solids - how much?
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17296
Printed Date: 13 September 2025 at 10:25am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: solids - how much?
Posted By: arohanui
Subject: solids - how much?
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 7:27pm
|
OK so we tried holding off my boy as long as we could, but he was giving us all the signs he was hungry so we started him on solids a couple of days ago. And my goodness he's a guts! He loves it. At the moment we're just giving him kumara... started off with it really quite runny, last night and tonight it was a thicker and he wolfed it down.
I made up a big batch of the mashed kumara and it's in the freezer in these tray things from Baby City (the holes are shaped kinda like crescents). The first couple of times he had half a cube, and last night he still seemed to want more so I gave him the other half. Tonight he had a whole one and I'm sure he would have kept eating if we'd have kept feeding it to him. He seems quite hungry - which makes sense cos he is quite a big boy for his age. OK finally got to my question: How do I know how much to feed him? Will he stop/push it out with his tongue when he's had enough? Cos at the moment he's all wide mouthed and it's straight down, he doesn't spit any out at all! Ta  ------------- Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... http://alterna-tickers.com" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Replies:
Posted By: Peanut
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 7:41pm
|
I find my wee one loses interest and stops opening his mouth and spits it out when he has had enough.
Can't really help tho as I am so lazy on the solids front...only just started the second meal and he has been having 1 meal for the last 8 weeks...opps! -------------  
|
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 7:48pm
|
Gosh, remembering back that far! If I remember correctly Jack just didn't open his mouth or turned away when he had had enough ------------- Lindsey 
|
Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 7:54pm
|
T starts spitting it out, pushing spoon away, turning face when he has had enough, if he is hungry just feed him till he says ENOUGH MUM! hehe ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: arohanui
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 8:16pm
|
So I should just keep offering him more? ------------- Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... http://alterna-tickers.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: Rackhell
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 8:19pm
| Cath has about a cup or so of things like kumara and pumpkin. When she's had enough she'll purse her lips and turn away or bat the spoon away. We usually feed cath her biggest meal at lunchtime so that we can determine if something doesn't agree with her and it gives her the energy to get through her very active afternoon. Your boy will let you know when he's had enough! |
Posted By: kabe
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 8:19pm
|
The guidelines I've been following suggest introducing solids really slowly when the baby is so young, as they can get quite constipated. What I did was start with one cube (equivalent to a Tbsp) for the first couple of weeks for lunch and 1-2 tsp of baby rice in the evening. After a couple of weeks I added another cube and another teaspoon of rice, slowly building up as E gave signs she was still hungry. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 8:39pm
|
yep within reason! i think initially you slowly build it up to about 1/2 a cup then you can start another meal, thats what plunket recommends
im sure you already do but make sure you offer plenty of water as babies starting solids often get constipated as Kabe mentioned ------------- http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: arohanui
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 8:45pm
|
Cool, thanks. Yeah we offer him water in his sippy cup, he likes holding it and putting it in his mouth but I'm not sure just how much he is actually drinking! If it find he's getting a bit constipated I might give him some via the dropper cos at least I know he swallows it then.
OK so maybe I should just stick with the one cube for a couple of weeks, even though he would eat more, so he won't get as constipated? Or should I give him 1 1/2 cubes if he wants it? Sorry for the dumb questions.. ------------- Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... http://alterna-tickers.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: VannesaD
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 9:01pm
|
If I remember way back then we also started feeding our daughter from 4 months - all the signs were there and she loved the food. But I did start really slowly - milk was still her primary source of food and then topped up with a cube or two of food and then more milk if she was still hungry. Then every couple of weeks (I think - memory struggling now) I slowly increased the quantity of food until she was 6 months - then followed plunket guidelines and her appetite. What I also did was changed the type of food I had made up for her - so she got a taste of a variety of mashed veges early on. I didn't want a fussy eater - and to this day she's not fussy at all and loves her veges. -------------  
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 9:02pm
|
is he settled after the 1 cube or still showing hungry signs? ie milk feeding more often thats how i would judge it ------------- http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: arohanui
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 9:07pm
|
Well at the mo we've been feeding him solids when he wakes up from his last nap of the day, so at about 6pm. He has a full milk feed, then after about 10 mins we give him his solids. After his solids today, we took him out of his highchair and distracted him with other stuff and he was fine, but I'm sure he would have eaten more if we kept offering it to him.
Today he had milk at 6pm, solids at 6.30pm, play/shower/massage and then milk again just before bed at 8pm. He was quite hungry at this last feed. ------------- Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... http://alterna-tickers.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: popcorn
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 9:12pm
|
maybe offer him a little more then, just gradually build it up and he should be fine ------------- http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: VannesaD
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 9:19pm
|
It sounds like you're doing things right for you arohanui - just remember his digestion is still maturing and so can't cope with a great deal of solids just yet. -------------
http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: Danash
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 11:39pm
|
Great topic Liz... Daniel isn't interested at all yet. But I have been curious. Have you been to the plunket class on solids? I want to go before we leave for Australia - figure I should make the most of it seeings as there is nothing like that in Melb. |
Posted By: oneplusone
Date Posted: 17 May 2008 at 3:41pm
| Hi Arohanui, so glad you started this thread as I am in the same boat. Started Jonathan on solids two weeks ago at 5 1/2 months. He absolutely loves them and is chowing down big time. So much for giving a few tastes to start off with - he was leaning forward with his mouth open and grabbing my hand to bring the food to him. However, I also found for that first week he was not himself, groaning a lot and not a lot of smiles. I wondered if his system was getting used to things and tried to hold off feeding him any more but he was just so keen. So I let him guide me and give him lunch and dinner now. I give him about half a tin/jar after breastfeeding 15 minutes before. He wolfs it down and I'm sure he'd take more but I'm not letting him as I'm concerned he might be getting constipated. I would have to say though since giving him two meals his demeanour has changed and he is one happy little boy. Am resisting giving breakfast yet and have introduced prune juice at lunch time as I'm still worried about constipation. Not sure whether any of this is any help. At the end of the day, I'm like you and really don't know how much is too much. |
Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 17 May 2008 at 7:41pm
|
Chloe is only 3 1/2 mths, which is early I know, but she was just so hungry!
We give her all her normal milk feeds... she has a bottle at around 4.30 or 5pm and then about half an hour later, after some play time, I give her a WHOLE JAR of sweet potato, then we have her bath/massage routine, then another bottle of milk before she goes to bed. This is the only feed of solids that she has at this stage, that's the only time of day that she is REALLY hungry and I think it makes her sleep longer if she has some solids. Recently I found out that it's way easier to feed it to her if it's thicker, the stuff straight from the jar is so runny and gets EVERYWHERE!! So I have started doing half a jar of sweet potato, or baby rice and carrots, and thicken it up with Farex before feeding it to her. I also give her sips of water from a bottle, in between some mouthfuls, because I'm a little paranoid about thickening it  but she eats it so much easier when it's not all runny.
ETA: Occasionally she will look disinterested before the end of the jar, but most of the time I'm sure she would scoff more if she could  but I don't want to put her off her bottle later, so I don't give her any more.------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |