How much does your 7 month old eat?

[marshmallow2468]

As per the title really. Started offering DS finger foods about 6 weeks ago. In some ways he's taken to it really well and picks everything to his mouth, chews bits, swallows some. I wouldn't say we're truly doing blw as he does have some porridge spoonfed. But he just doesn't seem to consume much. He has 5 bottles of formula a day (7oz each but usually doesn't quite finish) and I'm wondering whether this is too much and keeping him from wanting food. His weight gain is fine and I wasn't all that concerned but MIL has started questioning how he's being fed. Am I correct in thinking that food doesn't really matter until they're one?

I think a lot of people who do BLW would say what he's having is fine & agree with the foods fun thing.

I'm doing purées with my baby who is the same age, he eats quite a lot per mealtime but isn't too keen on cereals or meat yet but is slowly getting there. Personally I want him to have a balanced diet before he's one and am not convinced about BLW, I just give him finger foods after the purée so he gets the hang of different textures etc. quantity wise it's hard to say but the other day had 1 Ella's kitchen veg pouch then a fruit one for pudding.

Perhaps stick with what you are doing but keep an eye on his weight? I think most mums / mother in laws are unfamiliar with BLW so probably not the best person to listen to. Your the mum so you know your baby best!

Oh and not sure about the milk thing as I don't bottle feed but maybe someone else will know. I find my son eats the most at least an hour and a half after he's had milk.

My twins are 6.5 months and have roughly 2 meals a day (although it is sometimes only one if I can't be bothered or we need to go somewhere

Average meal is two or three wedges of veg sucked and mushed up (brocolli/sweet potato/carrot/avocado/corn on the cob) or a bit of bread/toast/bagel with cream cheese/avocado smeared on top sucked/gummed or 3/4 big pasta shapes covered in pasta sauce plus 1/4-1/2 a peach or two large wedges of melon or mango or 3 big strawberries They will play with food on spoons but don't eat much -DTD is better than DTS with spoons.

They adore fruit, will have a good go at other things but volume isn't massive. I'm happy enough to keep going like this for a few months yet although it would be nice if they dropped a breastfeed at some point!

DS3 is just turning 7mo and taking more solids/less milk than your DS, but he is puree/finger-food weaned rather than BLW. He has the following:

7:30 ish breastfeed followed by 4 heaped teaspoons of porridge or baby cereal with pureed fruit, plus some finger food (ie toast strips)

10 ish 5oz formula

12 pm ish lunch - he eats roughly 5/6 tablespoonfuls of a chicken casserole or beef stew type thing (or will eat a whole 7m+ Ellas Kitchen pouch if out and about), plus a couple of cubes of fruit puree and some finger food (rice cakes, steamed veggie sticks etc) and water to drink

2:30 pm ish 7oz milk though usually leaves a couple of ounces

5 pm ish tea - again roughly 5/6 tablespoonsfuls of a veggie based puree plus a small yogurt and finger food

7pm 7oz formula which he usually takes most of.

Personally, if I were you I would probably think about cutting the milk feeds down a little to encourage more interest in solids. I think the guideline 'minimum milk' intake for up to 1 year is 20oz of milk including what is used on cereal and in cooking, so you could safely cut back quite a bit on what your DS is taking if you wanted to. But that would presumably go against the grain of what BLW is all about - I have to confess I've never done the BLW thing with any of mine so don't really know much about it. But I am guessing that from a BLW perspective, what your DS is eating would be considered absolutely fine.

I'm thinking about making his milk feeds a little smaller, might drop an oz per feed, see what happens.

I keep reading things on baby forums about babies "wolfing" big plates of pasta and roast dinners, but mine just isn't interested. He had pouches for a few days due to work on the house and no cooking equipment or fridge, and he hated them too. Apart from the fruit ones. He'll eat fruit puree forever, but I'm sure an all-fruit diet isn't good for him!

Ooops just started an almost identical thread. Will check up on this one too for advice!

I've found a lot can change even in a week, and some meals they can have loads and others hardly want anything. It's still early days, best of luck

DD is 10mo and only just starting to consume food properly ie swallowing well - and still not huge amounts. She hasn't dropped any bottles and doesn't wolf platefuls of ood (unless blueberries count ). But she is a confident and adbenturous eater and has brilliant hand-mouth coordination - much more so than similar aged babies who've been doing purees. I've also worried - still do! -about how much milk she drinks but apart from structuring the day so food ones before milk when they might be hungry, there isn't much you can do. I try to encourage her to eat bits of a few things eg avocado, tomato, bread at lunch, then fruit and yoghurt, so she's getting a range of nutrients even if she just has a few bites.

Also - she still eats majority fruit, and I think it's fine, since it's easy to digest and gives them water. Try him with whole fruit, not purees, so. He can nom / chew then swallow - ripe banana, strawberries, kiwi, peaches, melon, blueberries (torn in half), raspberries, blackberries all popular here.

Chunks of whole fruit I mean, not, you know, a whole nectarine. Obvs