What and how much should my 8 month old be eating?

amother

Sun, Mar 30 2014, 10:02 pm

DS still doesn't have any teeth, so I'm scared to give him some more solid foods, but as of now we only really do one jar of baby food a day, and a few tablespoons of cereal plus about 3-4 bottles of 6oz. He doesn't seem to be hungry more frequently, or cry when he's done eating to say he wants more - but I'm worried it isn't enough.

Any other ideas in terms of nutritional value what I should give him? Or how much food vs. milk?

amother

Mon, Mar 31 2014, 12:43 am

Should we be experimenting more with table foods? I know people who have already given their children everything they eat! We've only ever given him tiny pieces of challah and a pinky-drop of kiddush.

suzyq

Mon, Mar 31 2014, 2:58 pm

My baby is 9 months old and he will eat anything and everything (he also has no teeth). Whenever we are eating, he watches us and whines until we give him some. My ped said he can have anything except honey, but just to watch for choking hazzards. He has even slowed down on his milk consumption recently because he'd rather be eating. But I would say if your baby is happy with what is going on, then keep doing what you are doing - your baby will let you know when he wants more.

amother

Mon, Apr 07 2014, 9:37 am

OP, I just came on here to write the exact question and found that you beat me to it. My 8 months old is eating baby cereal and mushed apple or pear in the morning, a mush of chicken or ground meat and veggies for lunch and another mush of fruits/veggies for dinner (or sometimes I switch things around and give the chicken for dinner). My baby also nurses 4-5 times a day and I was also worrying that it wasn't enough. Now after reading your post and the responses I'm worrying that maybe I give too much food!!!!

From reading these posts, I guess what it comes down to is that as long as your baby's content, doesn't show signs of wanting more and has the energy to be active then you're doing what's best for your baby.

musicmom

Mon, Apr 07 2014, 10:05 am

A mesh bag is a feeding tool you can buy in the baby store. It has a handle that attaches to it which is easy for a baby to grasp. You can feed them food in it that you don't need to worry about choking from, like chunks of fruit, and they suck at it. We used these with my first child and they do work, although they are not fun to clean out.

Until a baby is a year old, you are supposed to avoid milk, strawberries and blueberries, nuts, grapes (unless they are cut up) and honey. Other than that, babies can eat everything. It doesn't even need to be mush! We give our kids at that age a lot of finger food like cheerios, puffs, or things that they can also feed to themselves. They can learn at a young age how to drink out of a straw or cup as well. Feeding themselves gives good practice at hand/mouth coordination and developing skills (although it is messy).

I don't think babies overeat- they grow so fast that they need a lot of nutrition. You certainly can't nurse too much, although they may want less milk when they begin eating solids. Also, a lot of the food takes a long time for baby to feed him or herself, and initially makes a mess, so it is not all going in their mouth!

Chick peas are a great finger food!