Eating schedule

Ruth - posted on 05/09/2010

I nurse approximately every 4 hours from 6am to 7:30pm and let my almost 9 month old join in for eating solids every time I eat. I always feed him whatever I am eating (with a few changes when needed) and let him feed himself so he can choose how much to eat. The majority of his nutritional needs are still met with breastmilk but he also gets the opportunity to eat real food in the quantities he wants.

Sarah - posted on 05/06/2010

My daughter will be 9 months on the 11th of June and she has been eating solids since she was 4 months old. Her schedule is pretty easy to go by; 3 meals a day, nurse before naps and a small snack in between...this is a rough guide but usually within 30 minutes of these times:

6:00 - Breastmilk when she first wakes up
7:30 - cereal and fruit.
9:00- BM ( I nurse her before she naps in her crib) or if we go for a walk she'll nurse afterwards.
12:00 - Lunch. chicken and veggies, a mini yogurt and a fruit bowl...sometimes more, sometimes less.
1:00 - Nurse, nap
3:00 - snack
5:00 - Dinner. Solids - usually what we are eating plus a jar of food.
6:45 - Nurse. Bed

Hope this helps.
Sarah

Kristy - posted on 05/05/2010

My daughter is 8 1/2 months and is formula fed and also eating solids. This is her schedule give or take an hour depending on what time she gets up and if we are out doing things.
6:30 5-6oz of formula
8 breakfast of fruit or yogurt
9 ~4oz of formula
11 5-6oz of formula
12:30 lunch of veggie/meat and sometimes a 4oz bottle
2 5-6oz formula
4 5-6oz of formula
5:30 dinner- veggie and fruit- some finger foods- ie pasta, quesadilla, steamed veggies (what ever we are eating)
7-7:30 6oz formula

She doesn't always finish her bottles- anymore it's hard to get her to sit still, and she has snacks in between lunch and dinner and anytime we are out of dry cereal or gerber puffs. She loves her finger foods. She also usually has one small bottle of juice a day and I always offer water/juice in her sippy at meals but she isn't very fond of it yet. She usually sleeps from 8pm to 6am- with an occasional bottle around 2am.

Celia - posted on 05/04/2010

My son free feeds so he eats whenever he puts his head to my boob :)
Other than that I give him a rice cracker every few days and he eats whatever we are eating for dinner only blended up (he loves curry chicken!) and when he eats dinner we dont measure it, he stops when he wants to.

Stevie - posted on 05/04/2010

Hi my daughter is 8 mths old and her schedule goes like this
6:30am Wake up and bottle
8am cereal and fruit then bath
9am nap
10:30am wake up and bottle
12:00pm yogurt and I usually cut up some orange as finger food or a peice of wholemeal bread with spread on it
2:00pm sleep
3:30pm wake up and bottle
5:30pm some finger food usually some steamed vegies or french toast (if she didnt have bread at lunch time)
6:00pm dinner ( usually meat and vege with either brown pasta or brown rice or really chunky mashed potato) then I bath her
7:00pm Bedtime
And she sleeps through.
At around this age food should be fairly chunky (not pureed) and alot of finger foods so they can start to learn how to feed themselves. I also let Keeley have alot of water throught the day as well.
I hope this helps =)

Melissa - posted on 05/04/2010

7am- Milk 4-5ounces
8-9Cereal (rice or oatmeal) with Fruit
10:30-11 Milk 4 ounces
1pm Lunch (Veggie, Meat, Fruit)
3pm Milk 4 ounces
5pm Dinner (Veggie, Meat, Fruit)
6-9pm : About two more bottles of milk; one 4 ounce last bottle is the largest about 6-7 ounces.

Yes we are feeding them all day long!

Lyndsey - posted on 05/03/2010

My baby wakes between 630 and 730 and nurse. cereal and fruit around 9. nurse before nap around 1030-noon. He gets up and eats meat and veggies for lunch. nurse again before second nap sometime around 3 or 4 and is up in an hour. Play and snacks(finger foods). Dinner at 6. Bathtime and nurse before bed around 8. Our schedule isnt exact. I prefer to let my baby let me know. He actually put himself on that schedule. Not forced by my husband and I at all.

Fonda - posted on 05/03/2010

my daughter doesnt have a specific schedule. i feed her breakfast around like 9 and lunch around 1230 and dinner around 630 and she has about 6 bottles a day at 6 oz each.

Sabrina - posted on 05/03/2010

my baby gets up anywhere from 8am-9am and he drinks half of an 8oz. bottle then he gets some whole grain cereal mixed with a half jar of any fruits. about 4-5 hours later he eats lunch which is an 8oz bottle with some meat (he likes the chicken weiners, one or two of them cut long-ways in four peices) with some chopped fruits and veggies. few hours later he has a snack (either a bottle or some yogurt) about 7-8pm he has a bottle with some fruits and veggies (i usually just mix a half jar of each together). and he goes to sleep at around 10 or so and i usually give him about 6oz just to help him sleep through the night (his before bedtime bottle)

Nicole - posted on 05/03/2010

hi i am a first time mum too with a daughter same age... she has 3 meals a day breakfast (bottle and sometime porridge) then lunch (bottle and some food from a jar or yogurt) then dinner (bottle, and some food from a jar) i find it does her good coz she sleeps all night too after her bath every night.
hope that helps.
nicole

Heather - posted on 05/02/2010

My son just turned 8 months on the 21st. It seems like every month or so I am searching out other mother's schedules and what they are feeding their kids. It's tough being a new mom and not necessarily knowing what to do!! I just dropped my little guy down to 3 bottles a day and his schedule as of right now is as follows:

7:30/8: Wake & 6 oz. bottle.
9/9:30: 2 tbls rice or oatmeal cereal with 1/2 to 1 full jar of stage 2 fruit.
10/10:30: Nap
12/12:30: 1 jar Stage 2 veggie & half jar either meat or fruit along with 2 oz formula in a sippy cup. (I used to do a bottle with this meal but want him to get used to using a cup by the time he is 1 so I dropped the bottle, raised the amounts in the others, and added this sippy cup.)
2/2:30: 6 Oz. Bottle
2:30/3: Nap
6/6:30: 1/3 Stage 3 meal, half jar stage 2 veggie, half jar stage 2 fruit along with a sippy cup of water
8/8:30: 7 oz. bottle
8:30/9: Bed for the night!! Doesn't wake up til the morning bottle ... usually. ;-)

I'm hoping that at around 10 months I can drop another bottle to where he just has one when he wakes and before bed. That way I can get him used to drinking milk more in line with his meals as I will want it to be when he turns 1. I also will probably need to add a snack in the afternoon. Every once in a while if he acts hungry in between his 2:00 bottle and dinner I will give him some yogurt, puffs, wagon wheels, yogurt drops, etc. I imagine as he gets older it will become more consistent.

Tanya - posted on 05/02/2010

Hi there,
I am definitely of the food for fun till 1 mindset so I don't push lots of solids on my son. He is in the 95th percentile for height and weight, so I guess he's getting what he needs.

He drinks a lot of breastmilk. He nurses 3 times a day during the week, plus drinks 18-20 oz of pumped milk. I send over 2 or 3 small portions of solids, which he takes in one sitting. The choices vary - currently switching between potatoes, chicken, squash, kiwi, bread, and bananas.

Then I offer him solids while we eat dinner (more like he demands them, haha). Usually the same kinds of things he has during the day.

He mostly eats fruits and veggies, and added in some protein (usually chicken, sometimes hamburger) in the past month for iron, though there is also plenty of iron in breastmilk or iron-fortified formula to meet baby's needs.
If you want to make you own baby food, http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com is a great site to check out, though I usually just steam or boil veggies and cut up into finger portions at this point. My son is very eager to feed himself.

If it's any reassurance, I question if I'm doing it right every day. I think it's just a first time mom thing :)

Karen - posted on 05/02/2010

Hi Jennifer,

You & I sound a lot alike! It took about a week or two of trial & error, but I think we have a pretty decent "schedule" with our 8 month old daughter. Most days, it goes like this:

7am - wake up
7:30 - oatmeal & fruit
9:00 - 6oz bottle
9:30-10ish - naptime
11:30-12ish - veg (sometimes Stage 3, but getting into things like mashed carrots or sweet potato) and a fruit (was Stage 1 fruit, but now things like chopped up watermelon or bananas)
1:00-1:30 - 6oz bottle
3:30 - snack (yogurt & puffs or O's)
4:00 - nap
6-6:30ish - veg and a small fruit
7:30 - bathtime
8:00 - 6oz bottle & bed

I think everyone is right...every baby is different! My husband & I still have very different opinions on if she is getting too much food, but honestly, we are just trying to follow her cues. If we prepared too much, she'll stop when she's full. So far, she seems to be doing okay on this schedule.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Karen

Jillian - posted on 05/01/2010

My son will be 9 months next week and his "usual" day is similar to the following. Some days we're running around or he's just off a little, but I think reading his cues is the important part:



6 - 6:30 wakes up

7:00 Sippy Cup of milk

9:00 Fruit (baby food)

10ish: nap

12ish: Sippy Cup of milk

2:30ish: Veggie (baby food)

5:30ish: Sippy Cup of milk and cheerios

7:00: Dinner (meat/veggie baby food or whatever we're having)

8:00: 7 oz. bottle and bed!

Jessica - posted on 05/01/2010

My son will be 9 months on May 6 he wakes up about 630 has breakfast of cereal followed by bottle, then he plays for a while with his sister, nap from 10-11, plays, has lunch about 12-1230 of fruit, veggie, 5oz of bottle, then he goes down for his afternoon nap from 1230 to about 230, then he will have some juice and maybe some puffs to snack on, then for dinner he gets one of the gerber stage 3 dinners in the jar, bottle then bed.

Julie - posted on 04/30/2010

I have an 8 and a half year old and she eats like clockwork! Wakes up at 7:30, has solids followed by milk for breakfast at 8am. Lunch is solids followed by milk at 12:30 then dinner is solids followed by milk at 6pm then off to bed by 7pm. So she only eats 3 times a day like us and naps in between. She's happy and I love it cause it's easy! :)

Skye - posted on 04/30/2010

hey there my little girl is 8 and a half months and she has toast for Berkie and then has lunch at about 12 12 30 and it will liek today it was chicken and mash and she want eat it if it mashed up so it all how i would eat it milk and an other feed of a custed and milk at about 6 then bed at 7 and up again for a bottel of milk at 4am hope that help i to am a first time mum and i dont even know if that right but it make her happy

Zoe - posted on 04/30/2010

hi there my child is just over eight months and her eating goes some thing like this bottole at 8am followed by yougurt and fruit at 9:15 am bed time at 11am with 150mls of formula 2/2;30 lunch and bed at 4:00 and dinner at 7:00pm

Jaymie - posted on 04/29/2010

Hi, my son is 9 mnths next week, he is my second child. He has three bottles a day and breakfast, lunch & Dinner, plus snacks.

Donna - posted on 04/29/2010

my eight month old baby girl who weighs about 20 lbs
1. 8 oz bottle 7:00 am
2. 2 oz prepared cereal, 2 oz fruit/veggie, 3-5 oz formula 11:00 a
3. 3-5 oz water afternoon
4. 2 oz prepared cereal, 2 oz fruit/veggie, 3-5 oz formula 3:00 p
5. 2 oz prepared cereal, 2 oz fruit/veggie, 3-5 oz formula 7:00 p
6. 8 oz bottle, 9:00 pm

The times are approximate. as the other mothers have said, each baby is different, and each mom is too. I know you are doing a great job. One book, I like how it said,
"If baby seems too skinny, feed more. if she starts looking over-plump, cut back a bit."

Sarah - posted on 04/29/2010

First of all, you are not doing anything wrong. (It sometimes helps to hear that) I will say that every kid is different. My first born had perfect eating a sleeping schedules...my second, not so much. If you are nursing, that is most important, solids are secondary. I make sure my 8 month old gets some cereal fortified with iron everyday, but otherwise, I'm not too picky. I try to nurse, then solids, nurse, then solids, nurse, then solids, and nurse. But if that doesn't happen, I let it go. (It's amazing how much more laid back I am now that I have 2 kids) Try not to sweat it. I'm sure you are an awesome mom!

Amanda - posted on 04/29/2010

Every baby is different, the best thing to do is go with your gut. I always recommend homemade everything..this way you baby is not getting all the artificial colours, salt, sugars and preservatives in her food from store bought jar foods etc. My 8month old is not a fan of foods, he is nursed and I've fed him so much, he does not like pureed so I give him chunks of things. In the morning he will have some banana, avocado, grapes, cooked apple, cooked carrots, cooked sweet potatoes. At dinner time when we are eating he'll have some pureed beef, chicken or vegetables. About 2 tbs of each item. He's totally fine with that. It is not imperative that your child gets iron from rice cereral, you can feed them proteins which gives a more complete iron source anyways. My son is nursed on demand, so I just try and follow that but it could be any time he is interested. I wouldn't worry about what's right, what works for you and your baby is right! dont' get too caught up on schedules!! Just enjoy this new venture with them, the reason we introduce around this time is to teach them to eat, they dont' need all the nutrients if you are nursing!...good luck

Sarah - posted on 04/28/2010

hi im a first time mom. my daughter was born on the 13 of august. and honestly my daughter does not have a feeding schedule she eats whenever shes hungry. haha. she eats my food and everyone else. shes in the 50 percentile, sleeps all night 9pm till 9 am. ,crawling, and climbing everywhere. she makes up her own thing and honsestly she sleeps at the same time every day even though there is no set schedule she sleeps at the same time everyday. but she does everything al on her own.

Christina - posted on 04/28/2010

Hi Jennifer, I am also a first time mom of an almost 9 month boy. I think it is safe to say all of us new moms think we are doing things wrong. I'm sure you are doing fine. I think the best advise I can give you is take your cues from your baby. You want to give them all the formula and/or breastmilk they require and also give them a nice variety of "solid" foods.

Hang in there. If you have a happy healthy baby that's proof you are doing a great job.

Kylie - posted on 04/28/2010

my son lucas wakes between 6 & 7. i try to dummy him until 7am. then up and has a vita brit or porridge for breaky followed by 210ml of formula.
he usually sleeps from 8.30 - 10.00 sometimes 10.30.

@ around 10.30 - 11.00 he has a snack usually pureed fruit or yoghurt & a teething rusk or biscuit.

lunch is @ 12.00 usually vegies, pasta or rice mashed up. followed by 210ml of formular.

sleeps @ about 1.30 til 3.30 ish.
snacks when he wakes.

I try to hold him off til 5.30 for tea which is usually the same kind of thing as lunch. followed by 240ml of formular.

goes to bed @ 6.30 - 7.00. he may wake during the night but i pop in the dummy & put on his music & he goes back to sleep.

Im sure you are doing fine! if you & your bub are happy with what you are doing @ the moment then dont change things for the sake of someone else's opinion.

Manda - posted on 04/27/2010

my son wakes up at 6, has a bottle...
at 8ish he has breakfast, fruit and a waffle or french toast
at 10 he has a nap until 11 or 1130
when he wakes up he has another bottle
at 12:30 - 1:00 he has lunch, yogurt, chicken, and a veggie
at 3 or 4 he has a bottle and a nap for an hour or so
at 5 or 6 we eat supper, he has what we are having.
at 745 he has a bottle and goes to bed..
he has a couple of small snacks during the day.. randomly

and he is just over 8 months

Morgan - posted on 04/26/2010

I don't really do any kind of schedule either. I prefer to follow what my Daughter wants that day. So I nurse on demand always and then she'll have between 2 and 4 oz a day of solids if she's interested in them that day. Usually it's only 2 because I work out of the house but on weekends sometimes it's a little more.

I nurse when she wakes at 6 then nurse again sometime between 8 and 9 then she naps, she nurses whenever she wants until about 1 and goes down again for nap. Then we'll nurse after nap between 3 and 3:30 when she'll catnap (sometimes) and then nurse at 6ish and eat solids sometime around 7ish and then nurse her to bed between 8 and 9 again. That's the best I can give you as a schedule but it really varies day by day. I hope this helps you some. Also she does have puffs and yogurt bites.

Emily - posted on 04/24/2010

I don't really do a schedule. I still nurse on demand, which makes up the majority of her food. I only feed solids once a day or whenever she seems like she's interested, during my regular meal times.

Kassi - posted on 04/24/2010

Every baby is different... My Son like to wake up at 7am, breakfast (baby food) @ 9 am, bottle at 11am, down for a nap @ 12.. sleeps till 1-2 then ready for lunch (baby food) @ 3, plays till six when he is ready for dinner, bath @ 7-8, bottle at 9pm and then we are off to sleep.

Seems like all we do is feed our babies. lol.

Jennifer - posted on 04/23/2010

Thanks so much for responding! Yes it helped thanks so much!

Aniko - posted on 04/22/2010

Hi Jennifer, my daughter is just over 8 months old and this is her typical eating schedule.

She gets up around 7-8 am and I nurse her and about an hour later we have breakfast of cereal and fruit. 2 hours after waking I nurse her again and then she goes for her morning nap. She has lunch between noon and 1, usually of cereal, yogurt and diced fruit and after lunch I nurse her. She has a nap again around 3 and again right before her nap I nurse her. When she wakes up I give her a little snack of finger foods, which we just started doing. I nurse her again about an hour before supper and we have supper around 6:30 usually she gets meat and veggies and diced fruit and then right before bed at 8 I nurse her again and then put her to bed. I also give her a few sips of water with her meals, just last week she was really constipated and once I started giving her water, just a few little sips, she is no longer constipated. I hope this helps.