How much food should I be feeding my 4-month-old?

I think everybody has their own ideas of whats right and wrong. It even changes from doctor to doctor. When my 10 year old was a baby he wouldn’t gain weight so they put him on solids at 2 months (they said it was early but it would do NO DAMAGE) My new 4 month old son LOVES TO EAT!! He has been drinking 8oz of formula a feeding for 2 months and it just wasn’t cutting it. So I decided to try rice cerel a couple weeks ago and after a couple days he was eating it like a pro. I waited a week and tried him on sweet potatoes, He loved them from the first bite. (I do make his food, its easy and fast and I like knowing just what is in it) He now eats 2-3 Tbs of cerel in the morning with his 8oz bottle. 1-2 cubes of veggie at lunch and night all with a 8oz bottle, then a bottle before bed. This works for him. I was scared he was eating to much, but he is healthly and HAPPY and not even a little bit fat. So I say all of that to say this. ONLY you know your baby, if your baby wants to eat then feed your baby. Stop as soon as your baby doesn’t want any more. I hope that this helps you a little.

I started feeding my four month old rice cereal about 4 weeks ago. He was eating 8 oz of formula/breastmilk at every meal but some meals he would take 12 ozs!! He loves the rice cereal and doesn’t have the bad tongue thrust that I’ve read you need to look for…if the baby has it bad than they are not ready for anything other than formula/breastmilk. Don’t know if that is true or not but since my son doesn’t have it he eats the rice cereal just fine. He was so hungry all the time is the reason I introduced the food. Now I give him 4oz applesauce or pear and add 2 Tbsp to it. He eats it all and still eats an 8 oz bottle afterward. It seems like so much food to me but that is what makes him content. I slowly lead up to that amount and each time I feed him less he would scream for more. He lets me know when he is full by turning his head away from bottle or spoon. Right now I am just feeding him the cereal and fruit mixed followed by a bottle about an hour before he goes to bed to help him sleep through the night. it works too because when I just give him a bottle he always wakes up at least once during the night to eat, and he doesn’t wake up at all if I give him the rice. I am wondering if I can feed him rice twice a day? I just wondering if his digestion system can handle all that…His bowels have gotten pretty firm from just the one feeding. He is not constipated though.

CALM DOWN FOLKS. I FEED MY 4 MNTH OLD CEREAL IN THE MORNING AND AT NIGHT…JUST ABOUT 1 & 1/2 TSP. TO START THEN ABOUT 6 OZ OF FORMULA. SHE EATS 6 OZ EVRY 3 OR 4 HRS AND STILL WAKES UP ONCE AT NIGHT. IT’S TIRING, BUT IM NOT SURE WHAT TO SO DIFF. I DONT WANT TO BUMP UP TO 7 OZ B/C HER DOCTOR SAID TOO MUCH FORMULA LIKE THAT CAN BE HARD FOR HER STOMACH TO BREAK DOWN AND CAUSE FUSSINESS. BUT WHEN WE DO START BABY FOOD (IN THE NEXT MNTH) I WAS TOLD TO START VEGGIES FIRST B/C SHE IS MOSTLY GUARANTEED TO LIKE THE FRUITS (SWEETNESS) AND MIGHT BE PICKY ABOUT VEGGIES AFTER.

A boyfriend baby shoudn’t start solids until 6 months and its not needed until 12 months, heres some info on it, doctors are behind when it comes to boyfriend babies http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/index.html http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb05breastfeeding.htm http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html If you are determined to feed solids before 6 months remember a few things, BM is more important than ANY other food or liquid before 12 months, NEVER replace a nursing with solids, boyfriend BEFORE every offer of solids and GO slow when introducing them. FF babies are different because formula doesn’t adapt to a child needs and more ounces and solids MUST be added to their diet, BM changes with a child changing needs so solids aren’t necessary and aren’t recommended to even start before 6 months. Ask this in a BFing group too.

I have the same question…we actually started giving my daughter 2-3 Tbls of rice cereal twice a day at 3 1/2 mo b/c she was waking up starving at night. This was per my pediatrician. It’s worked out great! She’s content at night and gets a good 5-6 hour stretch in…still wake up once to be nursed, which is totally doable. I’m just not sure when to intro fruits/veggies and how much. She has her 4 mo dr appt next week. I suppose I should wait until then?? By the way, she was totally ready for solids (if you call milky rice cereal “solids”- haha!) and she LOVES it! Great head control, assitted sitter, etc. I just don’t want to give her too much, too soon.

PS- Don’t be mean. We’re all mothers looking for support and hoping to get some answers to our questions…it’s tough being a first time mother, especially. There are way too many nasty people in this world- life’s too short. The original poster was just looking for advice…I don’t blame her for becoming defensive…she was following dr’s orders and her baby’s hunger :) “Editor” didn’t read her question…she wasn’t asking “if” she should feed her 4 month old, she was asking “how much” so, her post was unneccessary.

why are you mixing rice and oatmeal? With applesauce… thats a little strange but if thats what he/she likes then more power to you. My daughter is nearly 3 months and honestly I feed her until shes not hungry… I usually feed her 3T of oatmeal mixed with a little formula(and afterwards )probably like 2-4 oz of formula…but im eventually going to start more oatmeal… basically until he/she is content. Thats what I would do personally.

My 4 mth old stays hungry, no solids is all I hear!!! But I feel like she is not being satisfied on milk alone. I have been putting ceral in her bottle, then I read on another website not to do that feed only out of spoon?? So I dont think nobody knows the best way. I believe only you know what your baby needs.

I know this is a little off the question but you never feed more than one food at a time . what you do is your baby eats the same thing for a week to make sure they are not allergic to it then you try a diffrant thing the next week and so on it easier to tell what the babys allergic to. oh and my cousins like that too they add a little baby cerial to her milk hope this helps some. :)

I have a 4th old little girl . she only drinks about 4 oz at a time . I’ve tried to give her more but she wont drink it . but then she was hungry a hour later. so I tired to give her a little of stage 1 food and she loves it . she is always eye balling out food when we eat its so cute. it even helps sleep more at night . she was getting up one and two times a night . now she sleeps through the night, well sometimes. all babys are differents . good luck all

My five month old has been eating solid foods for a month now. The doctor said it was ok. I started her out with just one tbsp. cereal w/4-5 tbsp of milk and a 5oz bottle of milk for breakfast. It is very runny and messy. I did that for about a week until she got the hang of the spoon. Then I added the jar foods once at her dinner feeding about half the jar(I also started with the veggies). She is still on the same schedule but I dont add as much milk to her cereal because she has got the hang of it and her bowels are doing just fine with the thicker cereal. Hope this helps!!!

dhughes we started our 4 month old daughter 3 weeks ago on jars ,half in morning then the other half in the afternoon .Now she is eating a 2 jars a day plus the shes on the breast.what I say listen to what other have to say ,but do what you think is best,as all babys are different.

it would depend on your babe. mine at 5 months eats 4 tbs of cereal in morining then 1 jar of fruit at lunch then veggies at dinner(first foods) plus he nurses about 8 times a day. feed him as much as he will eat while still nursing good and look for signs he is full

Hi,

At this age, breast milk or an iron fortified infant formula is the only food that your infant needs at this age and he should be nursing or drinking about 5-6 ounces 4-6 times each day (24-32 ounces).

Over the next month or two, you can start to familiarize your infant with the feel of a spoon and start solid baby foods.

My baby is 4 months old too, and the doc gave the okay to feed him the stage 1 veggies and fruits. I’m starting with the veggies first. In the morning, he gets about 2 Tbsp of rice cereal in the morning and I feed about half of the plastic Gerber thingy to him at night. Just kind of an intro to “solids.” He still gets a vast majority of his nutrition from solely breast-milk. I don’t even mix them yet. I want him to establish well with the foods before that. Hope my situation helps give you an idea of what to feed your munchkin…

I am logging into this site for the first time and if you don’t agree to the person asking the question or answering the question why this attitude? and yes its accepted world wide to start solids at 6 mnths but now if you think that you know better than the researchers and the doctors ..go ahead..and yes for some baby with special needs drs do advice solids but its a personal thing “ to agree or not to agree.”.don’t lose patience with your own child do what is best for him/her