How Many Meals?

Updated on June 22, 2011
M.O. asks from Springfield, GA
10 answers

I feel silly for asking this since this is in regards to my 3rd baby but...I can't remember how many meals a day he should have now. He is 6 1/2 months old and I've been doing breakfast and dinner. When do you start doing all 3?

ETA: He is strictly breast fed and it is on demand. I always nurse him before the solids as well. I know that he gets all that he needs nutritionally from me but since he has to eat solids now I just couldn't remember when he should be getting 3 regular meals. I make his food so he is already used to thicker consistancy than jar food. Thanks for the advice!
Gamma G,
His "meals" consist of a tablespoon or less of food per his ped. I do know enough not to be serving him a 3 course dinner! Starting on rice cereal is no longer recommended as a first food either.

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A.G.

answers from Houston on

pretty much eating good food and drinking breast milk on demand until a year. They do a lot of growing the first year.

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L.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We started doing all 3 meals (meals meaning something other than breastfeeding or formula) and 2 snacks around 10 months old when we started introducing some of the mushy solids and chunkier purees. I think any time around a year is probably appropriate, it kind of depends on your child. If they're getting breakfast and dinner but it seems like they're still fussy in the afternoon even with snack and nursing/formula then it's time to add that third meal.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Per us and our Pediatrician:

Solids for the 1st year, is only an introduction to 'eating.'
A baby this age does not have to eat, 3 meals a day like an adult.

ALWAYS, nurse or give baby Formula, BEFORE solids. Otherwise a baby will be too full to nurse. And a baby will wean from breast.

Still nurse, primarily and on-demand. 24/7. and especially at Growth-spurts. 6 months is a growth-spurt time, and every 3 months.

For the 1st year of life, a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition is from breastmilk/Formula. NOT solids and not other liquids.

Solids, is not a nutritionally dense food, as breastmilk/Formula is.

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G.R.

answers from Dallas on

i will not worry about how many meals he have at that age because he need to drink milk every 4 hours and some snacks or your 2 meals are good

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Zero "meals". He should not be eating hardly any solids at this time. He is still really young for anything except cereal and a few spoonfuls of stage 1 or stage 2 baby foods a few times per day. The only reason to feed him solids at this time is to teach him to chew and swallow foods. Until he is about 10 months old he really just needs the breast milk and not many solids at all.

Around 12 months IF you transition him to regular whole milk then he should be eating the stage 3 foods or regular table food more.

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J.M.

answers from Atlanta on

I breastfed all my kids exclusive and at 6 months introduced cereal about once a day - usually in the evenings. I started intruducing other foods around 8 months and started two meals a day. I would say it wasn't until they were almost a year that they had three meals on a consistent basis.

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X.M.

answers from St. Louis on

My son started doing 3 meals when he was about 7 months. But if I saw that he wouldn't drunk as much formula I would lower it. Try it out and see how it goes. :)

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

Just remember that the bulk of his nutrition should come from breastmilk or formula until he is one year old. Other than that, if he'll eat then you can go ahead and feed him all three meals. It would be good to get him used to mealtimes :)

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K.E.

answers from Augusta on

It is interesting that you said "since he has to eat solids now". He does not HAVE to have solids. If you are exclusively BF and he is maintaining his weight and growth, you are still good to go with BF only. (nutritionally perfect food) For our son, we followed the route of waiting for "readiness" - when he reached for our plates and acted interested. It turned out to be about 8 1/2, 9 months and then it was just a little snack here and there. But, of course, every family is different and has different factors to consider... daycare vs stay at home, the need for a stricter schedule, etc. Good luck with what you decide!!

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Y.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Are you talking about breastmilk/formula? Or solid foods? For solid food, I'd say you're doing just fine with breakfast and dinner. For milk, I'd say whenever he's hungry - usually about every 4 hours at this age.

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