Feeding a four month old?

Question

I'm wanting to start my 4 month old baby on solids but I was wondering how much formula do I give him and how much solids do I give him starting out?

Answer 1

Give him as much formula as you usually do (is he up to 8 oz bottles). You will mix up some cereal with a little formula and give him as much as he wants. It probably won't amount to much more than a couple of tablespoons in the first few weeks.

Be sure to start with cereals first and do it one kind at a time. Wait 4 days or more before introducing a new food so you can spot allergies fast. After cereals, then vegetables, then meats. Fruits last. There's no reason to give a baby juice but you can after you start fruit. Juice is just natural sugar water. Go with fruit last to minimize a sweet tooth that can help your child get fat later.

Note you do not need to start a 4 month old on food if he is still happy enough with formula. Babies don't need to eat before 6 months and there's some evidence they'll get fewer allergies if you wait, but some babies, especially boys get hungry earlier. Use your instincts as a guide.

Feeding baby is messy, you won't miss much by waiting, no matter how much you think you are looking forward to this. By the time he hits 7 months, his "pincher" grasp will be in place and he can start to feed himself. That's a whole lot easier.

Oh and use a baby spoon. Cereal in the bottle is not recommended.

Answer 2

First of all, it's *too early* to start a baby on solids. No baby should *ever* have anything but breastfeeding (or formula) until at least 6 months old. He can't digest them, and they can do *serious* damage to his body. You won't necessarily even know, because the damage may only show up 10 or even *50* years later.

When you do start solids, you give *tiny* amounts. 1/4 teaspoon a day is enough for the first few weeks. And give *real* food, not the so-called "baby food" mush in a jar. Food is nutritious and healthy; mush is the opposite.

Answer 3

Same amount of formula as you would normally give. To start of with give him half his bottle first so hes not too hungry so that he doesnt muck up when trying to feed him solids, but still hungry enough to try them.
Try at first just a spoonful or two of rice ceral a day to get him used to it and then after a few days a little more. Eventually he will probably expect to have a bit of cereal every day around the same time. When he is used to this begin introducing different foods - heinz tins are good, or vegetables blended, but only introduce one food at a time for a few days so you know what it is if he has an allergic reaction. Eventually he will not drink quite as much milk when it becomes three meals a day.

Answer 4

I am hoping by solids you mean rice cereal. You are not to start your baby out on baby foods until they are 6 months old. When you start them on cereal it is 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of rice cereal once or twice a day. Feed them formula on demand still. Then at 6 months you can introduce fruit and vegetable baby foods 1/2 of the stage 2 jars or 1/4 cup well cooked pureed fresh vegetables.

Answer 5

I have a 6 1/2 month old kid and I only started giving him solid food on his 6-month birthday. Even then I still give him formula at the ratio of 70% formula and 30% solids.

Answer 6

Start with a teaspoon or two in a bowl with like 2-4 oz of formula and try to spoon feed. The thrust and gag reflexes are still there at 4 months, but he idea is not necessarily to feed, but to get them used to using their tongues "backwards" (not sucking in, where the sticks out and goes back).

After they have "mastered" taking in food, you can add more cereal to thicken the formula. Don't change the amount of formula until a small bowl of cereal is eaten -actually put in and swallowed. At that point you can slowly introduce Stage 1 fruits (apple is good at first) and still give formula after, but just less (half is good).

Of course, this is what my pediatrician stated and what has worked for me, but go to your pediatrician and do know that whatever anyone says, your baby will tell you when he's ready.

Answer 7

Four months is a bit early, unless he is maxing out on his formula (over 40 ounces). You should probably check with the pediatrician to the exact amounts. I have a 7 month old daughter who just started on baby food this week. We give her cereal and 4-6 ounces of formula in the morning, cereal, (1 ounce) fruit and 4-6 ounces in the afternoon and a 1 ounce of a vegetable and 1 ounce of fruit for dinner with 4-6 ounces of formula. We try to get in a small bottle midmorning and about 4 ounces before bed. I think it depends on how much your baby needs.

Answer 8

Start with rice cereal. Make it at first with more formula than cereal and slowly, over a week or two, make it thicker.
Right now it more eating practice than actually getting nutrition from the cereal, so don't cut back on the bottles.
You can add a new fruit or veggie in another month or two. Do it slowly, only a new food once a week, so you can watch for reactions.
Some docs say start with veggies first, light ones first then to darkers ones. Then fruits, light to dark.

Good luck and keep the camera close at hand for that first bite-- too cute!

Answer 9

I think 4 mos is too early to give solids but I understand formula is expensive and you are trying to cut down on costs by trying to offer solids. Well you might be on WIC begging for formula so it probably is not costing you anything to give you baby inferior nutrition. Anyhoo..a baby's nutrition should come from milk alone up to a year

Answer 10

Starting a baby on solid foods at such a younge age isn't so bright in my opinion. I would definately be prepared for the little one to become constipated. I waited until my babies were 6 months and then introduced them to cereal in their formula. I would ask your pediatrition to answere your question.