Sometimes, even if your baby doesn’t meet all the criteria for being developmentally ready for solids, he still acts like he wants to be a part of the family mealtime. And he should be – after all, he’s part of the family! Here are a few ways to involve your baby in meals without starting solid foods:
Let Baby sit with you at the table during meals.
Give him a baby-safe spoon and/or dish to play with; not only will this occupy him, but he’ll learn that these things are associated with mealtimes, and get some practice using them in the process.
Give him a cup with a tiny bit of formula or breast milk (anywhere from one to three ounces). It may be messy, but he’ll be able to practice drinking from a cup.
Let him play with a few crushed ice chips – but remember, no big pieces!
Feed Baby a partially frozen breast milk or formula “slush” with a spoon.
How Much Should Baby Eat?
Babies’ appetites vary, but here’s a general guideline that you can follow to tell you what your baby should be eating – and how much – at each age.
Four to five months: 24-32 ounces of breast milk or formula per day (generally four to six feedings) and, if your baby is ready, one or two tablespoons of rice cereal once per day, gradually increasing to two or three tablespoons twice per day.
Six to seven months: 24-32 ounces of breast milk or formula (four to five feedings); rice cereal, 4 or more tablespoons per day; four to five tablespoons of pureed baby food one or two times per day.
Eight to nine months: 24-32 ounces of breast milk or formula (three to four feedings); four or more tablespoons of cereal, vegetables and/or fruit twice per day; at this age, you can begin to introduce meats if you desire. (It’s a good idea to purchase commercially prepared meats in a jar, because you can be sure they’re pureed very smoothly.) Give one or two tablespoons and gradually increase to three or four tablespoons, one feeding per day. You can also begin to introduce finger foods at this age. Cut everything up into very small pieces, and choose only soft, easily dissolvable foods such as very ripe fruit (little chunks of peaches or bananas) or small pieces of toast. Always stay with Baby while he eats such foods!
Ten months to one year: Three to four feedings of breast milk or formula; ¼ - ½ cup baby cereal at breakfast; one jar (or half a cup) of fruits or vegetables at lunch, and one jar at dinner; two to four tablespoons of meat (optional); a variety of finger foods; two to six ounces of fruit juice from a cup.