What are appropriate serving sizes for cereal/baby food and how often for 5 month old?

Question

I am introducing baby food to my daughter one food at a time as directed, but I'm not sure how much she should work up to. She has already worked her way up to 3-4 Tbs. of cereal twice a day in addition to her formula. The doctor said once she gets on fruit and veggies her formula intake should go down to 19-24 oz. per day. Well I didn't ask her about how much cereal and fruits and veggies she should work her way up to. Websites all contradict each other. Some say three jars of fruits and veggies a day and some say as much as 5 so I thought I'd get some real world advice from people who've been there. Also, should I keep her cereal at the same amount twice a day? What is a sample feeding schedule that has worked for you?

My plan: A work in progress

8:00am wake - 3-4 Tbs cereal with about 1/2 jar fruit, 5oz formula

12:00 - 1 jar veggie/fruit, 6 oz formula

3:30 - snack - juice or formula if hungry

5:30 - 1 jar veggie/fruit, 3-4 Tbs cereal with about 1/2 jar fruit, 2 oz formula if desired

7:30 bath, 6 oz bottle and bedtime

Any advice?

Answer 1

Let your daughter be your guide.  My son was a big eater some days and not so much others.  We introduced one food at a time for about 3-4 days to watch for allergies.  We started with sweet potatoes, which he loved then moved onto carrots, then peas.  Then we gave a fruit.  He would only eat about a 1/2 of a small jar twice a day for a couple of weeks.  It wasn't until he was almost 7 months that he really developed a good appetite for solids.  He still loves oatmeal, though.  He's now 8 1/2 months old and will eat every vegetable and fruit as long as it is very soft.  Textures like spinach he is still not sure of.  I'd wait awhile to introduce juice... stick to formula.  Babies don't need more than two small servings of fruit a day otherwise it just sugar.  We started giving small drinks of water from a cup when he was 7 months and he loved that.  Have fun and don't over think it.  Your daughter will totally guide you on how hungry she is and when.  And, just when you get it figured out it will probably change (lol).  

Answer 2

I think that sounds about right...that's about what I did with my first, but my second just didn't eat that much and she still gained weight and thrived so as long as your daughter is happy, then I think that's a good amount of food. My pediatrician recommends to work up to around 4-6 oz of baby food by 9 months.  Just remember that one 4 oz serving of juice is considered a "fruit serving" so just try to not give too much on the fruit side. If you do more juice one day, then be sure to do veggies to match. Good luck!

Answer 3

A 5-month old baby really shouldn't be eating solids as a source of nutrition at this age, it's really about just getting them used to eating solids and introducing the foods to watch for allergies.

So the few tablespoons she's eating at this point is plenty.  You also don't need to necessarily add to the cereal when you want to start a new food, you can do it instead of the cereal.  Once she's 6 months, then you can gradually increase her intake of solids.

But at 5-months, just a couple of spoonfuls is plenty.

Answer 4

Your daughter should be getting most of her nutrients from formula. Solids are just an opportunity to experiment with tastes and textures. Formula should always be offered first. At 5 months, she should have solids once a day. It should be 1/2-1 tsp to start with, working up to 2 tbsp. At 9 months, she should be having 3 meals a day of about 2-3 tbsp each.