Life seemed so much easier back in the day when Noob Baby was subsisting only on milk. For about two months now, NB has been dabbling in solids. She’s in that purgatory transition period now where she thinks those Gerber Puffs are cardboard, can’t eat anything off our plates, and is basically condemned to a life of bland old people food – primarily, purees.
The diaper bag just got two times more ginormous – bottles, formula, one-meellllion pacifiers, bib, prison food in weapon-proof container, prison spoon with rubber tip, etc.
It’ll be so nice when she can just eat the things I don’t like off my plate (peas… blehhh). Or what I mean is, we can share our meal in tasteful harmony 🙂
I’ve mostly been making her baby food a la blender. It’s actually really easy and not too time consuming. Perhaps I’ll have a future post on this if you’re interested in serving up homemade baby food. Or, if you just wanna pretend you’re cool like good old Ronco (as I always do when I use machinery in the kitchen):
The two questions that keep coming to mind as she’s eating more is, “How much do I feed this noob?” and “How much milk does (insert endearing fatty baby name) need?” I think this is probably a common question for other noob parents out there. So, I’ve searched through several parenting books and favorite websites, and they all seem to be in range of this table, which I believe I found in Parents Magazine:
Birth to 2 Weeks
Formula: 18-24 oz (2-3 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 8 to 12 nursings
Solids: None
2 Weeks to 2 months
Formula: 20-32 oz (4 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 6 to 10 nursings
Solids: None
2 to 4 months
Formula: 30-36 oz (5 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 6-8 nursings
Solids: None
4 to 6 months
Formula: 32-40 oz (6 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 5-6 nursings
Solids: 1 meal/day (optional – consult your Ped.)
Servings per meal: 2-4 Tbsp* of cereal or pureed Stage 1 baby food
6 to 9 months
Formula: 24-32 oz (7 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 4-5 nursings
Solids: 1-3 meals/day
Servings per meal: 2-4 Tbsp* of 2 foods or up to a whole jar of Stage 2 baby food.
9 to 12 months
Formula: 20-32 oz (8 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 3-4 nursings
Solids: 3 meals/day
Servings per meal: 3-4 Tbsp of 3 foods (including finger/table foods) or up to a whole jar of Stage 3 baby food.
12 to 15 months
Formula: 16-20 oz (8 oz per bottle)
Breast Milk: 2-3 nursings
Solids: 3 meals/day and 2 snacks/day
Servings per meal: 1/4 of an adult serving size.
*2 Tbsp. of solid = 1 oz. of liquid
Now, if you’re wondering how to work these feedings into a schedule, this is an example from The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems (p. 96):
7:00 – liquid
8:30 – solids “breakfast”
11:00 – liquid
12:30 – solids “lunch”
3:00 – liquid
5:30 – solids “dinner”
7:30 – liquid before bed
I hope this answers some of your solid-feeding questions! Happy eating 🙂
at 6 months do you feed 1-3 times a day with 2-4 tbs of food each time?
ok, so I’m following that same routine, and it’s going pretty well, but my problem is that my 8-month-old drinks hardly any milk. He is mostly breastfed but has 1 or 2 bottles in a day. when he breastfeeds, he only drinks for a few minutes. When he drinks the bottle, then he only drinks 1-3 oz. He loves his solid food, so at least, he is eating something. I’m worried about his milk intake. he probably only drinks half of what you recommend. I’m wondering should I just leave him to self-wean, or if I should try to decrease solid intake in hopes that he will drink more?
I find it strange that we work our way to feeding every 4 hrs, but then adding solids means they eat every 2 hrs. doesn’t this turn them into snackers?
Hey, I have the noodle maker in the photo!
So I feel lost, I am following the easy routine but with the routine you state above when would I put in his naps?? He’s 6 months but we literally just started him on solids yesterday so I’m following your 4-6 months for the next few weeks.
Hi!! Do you have a sample schedule for a 12 month old? You have saved me this year! I am not prepared to be without your cheat sheet 🙂 help!
My son is exactly 5 months and this is his routine for EASY
6:45-7:15AM WAKE AND FEED 7.5 OZ
7:30-8:30AM ACTIVITY
8:45-9:15AM SETTLE FOR MORNING NAP APPROX 1 ½ HOURS
10:45-11:15AM FEED 7.5 OZ BOTTLE
11:30-12:15PM ACTIVITY
12:15-1:00PM SWING – POSSIBLE CAT NAP 30 MINUTES IF HE WOKE EARLY FROM MORNING NAP
1PM-LUNCH 2 TABLESPOONS CEREAL MIXED WITH 1 ½ OUNCE FORMULA
AND 2 TABLESPOONS VEGGIE OR FRUIT
1:00-2:00PM ACTIVITY
2:00-2:30PM SETTLE DOWN FOR NAP
APPROX 1.5 HOURS
3:45-4:15PM FEED 7.5 OZ BOTTLE
4:30-5:30PM ACTIVITY
5:15-6:00PM SWING – POSSIBLE CAT NAP 30 MINUTES IF HE WOKE EARLY FROM AFTERNOON NAP
6PM-DINNER 2 TABLESPOONS CERAL MIXED WITH 1 ½ OUNCE FORMULA
AND 2 TABLESPOONS VEGGIE OR FRUIT
7:00-7:15PM BATHTIME
7:30-8:00PM BEDTIME 7.5 OZ BOTTLE
Is this a normal routine for a 5 month old, I have followed your blog since birth and had to find a happy medium for between 4-6 months that included solids. My son was definitely ready for some real food once he mastered his tongue. His pediatrician told me that I can start giving him a third meal (breakfast) and I am thinking that time should be about 8:30am but does everything else look similar to a 5 month old on solids?? Thanks for your input. My son stopped his nighttime feedings about 3.5 months and began solids at 4 months.
Hello! Thank you for this information, it is super helpful!! I am wondering what you would say about a 5-month old not drinking enough formula (according to this post)… My son usually takes 4-5 ounce bottles, 5 times a day, sometimes 6 if you count the middle of the night feeding. Sometimes we are lucky and he drinks 5.5-6oz, but that is not the norm. He is a little over 15lbs and tall – a string bean! He is strong and super active and meeting all his milestones. Anything I can do to help him drink more? (We also do 1 meal of rice cereal)
I realize I’m a bit late to the party here, but thank you SO much for posting this. I read all the books with my first child, and seem to have forgotten everything by the time my second came along. I was looking everywhere for just a simple feeding schedule so THANK YOU!!!
Sorry, one more thing… What should we give her in the morning and at night considering her first meal there is 8:30 and last meal is 5:30…
I’ve read that babies should be transitioned from formula and bottles by their first birthday. My daughter is 13 months and a little picky. While she is doing better with solids, her daycare still recommends sending two bottles of formula in case she refuses the food there. They give her breakfast at 8:30, lunch around 11/11:30, and supper at 5:30….with snacks in between. My hubby and I have been giving her a 6oz bottle of formula when she wakes to tied her over until breakfast at daycare and a 8oz bottle after her bath before bed around 8pm.
We did a gradual introduction of milk adding 1oz at a time until she was able to have whole milk and they give her sippy cups of milk at school.
I’m just curious if we should stop giving bottles with formula and just give sippy cups of milk in the morning and at night as well as quitting the formula bottles at day care. I just want to make sure she is getting what she needs but don’t want to hinder development or anything if the bottles and formula should stop.
Help?
My 14 mos old is taking only 1 bottle of formula of 8 oz in the morning and refuses to take it before bed or during the day. She is eating solids well. Is it enough milk? (She has cow mill allergy, so she is on special formula). I saw babies should drink at least 16 oz of milk or formula until they are 15 mos. What about 16 mos and older? Please please answer.
Olivia – Check with your pediatrician to be sure, but it is my understanding that she still needs the nutrition from milk/special formula. However, if she gets those vitamins from other food sources, it could be fine. You can always make sure she’s getting the dairy, iron, vitamin D elsewhere. Good luck!
We have gotten into the habit of feed/sleep at 4 months old how could
I change this?
We have gotten into the habit at 4 months old to feed then sleep. How can I switch this?
Pretty nice post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I’ve really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing for your feed and I am hoping you write once more very soon!
My LO is a preemie and was born at 32 weeks. He is now 9 weeks old and has been home for 5 weeks out of the 9 – is he too young to start on the EASY schedule for 4 weekers as his adjusted age would be 1 week? I started trying to keep to the schedule yesterday and haven’t had much luck with him conforming, he just seems to be wanting my breast all the time and has become even more unsettled.
He weighs about 3.3-3.4kg at the moment and his usual feeding schedule is every 2 hours but he has had good days where he drinks every 3 hours.
I am going crazy trying to understand him and how to make him happy, nothing I do seems to work, and if it works it only lasts a few days.
Yikes. I just saw the feeding guidelines on this post and now am concerned I may be underfeeding my child. My 11-week old is only eating 5x a day (breast milk). He sleeps about 8-9 hours a night so there’s not a lot of “feeding time” left in the day. Is that a problem? He is growing well and all of his pediatrician appointments have been going well.
Hi! My 8 month old is very healthy as far as weight goes. I have been breast feeding him since birth. He refused the bottle since he became aware of his surroundings (around 2 months) and its been a struggle for anyone other than me to feed him. We tried everything. Eventually he took to the sippy but only via a combination of chewing and sucking. We just re-introduced the bottle 2 weeks ago and he seems to be latching just fine, but just takes a few sips (1oz) at a time and then wants to play or do something else. He also doesnt want to eat solids – we started at 6 months with avacado, then banana, sweet potato, etc. I tried making it myself and then tried the jar / package food. He refused after maybe 1-2 bites. Then started refusing the spoon altogether. So I tried more of a baby-led weaning approach. He loves his snacks (puffs and yogurt chips) but doesnt do too well with anything else. I keep trying but he keeps refusing. I know he is gaining well, he is happy, and the first year is “supposed to be for taste and texture only”. But what to do? He ends up only taking a few ounces of milk (with a little oatmeal in there) at a time and eats more frequently throughout the day (and night). Trying to get him more on a “normal” schedule. He has even started to not be as interested in nursing except in the middle of the night. Any ideas?!?!??
Minus the bottle/breast issue this sounds a lot like me! I swore my baby would never get off a bottle because he hated baby food! He was slow to catch onto the idea of baby food (I introduced around 6 months) then finally started to eat it around 8 months old. He then refused the spoon after about 3 amazing weeks. My doctor said he recommends yogurt at 9 months but it was ok to try a little early. We buy Stonyfield Yo Baby or Yo Toddler. LOVES his yogurt! Shortly after we started giving him real people food. He is just over 10 months and only has 4 teeth. Breakfast we do eggs, French toast or pancakes with a fruit (slightly mashes bananas or a soft pear and if you go to Target, archer Farms makes freeze dried fruit that melts in your mouth…..he likes the strawberries and cinnamon apples). Lunch is usually yogurt and ill let him chew/suck on part of a bagel, soft pretzel, Cheerios. Dinner we try to give him a meat (tiny pieces of low sodium deli turkey, shredded chicken or steak), pastina, creamed spinach. He wants real people food. Some people say he is too young but he doesn’t give me a choice. And he does well with it. I just make sure the pieces are small enough and I watch him carefully.
My baby also used to nurse/have a bottle literally every hour….he now has 4 bottles a day! My doctor said he needed to last longer between feedings at his age and we needed to stretch him. I literally would stretch him 5 minutes longer between feedings at a time! Day one rather than a bottle every hour he needed to wait one hour and five minutes, then day two would make him go an hour and 10 minutes between feedings, day three an extra 15 minutes. Then would stay there for a week or so then would tack on a few extra minutes between feedings until we were where we wanted to be. He finally started to drink more each time around which in turn let him last longer between feedings. My trick was the great outdoors. My neighbors said he was going to be spoiled because I was outside with him all day but it was a great distraction for him and I was able to hold off his feedings! If its cold….bundle him up or wrap blankets around him! Remember….He is hungry and the only way he can tell you that is by crying. It doesn’t mean you are starving him to death! thats how i always felt when he would cry! We also had to use the Ferber Method to get him off his overnight bottle.
It’ll shape up even though it feels like it never will! Good luck!
Hi NM,
Love your site! It’s helpful and your wittiness makes me smile! My son is just over 8 months old. At the start of September we took him off one of his two overnight bottles using Ferber and he did great. Last Friday we eliminated the last overnight feed and he took to it pretty well. Here is the thing…. He gets a bottle at 6:45 and falls asleep minutes after 7. For the past week he has woke up about 5:30 and needs a bottle almost immediately and is in a decent mood. He does wake around 4:10 and every night but two nights has fallen back to bed without us going into the room to check on him. The first time that I gave him that 4:00 bottle was because he passed out at 6 after getting a bottle (long day schedule got messed up) and he slept until 6:30. Last night he just wouldn’t fall asleep around 4:30 so I caved and gave a bottle and he slept until 6:40. Do you think he needs this bottle! When do people generally eliminate that 4:00 feed? I’m so confused! Thanks!
To
Sammy’s Momma – Generally, it is common for our little ones to no longer need the middle of the night feedings at about 4-6 months of age or soon after starting solids. I think your 8 month old is definitely fine without needing a middle of the night feeding. One of the indicators is also if your little one is waking up around the same time. If so, it’s a habitual waking. If it’s randomly scattered and a new phenomenon to his routine, then it may be a growth spurt, illness, teething, etc. But since you’ve said it’s usually around the same time, it sounds like habit. Make sure he’s getting sufficient calories during the day (filling up at each feed and not just snacking). Continue with a consistent routine and don’t be afraid to let him self-soothe. You mentioned that there have been times where he has fallen back to sleep on his own … which is a great sign! Good luck!
Thank you for this! I had yet to find something so straightforward.
Hi, I’m a mother of 18 months old daughter who is hyper-active and cheeky. My daughter cannot sit still for her meal. She don’t want to open her mouth to eat the food served or don’t want to swallow down her food and just “gaging” for a long time. Feeding can be up to 1 hour for lunch or dinner. Sometimes she only wants to drink milk. Seeking for advice…..
JC – Thanks for the comment. I feel I may not be the expert on this, but my suggestion would be to try different types of foods and see which she tolerates best. I know that isn’t a great answer. Definitely talk to your pediatrician and find out what they have to say. I’m a little concerned about the gagging too. You just want to make sure everything is ok with that too. Some babies are adverse to some textures of food, while others, may have trouble swallowing or eating due to the shape of their mouth/palate. So, in extreme cases… some doctors may recommend seeing a feeding therapist. However, it’s possible you may have a pickier eater 🙂 In which case, experiment with what she likes to eat. Let her try feeding herself so she can enjoy mealtime a bit. Also, try mixing up the texture of foods. Some like chunky foods, porridge, soups, or solids. Good luck!
Hi Tired Mom – I'm sorry to hear about the change in your schedule and lack of sleep! I know how frustrating and draining that can be. Is there any chance your LO is teething? You may want to stick your finger in her mouth and feel around for some budding teeth. That could be one explanation for the loss of appetite and disrupted sleep schedule. I have heard of some babies taking solids initially, and for whatever reason, rejecting them later on. You could keep trying with a variety of tastes and textures (lumpier, watery, fruits, yogurt, smoothies, finger foods, Gerber puffs, etc) or you can just wait a few weeks and try again. Babies can be extremely picky about what they want and don't. For example, oatmeal vs rice cereal was the case for Noob Baby. My next concern would be the sleep schedule. 5 1/2 months is old enough to start some sort of sleep training, whether it be Cry It Out or some other form of self-soothing. She's certainly old enough now to be sleeping through the night and not needing to be nursed every 2 hours. That sounds like habitual waking. If you want more info on what we did, email me or scroll through my sleep training posts. Good luck!
Anon – It sounds like your son is ready to have some beginning stage finger foods. I would start out with the Gerber puff type foods first, or some teething biscuit types (Gerber has some wheels in apple, carrot, sweet potato, etc.) that will dissolve easily. I'd wait to see how he takes the dissolving finger foods first before you move on to Cheerios. But it sounds like he should be pretty excited to try it. As far as the 3 night feedings go, I'm surprised he's still that hungry! You could try feeding him some little snacks in between meals to see if he feels fuller. Such as some pureed fruits and veggies, yogurt, smoothies. Good luck!
Hi,
My babygirl is 5.5 months and doesn't like the fruit juice, puree or solids. She used to open her mouth when I first introduced them at 4 months, but gradually she started to close her lips tightly to the spoon.I am worried that she won't accept solids.
Plus we started to have sleeping problems lately. She used to sleep until 7 am with nursing every 2 hours. Nowadays she is frequent wake ups. She goes back to sleep as soon as I start nursing her but doesn't fall back to sleep by herself.Also wide awake at 4 am not doesn't wanna go back to sleep:(
Is this a phase like my doc said? Is she going to go back to be the good babygirl like the first 3 months, or is it gonna get worse? 🙁
tired mom
Hi my son is 5 1/2 months and is a very big boy 23 lbs. My doc had me put him on solids at 4 months and he is now eating 3 meals a day + 5 8oz bottles, and he gets up for 3 night feedings. This seems like alot to me! He is happy and healthy. Only gets upset when he wants food. So here is my question when can he have cherios? or other finger food. He has been able to pick up stuff in his fingers for a month now and can transfer things from one hand to the other!!!
Hi!
My son is also a little butterball at 19 weeks he’s 18 lbs. After talking with his pediatrician, we’ve learned that because of his healthy weight, there’s no need for him to eat more that 1-2/night. So 2 nights ago we started night weaning. He had been waking up 3-5 times a night to feed and that was killing me since he’s ebf and I wasn’t willing to compromise that. Both nights he went 8 hours without eating. He would wake up every 3-4 hours but my husband or I would go into his room after 8 min of crying, put his paci back in his mouth, place our hand on his back and say night night. Then we left the room. He’d cry for about 4 min more or sometimes not at all and back to sleep he went. I know this sounds harsh and I was reluctant at first, but it really has made a difference. I hope that you find whatever works for you!
Great info. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hello helpful moms…my second baby is 8 months and 1 week. He eats solids and drinks only breast milk. My problem is that he wants to jump at all the adult food, not always very fond of his own food. He doesnt drink much milk either. I am not sure how much he gets at each feed coz when I have never been able to express much but when i check his mouth he seems to be getting enough milk and he swallows frequently. By the way a baby cook book that I use a lot is Baby's First Foods by Annabel Karmel. Hope that's helpful.
Have a good day mummies :o)
Carrie – In my Noob Parents 101 section, there are some of my favorite books listed, including some baby food cookbooks. The two I refer to most often are Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young and The Petit Appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes. Also try wholesomebabyfood.com I'd definitely get some ice trays (with lids are good too) for freezing all the baby food you'll make. It's sooo convenient and saves a ton of money. Plus, you can mix and match your frozen food to create a meal your baby enjoys. Good luck!
Thanks for the schedule. I just started Kai on rice cereal about a week ago. He took right to it. But I didn't know how much he should be eating. The Doctor just said I could start solids and stage 1 foods. You referred to baby cook books in some of the posts. Do you have any favorites? I would like to try making my own baby food…any suggestions?
Anon- Wow 10 oz does seem quite meager! Does DS snack a lot during the day? What kind of solids is he eating now? The main thing is to make sure he's getting those nutrients in somewhere, especially the Iron and other fortified vitamins they add to the Formula. Try mixing more formula into his cereal, oatmeal, etc. You can also try making fruit smoothies using formula and/or yogurt. I haven't given Noob Baby any smoothies yet, but I've read many healthy and yummy sounding recipes that seem delicious. Other than that, just make sure he is getting enough other forms of calcium (and nutrients) in his diet. Maybe see if he'll take more milk in the morning and before bed as well. Noob Baby doesn't drink much at lunch, but will chug like a Frat brother in the mornings. Good luck!
any advice on a baby only wanting to take 10 oz of formula a day. he eats fine but doesnt seem to like his milk. i offer his bottle first then solids. i've taken him to the dr. twice but they dont seem too worried but as his mom…i am. he's 1.5 week shy of being 9 months. still very active…normal amt. of wet diapers.
Anon – I just posted in response to your question about your friend's baby spitting the solids out. Please check out my latest post – Getting Baby to Eat Solids.
My friends baby is 6 1/2 months old and won't eat solids. She spits it right back out no matter what it is. If you even put an empty spoon her mouth she spits "it" out. Any tips on how to get her to eat? Her dr said just to keep offering it and if she's not eating by 8mo then she will need speech therapy.
Margaret – TBW has a general guideline for feeding by age, but not stage of food… if that’s what you’re referring to (Stage 1, 2, 3 Gerber etc). It is similar to what I’ve posted here. She doesn’t really offer any time schedule except for what I have as well. Email me if you need to know more 🙂
Thank you so much for this post. Can you tell me if the Baby Whisperer book has schedules for each stage? My baby is currently 4 months old and just started rice cereal after getting the okay from our Ped.
Just looking for a bit of clarification – for the 6-9 month range, the chart says 2-4 Tbsp of 2 foods or up to one Stage 2 jar. Does this mean 2-4 Tbsp total or 2-4 Tbsp of each food (so, 4-8 Tbsp total)? 4 Tbsp is only about 2 oz, and the Stage 2 Gerber packs are 3.5 oz, so I think you mean the latter, but I just want to clarify. Thanks!
Anon- I've looked into some of my baby food cookbooks for feeding guidelines for babies 12-24 months. It seems that the consensus is that after 1-yr, growth and appetite slows down significantly until about 2 yrs. So, since we're used to feeding our noobs so much in the first year, we can actually relax a bit. Toddlers may be picky and not want to eat at regular mealtimes. They may get a significant amount of calories from snack time during the day. It's ok to start feeding them what you're eating (just be wary of food allergens). Chunky soups, stews, chicken & rice, soft veggies, yogurts and cheese, etc. are all healthy options. In my opinion, it sounds ok for your son to be eating the baby food, but definitely continue to wean him off so he gets used to self-feeding and different textures. Maybe just offer one jar at dinnertime and replace the jarred fruit with fresh fruit chunks. Good luck and email me if you have more questions!
My son is 16 months old and he eats small solids but still has 2 jars of baby food (one dinner and one fruit) at dinner time. I am trying to break the habit but otherwise it doesn’t seem like he’s eating enough…Is this okay??
Thanks,
J.
Thanks for posting this…my 1 yr old was a slow solids eater..just started eating baby food regularly at 9 months! (2 x packs a day of Gerber stage 2 fruit or veggie). Now that I am following the above feeding guide (posted above)- how much at each feeding of “solids”? she does stage 2 packs and some of the gerber puffs…also taking four 6 oz bottles of milk a day…just cut it from four 8oz of whole milk (too much milk!) My Dr gave me no guidelines as her height and weight are in the 95th percentile.
Thank you so much. I have just spent 20 minutes trying to look up correct portion sizes but was getting more confused by the minute – everyone seems to have their own opinion. That was really clear and helpful.Thanks again.