Big Kid Eating

Hi All! The boys are starting to eat a few finger foods (puffs) and I'm wanting them to try more, but I started to wonder. At what point did any of you move more toward a 3 meal a day plus two snacks looking schedule? I've looked through the 9 months schedules on the sticky, but I'm still stuck! Ha Ha! They still get 3 8 oz bottles a day and are doing well with those (in addition to their baby food), but they eat at weird times (7:00, 11:00, 3:00, 6:30 and then bottle).

Just curious. I've found that this whole food thing - when, how much, etc. has caused me the greatest confusion with having babies!

Thanks!

 

Hey Shelby! My girls eat 3 meals a day and most of the time I just give them some puffs and toast with breakfast (instead of the morning snack because most days I'm at the gym in the mornings) and then around the time of their afternoon bottle I give them some more puffs and some cheese or something for a 2nd snack.

We do four 6 ounce bottles each day, 3 meals, and 2 snacks. Or we try to.

 

I didn't do 3 meals 2 snacks until they were off bottles at 12 months. As I dropped a bottle, I added a meal or snack.

 

We didn't go to three meals and 2 snacks until mine were off the bottle, as well. So right at a year is pretty much when that happened.

 

At 10 months we are still on 4 bottles, 3 meals a day but are working towards 3 meals, 1 snack, and 3 bottles in preparation for the bottle weaning transition.

 

My baby, Carys, is the same age as your twins. I'm in the same boat as you! Right now she eats breakfast and dinner and nurses 3-5 times a day. I don't usually offer snacks or a third meal. Occasioally I will offer puffs while the twins (age 4) are eating their lunch. Eventually I will give Carys lunch at the same time as the twins. But, right now we hardly ever eat lunch at home. We are usually at the park, beach or doing errands and have a picnic. For me, it's just too much hassle to feed baby food "on the go". If you really want to add a snack, you can always sit them in their high chairs after they have a bottle and give them a few Cheerios or puffs and a sippy with water for practice. I don't think this kind of snack will iinterfere with their bottles/ solids intake.

I feel bad not offereing snack or lunch that often, but I just don't know how I will get anything else done with all this eating! I have to do things with the twins, too. The way that I look at it is if she's hungry at some time other than a meal time, I owuld feed her something or nurse her.

Are the times that you listed solids or bottles? What time is wake up/naps/ bedtime?

 

I dont do snacks yet either, I figure once I start dropping nursing sessions they will be replaced by snacks and cow's milk.

 

I generally don't do snacks either. I asked the pedi about it-and he said that's what's wrong with us Americans-we snack. Babies don't really need snacks throughout the day.

My boys get an 8oz bottle at 7am
Breakfast at 8am
Lunch at 12
8oz bottle at 1
Dinner at 5
8oz bottle at 7
Bed

That said-VERY rarely-I might give them some cheerios and some water. It depends on the day, when they wake up from nap, and if I need some peace and quiet for two minutes!

 

We started 3 solids meals at 9 months. We did dinner, breakfast, and then finally lunch. I did not do snacks except for puffs or goldfish crackers (if we were out shopping or something and I needed to entertain them to keep them happy) until we were of bottles just like some of the pp's. Even now at 20 months usually they get 3 meals and one snack. Two snacks kills their appetite for a meal.