasting even the last drop of a bottle certainly gets out DH on a mission to get him to finish it.
Had a talk to our DH this morning, told her that he was eating far too much and gave a "strict" 2 small bowl limit (approx 15 tablespoons. She was agreeable and hopefully will abide by my wishes. Now I have to gather some suggestions for different foods.
Oh, another interesting thing with our DH is that once you say the congee is good, or you love pumpkin for dinner, it's all she'll make until you suggest other things. Perhaps there is sense of security in the one thing?
P
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hortons, maybe you can do a weekly meal plan? then your baby will get to taste a variety of foods!
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crj
18 yrs ago
Our regular maid is away for 3 weeks.
We have three substitutes to cover M-F.
I have noticed that two are quite persistent and patient and baby finishes his meal or most of it.
One has baby eating about half his meal each time. She just says okay finished the first moment he slows down or takes a break.
Now because our baby is low weight and needs the calories - I prefer the ones who are patient and get him to eat more by taking a break and then feeding him more.
When he is full, he lets us know by not opening his mouth (really not opening, you can't even pry it open!).
Our baby does poo a lot, but mostly on the toilet so his bum is okay. Although we joke that he eats so much, and poos so much (half way through and after each meal) we are not sure what he actually keeps inside!
Variety - I think the weekly meal plan is a great idea, we do something similar it really helps.
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hortons, may i ask with the huge amount of food that he is eating, how is your baby's weight? is he chubby or is he still skinny? my friend's son loves eating, and he is always eating something every time i see him. but he is still very tiny compared to other kids and he is very light. so just wondering about your kid.
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Dear Penny,
Children need ever-changing amounts of food, influenced by their activity level and developmental phase. However, babies and children make it pretty obvious when they have had enough to eat.
A hungry baby will lean forward or open the mouth when hungry, and clench the mouth shut, turn aside, or lean back when satisfied. When babies get better at using their hands, they might push the spoon away.
Be aware of these cues and do not force feed.
Well Baby Clinic - 2849 1500
Matilda Interntational Hospital
Hong kong
http://www.matilda.org
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thanks for all the excellent replies. our son is well within the healthy weight range, not chubby, not skinny. i've actually educated our helper, she is fantastic and has changed her approach. we now sit him up with us a dinner and he munches on bits and pieces. it's certainly less stressful and he is a happy RASH FREE baby!! thanks all
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This is a very interesting thread. I've been assured umpteen times that babies make it clear when they have had enough food, but sometimes I wonder wether this is really true for all babies. My eight months old LOVES eating. He is breastfed (loves that too) and gets two solid meals a day. He opens his mouth as soon as he sees a spoon, and whenever the bowl is empty he starts crying, so I've gradually increased the amount of solids. I am now feeding him 200-240 g of freshly cooked veggies and some protein now and then at lunchtime, but he still cries for more! I have found that I can usually distract him with a teething rusk, some water or a toy, and when he forgets about the food, he can make it for another 3 to 4 hours before getting hungry again. Unsurprisingly, he is really chubby (around the 97th percentile in weight and 60th in lenght). As he is also very active, I know I shouldn't worry too much, but I still wonder how much such a tiny creature can eat and how much I should give him!
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RiceT
18 yrs ago
Our DH has also tried to feed our baby too much and even between meal times. When I saw her do the latter, I stopped it immediately and told her that I have to know what and when the baby is eating, particularly since I am still breastfeeding. So now, I also make a food plan, we freeze our fresh food, and then I prepare the dishes so that I can regulate the amount of food given. I will also stop our helper during mealtimes if she is trying to force the babe to eat more than she wants.
Our helper is sweet and great and we are very laid back about most things here, but it's very uncomfortable seeing our baby being forced to eat more. I continually remind our helper that if the baby doesn't seem to want anymore, do not force it. Since we're still breastfeeding too, solids are about exploring tastes and textures and it is not necessary to eat tons if the baby is thriving and not interested in eating more. No games...i.e. distracting, conjoling, etc.,...during mealtimes either.
Hortons, glad to hear your DH is working with you on this. : )
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