8 month old should eat 3 meals a day??

mommy3b2c

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 10:12 am

BrisketBoss wrote:

The truth lies in the middle. It's not totally true that food before one is just for fun. At some point they should have a bit extra nutrition from food as well as the skills and experience of working with the food (ok, I guess that's the 'for fun' part.)

But weaning can be very slow. If your kid is on less than 50% solids by 12 months, it's fine.

Of course the truth lies in the middle. But my youngest especially didn’t eat at all till about 1 because that worked fine for us. And he breastfed till 3.5 and that worked fine for us. And he slept in my bed till 2.5 years old and that worked fine for us. And he mostly lives on leben these days and that’s not great but it is what it is and it’s working fine for us. As long as your child is loved and safe and growing then it’s all fine.

BrisketBoss

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 10:25 am

amother [ IndianRed ] wrote:

My apartment is warm and comfortable.
Try eating yogurt naked and tell me how you feel. Wink

At the very least, leave on a onesie.
Most babies and small children that I know and I know a lot of kids, wear clothing indoors as well. I’m not sure what you are referring to, but most kids don’t walk around naked all day.
It’s great that you let your kids experiment with foods in a hands on way!

Toddlers are infamous for enjoying being deliberately naked indoors. Whether their parents permit this is another question. And some babies are often naked too because their parents don't want to go through the bother of dressing them if not going out.

Does sitting still make a difference, yes, perhaps. But I haven't observed any visible discomfort or lesser willingness to eat from naked babies. I just wonder if your kids give you clear signs, or if you are projecting how you would feel. Babies can have very different ideas from adults of what is comfortable.

Last edited by BrisketBoss on Thu, Dec 16 2021, 10:26 am; edited 1 time in total

gamanit

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 10:38 am

I actually don't think the recommendations make much sense as a general rule. My first was on formula and breast milk and was gaining ok but not great. The doctors recommended based on standard protocol at the time that I give some baby jars every day. I don't remember exactly how many. She ate them very nicely but they filled her up way too much. She started nursing less and drinking less from her bottles and she actually fell off the charts in both weight and height.

With my other kids, I took the approach of giving them whatever food they wanted as long as it was safe. When my daughter wanted cheesecake as a four-month-old I felt so bad that I "couldn't" let her have. Not so with her younger siblings- if they asked for food I took that to mean that they were ready. I didn't buy any baby jars anymore. They ate whatever regular food they wanted. Obviously, I would remove the little bone from the chicken before giving it to them but regular normal food with no pressure or schedule. No set "meals". They want it great, don't want it also great. This approach worked out much better and actually set up much healthier eating patterns.

gold21

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:14 am

amother [ Whitewash ] wrote:

I'm not on baby #1 anymore. I have a one-year-old to teens, and despite not getting meals until well over age 1, they are all wonderful eaters. In fact you would probably be jealous at how much they enjoy vegetables and real food, and eat adult size portions from a fairly young age.

I cater to my baby's needs by giving them solids when they want them. The baby is sitting on my lap when I eat, and if he/she wants a bite, I happily offer them one. They are welcome to have finger food whenever they want it. I don't cook meals for baby (aside for one child where I felt they really needed it).

None of my babies had solids until they were sitting up and could feed it to themselves. And even then, as I said, it wasn't meals.

Honestly I think we do a big disservice to parents by trying to standardize everything and raise the standards to impossible levels.

If you are worried about your child's iron, it's a quick and simple test to find out. If they have low iron, you can give them iron drops or add iron-rich foods. There is no need to force your baby to eat solids before they are ready (which means transferring 90% of the effort over to you). When they are ready, they will eat by themselves.

You don't have to bathe your baby every day (in fact dermatologists say this may be harmful).
You don't have to feed your baby solids, especially your nursing baby, before the baby wants them (assuming this is a healthy baby who is meeting milestones).
You don't have to provide a set amount of minutes of tummy time, don't have to play classical music, hang certain mobiles which are perfect for baby's eyes, take baby to pilates, have playdates for babies, or put them to sleep in pajamas.
You need to love your baby. You need to make sure your baby is satisfied when eating, is warm and clean, and has health concerns addressed. You need to keep your baby safe. You need to make sure to answer your baby's cries, because that's all the communication they know. Sometimes you answer, "Mommy can't hold you now," but you answer. You need to try to learn what they like and dislike, if they want to be cuddled or swaddled or rocked, or just like a very dark and quiet room. You show them you care for them.

Guidance like exactly what age EVERY baby must eat solids, and precisely HOW MANY meals they must have per day or else they will SUFFER TERRIBLY from iron deficiency... let it all go. You are a good mother and your baby will be fine. If your baby is hungry, they will let you know. Most babies will cry, others will be lethargic. But they will let you know. Your baby will WANT solids. Your baby will try to take solids. And you can then offer them gladly for them to explore and eventually eat.

But please don't look for more parenting rules. There are way too many already, and the overwhelmed and stressed parents who can't handle any more children are often suffering from these invented expectations more than their actual kids.

💯

They don't teach common sense in college. Either you have it or you don't.

I realize this more and more every day.

amother

IndianRed

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:21 am

gamanit wrote:

It’s actually much better to give regular food to babies. You can offer baby food jars and baby cereal ( the cereal is good as its fortified with iron although if you give naturally enriched iron rich foods to baby this isn’t as important) but if it’s completely fine and oftentimes better to offer baby regular table food that adults eat. So that’s great. It doesn’t need to be rigid meal times, but you should aim to offer a baby a couple of meals after they hit the 6 month benchmark. According to current research and recommendations prior to 6 months you shouldn’t be offering them anything but breast milk or formula. After 6 months you start a gradual and slow process introducing solids. Ideally by the time a baby is 12 months old they are enjoying and eating and exploring most table foods.

gold21

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:31 am

amother [ IndianRed ] wrote:

Hmm … I actually think it’s common sense and seichel to feed babies solids in a slow and gradual manner from 6-12 months approximately ( with nursing and formula still being the main source of nutrition). But to each their own🤷‍♀️

K, so I have been parenting for well over a decade now B"H.

Some of my babies were very big fans of baby food, some were not. Some were eating baby food at 4.5 months, and moved on to real food at 6 months, while others preferred bottles.

Not everything is a big deal. Science is constantly evolving. It's ok to chill a little with all the rules and regulations. Trust yourself to know what works for you.

If I may ask- is this your first baby?

gold21

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:33 am

amother [ IndianRed ] wrote:

The key word here is CURRENT.

So is it that babies needs evolve along with the evolution of science , or that science sometimes gets it wrong?

What do you think?

If science is continuously evolving, was science ever wrong, or was it always right, and the needs of children simply evolved along with science?

amother

IndianRed

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:37 am

gold21 wrote:

I hear your perspective. I Bh have been parenting for over a decade as well and have teens to babies who are really fabulous eaters bh. I have learned a lot along the way and with my oldest son I didn’t do this with him as I was under the impression of before 1 food is just for fun. Although an abundance of seichel is always key, it’s important to learn new things and try to educate ourselves so we can make optimal parenting choices for our kids. We aren’t supposed to be perfect parents as there is no such thing and that’s a pressure that’s unhealthy but being open minded and trying to learn new things which includes hearing the latest advice in pediatrics, will only make you a better parent.

I always enjoy and learn from your posts Gold21. You have a great writing style and sense of humor!

gold21

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:50 am

amother [ IndianRed ] wrote:

Lol, thank you so much! Heart

Most of my babies started baby food "early", at 4.5 months (I was told it was "early" but if my child wanted it, I was gonna do it anyway- they were B"H ready, willing, and able)

But I have also had babies who didn't want baby food and were all about the bottles 24/7.

The way I see it, the world is so rigid about what's "right" and what's "wrong", leaving very little wiggle room for "what's right for this individual" and "what's wrong for this individual". Life is so complex and I'm not sure if rigid rules help or harm.

I actually agree with most of your above post. There is a lot of pressure in parenting and with time I've learned to pay attention to my own intuition. I do speak to my pediatrician and I do take medical advice. But ultimately, if my baby falls asleep in my bed when the doctor advised against it..... (Caveat- don't keep any blankets on the bed, blankets can be super dangerous.) I sort of have to allow myself a little bit of grace to figure out what works for me and what doesn't.

(*Anyway, let's look at the bright side. Neither you or I is the one sitting at home bored hugging others posts on this thread. So we're both doing pretty well I think, when you think of it from that perspective. Cool

*)

Last edited by gold21 on Thu, Dec 16 2021, 11:57 am; edited 1 time in total

SG18

Thu, Dec 16 2021, 1:02 pm

BrisketBoss wrote:

Yep! This is what I consider just for fun. Being at the table with Ima and Aba, getting to try different foods- hey, look, something I can put in my mouth that will actually taste good! Learning how to hold a spoon so the food gets in her mouth, feeling different textures and experiencing different flavors.

amother

IndianRed

Fri, Dec 17 2021, 12:45 am

gamanit wrote:

That is incorrect. The AAP currently recommends introducing solids sometime between 4-6 months old. When a baby is asking for food that usually means they're ready.

Health experts and breastfeeding experts agree that it’s best to wait until your baby is around six months old before offering solid foods. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and many other health organizations recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or other foods) for the first 6 months of life. I’m not going into the many health benefits of delaying solids here; see When Should Baby Start Solids? for more information.
( taken from Kellymom)
(The excerpt below is taken straight from the AAP website)
Here is information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to help you prepare for your baby's transition to solid foods.

When can my baby begin solid foods?
Remember that each child's readiness depends on his own rate of development.

Can he hold his head up? Your baby should be able to sit in a high chair, a feeding seat, or an infant seat with good head control.

Does he open his mouth when food comes his way? Babies may be ready if they watch you eating, reach for your food, and seem eager to be fed.

Can he move food from a spoon into his throat? If you offer a spoon of rice cereal, he pushes it out of his mouth, and it dribbles onto his chin, he may not have the ability to move it to the back of his mouth to swallow it. That's normal. Remember, he's never had anything thicker than breast milk or formula before, and this may take some getting used to. Try diluting it the first few times; then, gradually thicken the texture. You may also want to wait a week or two and try again.

Is he big enough? Generally, when infants double their birth weight (typically at about 4 months of age) and weigh about 13 pounds or more, they may be ready for solid foods.

NOTE: The AAP recommends breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for your baby for about 6 months. When you add solid foods to your baby's diet, continue breastfeeding until at least 12 months. You can continue to breastfeed after 12 months if you and your baby want to. Check with your child's doctor about the recommendations for vitamin D and iron supplements during the first year.

queen esther

Fri, Dec 17 2021, 1:32 am

oakandfig19 wrote:

I agree and that’s overall been my approach. He is seeing a GI who is closely monitoring him. At the same time, I can’t imagine how anyone would have the time to feed their 8 month old meals (not snacks) 3 times a day.

This thread is getting so interesting, thanks for your question! I have a 13 month old, not my first bh.
I go more towards the slow gradual start of solids, not worrying how much till around 12 months, breastfeeding. Of course if there are weight concerns- consult with doctor, which I read you are.

I think the idea of three meals can sound like a lot but they can simple, and quick. In my understanding, a "meal" for baby 8-12 months who is primarily nursing/formula feeding, and busy working mom with other kids around can be like this: meal 1: in high chair, Cheerios/ puffs/cracker, or food pouch, either in chair or a few squeezes with mom's help in between doing other things. Maybe a piece of soft fruit, baby can hold.
Meal 2: babysitter( if mom not with baby then) offer jar food for small baby, or small pieces bread and peanut butter for older (like half piece bread at most)
Meal 3: baby in highchair at family dinner eating whatever family does that is soft and she can hold, when younger, offering jars or pouch
I try to offer cheese, fruit, either at "mealtimes" or whenever works for us.
I don't really do much hands on involvement with feeding her- of course, it's easier at this age and at 8-9 months her options were more limited, but I did more finger food and less spoon feeding, when I had less time, and fed jars and spoon foods when I could. I don't know if there's much difference between meal and snack at this point.. Baby chooses the amount to eat.