Hi! I have a 7 month old daughter and I was wondering when solids will become her main food throughout the day? Being this is my first child, I need some other motherly advice! I also would like to know when she will start wanting to go longer without wanting to eat? She still wants to eat every two hours, even throughout the night, when will this ever stop? It's very confusing and frustrating!! Do you have any advice?

By Emdee on Monday, January 31, 2005 - 08:29 pm:

If I remember right, I was still nursing about 4 times a day at that age. My dd didn't eat foods really great, though, so nursing was her main source of nutrient still. I nursed until I found out I was pregnant again; dd was 13 months when I stopped so I guess that is when solids became her only source (besides sippy cups of milk). My dd was a special case of not growing and losing weight, so her ped said to feed her whenever she would eat, even in the middle of the night. But, I would think that normally by this age she should be sleeping most of the night, maybe waking once to eat at most. I know it must be frustrating waking every 2 hours in the night to feed. Maybe it is more of a habit for her than hunger, but if it is hunger can you feed her more during the day so she isn't as hungry at night? I don't have much advice, just wanted to say I am sorry that you don't get the full night's sleep!

By Trina~moderator on Monday, January 31, 2005 - 09:49 pm:

Tons of info here.

BabyCenter.com - Feeding

HTH

By Tink on Monday, January 31, 2005 - 09:49 pm:

I think "solid" (as in mashed up table food) food becomes the main food around the 10-12 month mark. By seven months all three of my dks were able to go 4-6 hours between nursings with baby food in between. My guess would be that your dd is comfort nursing, instead of using it as a food source. You can start a sippy cup of water or diluted(1:1) juice at this point, if you want to stretch out your feeding times.

By Newmommy2 on Monday, January 31, 2005 - 09:56 pm:

My 3 month old daughter was nursing every 3 hours even during the night and I put her on her stomach one night (I know a big no no) and she slept 7 hours straight. I don't think she was hungry, just uncomfortable.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, January 31, 2005 - 11:57 pm:

My younger daughter was born in 1992. They were just starting the thing about not laying your kids on their tummies. I had laid my older daughter on her tummy from the beginning and she was fine, so I did that with my younger daughter, too. On her tummy, she could find her thumb and she was quite happy. If I had really had to put her on her back, she would have been one unhappy baby. So, yeah, I'm a bad mom. LOL!

By Elizabeth704 on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 10:03 am:

My daughter is also 7 months old. She has slept through the night since about 3 months, but has weeks when she will wake up in the middle of the night and act hungry. To avoid getting in the routine of eating during the night, I have started feeding her a jar of the meat baby food (Beef, chix, or turkey) and part of a jar of veggies for dinner. The meat has 7 gms of protein and I think this really holds her over. I also wonder when to make table food her primary food. My daughter loves it. I am feeding her jar food in the morning and again at dinner time to ensure she is getting enough nutrients, but at lunch I let her eat all table food. Hope this helps - good luck!

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 - 09:10 am:

My DS is also 7mo old and eats solids at 10am and then again at 7:30pm. You have to start a routine if you haven't already. (Especially a night routine...we give him a bath at 7pm and then feed him a rice bottle at 7:30pm and he's asleep at 8pm.) My pediatrician said that, by 6 months, they should be sleeping through the night. My DS slept through the night at 4 months, but occasionally needs his pacifier during the night, or his blanket. He's getting better about getting them himself during the night. A blanket (a knitted one with holes in it) has worked wonders for his sleep. He needed something to hold in his hands.

I wouldn't start meat however...my pediatrician told me to wait until at least 9 months. We use the Gerber banana rice at 7:30pm and it WORKED WONDERS for him sleeping through the night.
Are you nursing?

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 - 04:50 pm:

My 7mth old daughter has 7oz. of formula along with 1/2jar stage 2 veggies and 1/2 jar fruit. Taht's about all she wants. She does that 3 times a day, then has her bottle with 2-3T cereal at bedtime. She's been sleeping well through the night since 3mths. This method of feeding was recommended by my doctor...I'm a first timer too so I just take the recommendations and go from there! She's usually in the 70th percentile in weight. Hope this helps!!!

By Lkarol on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 - 10:07 pm:

my son is 8mths - he is a big boy. born 9'2lbs
he has 4 -6oz bottles/ day
2 - 5tbps cereal /day
veggies and fruits twice a day

he has always been big so mabye thats why he eats more.. who know.. you live and learn right ??

By Andi on Thursday, February 3, 2005 - 09:37 am:

My DD is 7 months old and here is what she eats:

A bottle when she wakes up (Formula, I just weaned her about 2 weeks ago.) then a jar of fruit and cereal baby food.
Then she has another jar of baby food about 3 hours later or another bottle depending on what we are out doing.

When I sit down for lunch if she is awake I always open a jar of baby food for her and maybe some cut up avacado or Banana.

About 3-4 hours after that I usually give her another bottle as a snack when she wakes up from her nap and before dinner.

For dinner she will have a jar of Chicken and pasta or Turkey and pears or something like that for dinner and some cut up pieces of soft fruit.

Then she has one more bottle and goes to bed for the night around 7:00 and then wakes up around 7-7:30 the next morning and we start all over again.

Good luck! My suggestion with the waking up at night is maybe go in there and rub her back but don't pick her up. If you are nursing her, don't do it in the middle of the night, she will end up using you like a pacifier or her thumb to sooth herself back to sleep. My DD takes a Pacifier and I have about 8 in her crib, she usually finds one and puts it in her mouth and goes back to sleep. I used this same method with my older son and both my children slept through the night from 3 months on.

You can also talk to your pediatrition about it, I'm sure he/she will have a lot of great ideas for you.

HOpe that helps and good luck!

By Amyk on Thursday, February 3, 2005 - 10:02 am:

Bless your heart!!! She is probably nursing that often out of habit - because she thinks that is what she is supposed to do! I feel for you on the all night nursing thing - my DS did it until he was 15mo!!!! I needed to teach him (gently) that he was ok without mom in the middle of the night and that he didn't need mom/nursing to go back to sleep in the middle of the night. I found the Baby Whisperer's book/website message board were the biggest help for me.

Best of luck and don't give up hope!

Amy
Mom to 17mo Garrett

By Elizabeth704 on Thursday, February 3, 2005 - 05:38 pm:

Hi there,
Just to follow up on my previous response of giving my daughter a jar of meat at night - Mrsheidi had mentioned that her MD had her wait until 9 months. I called my MD to double check and they said all is well with pureed jars of baby food meat. They said the 9 month recomndation is d/t choking on cut up meat.
It really makes the difference in holding my daughter through the night.