A little worried

Ryan has seriously boycotted jarred food... and now Im worried that he isnt eating enough....

He is still taking 3- 8oz bottles a day ( My DR had us start weaning to milk this past weekend... 1 week 1 oz of milk to 7 oz formula, week 2, 2oz milk to 6oz formula etc....by 8 weeks (his 1st b-day) he will be on all milk)

But our meals are crazy( and have been for a few weeks)-

Breakfast I offer about 3-4tblspns of cereal and 1 jar of fruit... and he usually eats 3/4 of it (if Im lucky the whole thing) then I usually give him 1 mini pancake, some fresh fruit, maybe farina... etc...

Lunch-
If Im lucky 1/2 of a jar of veg (or meat and veg combo) then maybe a slice of turkey or cheese or a little of both, maybe pastina, or some scrambled egg yolks...

Dinner-
If Im lucky 1/2 jar of dinner combo jar, and 1/4 or cereal and fruit- then some of the above table food...

He loves the real stuff- but my concern is- I just dont know how much is enough- if he was finishing all the jar food I was giving- then I wouldnt be worried- because I would know he was at least getting that- but there are nights.. where he down right- wont eat anything from the jar....

Feeding time- becomes horrifying with the screaming and the flinging of the spoon/food... and I dont want it to be that way....

I briefly spoke to my Dr about it.... and he suggested just sneaking the spoon in after giving a bite of "real" food... This works- but sometimes it takes a turn for the worst...

Is there some kind of guide to know he is eating "enough"

HIs last visit- he had only gained 6oz from the visit 6 weeks prior to that-
My dr. keeps telling me thats fine- but it still freaks me out!


Any info, suggestions, anything- would be appreciated!

Message edited 7/24/2006 9:44:35 PM.

Re: A little worried

We went through this about three weeks ago and still are with Antonio. He just woke up one morning and refused the spoon. like your son he only gained 4oz at his last visit and unfortunately when we went today he had not gained even an ounce.

My friend is a feeding specialist and she watched him eat. He knows how to chew and swallow so that was the good news. Ryan sounds like an independent little guy and prob just wants to eat on his own. I know it is so hard to lose control, it is so easy to monitor them when they are eating jars. Know it's just a guessing game. As long as he is gaining he is okay. There weight gain does slow down as they get older.

If you still want to feed him a jar let him try it himself I know sounds messy..they sell this dipping sticks by gerber so he can eat himself.

Another word of advice my friend said is don't force them let them be or they will be turned off from feedings completely.

Sorry for the long post.

Re: A little worried

Marissa -- we're going through the exact same thing, for at least a month now.

When I brought Emily in last week for her pimples I also asked the doc about this and she said that it is to be expected. She's had a taste of real food so that nasty mush won't do anymore, plus she's learning to be more independent and doesn't want to be fed.

She said that it's OK to cut out the baby food now, but to keep offering her a bit of what we're having at each meal, or some baby-alternatives.

I told her that she does love cheese, and she said I can give her all the cheese I want.

She also recommended that I try to sneak some bites in while she's playing instead of always doing it in the high-chair since she probably doesn't like being confined -- she said I don't have to worry about eating habits yet -- that it's too early.

So the foods we are having sucess with are :
Avacado (she ate 1/2 of one all by herself tonight, plus some cheese for dinner)
American cheese slices
Mac & Cheese
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Toast with melted cheese
sweet potatoe fries

The doc also said that when I started her on milk that it won't fill her up as much so she'll HAVE to start eating more so hopefully now that you're on milk you'll see a difference.

Re: A little worried

Thanks sooooooooooo much for you reply!!!!!!!

I have that little gerber spoon- he wants no part in it...

I think part of it is independence YES- but a bigger part is just not wanting or liking jarred food....

He lets me feed him pastina, and farina.... and even little pieces of ravioli....


I keep trying to remember- that he is smaller- so what looks like a small portion to me- isnt a small portion for him... but yet I find myself still worried all the time!

Then to make up for it... I feel like Im always giving him a "snack"- and I dont wanna overfeed either....

I always thought that when he was full he'd let me know- but sometimes I feel like- as long as I keep feeding- he'll keep eating!

Re: A little worried

Melis-

This weaning process.... takes forever- I think it will be awhile before he is on enough milk that he will be feeling less fufilled... but I guess I could be wrong...

We have no probelm being confined.... as long as he is eating what he wants!

ETA- See- I get the opposite with my Dr.

He made me feel like it is still very important he eats the baby food

Message edited 7/24/2006 10:34:40 PM.

Re: A little worried

I have been seeing the nurse practitioner lately --- which is who I spoke with at the last 2 visits. I find that she is just INCREDIBLY thorough....she spends the time with us ... as much time as we need .... whereas the Dr spends a little bit of time but usually has to get going ... and so we talked a lot about this ... and everything she said to me makes sense.

I have found that Emily has increased the amout of formula that she is getting since she's been on a babyfood strike --- she's back up to around 30 oz a day when she was down to 16-20 for a while there. So I know that she is eating enough and getting the calories in ... just from different ways -- and It's been a good month that this has been going on but it is getting better. Like I said she ate an entire avacado half tonight -- only found like 3 small pieces on her lap when I took her out of the High Chair and she also had a whole slice of cheese and a big chunk of potatoe -- so she's eating a lot more then she used to. She ate half of a serving of mac & cheese today (i make her easy mac, so bad) ... so she's eating a bit more .... you just have to be very patient ....

Re: A little worried

My son is the same. I can still get him to eat some jarred fruit (really just a convenience for me since so many fruits aren't "mushy" enough), but jarred veggies and meats are essentially a thing of the past.

He still drinks three 8 oz bottles of formula/day for another week (when the formula runs out). I expect that he'll take about 16-20 oz milk and the rest water.

He'll eat just about anything we put in front of him, but off the top of my head, his "favorites" are:

Scrambled eggs w/ cheese
Pancakes (no syrup)
French Toast stix
Cheerios
Cereal bar (Gerber makes these)

Grilled cheese
Jelly on toast (verrrry thin layer of jelly)
Grilled chicken
Pizza
Pasta (incl mac & cheese)
Meatballs/hamburger
American cheese
Cream cheese on toast
Bagels
Yo baby yogurt (can't get enough!)

Mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes
French fries (loves these )
Carrots
String beans
Peas (on occasion)

Bananas
Watermelon
Canteloupe
Honeydew
Applesauce

I make sure he gets his fruits and veggies in first, then dairy, then meat. The rest is fluff.



ETA: even though my son has already had milk (he drinks from his brother's straw all the time ). I'm weaning him 6 oz formula:2 oz milk, then 4 oz formula: 4 oz milk, 2 oz formula:6 oz milk, then all milk. It took about 4 days for DS#1 to transition to whole milk.

Message edited 7/24/2006 10:51:34 PM.

Re: A little worried

Re: A little worried

Betty-

We were at a dressy affair yesterday- and I tried feeding Ryan his jarred food (applesauce and blueberries- I didnt pre plan this as you can tell) and he through a fit and got purple mush all over my brand new pants!!!


I hear you on the creative thing... I dance and sing, and clap- Im like a clown!

My2boys-
Thanks for the suggestions-
Ryan eats alot of the same foods....But how do you know when your child has eaten ENOUGH?

Re: A little worried

I'm just answering the questions you asked other people --- I hope you don't mind....

I just try to judge if she's had enough by when she tells me she's done. She makes it loud and clear ..... and some people have bigger appetites then others. My DH eats very little in one sitting -- so I just have to trust her that she knows....

Re: A little worried

Re: A little worried

I think what you are doing is just fine. I know it worrisome but if your doctor days he is fine take what he says and keep doing what you are doing.

Jacob is the same way and as long as he is going to the bathroom, he is ok..

He is now not liking the jar food but what I try to do is that when he eats table food the next bite I will try and sneak in a spoonful of jarred food...

and the way I know he is done is that he starts playing with the food that is left on his tray and throwing it on the floor..

Re: A little worried