FF and Solids

[mayerling]

According to the formula I buy, at my son's age he should be receiving 1000ml of milk per day. However, I'm about to start him on solids. Should he still be getting 1000ml of formula, or does some of the nourishment come from solids? If so, how much formula should I give?

 

[lliang_chi]

Mayer, Ethan's milk consumption definitely went down after he started solids. I was kind of concerned so I brought it up with his doc @ his 9 month check in. The doc said that's normal. Ethan gets maybe 20 oz of milk/formula, so that's about 600ml. As long as you're giving a balanced diet, e.g. grains, veggies/fruit, fat and protein, I think you should be OK. The protein I didn't start until about 6-8 wks into solids, then I would puree chicken/meat until smooth (adding broth so it's like a puree) and mix with his food. Now that Ethan's more into table food, thicker solids (mashed potato consistency), I don't even add the broth and the meat/veggies are more like crumbles.

 

[ponder]

My pediatrician recommends shooting for 24 oz of formula or breastmilk per day along with solids.

 

[Skippy123]

we got approx 20 to 25 oz a day. In the beginning it won't be like that; you will just be introducing them to baby food and then they will move on to more baby food so it should be a slow change. I think we started them out with a few tablespoons worth of food at one meal and then at 2 meals and then it slowly progressed.

 

[Munchkin]

Ideally, for the first year of life, a baby will eat 24-32 ounces daily of formula, breast milk or a combo thereof. Solids are merely an add-on. While every day will be different, if you notice your little one consistently drinking fewer than 24 ounces daily, back off on solids.

After the one year mark, solids become more important than fluids.

 

[lliang_chi]

Mayer, I also found that giving Ethan his bottle at least an hour before giving him his solids helped keep the milk intake up. That's another thing you should keep in mind. I'd rather waste purees (veggies and chicken are way cheaper than formula or tossing breast milk).

 

[amc80]

I can't wait to start B on solids. He stares at us while we eat and will reach for food. He also grabs my hand to shove his bubble gum flavored amoxicillin down his throat. Yeah, I think we've got an eater on our hands.

Ideally, for the first year of life, a baby will eat 24-32 ounces daily of formula, breast milk or a combo thereof.

What happens if they eat more than this? It's not unusual for B to eat around 36oz a day.

 

[Munchkin]

Sorry for the delay! We've been in the midst of a huge sleep regression and the super fun development of separation anxiety. I'm so tired I can't see straight!

It really isn't a problem if LO takes in more than 32oz. The main drawbacks are the cost (more food is usually cheaper than more formula) and the potential to have a bad habit to break at the 1 year mark (too much milk can lead to iron deficiency). My own son had such poor oral motor tone, horrid reflux and feeding aversions that he wasn't even able to do solids properly until 9/10 months. Formula was his entire nutrition!

What I see more often are parents dropping the amount of formula once solids are started because no one ever explained that solids should be an add-on. Additionally, in CT the WIC program significantly reduces the amount of formula provided when a child begins solids. I suspect many of my families are trying to save money when they aren't giving their child enough formula.

 

[mayerling]

Munchkin, my formula pack says from 7 months onwards only 3 feeds of 7 ounces each so only 21 ounces. Should I ignore that and still aim for 24-32 ounces?

 

[Munchkin]

What brand of formula do you use, Mayerling?

I always suggest 24-32 oz until 1 year. I feel that provides an appropriate balance of necessary nutrients. Would 3 fewer ounces create a deficiency? Unlikely.

Here's a secret: Many pediatric guidelines are doled out with room for lack of compliance. IE, we often tell you to wait 8 hours between Motrin doses while 6 hours is safe. We know that if we say 6 hours, sooner or later a parent will say "eh...5 hours is close enough." In my own practice, shifting from starting solids at 4 months to 6 months has demonstrated an actual shift from 3 months to 5 months. Likewise, I still write for 10 days of antibiotics when I know studies show 7 days is adequate. In pediatrics, doses are spit out, spilled and missed in day-to-day chaos. If I tell you 10 days and only 8 days worth of doses happen, I know the infection is treated. If a child gets the full 10 it certainly isn't an excessive over treatment. If I write for 7 days, only 5 are likely to happen.

To make a short story long, I would love for a child to get at least 24 ounces of formula daily but won't panic if a child gets a mere 20. If I hear, however, said child is getting 4 ounces of juice, I would suggest replacing that with formula as juice is liquid sugar. Juice can be as harsh on teeth as soda and is lacking many of the wonderful nutrients of formula. If instead, a child is replacing those 4 ounces of formula with a nutrient rich food (IE greek yogurt) I won't interfere other than to caution against not dropping formula amount any further.

Does that help?

Edited to change "less" to "fewer" Caught committing one of my own pet peeves!

 

[mayerling]

Munchkin, the only formulas available in the UK (as far as I can tell) are Aptamil, Cow and Gate, and SMA, and they all say the same thing.

 

[Munchkin]

We don't have any of those over here. I wonder if they have a different concentration of calories, protein, etc. per ounce than what deal with daily?

 

[mayerling]

Munchkin, does this help?