I think I've been under feeding her

So she just isn't interested in formula unless she wants to suck her bottle for comfort. I offer it in a sippy cup as well. I looked up some meal schedules for babies her age, and it seems I am not feeding her enough :( I was so concerned that she get enough formula that I have been offering her too little solid food. She is 7 months and in size 4 diapers, and she weighs I am guessing around 25 pounds. She's a big girl. I am going to give her a vitamin supplement each day, and just let her enjoy her people food.

She chews small pieces of food well, even with no teeth. She is just wanting grown up food.

I was feeding her cereal and fruit for breakfast, a jar of stage 2 veggies for lunch, a bit of cereal in the afternoon, and a half a jar of stage 2 meat/veg for dinner with some cereal. It turns out, that a kid her age needs way more than this.

I feel awful. So ya. I am going to just chill on the formula, she has plenty of wet and poopy diapers, and I offer her water throughout the day as well.

What do you all think? This is what the suggested food amounts are for a kid her size:


Breakfast:
¼ - ½ cup cereal or cooked mashed egg yolk
¼ - ½ cup fruit, diced
4-6 oz. Formula or breast milk

For cereal, try serving rice cereal. Baby food from a jar is fine, mixed with breast milk, water or formula and a little baby spoon to feed it. Remember, no egg whites for children under the age of one. For fruit, a really ripe banana cut into small pieces is best. Provide the formula/breast milk in a Zippy cup or bottle.

Snack:
4-6 oz. water
¼ cup diced cheese or cooked vegetables

You can use juice, but water is preferable since juice is all sugar which kids don't need. Juice also gets kids used to drinking sweet beverages at a young age. If you’re serving cheese, try white cheese cut into very small pieces. If you’re serving cooked veggies (squash, pees, carrots) or jar baby food veggies are fine. Cheerios are also a great snack that the baby can feed him or herself (and easy to carry around).

Lunch:
¼ - ½ cup yogurt or cottage cheese
¼ - ½ cup yellow vegetables
4-6 oz. formula/breast milk

For the yellow vegetable, try serving squash. Again, it can be jar baby food or mashed, cooked or fresh squash.

Snack: :
1 teething biscuit or cracker
¼ cup diced cheese or meat (chicken is best)

Dinner: :
¼ cup diced poultry, meat or tofu
¼ - ½ cup green vegetables
¼ cup noodles, pasta, rice or potato
¼ cup fruit
4-6 oz. formula/breast milk

Tiff, you almost make me look bad, haha!! I give Audrey cereal in the morning about 6-8 tbsps. then about 8oz of milk 1.5 hours later. Then she has lunch, whatever we have plus some fruit or yogurt. Then she has her bottle of water throughout they day about 8oz. and sometimes I give her snacks, then at dinner she has a bowl of whatever we are having followed by fruit or cookie. Then before bed she gets about 8-10 oz of milk. She has always eaten like this since I have started her on solids. Her sitter gives her lots of snacks though because somedays she doesn't give her dinner and when I get home I have to fix something up.

I can't believe LM is already 7 months old!!!

Babe,you shouldn feel bad,you didn't know,you were worried about feeding her too much.You have done your research and now you can try this.Don't feel bad,just give it a shot and see! I would also keep the dream feed you spoke of on the phone for now until she is sleeping more soundly!I think it's a good idea to try more food if it's reccomended!I am sure this will help.I am sorry I dind't know this was the issue when we spoke it sounds like you were feedinf her often enough for sure,just perhaps she wasn't getting her fill? Anyway,It will be interesting to see this next week how she sleeps!

I can't believe she is 7 months either, time has just flown by. I am going to give her lots more food, and see how she does. Apparently my DH didn't want formula when he started solids as a baby, and he turned out fine. He's 6 ft.5 and very healthy

I am sure just like big people, different babies need different amounts of food. She is healthy and happy, that is the most important part. It will probaby be good to make sure she gets the vitamins and stuff she needs, but go more by her level of health than what the charts tell you you should be feeding. Sounds like you could offer her more, but if she decides not to eat it don't sweat it.
Oh, and totally blame your husband for the formula difficulties. :lol:

Hun, all babies are different! My oldest started solids at 8weeks as he really needed it, was on formula for hungry babies and was in size 1 clothing by 9 months!! he was happy, he is very tall, (he just turned 3 in sept and is 113cm tall)
Kieran on the other hand is both breast and bottle, mostly breast only give him formula if im being lazy or in a hurry. we tried him on solids at 3 1/2 months but we ended up stopping them as he obviously want ready for them and was severley constipated which required hospital treatment, i havnt re introduced them yet as he is still very happy on breast and formulat, sleeps 12.5 hours a night and has 2 3 hours sleeps in the day.
Our family doctor said we can wait until 6 months to reintroduce them if we want so thats what we are going to do. So i have got two children who are at opposite ends of the scales, kieran is weighing now what Jesse was at 11 weeks, there are big babies, small babies, tall and short babies, but if she is happy and content i wouldnt worry, you are obviously doing something right! they will let you know when they are hungry BELIEVE ME!!

you are doing everything right!!!! your her mum, you know whats best for her! xox

Of Tiff, you are a fantastic Mom!! And as the previous posters said, every baby is different. LM is happy and healthy, and that's all that counts. And hopefully one day her (and Kian's) sleeping will settle down. :lol:

But, your post makes me think I am not feeding Kian enough food. :lol: Cause Kian is still mainly breastfed and gets solids once sometimes twice a day. But he only ever eats half a jar (stage 1 little jars) of food and maybe some rice cereal on the side. So I deffo think maybe I should up his food intake.

The last two days though, he doesn't really want to eat that much (breast or solids), he has been really fussy, not sleeping well (even worse, LOL), when he nurses he nurses for a second, pulls off, back on, back off, he had really red cheeks, one cheek was swollen, etc. So I am wondering if he is coming down with something or if it's his teeth.

Anyway, let me know how LM is doing on more solids.

I don't think you can follow a shcedule as all babies are different. I know that LM is bigger than Rowan but this is Rowan's meal schedule. I offer little bits frequently to keep her topped up. This has been Rowans food shcedule since she was 7 months old and at nursery.

6am (during the week or if she wakes super early at weekend) 5oz formula
7.30-8.am - 1-2 weetabix with cows milk
9.30am - slices of fruit (apple and banana) followed by 8oz formula
12.30pm - lunch - not sure what they have each day as nursery provides but it's usually meat and veg or pasta dishes etc.
3.30pm - a jar of stage 2 food followed by a yoghurt
5.30pm - rusk
7pm - 8oz formula

Rowan always has a sippy cup of water throughout the day to drink as and when.

My issue is that she will not take the formula after she's eaten solids, so I offer it before in a bottle, then while she eats in a sippy cup. She drinks pretty well when she has just woken up.

Bry, thank you for sharing the meal schedule, it helps to be able to compare what other babies are doing, and to know that I needed to let her snack between meals.

Sky it sounds like it is teething to me.