Just had nine month old weighed - feeling like the worst parent

[Rarfy]

Nine month old dd has just been weighed. She's 19lbs. Almost on the 75th centile. Not bad I know but she was born on the 9th.

Anyway I felt like they were interrogating me about what she eats. I'll be the first to admit I don't do baby led weaning. I don't like it I'm frightened she'll choke. That isn't going to change.

I don't just give her pouches and mashed food though I give her bananas, toast, crumpets, bagels etc I just break them up for her. A typical day is cereal. Usually weetabix, porridge or shreddies. Lunch is usually a sandwich - chicken, tuna or cheese then tea is a meal pouch Ella's kitchen or aldis own. After each meal she will have a dessert which will be a fruit pot, a from age frais or a small custard pot. I very very rarely give her snacks as I don't feel like she needs them.

She is still having three 6 ounce bottles a day. First thing, mid aft and then last thing.

Is this quite bad? I feel like I'm doing something wrong it's really upset me.

You don't mention any fruit or vegetables...

She doesn’t need desserts at all never mind one after each meal.
Also cut out the pouches and cook for her or give her what you are eating if it’s suitable.

Fruit pots are apple and pear or apple strawberries and pear. She has bananas as well. The pouches at tea time are always full of veg so chicken casserole, beef casserole, spag bol.

Well my ds was 21lbs at 5 months! Could you add in more fruit/veg?

Maybe I'm going wrong with the desserts then. It was actually the health visitors that suggested the fromage frais so I thought they were fine. I don't really class the fruit pots at desserts. I could cut the custards or switch for more fruit.

I would cut back on the pouches, why cant she just have the same as you for tea?

I would also be giving her actual fruit and veg instead of fruit pots and she really doesn't need dessert every day.

I appreciate you are worried she will choke but she's got to learn to eat proper food. She wont magically be able to do that one day, you need to let her learn.

I know I just think I will feel more comfortable when she's a bit older and more developed and has more teeth. I'm a lot better now than I was. We don't eat until late most nights and I'll be quite honest, I really haven't gotten my head around food prep since having her.

Grate the apples and pears and put little piles of them in front of her. Let her practice picking them up and eating them. Chop the strawberries up very small. Much cheaper than buying pots and better to help her discover fresh tastes.

Oh I do put things on her tray for her to help herself too but that's a great idea thank you. Will give it a go.

It sounds fine to me, Rarfy as long as you don't overdo the sugary/cakey stuff. She has fruit in her fruit pots and a banana. She would let you know if she was hungry.

I had a slender baby who ate like a horse, he was on the upper normal range for height and lower normal for weight. He'd given up bottles by your daughter's age but did have milk with cereal. A very fit and healthy child.

There's nothing wrong with fromage frais and some babies like yogurts. Cherry tomatoes are nice too and are fruit.

(Not so slender now he's nearly forty but we won't talk about that :-)

My niece was 2 stone on her 1st birthday! She was massive (not saying your LO is!) and she’s a slim, active and healthy child now

You are doing her no favours by restricting her to pouches. You may find her really resistant to less processed food by the time you decide you are ready for her to give up the pouches.

It would seem she's not eating enough op, hence why she's dropping centiles and quite quickly. So she needs to eat much more to gain weight and start moving back up the centiles.

Did you get any advice from the health professional on what to feed her?

Mine loved half corn on the cobs. You get them in the freezer aisle.

Shes not dropping, shes gone up the charts

Oh have I got it the wrong way round ? Sorry..

If so I also think it's fine...

Sorry no she has gone up the centiles. She was born 9th centile and is now nearly 75th.

She does eat veg if we have a dinner like carrots, turnip, mash. She's a good eater in my opinion. Likes a variety but I'm taking your advice on board. I've really got us stuck into a rut.

I think a baby first aid course might help you relax a bit, it really helped me.

Dc2 is 16 months and about 30lb, dc1 is almost 3 and I think close to 40lb. Some children are just chunky, they even out when they get mobile.

I wouldn’t worry.

Once she starts walking you’ll find she skins up. My second was like that, a teeny baby who turned into a chubby chunk and at 15 is slim and active.

Also many many children are weaned on packets without issues eating food later, she’s eating sandwiches etc so no problem with lumps.

She should definitely still be ok milk til a year but I couldn’t remember off hand how much.

Don’t buy into the stress.

There’s not a lot of real food in her diet - those pouches and pots are all quite heavily processed and will have far fewer vitamins and minerals than fresh fruit and veg. It sounds like you are restricting her diet quite heavily and that’s not really going to do her any favours - there’s no need to limit a 9 month old to sandwiches and pouches.

Sorry op mines 22. So old age creeping in.,🤣

But I would agree this is fine, I personally wouldn't worry. She was very low when she was born.

Mine was on rhe tenth centile when born but the fifth for height, so long and thin, she soon turned into a proper chubby baby, and had puppy fat growing up,

She's now 22, size eight, and five foot nine. I really wouldn't be concerned.

She doesn't need teeth to munch
You can ask to see community dietician to go thru her diet day by day
Keep.a food diary for a week to take with you
Feed yourself properly too ! If you dont eat pouches and ready made jars all the time then she doesn't need to..except when out and about for ease

My nephew is massive. He’s 4 months younger than my dd and weighs loads more.
Hv just said he’s a big boy and continue to feed him healthy food which my dsis does.

But if she is on 75th what s the issue? Are you saying she is overweight? Or what? 75th is not 101st
...

Nothing wrong with the odd pouch or fromage frais.

We ate late too, but I just pureed or mashed leftovers from our dinner, refrigerated, and gave to DD's the next day. Cheaper and pretty easy, just don't add salt.

My DD's were both very fat and very short. Both teens, early twenties now, and they are still both short , but incredibly light and lean. Try not to worry too much, back in the day we were told to expect them to be a bit fat at this age as it is the in-between stage of eating lots, but moving little. Once they are properly up and about they tend to loose the excess.