How Much Should My 7 Month Old Be Eating?

sounds about right to me.
keep up the good work, mom.
:)J.
(mom of 6-year old girl and 2-year old boy)

My opinion: Breakfast: A bowl of baby cereal. You can flavor it with the 1/2 jar of fruit, but she needs some cereal.
Lunch: 1/2-1 full jar each of veg & fruit.
Supper: 1/2-1 full jar each of veg{or mixed dinner} & fruit.

I would use the bottles after meals & in-between meals. She will be a better eater if she learns to fill up on her food instead of her bottle. She does need to drink about 24oz of formula a day. Juice really is not necessary unless she gets constipated.

I watch my 6 1/2 mo old niece. In the morning(7:30) she eats a 6 oz formula and cereal. Lunch(12:30) is 6 oz formula and most of 1 jar of fruit. After her nap(4:30) she eats 6oz formula and most of 1 jar of veggie or cereal. Then before bed she eats a 7 oz formula w/ cereal in it.

I think part of the reason your doctor is a bit foggy on actual amounts of food, is because every child is different. I always let my babies kind of dictate their feeding schedule. Babies and small kids don't eat for entertainment or pleasure like adults do... they eat when they're hungry, and they don't when they're not. It sounds like your baby girl has a great feeding schedule! Keep up the good work, Mom!

~S.~
Mom of 4 great boys!

S.
You might try her on jar cereal in the morning and milk with every meal. We didn't give our granddaughter any juice till she was older. It is just pure sugar we gave her only milk and water. I would think she is old enough for jar meat.If you go to board of health they have charts that show you what to fed your baby and when.
Good luck and God Bless

Each kid is different. I fed my kids the food first then gave a bottle/breast. My daughter was a light eater when she was an infant. My son, on the other hand, ate llike a horse. Baby oatmeal for breakfast then 6 oz formula. lunch was a container veg and fruit for lunch/ bottle. Dinner was the same with a 6 oz bottle at bedtime. It worked for us, but your instincts should rule the roost. If she wants more, offer her mushed up banana or soft pieces of fruit and see what she does.

Your daughter is eating just fine. That is about the right amount for a child of her age. Some children may eat a little more and some may eat a little less. You could give her a snack in between meals such as a second stage desert or something like that. Also, when she has her last bottle give her some cereal rice or oatmeal with a little bit of fruit mixed in. Sounds like you are on the right track to me.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

we have a 7 month baby that eats 4 ozs breakfast cereal in the morning and a 3 to 4oz bottle then 4ozs of fruits or veggies for lunch and opposite of the lunch on fruits or veggies and same 4oz bottle and then night 4 ozs cearal and a 4oz bottle for bed...I try to follow the gerber feedings I have found that cereal fills them up 4oz and 4oz gives them their 8 ozs they need. if they are still hungry add more formula.. spoon feeding is the best to slow them down on eating to fast and not filling gasey... you can buy #2 in premade cereal with fruits added. Ours seams to love it for lunches if we choose to give him that in stead of a veggie you can also start her on chicken and noodles in stage 2...Try to stay away from the juices till later it can cause colic(apple) and it's not to good for their gums and teeth...we give juices only if have too which is very seldom...

Good Luck

T. F

That sounds perfect. I have three children myself and that sounds similar to what mine were eating at that age. If she guides you by indicating that she is hungry at other times listen to her as she may be going through a growth spurt. On the other side, if she seems full before you're done with a feeding then listen to her as well. If she is happy and growing well then you are doing a good job.

I'd say it is plenty....

If your baby is ahealthy weight this is fine. Babies go through a growth spirt around six months. She will start to eat less as soon as she starts teethng if she wants to eat at all. My kids only wanted to drink. So what I did was put everything in the bottle whenever they started teething. I put milk, cereal, veggies, and fruit. Otherwise I gave them cold water which they loved for their teeth.
Let me know how it goes, Mother of three (4,3,and 20 months).

My 7 month old son still takes about 25oz of formula a day. Besides that he eats rice cereal for breakfast and 2 stage 2 jars of food for both lunch and dinner. He is 20 pounds, which is still normal for a boy. All three of my kids were eating at least 2 jars of food each meal by this time. I would not worry, she'll let you know if she is hungry for more. Every child is different!

SOunds like you are doing great. I always gave mine cereal mixed with the fruit in the morning until the were 11 months or so. As long as they are not spitting up food I guess it is not too much. Some people ONLY nurse until 12 months so you really don't NEED all of that food already.

well when my lil one was 6 months she at 2 jars a baby food and milk the rest of they way if she seems happy and not fussing from lake of food she good when she went for her check up they said she was health and well feed her tummy might be smaller then other but my doc did say i should wait as long as i could be for giving her juice. i hope that helps

I don't have any idea what amounts are adequate - I breastfeed and make my own food. However, I do know that as long as your child is growing at a normal rate and not over-weight or losing weight, you are doing fine. Keep in mind that babies get everything they need from milk or formula until the age of 1. Solids are just to introduce tastes and textures, not for sustenance yet. Good Luck!

Sounds like she is doing quite well. As I am sure your doctor has told you every baby is different and my son was a picky eater when he was a baby and got less than your daughter. He is 20 months now and I learned after a year that you just feed them til they are done and they will let you know when that is. Don't force anymore and they will let you know when they are done all the time. He know hands me his food when he is done:-) Her formula intake sound great so don't be worried.

Of course they say there is not "text book" amount of food a baby is supposed to eat, but it sounds like you have a perfectly healthy eater for a 7 month old! I'm not a doctor, but 5 oz. of juice seems a little much. I have a 2 year old and that's about all I let her drink, and even then - I kind of water it down a bit. Just the way I do it though! Keep it up, whatever you are doing is obviously working for her if she's happy and healthy! :)

Here's what my 7 month old is eating on a typical day. My 2 other kids were doing pretty much the same thing at that age:

Nursing for 15-20 minutes soon after waking up. Breakfast at table is about 1/4 of oatmeal with half a stage 3 size jar of fruit. Mid-morning snack is 5-10 minutes of nursing. Lunch is whatever the other kids and I are having... like mac & cheese or soup (I just put the noodles/meat/veggies on her tray because the broth is too messy), a fruit like apples or pears, and something like toast. As for amounts... I dunno... probably 1-2 tablespoons of each food (it's cut into pea size bits). Afternoon snack is 15-20 minutes of nursing before nap and another 10 minutes of nursing when she wakes up. Dinner is usually started by munching cheerios in kitchen while I make dinner (maybe 1/4 cup?) then it's whatever we eat... I just cut everything into pea size bits and put a few at a time on her tray so she can feed herself. I also usually give her a small yo-baby yogurt with dinner. She eats probably 1-2 cups of food total for dinner -- it's her biggest meal and she sleeps great. If she gets less, she's more likely to wake up at least once instead of sleeping for 12 hours. She nurses again for 10-15 minutes to start her bedtime routine.

Just remember that 1 tablespoon is a serving size for a baby and they should have the same number of servings from each food group that adults do. I can't tell you exactly how much she eats because we rarely give jarred baby food. None of my kids have cared for it. They prefered 'real' food they can pick up and eat with their fingers. She doesn't have any teeth yet (none of my other kids had a tooth until after their 1st birthday) so we just cut everythign up into pea-size bits since she can't take bites off (that's what those first teeth are for anyway - not for chewing). Babies can gum anything. :-)

I did not notice any baby cereal. I always feed mine cereal mixed with formula or could use breast milk in the morning. Mother of 4.

It sounds like plenty. My pediatrician always recommended no more than 4 oz of diluted juice per day, otherwise it sounds fine. Nutritionally speaking just make sure you avoid the dinners with "dinner" on the label - they tend to have lots of filler and therefore less of the actual nutritional elements - go for the ones that say "Apples and Chicken" and that sort of thing. Most doctors I've heard rarely tell you how much (except for the milk part) food - I think every kid is different and you just have to make sure they seem satisfied.

S.,
That sounds about right to me. That sounds like just a frog hair more than my daughter eats and she's 6 months and a few days. If your baby isn't super skinny or super heavy, I'd say you're doing a fine job.

Good luck!
A.

Hello,
I am a Mother of 2 my son is 11 and my daughter is 5, we just found out we have another on the way! All children are different. some eat more than others, some it only takes a little to satisfy them. I am not an expert but just from experience, As long as she is not getting sick after eating she is not eating too much. I have always givin mine as much as they wanted, they will usually push the food away or spit it out if they are full. Both of my children are healthy, though the Doctors did pick on my son saying he was under weight all the time,( I always felt he probably ate more than some) but they could not come to reason or understand that our family is small built and small bone structure. I would say as long as the doctors arent complaining about being over weight, give her as much as she wants.

Where does she rank on the weight and height scale? If she is an average weight or less, then she is eating the right amount for her. There is no fixed amount so that is why your physician is vague about it. Think about it, when you see two people eat, they usually eat different amounts. The same is true for babies. Most will only eat what they want and ignore the rest but there are those that won't. However, if your baby is overweight, then she may be consuming too much food. I would then cut back on the baby food that she is given. I didn't see where she was taking any water into her system-only formula, juice and baby food. If she is overweight, you could substitute 3 oz of water and then give her 3 oz of formula. Water is good for them, helps keep them regular, and helps with weight control. I would hold back on the juice though until she is a little older. Babies that start out obese usually wind up obese and that creates another whole set of issues. Talk to your physician about where she stands on the chart and then if she is on the heavy side, talk to the physician about why-there could be factors that make a difference. Don't be afraid to ask is she is too heavy. Use common sense and don't try to crash diet if she is over the norm.
Give her a hug for me.
C. W.

Just rememeber that your baby will only eat till she is full. When she is hungry again then she will eat more. Hope this helps...kathy

Hi There!

This is my current menu plan for my 7 month old son

Morning Bottle - 4 oz BM
Breakfast is around 1030 and its 3 TableSpoons of Cereal with 3 TBL of a fruit
Usually a nap follows
Lunch is around 1230pm - 3 Table Spoons Vegi and 3 Tbls of Chicken + 4 oz Bottle of Formula

Afternoon snack at 3ish - 3 Tbls Fruit follow by a 4 Oz Bottle of Formula about an hour after

Dinner is at 7pm. - 3 Tbl Chicken, 3 Tbl Vegi and 3 Tbl Rice Cereal.
Wash Down with 2 oz's of watered juice

Nursing around 9 until he falls asleep and then repeat the next morning. :)