Feeding a 7 1/2 month old?

[MommytoAydin]

I was wondering how many times am I supposed to give my son baby cereal and solids per day? He is 7 1/2 months old. I have been giving him cereal once a day and solids once a day, the rest of the time I breastfeed. Is he supposed to be eating solids more often in a day?

[lily_bee]

At dd's 6month visit, the pediatrian said she should definitely be eating 2 solids a day and possibly a 3rd by the next checkup visit depending on baby's appetite. DD (now 7mnths) gets solids 2x a day, but we are going to bump her up to 3x a day. Currently, she gets baby oatmeal mixed with a fruit for bfast and dinnertime she gets ricecereal mixed with a veggie & a tasting of whatever we are eating. Lately, we've been having trouble getting dd to take a bottle so we're going to add in a lunch feeding to help supplement those calories she's missing from the bottle. Then we will give/offer dd a bottle in between meals and then one more at bedtime. We will see how it works out!

[MommaC]

Yep--like lily_bee we fed our daughter oatmeal and fruit for breakfast and oatmeal and veggies for supper. She also had 4 bottles in addition to those solids. For morning and afternoon snacks, she ate toast, crackers, and puffs. After that stage, I was told to give her the oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, fruit and veggie for lunch, and oatmeal+veggie+meat/meal for supper.

[omgimdoinitagain]

Ours is slightly different , he has an 8 oz bottle @ 6 am , @ 10 am he has 4-5 tablespoons of oatmeal , 4 tablespoons of veggie , 3 tablespoons fruit ,6oz bottle (less the 1-2 oz added to the oatmeal) , this is repeated at both the 2 pm and 6 pm feedings . the total amount of formula is determined by their weight . It was at first difficult for him to finish a bottle so we had to give him 3 or 4 ounces of formula BEFORE he saw the solids , he has taken quite a liking to foods and preferred the solids to the formula

[JeneeH]

Good job with the continued breastfeeding! It is still a very important part of your baby's diet, and will continue to be for at least 12 months. I think the best advice for offering solids is to let your child take the lead. If he seems hungry and eager to eat solids, then he's probably ready for another meal or snack. Encourage him to feed himself when possible. Our kids loved Cheerios, ripe avacados, banans, and peas as finger foods. If he is taking liquids other than milk from your own breast, offer them in a cup and be sure to dilute the fruit juice. Otherwise you could have a diaper blow-out. Most of all, try to make feeding time as pleasant as possible, so it's something you both enjoy.