Feeding Nap Schedules for 9 Month Old..

[Anonymous]

Hi All!

Dagney had her 9 month pediatrician appointment today and she passed with flying colors! She is 29 1/4 inches long and 22 pounds!!

I do have a couple of questions for everyone, if I can get some input, that would be appreciated.

1) Feeding: Our pediatrician said that at 9 months she should still only be taking 2 meals/day, but drinking about 32 ounces of formula/day. Dagney drinks 25-29/day normally, but is taking 3 spoonfeedings/day. He said that if you give too many spoon feedings too early, it could lead to obesity. (She is in the 95% for height and 93 for weight, so he’s not concerned about her per se, but it applies to babies in general.) My sister said she remembered only giving her kids 2 meals for a long time, but my MIL is the one who kind of pushed originally to give the 3 meals. I’ve tried both, and Dagney doesn’t seem to care either way. She’ll drink whatever she wants and then be on her way, and if I don’t give her veggies and/or fruit, she doesn’t protest. I’m worried if I tell my MIL not to give her food, and she’s giving my neice lunch at the same time, then Dagney may care, but then she could always give her some puffs then to practice on. I skipped the spoonfeeding lunch today, and it didn’t seem to affect the rest of her feedings at all. What does everyone else do/ has everyone else been told? I’m sure I’ll get opinions both ways, but right now I’m feeling like I should do what my doc says, I really don’t want Dagney to have a weight problem. I was chubby as a kid and have always had trouble keeping it off as an adult, so I’d like to give her the best chance of avoiding that as possible!! Also what kind of daily routine are your kids on at 9 months?

2) Sleep. Tonight she passed out with no problems (if you’ve read the other posts, we’ve been having some issues the last 2 nights), but she also went to bed an hour later than normal b/c we had a family bday party. She has been taking her naps at 9 & 1, and then around 4-4:30, or on the way home from my MIL house, she’d sleep about another 20-30 mins more. She’s normally asleep for the night around 7, and sleeps through until 6:30am the next morning. She’s a great sleeper, and I don’t want to screw it up now!!! From what I’m seeing in her actions and all I’ve read, it’s time for that last nap to go–it seems to really kill her bedtime now. She does get really tired by 5, though, so I was thinking of pushing back her naps to maybe 9:30 and 1:30/2. What are everyone else’s naps/bedtimes like? Also, now that she has 4 teeth (and I think more are on the way), the pedi said we should really be wiping them down w/ a dot of baby toothpaste, which would mean after her bottle, so what kinds of routines do you have now?

OK, I guess this post is a little more involved than I originally thought, but any input is appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Well, Ben is just her age, so I’ll tell you what we do with him… however, he is NOT the best sleeper, so that varies a bit.

1. I do feed him three meals a day. I’ve never heard that about not feeding them due to the risk of obesity. I wonder if that’s a new thing because of the obesity rates going up so much? Anyway, at what age did your ped. suggest moving to three meals??? I did three with Claire and Ben from about 7-8 months or so. I figure eating with the family will help him learn to eat, feed himself, etc. better. There’s no way that Ben is eating 32 oz. nor was he before we started the solids. I would do whatever you feel you need to do though, especially if she doesn’t seem to mind either way.

2. Ben is down to two naps a day.. and, sometimes only one! I know, I hate it, but the boy is a horrible napper. Anyway, he usually wakes up around 7 or so and then goes down for naps around 10 and 2. Seems like he will only nap for about a total of 2 1/2 hours a day, no matter which way we work it. Depending on how he napped that afternoon, he is usually in bed asleep by 8 or, like tonight (a bad nap day, he was out by 7:20).

As for the teeth. We are still all gums here, but what I did with Claire was to skip the toothpaste thing and after the bottle, just gently rub a soft cloth over her teeth. This way I didn’t wake her up too much if she was already nice and drowsy, but I still got them cleaned. Then I would always brush them better in the morning.

[Anonymous]

I’m so glad to hear that tonight’s bedtime was better! GREAT sign!!!

Feeding: I think I’ve been giving Sarah 3 meals a day since 9 months, if not sooner. I didn’t know any different! Sarah is short and chubby so I don’t want to contribute to any unnecessary weight gain if possible. Sorry I can’t be of more help…

Sleeping: Sarah was a 3 nap a day baby until about 8 months old. By 9 months, she was down to 2 naps. We are on a pretty “regular” schedule. She wakes up around 6:30am, I put her down for morning nap between 8-9:30am, I put her down for afternoon nap between 1-2:30pm and bedtime is 6:00 or 6:30pm!! Maybe Dagney will just need to go to bed a little earlier if you drop the last nap. It might be a hard transition, but it sounds like she might be ready to drop it. Especially if it’s affecting her evening sleep. Some nights Sarah is asking (yes ASKING ) to go to bed at 5:15 and I just distract her until at least 6. Some nights (like tonight!) she talks in her crib until 7:00 or a little later. You’ll just have to find what works for your family. I know what you mean about not wanting to “screw it up” though!

Teeth: I had one of those finger brushes that I put on and used with her since about 9 months old. Sarah LOVED it and kept taking my fingers and moving it back and forth herself so I recently bought her her first toothbrush and SHE brushes her teeth every night after dinner. It’s her favorite part! If I forget, she’ll start to rub her fingers back and forth on her teeth to remind me! I don’t brush after her evening bottle but at least we’re getting one brushing a day.

Good luck, sorry this is so long!

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone!! It really is a lot of help! I think we’re going to stick with the little feeding schedule we’re on now…Dagney was only eating 32 or more ounces when she was comfort feeding, when she moved over to the Neocate, she dropped down significantly. I know the Nurse practitioners in the practice aren’t as “numbers” oriented as the dr is, and I’ve gotten different answers and rolled eyes about # of ounces/day she “should” be eating, as 1 of them pointed out, they’re supposed to be down to about 16/day by 1 year, so why would I try to start upping her again? He didn’t mention when we’d go to 3 meals/day, but then again we have her kind of “frozen” for all new foods right now until she’s weaned off the prevacid and has been on the alimentum or nutramigen for a few weeks.

As for naps, I am going to try to push them back 1/2-1 hr each, andhopefully that will keep her fairly happy until at least 6/6:30. It looks like she just needs her sleep, which I should be happy about in most ways, apparently I never slept as a baby, so she takes after my husband! I’m going to do the best I can with a wet cloth on her teeth, or one of those finger brushes, but I’m not going to wake her up just to brush now! I doubt my mom did that to me, and I turned out ok!

Thanks again, and any further comments are welcome too!

[Anonymous]

Alana was on about 3 meals and two snacks at 9 months. She’s short and plump as well. I do kind of worry about the plump thing (her mum has a strong tendency in that direction!) but I figure once she’s up and walking we will play a lot and once she’s old enough for organised sport we will get her involved!

I just let Alana do whatever with naps. She does 3 at home and 2 at day care. They are usually only about 45 mins. The only thing we stick to is no nap after 3 and bed by 7 at the latest. I’ve never had any luck try to “organise” Alana for naps!

[Anonymous]

i follow the baby led approach. we do not spoon feed i let him self feed, that way he controls his food intake. he loves avacodo, sweet potato, bread with almond butter, lima beans, pasta, etc. i find this more beneficial than spoon feeding. i do not follow any sort of schedule. i do not think it is best for my son to be fit into a schedule of when he “should” eat or how much he “should” be eating.

baby led approach:

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/ rapley_guidelines.html

as for sleeping, he sleeps when he gets tired

i am not a fan of forcing him on a schedule, since so many things can mess up our days plans.

nataliachick72007-6-14 9:4:30

[Anonymous]

When Sarah was that age, she was on 3-4 8 oz bottles a day, 3 “meals” and two snacks. Sarah was a very chunky baby and toddler, and people used to try to comment on her size a lot, as if it had some implication for how she would be later on. But I personally don’t believe that.

If she’s gaining well and is eating well, I wouldn’t worry too much about whether or not it’s 2 meals of solids or 3 meals of solids. I don’t think that it matters too much. I also think that she’s too young to be worrying about childhood obesity. Everything I’ve read seems to point to the fact that young kids are very good in their ability to self-regulate, and that if you offer healthy foods and let them guide their intake, they’ll eat as much as they need.

If you want a great book on feeding, one of my favourites is called “Child of mine: Feeding with love and good sense” by Ellyn Satter. It’s a very well respected book in the feeding world and I’ve really enjoyed it. She recommends that you follow your babies hunger cues, and let them take the lead in how much to eat.

s&h’s mum2007-6-14 10:11:38

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Lori, I think I’ll check that book out! Dagney is a little chunker, but babies are supposed to be chubby! She’s proportionate to her height, so I’m not worried about it either. I do think it’s a little rude when people see her and automatically say things like “don’t worry, when she’s walking she’ll thin out”, I usually say that I’m not worried!! I’m really not worried about the feeding either, I think she’s doing well. She eats what she wants and stops when she’s done, she can’t feed herself yet, so we’re not to that point, but she’s learning with the puffs (except they get stuck to her hands!).

[Anonymous]

Hey Denise… those puffs stick to Ben’s hands too. It’s pretty hilarious!

Just thought I would mention that he LOVES to eat little pieces of green beans.. seriously, probably his favorite food. He ate about 10 whole green beans cut up the other night.

[Anonymous]

Oh, boy. I’m so terrible in introducing new foods to Ariella. She doesn’t finger feed herself b/c I’m TERRIFIED of her chocking on the food (I know, I know, I’m paranoid). She eats around 30-35 oz of milk and gets 1 (sometimes 2) veggies and 1 fruit a day. As far as the sleeping goes, she’s a terrible napper. She wakes up at 6 am (no matter how late she goes down for the night). First nap is around 9-10 am, second nap is around 12 pm and third nap is around 4 pm. She’s still on three naps a day but she naps 30-40 minutes. I know it’s not enough for her b/c she wakes up cranky. Then we put her to bed for the night around 8 or so. We put her down earlier one day (at 7pm) and she woke up at 2 am all rested!

I have one of those finger brushes also. I would not use the toothpaste so early on. As far as I remember (from my dental hygience days, RDH-registered dental hygienist we did not recommend toothpaste until the child can spit out on their own (so they don’t ingest the toothpaste). I guess he thinks that it’s safe since you’re the one controling the amount that goes into her mouth. Using just the brush is really enough. As long as the plaque is mechanically removed, there is no need for the paste.

[Anonymous]

mariannardh wrote:

Oh, boy. I’m so terrible in introducing new foods to Ariella. She doesn’t finger feed herself b/c I’m TERRIFIED of her chocking on the food (I know, I know, I’m paranoid). She eats around 30-35 oz of milk and gets 1 (sometimes 2) veggies and 1 fruit a day. As far as the sleeping goes, she’s a terrible napper. She wakes up at 6 am (no matter how late she goes down for the night). First nap is around 9-10 am, second nap is around 12 pm and third nap is around 4 pm. She’s still on three naps a day but she naps 30-40 minutes. I know it’s not enough for her b/c she wakes up cranky. Then we put her to bed for the night around 8 or so. We put her down earlier one day (at 7pm) and she woke up at 2 am all rested!

I have one of those finger brushes also. I would not use the toothpaste so early on. As far as I remember (from my dental hygience days, RDH-registered dental hygienist we did not recommend toothpaste until the child can spit out on their own (so they don’t ingest the toothpaste). I guess he thinks that it’s safe since you’re the one controling the amount that goes into her mouth. Using just the brush is really enough. As long as the plaque is mechanically removed, there is no need for the paste.

thats why i use toothpaste that is flouride free, from the health food strore. imo, flouride is poison.

[Anonymous]

mariannardh wrote:

Oh, boy. I’m so terrible in introducing new foods to Ariella. She doesn’t finger feed herself b/c I’m TERRIFIED of her chocking on the food (I know, I know, I’m paranoid). She eats around 30-35 oz of milk and gets 1 (sometimes 2) veggies and 1 fruit a day. As far as the sleeping goes, she’s a terrible napper. She wakes up at 6 am (no matter how late she goes down for the night). First nap is around 9-10 am, second nap is around 12 pm and third nap is around 4 pm. She’s still on three naps a day but she naps 30-40 minutes. I know it’s not enough for her b/c she wakes up cranky. Then we put her to bed for the night around 8 or so. We put her down earlier one day (at 7pm) and she woke up at 2 am all rested!

I have one of those finger brushes also. I would not use the toothpaste so early on. As far as I remember (from my dental hygience days, RDH-registered dental hygienist we did not recommend toothpaste until the child can spit out on their own (so they don’t ingest the toothpaste). I guess he thinks that it’s safe since you’re the one controling the amount that goes into her mouth. Using just the brush is really enough. As long as the plaque is mechanically removed, there is no need for the paste.

oh yeah, just wanted to give you some info about baby led approach and choking

Won’t he choke?

Many parents worry about babies choking. However, there is good reason to believe that babies are at less risk of choking if they are in control of what goes into their mouth than if they are spoon fed. This is because babies are not capable of intentionally moving food to the back of their throats until after they have learnt to chew. And they do not develop the ability to chew until after they have developed the ability to reach out and grab things. Thus, a very young baby cannot easily put himself at risk because he cannot get the food into his mouth in the first place. On the other hand, the action used to suck food off a spoon tends to take the food straight to the back of the mouth, causing the baby to gag. This means that spoon feeding has its own potential to lead to choking – and makes the giving of lumpy food with a spoon especially dangerous.

It appears that a babies general development keeps pace with the development of his ability to manage food in his mouth, and to digest it. A baby who is struggling to get food into his mouth is probably not quite ready to eat it. It is important to resist the temptation to ‘help’ the baby in these circumstances since his own developmental abilities are what ensure that the transition to solid feeding takes place at the right pace for him. This process is also what keeps him safe from choking on small pieces of food, since, if he is not yet able to pick up small objects using his finger and thumb, he will not be able to get, for example, a pea or a raisin into his mouth. Once he is able to do this, he will have developed the necessary oral skills to deal with it. Putting food into a babies mouth for him overrides this natural protection and increases the risk of choking.

Tipping a baby backwards or lying him down to feed him solid food is dangerous. A baby who is handling food should always be supported in an upright position. In this way, food which he is not yet able to swallow, or does not wish to swallow, will fall forward out of his mouth, not backwards into his throat.

Adopting a baby-led approach doesn’t mean abandoning all the common sense rules of safety. While it is very unlikely that a young baby would succeed in picking up a peanut, for example, accidents can and will happen on rare occasions – however the baby is fed. Rules of safety which apply in other play situations should therefore be adhered to when eating is in progress.

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/ rapley_guidelines.html

[hellbennt]

because ari wouldn’t let me spoon feed him

I ‘discovered’ baby led solids, too

I read this article which states, as I believe, there is no reason to start foods in any particular order: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449/

American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Breastfeeding

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediat rics;115/2/496

I started w/ avocado, banana, sweet potato & I did not introduce proteins until 9months old- beans, poultry, soy, meat, yogurt, egg yolk, etc

I am very interested in this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voeds…

http://www.babyledweaning.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/B-LW/

http://blwbaby.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_blwbaby_archive.html

http://www.myblwexperiences.blogspot.com/

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