Now that my baby has eaten her first solid foods, how many times a day should she eat solid food?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer for this question, but most parents like to give their baby their first solid meals after a nap or in the morning, after the first breast milk or formula feeding of the day.
So you’ve started giving your little angel some cereal mix and she loves it. That’s great! Next you need to figure out when she needs to eat solids and how to fit that into the many times a day she still nurses or takes a bottle.
The first thing you need to know is that there is no perfect schedule! Feeding should be fun and enjoyable for both baby and caregiver. Start by giving one “meal” of solid foods, without separate breast milk or formula, at a time of day when she is happy and playful. Many parents choose about an hour after their baby first wakes up in the morning. This way, you start the day with milk at the first feeding and then offer the meal a little later but before you get too close to naptime (and a fussy baby). Another option is to offer her solid food immediately after a daytime nap, when she is hungry and happier. Eventually, you will add a second “meal,” again during a playful and happy time of the day. And don’t worry if those first few solid meals don’t go so well. She’ll get the hang of it eventually!
I feel like I’m having this issue! I want to make sure my 7-month old is getting enough formula/breastmilk (she gets a bottle of a combination of the two) and also enough cereal/vegetables. We’re doing 3 main meals a day and then a bottle before bed. Usually breakfast is just bottle and cereal, but lunch and dinner offer veggies and now fruits plus bottle. Does this sound normal?? I can’t help feeling she’s behind on trying new veggies and fruits since we really didn’t start her until into the 6th month. This solid food business is complex!