A Good Feeding Schedule for a 7 Month Old
After my baby girl started solids a couple of months ago, I created a feeding schedule for my 7-month-old baby now.
Babies starting solids is such a big milestone that many parents look forward to with their little ones.
A lot like crawling and walking, these are all signs that our babies are progressing and growing up.
But starting solids can be a little scary.
When I became a mom for the first time, I was a little nervous about starting solids.
What if my daughter wouldn't take to solids?
Or what if she got choked while eating?
These were all the things that were going through my head as a first-time mom.
But we made it through and not only did my first daughter take to solids really well once we started, but she is still a good eater to this day.
So now that this is my second time starting solids with my second baby, I feel a lot more confident and so far we have a good feeding relationship in place between breastfeeding and solids.
When it comes to solids, I do a mixture of feeding purées and baby-led weaning in which she practices feeding herself with food.
Eventually, she will get to a point of feeding herself so I like to start early and give her an opportunity to develop the motor skills needed to do so.
If you are interested in my feeding schedule for my 7-month-old that includes breastfeeding and solids, just keep reading.
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Is My Baby Ready For Solids?
Before I get into my feeding schedule for my 7-month-old, I want to address a couple of questions that most parents have in regards to starting solids with their babies.
The first one has to do with when babies are ready for solids and how to know if they are even ready.
So is my baby even ready for solids?
Because the worst you can do is start before they are ready.
I'm no expert on this topic and just simply a mom of 2 who does her research.
And my research led me to this excellent feeding course from Lovevery.
The course that I took is called Food Before 1 and it dives into all of basics as well as the benefits to feeding your baby before the age of 1.
The approach that is taught is a baby led approach to feeding that allows the baby to lead and go at their own pace in their feeding journey with the guidance of their parents introducing different foods and tools.
The instructor in this course talks about the signs of your baby being ready for solids such as:
- Sitting unsupported
- Mouthing objects without gagging
- Showing an interest in food
When our baby was 6 months old, she was showing all these signs so we knew that she was completely ready for solids.
I highly recommend the Food Before 1 Course if you are just getting into your feeding journey with your baby.
It is loaded with information from some of the foods you can start with to how to transition through different textures and even when you can introduce utensils to your baby.
You can use my link here to check out the Food Before 1 Course from Lovevery.
Now onto the other question that parents want to know about feeding their 7 month old.
How Much Should My 7-Month-Old Be Eating?
Along with wondering if your baby is ready for solids, the other question that parents want answers to is if their child is getting enough.
How much should my 7-month-old be eating?
So many parents, including myself, have worried about how much our babies are eating and if they are getting enough.
It is a valid question when you think about it.
Because we all want to do what is best for our babies and that is to make sure they are getting full and growing at a healthy rate.
When it comes to solids and your baby, always make sure to consult with your baby's pediatrician.
Our pediatrician told us to wait until our baby girl was 5 months old before we even let her try a taste of purees.
So we waited and did not even attempt before she turned 5 months old.
Once she turned 5 months old, we started with just a spoonful of puree and let her taste and eat it just once a day.
During this time, we mostly were putting her in the high chair and letting her play with the spoon and bib and just getting her accustomed to her environment for eating.
When she turned 6 months old and was fully ready for solids, I increased her feeding to twice a day and I would feed her around lunch and dinner time.
At my baby girl's 6 month appointment, her pediatrician did not emphasize the amount of food that she was eating, but more so the number the times she was being offered solids.
She told me to continue following her lead whether it was a few teaspoons, a third of the jar, or even half of the jar at a feeding session.
She just wanted me to continue offering and giving her the chance explore and consume the food.
The closer she gets to one is when she will want me to monitor how much she is eating and make sure she is getting enough food.
According to the Food Before 1 Course I took, breastmilk or formula is still the most important thing that a baby should be consuming before the age of 1.
But after the age of 1, solids and food will gradually become more important.
In order for that shift to occur, a baby has to be exposed to solids and develop the motor skills necessary to chew, bite, and swallow pieces of food.
And that is where we, as the parents, come in by introducing different food to them as they hit those milestones.
By offering food, we are giving them practice and with practice, they will learn how to eat food and eventually prefer food.
With this information, I created a feeding schedule for my 7-month-old and we will continue to modify this as we get further into our feeding journey.
But for now, this feeding routine will do and you can check it out below.
Feeding Schedule For My 7-Month-Old Baby
If you are familiar with my routine with a baby and toddler, then you are aware of the first nursing session that takes place during the day is around 8:00 AM.
So I will start there with our feeding routine.
My 7-month-old baby's feeding schedule goes as follows:
- 8:00 AM: Nurse
- 8:30 AM: Teething Cracker & 1 oz of Water
- 10:00 AM: Nurse
- 12:30 PM: Nurse
- 1:00 PM: Purée & 1 oz of Water
- 2:30 PM: Nurse
- 4:30 PM: Nurse
- 5:00 PM: Purée & 1 oz of Water
- 6:30 PM: Nurse
- 9:00 PM: Nurse
My baby does still wake up once or twice a night so I will continue nurse her through the night as well if she wakes up.
As you can see, I still nurse my baby every 2-3 hours and would feed her food and solids shortly after a nursing session along with a little bit of water in a sippy cup.
I know as a breastfeeding mom who wants to keep her supply up, I have to continue nurse frequently.
Like it was mentioned above, breastmilk is still the most important thing that your baby should eating before the age of 1.
Starting solids should not interfere with your breastfeeding journey and it is recommended that you continue to nurse your baby as normal when you are starting solids.
I can remember with my first daughter that we incorporated solids into her everyday normal routine and then gradually as she got older and was taking in more solids, she started stretching out nursing sessions.
And she eventually weaned herself from breastfeeding around 18 months old and had completely shifted to a completely solid diet.
It was a gradual process that involved following her lead and allowing herself to wean herself from nursing.
So just because you start solids with your little one, it does not mean that those solids will replace the breastmilk that they are taking in.
I expect this feeding schedule to look like this for my baby for another month or two before I introduce more table food at meal times.
With my older daughter, I did a mixture of purées and table food and will likely do the same with this baby.
I know that baby-led weaning is really popular and some parents skip purées all together.
But I feel more confident when I start my babies with purées and then introduce table food the better they get at eating.
Your Turn
Well, that is my feeding schedule for my 7-month-old baby. As you can see, I simply incorporate solids into my baby's normal nursing routine and with time, I will gradually increase her solid intake. I want to hear from you all now. How do you start solids with your little ones? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!
- Read More: My Daily Routine With A Baby And Toddler
Love,
Just Jass
Source: https://justjass.com/feeding-schedule-for-a-7-month-old/
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