my son is 5 months old?

Question

ok..here is my son's schedule for eatong...8 ounce bottle when he wakes up, 3 tablespoons of baby cereal mixed with formula, another 2 ounces of formula before he goes in for his first nap and when he wakes up, another 8 ounces and a half a jar of baby food(right now, he is on fruits) then a nap, and then another 8 ounce bottle before bed! is this an o.k. schedule for him...he seems to be doing good on it, do other people have a similar schedule?

this is not my first child, i have an 8 year old daughter but my mom helped me with her, she is deceased now so i am on my own

Answer 1

I am a nutritionist

you shouldnt be giving your baby anything but formula fot at least another month, before 6 months (and sometimes as long as 8 months) babys cannot digest cereal or fruit and babys that are fed it run the risk of malnurishment, he is missing out on calories that he would be gitting from formula and getting no calories or nutrients from cereal or food at this age.

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. Some doctors may recommend delaying solids for the first year if there is a family history of allergies. I'm not going into the many health benefits of delaying solids here

Solids readiness depends on both the maturity of baby’s digestive tract and baby’s developmental readiness for solids. Although the maturity of baby’s digestive system is not something that we can readily observe, research indicates that 6 months appears to be ideal for avoiding the allergies and other health risks of too-early solids. After this point, different babies are ready for solids at different times -- developmental readiness for solids cannot be determined using a calendar. Most babies are developmentally ready for solids somewhere between 6 and 8 months.

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:

* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

We often state that a sign of solids readiness is when baby exhibits a long-term increased demand to nurse (sometime around 6 months or later) that is unrelated to illness, teething pain, a change in routine or a growth spurt. However, it can be hard to judge whether baby’s increased nursing is related to readiness for solids. Many (if not most) 6-month-old babies are teething, growth spurting and experiencing many developmental changes that can lead to increased nursing – sometimes all at once! Make sure you look at all the signs of solids readiness as a whole, because increased nursing alone is not likely to be an accurate guide to baby’s readiness.

Four- to five-month-old babies are sometimes very eager to participate at mealtime, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are ready to eat solids - more often it's just the normal developmental urge to do what everyone else is doing. Research studies tell us that there are many health advantages to delaying solids for about 6 months for all babies, not just the babies who are not yet interested in mealtime.

common myths:

weight:
The American Academy of Pediatrics/World Health Organization recommendations for starting solids at 6 months or later has no exceptions for babies who weigh more. The research that I've seen on the health benefits of starting solids at 6 months and later holds for all babies, no matter what their weight.

It's the maturity of the digestive tract and baby's developmental readiness that makes the difference, not baby's weight.

sleep:
The popular belief that feeding solids at night will help baby sleep through the night has no basis in fact.


for when your baby is digestively ready to start solids:
Stage 1

At 6 months solid foods can be introduced but the weaning process should not be hurried if baby is content with breast milk alone. Pay attention to the signals baby gives out e.g. baby will probably be ready for solid food if they cry after breast-feedings or chew on the nipple. Even then, breastfeeding should be continued (alongside the introduction of solids) for as long as is comfortable for mother and baby.

The best time to introduce solid foods to baby is just before breast or bottle-feeding. Starting solids is a very gradual process so be patient and go slowly. The classic 'first food' is mashed banana, which is very digestible, sweet and a good introduction to foods. Suitable first foods are baby rice or pureed vegetables. Fruits are usually introduced after vegetables in order to allow acceptance of vegetables before the sweet tastes of fruits is experienced. Other popular first foods are carrot, sweet potatoes, parsnip, apples, bananas and pears. When they have had enough babies will turn away their head, clamp their mouth shut or spit the food out! These are signs that they have had enough.

When introducing solids to baby offer one type of food only and then observe how well it is tolerated. Start with around 1-2 tsp of food and gradually increase up to 6 tsp. How is fed to baby depends entirely on how much they will eat. A rough guide might be a quarter of a very ripe mushy banana for a few days (or for a week) and the following week another soft fruit such as apple sauce. This gives the baby's digestive system time to get used to each new food before the introduction of additional ones. If two or more foods are introduced at the same time and baby has diarrhoea, colic or other digestive problems, it will be difficult to identify the culprit. The foods during this first stage should be bland with a smooth consistency.

If the baby is not interested the first few times solids are introduced it is advised to try again in another week. When baby is ready they will let you know. Baby might be hungry at any time of the day or night. Babies cannot tell the time but they know what they need.

Prepare cooked vegetables plainly, do not add salt, sugar or spices. Good introductory vegetables are parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams and carrots. Still start feeds with breast or bottle but now very gradually increase the amount of solid food given afterwards. Solids should only be given by spoon or hand and never added to a bottle of feed.

Typical feed for one day at stage 1


* 1st feed - breast or bottle
* 2nd feed - breast or bottle
* 3rd feed - 1-2 tsp baby rice mixed with 1 tbs milk from feed or 1-2 tsp unsweetened fruit puree
* 4th feed - breast or bottle
* 5th feed - breast or bottle

Answer 2

Wow...must be your first child. I had something similiar to that with my first child. When the 3rd came...well..it all changed. I hope you don't plan your life around when the baby needs fed. Such as OMG...it's 10 AM and he needs 2 ounces of formula! and freak out because seriously life is never to a schedule that strict. As he gets older relax a little on what time he needs to eat or how much you are looking for trouble later. Trust me. I don't know how my 4 year old is surviving on what he eats. He eats less than my 2 year old..but kids know when they are hungry and it's best to let them tell you when as they grow up.

Answer 3

I'm actually an older brother saying this, just a heads up before I start. I was 12 when my sister was born, so I was in many ways a third parent. The schedual you have given seems, to me, to be perfectly fine. Remember though, that your baby himself is the better than any response you'll find on here. If he's hungry, he'll tell you. If he's not, he won't eat. It's as simple as that. It's ok to be concerned regarding your children, but trust me you're doing fine.

Answer 4

as long as the baby is doing good sounds goods to me. as long as you stick to a schedule he will let you know when he is hungry as they get older they will eat more and sleep less.. you did it once you can do it again..you are given lots of good advise but schedules are a great idea..