Starting Solids - Decrease Formula?

Hi K.,
It sounds normal. I would start the feeding with the solids and end with the bottle. Sort of the 'wash it down' mentality. This will also help with the transition so that his belly isn't full with a bottle, so he'll eat more solids. As far as weening off of the bottle, this usually doesn't happen until the 11 - 12 month mark when you start to introduce cows milk.

M.

Hi,

He sounds perfectly normal. Although you probably can't see it right now, he is a growing boy and the bigger or older he gets the more food he requires. But, indeed, try giving him the bottle to wash the solids down, as with us older people when we eat, we have to wash our food down with some form of liquid. And try not to worry, he'll take less formula when he feels its time. You'll think he doesn't care for it anymore, but generally that's when we start them on 2% or whole milk.

It seems that up until about 8 or 9 months, at each visit the ped would say, "well, she should be getting about __ ounces of formula a day..." and it increased with each visit up to about a total of 36-40 oz. Then once the baby was 9 months, the amount of formula she should be getting decreased and solids we were told should increase. We feed our daughter three or four solid meals, and now only 3 (sometimes 4) bottles-6 to 8 ounces (usually 8)each. My husband read somewhere that the formula takes away from the nutritional value of the solids the baby is consuming. We feed solids first, then a bottle or a little juice or water in a sippy cup. Sometimes if we are out and about she will get a bottle, then we'll feed her when we get home. I do wonder if she is eating/getting enough calories sometimes. Our daughter just turned a year old and we have her 12 month appt next week. I'll find out all the details I can. Definitely feed solids first, but he's only 7 months, so he should be still drinking a good bit of formula, I think.

Depends on what you want for him. If you want his main source of food to be jar FOOD then Yes, you can offer him the jar food first. And give him stage 2, the whole jar. Then offer the bottle a bit later. He may not grow out of his formula feedings. Have you offered the cup yet w/ his "meal"?
My son did the same thing. I fed him stage 1 to start w/. 1 jar for each meal and his bottle. He only drank 4oz a feeding til he was almost 1yr old. His highest daily total was about 32oz. And he was never past the 75th percentile.
See his appetite has increased from the 4-6oz bottle and he is making up for that w/ the food. So it sounds very normal to me.

I would think that you will still need to feed a lot of formula/breastmilk when you start solids. Especially if all you feed the baby is the rice cereal. They don't really get ANY nutrition out of the cereal, they just learn to eat real food.
Also, if he isn't like 110% and is hungry - I say feed him and don't worry about it:) They eat only when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Don't worry, you aren't doing anything wrong! I have a 2 yr old and a 5 wk old. My 2 year old still has days of eating a ton and eating nothing. He is growing fine and doing well socially and developmentally. Just relax and enjoy that he isn't a super picky eater yet:)!

formula should be a babies no 1 source of nourishment until they are one year old. in fact they don't even NEED any other food in the first year of life. (that second part was more of an interesting tidbit than advice)

Hi K.,

Your pediatrician can tell how much formula is enough. As you suggested, it may help to give him the solids first and then follow-up with a bottle. You'll eventually settle into a routine that works and doesn't waste any food or formula, and then he'll change it up on you :)

Good luck!
S.

OK Hello i am a mother of 4 and i babysit a 1 year old and 10 month old twins. This was the same concern for there parents and i told them to let there child eat when they wanted unless you see that it is getting out of control. 30 oz i think sounds right with one. I would give your baby solids until he does not want anymore then see how much he eats in the bottle after that and if he is very active he will tend to eat more so remember that your baby knows when he is hungry and i would not give him the bottle before give him the solids and then a bottle see if that helps with reducing the bottle okay i hope you the best and hope that this is help for you.

I think you already got great advice. My son just turned 1 and he was drinking 30oz of formula plus solids up until about 11 months. At that point he decrease the amount of formula himself. If you are going to decrease anything decrease the solids over the formula. Your son needs the fat from the formula for brain development and that's also why after he turns 1 you'll be giving him whole milk throughout the day.

Hi K.,

Call your Pediatrician and explain your concerns. Talk to your son's nurse too if that will help.

You are not doing anything wrong. Your child is growing every day. Good luck. D.

Every child is so different. This may be normal for your little one. Kids transition through different stages at different times. You'll probably see a change by 12 months and I would encourage drinking after you eating. That might help. Good luck!

It sounds like your son is perfectly normal! Obviously, when eating the solids it is only natural that he may not take the same amount of formula as when just having a bottle alone but he does still need around 32 oz of formula a day. The "milk" and all its nutrition are very important for his growth and development (especially the kind you see but can't measure).

My daughter (now 16 months)would eat approximately every 2 1/2 hours after starting solids. After breakfast, lunch, and dinner she would go closer to 3 hours while those meals followed just bottle feedings after only 2 - 2 1/2. She would then go many hours (during the night) with no feedings.

If in doubt, ask your pediatrician.

Your child is completely normal. You don't need to decrease formula. Just keep feeding him the formula and solids as you are now. You'll switch from formula to whole milk at 1 year and then he might take less. Don't worry. You're doing a great job.

My understanding is that up until the age of one, breast milk and/or formula is to comprise the majority of an infant's caloric intake comparable to before the child starts to eat solid foods. The solid food is just a supplement, not a replacement for the milk. Like others have stated, at age one, you will introduce cow's whole milk and more solid/table foods and that ought to decrease the amount of breast milk and/or formula the child drinks. In agreement with the other responders, your baby seems typical.

K., you are doing every absolutely perfectly! It's ok if he still wants the formula every 2-3 hours -- that's quite normal at this stage, and formula should still be his primary source of nutrition until he's a year old. You can start adding more solids, maybe give him a vegetable AND fruit for lunch and dinner. I would also offer the solids between meals, and not immediately after a bottle. In addition, I gave my son water in a sippy with his meals to help "wash" them down.

My son is 19 mos now, and he still eats every 2-3 hours, even though he's not on formula. He usually has meals and then snacks in between each meal. So this is similar to what your son is doing, and will continue to do, if that makes sense? My daughter (whose name is K., btw!) is now 6 mos, and she is on two solid meals a day, but she still probably takes up to 30 oz of formula per day, and I generally consider her formula the primary source of her "meals."

Anyway, pats on the back -- you're doing everything right. Continue to follow his cues and your mommy instinct, and you won't go wrong!

I babysit a little boy who is 9 month and when he was about 7 months his mom figured out that he needed the bigger size nipples on his bottles. As soon as she switched him, he drank 8oz at a time. I was giving him solids first then the bottle later. Like he would drink a bottle when he woke at 6:30, I would feed him oatmeal at 8:30 then lay him down for a nap. When he woke up another bottle, before he went down some more solids. It really helped not to try to give it to him all at once.

I really wouldn't worry about if your son is taking too many bottles. It sounds like he eats well. The bottles still give him a majority of his required nutrients. My son is 11.5 months and still drinks about 30oz a day along with finger foods and yogurt. For the meals where he is eating solids, you may want to try giving him the solids first then see if he still wants the bottle. But from one mom to another, as long as your baby is healthy and happy, I wouldn't stress too much. Good luck!!

Sounds normal to me. I remember my little one going through growth spurts eating just as much as you described. I never worried about it because she was always on the low side of the weight charts.

This may very well last for another few days. It'll go up and down a lot! There will be times when you'll worry about him not eating enough. I say let him tell you when and how he needs to eat.

~L.