Menu at 7 months. Seriously?

[Caitlin]

I came across a sample menu for a 7MO in one of my numerous parenting books. The menu looked something like this:

Breafast
-1/4-1/2 cup of oatmeal
-1/4 cup diced fruit
-3oz juice
-4-5 ounces breast milk or formula

Snack
-1/4-1/2 cup diced cheese or yogurt
-1/4-1/2 cup diced fruit
-2 oz juice

Lunch
-1/4-1/2 cup cereal
-1/4-1/2 cup diced vegetables
-3oz juice
-4-5oz breast milk or formula


The menu continued like this with another snack and dinner. Seriously? Do babies that young eat or need this much food? Right now Aiden is getting maybe 2 1/2 meals a day. We like to give him oatmeal because it has significantly helped with his reflux, but I don't think he could handle much more than what we give him. The meals that we do give him are usually 1/4-1/2 cup of puree.

I'm pretty sure the book is the American Academy of Pediatrics book on parenting...

[AshleyMommyto2]

Really my thing on the stuff is. Do what the baby wants they will let you know much they need... Not all babies are the same so I don't see how they can say your baby needs this.. You know what I mean...
Just do what you are doing Mommy! And I am sure he will be fine! Mama knows best!

[Elaine]

I remember looking at a 'menu' similar to that and just thought WHAT??? There's no way I could get that much into him in a day! Ben did eat a lot more when he was a baby as opposed to a toddler but I highly doubt he ate that much.

Now I'm lucky if that's his intake for 2 days! He's just way too busy playing, exploring and causing trouble to eat. :hehe:

[Caitlin]

I remember looking at a 'menu' similar to that and just thought WHAT??? There's no way I could get that much into him in a day! Ben did eat a lot more when he was a baby as opposed to a toddler but I highly doubt he ate that much.

Now I'm lucky if that's his intake for 2 days! He's just way too busy playing, exploring and causing trouble to eat. :hehe:


Aiden already acts like he's too busy to eat! Haha!

[Ashley]

That definitely seems like a lot.. but maybe not? I'm going to google and see what I find!

[Ashley]

Okay, I found this on babycenter for 6-8 months:

What to feed
• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Iron-fortified cereals (rice, barley, oats)
• Pureed or strained fruits (banana, pears, applesauce, peaches)
• Pureed or strained vegetables (avocado, well-cooked carrots, squash, and sweet potato)

How much per day
• 3 to 9 tablespoons cereal, in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon fruit, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings
• 1 teaspoon vegetables, gradually increased to ¼ to ½ cup in 2 to 3 feedings


To me, this seems a little more reasonable..

[Jojo]

That does seem like a lot of food. I don't know how you can stuff that much oatmeal into a kid and then expect them to have their milk.

I gave up on sample menus, schedules, etc. I just do whatever I feel is right. As long as he's happy and healthy I think that's all that matters! If he looks like he can eat more and seems hungry then offer otherwise there's no point.:2c:

[Ashley]

That does seem like a lot of food. I don't know how you can stuff that much oatmeal into a kid and then expect them to have their milk.

I gave up on sample menus, schedules, etc. I just do whatever I feel is right. As long as he's happy and healthy I think that's all that matters! If he looks like he can eat more and seems hungry then offer otherwise there's no point.:2c:

Pretty much ditto! Also, I wanted to add that solids are mostly supplementary to breast milk/formula in the beginning. It's more about getting them used to different tastes and textures, and "teaching" them how to eat, so try not to stress too much!

[Elaine]

That does seem like a lot of food. I don't know how you can stuff that much oatmeal into a kid and then expect them to have their milk.

I gave up on sample menus, schedules, etc. I just do whatever I feel is right. As long as he's happy and healthy I think that's all that matters! If he looks like he can eat more and seems hungry then offer otherwise there's no point.:2c:
That's pretty much what I did and still do. When Ben would finish off whatever I was feeding him I'd offer more. If he didn't finish whatever I was feeding him no biggie. Even now I don't freak out about him not eating much in a day. With toddlers it's what they eat over the course of a week that's important, not what they eat in a day. :twothumbs:

[Caitlin]

I gave up on sample menus, schedules, etc. I just do whatever I feel is right. As long as he's happy and healthy I think that's all that matters! If he looks like he can eat more and seems hungry then offer otherwise there's no point.:2c:


That's how I feel, too. I was just shocked at the amount of food they recommend compared to what Aiden actually eats!

[Ashley]

Yeah, I wonder what they base it on??

[Jojo]

I gave up on sample menus, schedules, etc. I just do whatever I feel is right. As long as he's happy and healthy I think that's all that matters! If he looks like he can eat more and seems hungry then offer otherwise there's no point.:2c:


That's how I feel, too. I was just shocked at the amount of food they recommend compared to what Aiden actually eats!

I'd love to see a kid that eats like that at that age! I could never get one to finish a small jar so eating all that just seems like it's pushing it a bit.

[Cindy]

Conner ate a lot when he was about that age. I personally think that kids was getting a lot of juice. lol But some kids eat more than others. I couldn't tell you what Conner ate because I never kept track but he's a horse and eats a lot. lol

[Farah]

Charlie was a huge eater, but didn't eat that much. I just made sure to give him a starch, veggie, meat (when age appropriate), and fruit at every meal. He was fine that way! :idontknow:

[Melissa]

Hmm. Ainsley didn't even really LIKE solids until she was 13 - 15 months old. She preferred breastmilk, so I let her have it. LOL

NOW, she's a piglet!