I need some mama help!

October 28, 2010 by
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I know this is going to sound stupid to some of you, but really it’s an honest question/concern.  Here is my dilemma.  I have this baby–we call him “Little Brother”.  He’s a chubs, he’s 8 months.  He’s way cute, but he’s kind of high maintenance, cries frequently throughout the day, doesn’t stay entertained for more than a few minutes, yada yada.  And some days it seems that he is only happy when he is eating!  So there is the dilemma. The kid always wants to eat!  I may have just fed him an hour ago, but if he starts fussing and I break out the Cheerios he starts screaming like he hasn’t eaten in days, and he doesn’t stop screaming until the Cheerios are in front of him when instantly he’s as happy as a clam!
We took him to the Doc today and he went from the 70th to the 90th for height and stayed in the 75th for weight.  As I’m looking at stuff and writing this it looks like he went/is going through a growth spurt.  Growth spurt or no growth spurt Little Brother has always loved to eat!  Big Brother on the other hand, well, the boys couldn’t be more opposite in eating habits.  Big Brother is in the 15th percentile for weight, and getting him to eat can be a form of parental torture.
So here is where I want your feedback.  How often is it good for babies to snack?  When does snacking become too much?  What kinds of snacks did/do you like to give your under 1 year babies?
I suppose I could google all this, but I find parent to parent advice to be much more real and useful! 
Thanks in advance for all your feedback!
He had a little run in with some Animal Crackers.  Don’t worry, he took care of it.
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About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom

Amy is mom to three, wife to one, and a sister and aunt to many. Her family is a former military family now settled in Lehi, Utah. Oh So Savvy Mom began as a way for Amy to share parenting and product advice with others. Just as she has evolved, Oh So Savvy Mom has evolved into a resource for Healthy Living for Families, Food, Parenting, and Family Travel.

Comments

  1. Suzanne says
    October 28, 2010 at 5:14 am
    Aww he's adorable! How many main meals does he have in a day? My son is 9 months old and has 3 meals along with breast milk, and the occasional snack. When he's up he seems to want to eat about once per hour. And he will wake up about 2 times in the night wanting to nurse (although I'm thinking that is mostly because he is teething a lot right now).

    If he is snacking that much I would probably just add another full meal (or more bm/formula if thats what he is wanting) and see if that would make him happier.

    Hopefully your little guy is just going through a growth spurt :)

    Oh and my boy loves to snack on bananas, peaches, (any fruit really) and puffs.
  2. Lucy says
    October 28, 2010 at 12:07 pm
    I'm not a doctor... but I am married to one! And my husband says that at that age, kids only eat when they are hungry. If they aren't eating, it means they are not hungry. If they are eating a lot, it means they ARE. As long as it is healthy food, I say go for it. My oldest will sometimes go for a meal or two and only eat a bite or so. My youngest chows down. They know better than us how much food they need. Love you Aim!
  3. Kinzie Sue says
    October 28, 2010 at 1:15 pm
    Found it- Your Child's Weight: Help without Harming by Ellyn Satter

    Here's the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0967118913/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_sims_2#_
  4. Melissa says
    October 28, 2010 at 1:24 pm
    I agree with what Lucy said. They let us know when they are hungry. That said, I would stay away from the Gerber puffs, they have almost NO nutritional value, if I remember right, only the apple wheels do. Go with Cheerios, or fruit, of even canned green beans if they have teeth, or other cereals that provide more nutrients. Also, if you are using jarred baby food, it might be time to try the food grinder and grind up whatever you are having for dinner, then it will probably be more substantial. That is what we ended up having to do with our daughter, she ate constantly, and still does, just little bits about every two hours, she's almost 3 now. It seems they always eat more when they are teething, and growing. My daughter was always in the 90th plus percentile for height and weight, now she is still there for height, but is in the 30% for weight. They even out eventually.
  5. Karlyn says
    October 28, 2010 at 4:26 pm
    Well, I have two thoughts. From Little Brother's history of multiple food allergies, I wonder if his tummy is uncomfortable and feels better when he is getting food into it. The only way to solve that would be to do the elimination diet on him an you know very well how to do that. Not fun, but I don't know any other way, besides testing, how to find out what it is.

    The other thing I would say is that if he really is that hungry all the time be sure that he is getting food with high nutritional value, especially fats and proteins. You don't need to shy away from fats at this age because if he were strictly on breast milk it is VERY high is saturated fat because that is what helps their brains grow so well in the beginning stages of life. So... You know I am big on making our own baby food. That allows you to add butter, yogurt, Coconut Oil (good non-dairy alternative), or cream, and also salt (good salt is also VERY good for the brain) to the food as you or he desires. With those things added he might be easier to feed things he hasn't liked in the past.

    Let me know if you want more specific ideas of what you could feed him. I have a few recipes that aren't too hard to make up.

    Good luck!
  6. Amy says
    October 28, 2010 at 5:29 pm
    Wow, you guys are all so awesome! Thanks for all your feedback. I don't think it's is food allergies, though we did discover a couple weeks ago that he is allergic to wheat. booo! (That was probably his mystery allergy when I was breastfeeding). I think you are all right on the money, and I'll try incorporating more high fat/protein snacks too. Kinzie, thanks for the book reference. That will probably help us with Big Brother too.
  7. Debbie Does Coupons says
    October 29, 2010 at 3:27 am
    My now 15 month old grand daughter was/is the same way! She loves her food and never seemed to get enough. Once she got mobile, she slimmed down "some". He'll be fine. Some kids seem to use food for comfort ( like some adults)

    I am following you back. Thanks for stopping by my blog, Debbie Does Coupons.
  8. Heather says
    October 29, 2010 at 3:40 am
    I totally just asked my doctor about this, but my little one eats more like Big Brother. Anyway, the doctor said, if he's hungry, feed him. He suggested high fat foods first and then the more snaky foods--so go for the peanut butter, avocado before rice. When Little R was under 1, he ate a lot of Cheerios, he also liked slightly steamed vegetables (I bought the pre-choped frozen stuff and put it in the microwave for 45 secs).
  9. QueenB says
    October 29, 2010 at 12:30 pm
    I would try to offer healthier, more nutrient rich snacks in place of things like cheerios- cottage cheese, shredded cheese, chop up fruit, yogurt...depending on what foods he's already had, of course. We do not, as a rule, offer any carbs until they've had fruits/veggies/proteins in our house- we learned this the hard way with my now 5 year old, but its helped us to get them to eat the healthier stuff they need without filling up on empty carbs that don't keep them full. I'd maybe try to mix it up a bit with his snacks!! You can also steam up some fruits and veggies over the weekend and offer those throughout the week...please don't think I'm suggesting you make these for each snack. :o)
  10. Crystal Escobar says
    October 29, 2010 at 8:37 pm
    That is a great question, and I'm dealing with the same thing with my son, well sorta. He LOVES to eat, but I can't get him to try new things. He has is certain foods that he likes and anytime I try to give him something new he freaks out. Anyway, maybe I should do a post about is as well. I tried googling it but couldn't really find the exact answers to my questions.
    Anyway, wish I had some advice for you. Sorry I'm no help.