Is My 6Month Old Getting Enough to Eat?

As another poster said; trust your instincts!!! But also, trust your child's instincts. At her age, she is incapable of over eating (unless you are force-feeding her) or under-eating (unless there's an illness or you are depriving her). To babies, food is just food (whereas for adults sometimes it's comfort, sometimes it's the enemy). So if she tells you she's hungry, she is, if she doesn't want to eat any more, she's full.

Also, keep in mind that breastmilk or formula are supposed to be the main source of nutrition for the first 12 months - one recommendation I've always recieved is offer breastmilk/formula first, and if she's still hungry, THEN offer her solids. I breastfeed, so I don't know about formula, but with my children, I let them nurse until they decided they were done. If they still seemed hungry, THEN I fed them solids.

I would imagine since you are writing this there is a concern that she is not. I have a 7 month old and he has been eating 4 bottles a day and food 3x per day. We usually do cereal at 8:30, then a bottle 7oz. At noon I feed him a veggie and then an 8 oz. bottle, at 4:00 I feed him another 8 oz bottle, around 6 he has "dinner" veggie and maybe a fruit, then before bed, 8:30, another 8 oz. bottle. WE've had trouble with him not getting enough, but also not being fussy, it was his weight that showed that he needed more...when I went in last my ped said he should be getting at least 30 oz of formula per day. I know at this point the "food" is more to learn and try new tastes than to supplement formula which still should be their main source of nutrition. If you are concerned, call your doctor...there is some formula they use to figure out about how much milk you baby should get each day based on their age/weight. HOpe this helps some.

I started my daughter on cereal before she was 6 months as well. I have always been told that at 6 months a baby needs 24-37 ounces of formula per day or to nurse every 3-4 hours. She could also be teething, have you tried teething tableds. They are homeopathic and worked wonders for my little one. Good luck.

If you're concerned, then she's probably not. Always trust those instincts of yours :) My doc told me at least 32 oz until 9 months, and then at least 24 oz until 1 year. All doctors tell moms different things, so go with your gut. I did also feed my son baby food around 4 months. If I were you I'd just add a bottle with the feedings of fruit/veggies, or even just a cup of formula if she's ready to try a cup.

Sometimes it is hard to know if they are getting enough, but it sounds to me that she is getting quite a lot of formula (I seem to remember that my doc recommended that my son be getting 40 oz formula a day at that age). I wouldn't worry about the fussiness; as long as she is have regular bowel movements and wet diapers she is probably just acting like a regular kid! My little guy is still fussy at 10 months and has been like that from day 1! And he only just recently started eating more than 6 oz at a time of formula. He was breastfed til 6 months so I was never sure how much he was getting. But if you are really worried see your doc, and as long as she is gaining weight I don't see that there would be a problem. Good luck to you!

Is she gaining the weight she needs to gain? What is her percentages of growth? In my opinion, it seems as if she is getting everything she needs. Did you try mixing the cereal with her bottle? When we did that with our daughter she seem content with her feedings, more full. Or maybe all you need to do is increase her food in take. I have friends who started feeding their babies solids early, it didn't seem to have any negative affect. Your daughter might be picky eater, you just don't know it yet. When you started feeding her cereal or baby food, did you introduce different foods such as vegetables and fruits in timely matter? Did you notice that she takes certain foods better than others? If so, her stomach could be reacting to the different kinds of food you introduce her to or she is just expressing to you that she likes certain foods you feed her. It is quiet possible she maybe teething. Get her some teething rings to knaw on. Try ambesol for babies. It numbs her gums. It may help with her fussiness if she is teething. All the same, it doesn't matter whether anyone agrees with your feeding methods. It sounds like your daughter is perfectly healthy. IGNORE all this......I just read about your daughter. She sounds absolutely PERFECT!

If she is not unhappy and seeming hungry then I would say she is getting enough. If she is hungry she will let you know. If you are concerned about the nutrients in the formula you can always give her a small bottle during feedings or incorporate them into feedings but I would say she is getting enough if she isn't asking for more.

Hi N.,

In my opinion, I don't think your child is getting enough formula. When you make her cereal, you could use formula instead of juice to moisten it. According to your calculations, she is getting between 18-24 ounces of formula a day. I just don't think that is enough. Her calorie requirements at this age are around 24-30 ounces a day which means you are on the very low end of formula. According to your doctor, where is she on the growth chart?

I think an easy way to solve this is to include formula in her cereal. You could easily get another 6-8 ounces in and then I think her food intake would be fine. What does your doctor say?

C.

Sure I started adding rice cereal when my daughter was about 3 months. I would add it to her bottle at night plus feed her food during the day. Stuff like baby food and also cereal mixed with a little juice. At that age she loved yogurt. Try things a little at a time to see how she reacts.

Hi N. -

Not sure if you got a response yet to this issue. I have an 8 month old. FIRST of all, my doc said that its ok to feed solids starting at 4 months. Its not required, but its nice to start. You should definitely being feeding Ella solids by 6 months. Good job starting early. My daughter Ann did not really take on to eating until 7 months. We tried cereal at 4 months, not interested. Her intake of the formula has definitely slowed. I do fruit in the morning (try to sneak in some spoons of veggies but she is smart and doesnt really like them). I buy tons of options for baby food so I just kind of open a few jars. My husband woke her up today at 9am (she slept in late b/c she was a night owl last night) and he fed her a whole jar of fruit and oatmeal (mind you she is older than yours) and DIDN'T EVEN NEED A BOTTLE until noon. I was kind of freaked out but its ok. Don't worry.

Of course, if you are worried, call your doctor. I annoy them all the time. See if your doc can give you a meal plan.

Also, make sure she is growing of course!!!!

Best wishes
R.

This schedule you have her sounds just fine to me. Our son was about 4 months when we started him on "food" too. Then we stopped and started back up again at 6 months. If your daughter seems a little fussy during the day, I would give her a bottle, maybe instead of milk (formula) you can give her water; if you have a concern about too much milk.

Our son had somewhat of a similar schedule with food and drink but if I remember correctly he did have a bottle after each meal (4oz); just to help wash down his food.

Good luck.

M. H.

You should always trust your instincts. Try and give her a bottle when she's fussin, and then you'll know if thats what she wants. As far as if she's getting enough, is she having bowl movements and wet diapers. Thats how they have always told me to check, is the wet diapers.
Good luck, I love the name Ella

Listen to yourself! And your baby. If she is showing you she is still hungry I would feed her.

For me My son started on cereal at 4 months as well cause he was a hungry boy and his ped said he was ready. He also had at least 5 bottles a day of formula. So around 30 ounces of formula. He is now 4 and is actually a rather tall and skinny boy. So don't worry about over eating and things of that nature.