How Much should my 8.5 monthold consume?

Question

My daughter is almost 9mts
always been a small fussy eater
The max she drank was 26oz till we introdced solids
Even with the milk it was a struggle to feed her that she took almost 45 mins for one feed and it took a lot of coaxing and singing to get her to have that
Weight gain has been ok, she's an avg size baby
Now she has about 16oz of formula, and three solid meals 4 to 5 oz each
I speak with other parents and they say that their kids the same age drink much more, plus have solids and desserts and snacks and juice
I have 12 hrs to feed my daughter whta I feed her, she never asks for food i give it to her every 2 to 2.5 hrs, she has 3 bottles or rather bowls of milk 5oz each, no drinking from the bottle anymore but from a bowl
I have to give her a lot of toys to feed her or pop a dvd in for her
Is her intake enough? The doc doesn't seem to be worried
But i hope i am feeding her enough, don;t think i can shuv more food into her

Answer 1

if she's gaining weight, it's not a problem, don't force feed her as it will cause eating problems later in life. It's ok for her to be small as long as she is developing normally and growing.

Answer 2

i have an 8-month-old daughter as well, but the others are correct in that if weight gain isn't a problem, then what she's consuming now should not be that big a concern. it's important to keep in mind that you don't compare your baby with others. each child is different and has different needs. some are fussy eaters but do great in other areas. others are great eaters but don't exactly excel in other areas.

my daughter falls into the latter category. she eats fine, about 24 oz. of formula a day (12 hours that she's awake) and 3 square meals, no snacks though. and it's never been a battle to get her to eat (yet). but she's lazy or developmental slower in holding her own bottle and feeding herself. just shows you that a good eater doesn't mean much, as long as they're healthy and happy.

it sounds like your daughter is developing just fine and is of average weight, so don't worry yourself silly about her eating habits.

good luck!

Answer 3

Each child is different and if your doctor isn't concerned, then I would just do my best to keep feeding her, and hope that eventually it will get better. I think that you are doing the right thing by making eating fun though, keep trying.