How can I schedule feedings for my 4 ½ month old?

Ask Anne…

Question: How can I schedule feedings for my 4 ½ month old?

I am having difficulty with scheduling approximate times for feedings. My baby boy is 4 1/2 months old and has just started two servings of one tablespoon of rice cereal per day, one at 10:00 am and one between 7-8:00pm. He used to nurse every two to three hours, then changed for a few days to every 3 hours, but now it is hard to guess when he’ll eat…sometimes he waits up to 5 1/2 hours and sometimes only 2 1/2. Shouldn’t this be easier?

Answer:
I think that you may be making this whole solid food thing more complicated than it needs to be, especially because our baby really doesn’t “need” any solids at his age.

Breastmilk is a very complete food for at least the first six months of life. From 6-12 months, an “educational diet” is recommended. This means that others foods gradually begin to provide for nutritional needs that milk alone can no longer provide, and your baby gets used to different tastes and textures as well. While you should avoid potentially allergenic foods like eggs and dairy for awhile (especially if there is a family history of allergies), there is no specific correct order in which to introduce peas versus bananas versus carrots, etc. All of these have some nutritive value, but not nearly as much as milk. You want to make sure that you don’t end up substituting an inferior food (like cereal) for a superior food (milk) by filling him up on solids. Some babies like the taste of solids so much (especially the sweeter ones like fruits) that they cut back on their nursing if they are fed too many solids. It’s a good idea to nurse the baby first, and then offer solids.

Breastmilk or formula should be the main source of calories up till the end of the first year, and should still constitute about 75% of his diet at 12 months (25% solids). The need for iron increases after the first six to nine months, so it is good to include iron rich foods like meats and iron enriched cereals during the latter half of the first year.

Since human milk is the most nutrient dense food you can give your baby, solids should be started slowly and not over-emphasized in the first year when the baby’s brain is still growing so quickly. Cereal is mostly just filler. It may be iron fortified so that it contributes something there, but doesn’t contain the fat, protein, and calories that babies need during this critical period.

The article “Starting Solids” contains lots of additional information about this topic. I think that you will find the answer to many of your questions there.

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