Solid foods for 8 month old

Hi,


Need some advice/reassurance about feeding my 7.5 month old. I started her on solids at 6 months and she's doing really well. She's fully breastfed, so I don't know how much milk she's getting and sometimes I worry I'm not producing as much because maybe I'm feeding her too much solids.


Here's her rough schedule:


7am wake and breastfeed.

Morning nap.


First solid meal between 10-11am.

Breastfeed.


Lunchtime nap.


Second solid meal around 2pm.

Breastfeed.


Third solid meal around 5pm.

Breastfeed.


My queries are...:


1. Should I be trying to feed her solids at breakfast - ie. after the 7am breastfeed?


2. Am I feeding her too much vegetables and not enough variety?


Right now, she eats about 3 or 4 times a day. One is fruit.

2 are vegies (carrots/sweet potato/broccoli/potato).

And the fourth might be baby yoghurt.


After EVERY meal, we try a little bit of fruit to prevent constipation and then spoon feed a bit of breast milk. Then later I will breastfeed her.


My mum said we are giving her too much brocolli everyday. And even carrots everyday will make the baby go orange! She also worries we are feeding baby too much food.


I know four times a day may be excessive to feed baby but if I don't, I worry I won't have enough breastmlk to satisfy her?


Perhaps I should make one meal just baby cereal and milk (with no fruit and vegies?).


Last night, she finished off an entire tub of baby yoghurt, almost like 8 oz in there! I was wondering whether I should just stop feeding her - because I read you're supposed to feed the baby until they don't want anymore.


By the way - she's not enormous. She's above average for weight and height and nice and chubby but not OBESE...

We also had big chubby babies. Not to worry, they get slimmer once they start walking.

Hi - thanks for the schedule. I think maybe I was feeding too much food and not enough milk.

Agreed it seems your schedule is fine. Your baby will decided when to reduce her milk intake. The only thing I would say that you are missing is some cereal/baby rice. These are really important for iron. They can be combined really nicely with fruit for breakfast.

Actually feeding too much sweet potato can give your baby's skin an orange hue (not sure about carrots though)

Google wholseome baby food if you want to explore some ideas for food at different ages. Also great recipes and fruit/veg combinations.

Also take a look at Annabel Karmel's website as she gives advice for schedules too.

3 solid meals a day sounds about right, because that is ultimately what you will want to move towards. Make sure you don't feed the solids too close to when you plan milk feeds and vice versa, as you need baby to be hungry for both!

I think if your baby is happy and growing well then you really don't need to worry about what anyone else tells you. Sounds like you are doing fine to me.

Hi


Is she having and meat yet? By 8 months she should definitely be having some meat produce as this is where she would be getting most of her iron from. When feeding meat though, you should try to not feed her milk, as the milk reduces iron absorption by 50%. Babies iron levels decrease once they reach 6 months and there isn't enough in breastmilk to maintain the levels needed. So try either fortified breakfast cereal (baby rice or weetabix with cow's milk/breastmilk) and some meat/fish for lunch. Fish is great as you don't have to mash it. It jut disintegrates in the mouth!

My understanding is that meat and fish is fine but an 8 month old is still fully capable of getting 100% of nutrition needs from breast milk.

Not completely true axptguy38.

Breastmilk provides complete nutritional needs for a baby up to the age of 6 months. After that age a baby needs a variety of solid foods for appropriate nutrition, in particular, iron. As stated above, iron levels deplete after 6 months of age and breastmilk alone is not enough to provide all that baby needs.


The WHO advocates exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and then continued breast feeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to two years or beyond. In support of my (and rooj's) comments above... quote from WHO breast-feeding guidelines...

"Breastmilk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one-third during the second year of life."

Thanks for info.

Hi - just got back from a holiday in Toronto! Thanks for the info and will look at introducing meat and fish now.


Didn't think it was possible, but she is drinking milk through a straw now. (couldn't imagine a baby of 7.5 months could do that!) This is a good development as I need to wean her from breastfeeding and she never took to the bottle. So hopefully I can pump and then have someone else feed her (need to return to work in July).

Hi Slammy.

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. I fully breastfeed and had the same routine when my baby was 8 months except I gave her baby cereal half an hour after the 7am feed. My daughter loves yoghurt too....and cheese!

Sooney