Starting cereal how many times a day

A good rule of thumb when you're figuring out just how much to give your little one during each meal: Start small and work your way up. While your baby's first meals may have consisted of a teaspoon or two of solid food, once she gets the hang of eating, you can use the following baby feeding chart as a general guideline:.

General serving size recommendations can be helpful, but remember that every baby is different. Instead, focus simply on offering a variety of nutrient-rich foods in age-appropriate serving sizes and letting your little one take it from there. Your new nosher has the ability to take in what her body is asking for. On the other hand? Trust your gut. Consider the solids you serve at first as healthy supplements and a chance for your sweetie to explore new tastes and textures.

When should you bring out a bottle or your breast, and when should you dish out solids? There's really no set rule. Some parents find that an appetizer of breast milk or formula is a good way to start off a meal, so their little ones aren't too hungry to settle down to eat. Other parents offer solids as a first course and breast milk or formula for dessert.

Then there are moms who like to completely separate solids from nursing or bottle-feeding sessions. Since there's no hard and fast rule, experiment until you find a feeding schedule that works for you.

You can start off with just one or two solid meals per day — whichever ones are most convenient for you. For instance, offer breakfast and dinner if your cutie is in day care and you want the honors of feeding her solids. As your baby hits 8 or 9 months and starts eating more foods and drops to just a morning and afternoon nap, freeing up more time in the day , you can transition to three meals. These sample schedules below may help you envision how solids can fit into your baby's day — just remember that every child and every family!

Your little one's schedule may not be predictable or consistent until she hits toddlerhood. We recommend one mealtime per day at this age, though if you and baby have the time in your day and both enjoy being at the table, you are welcome to offer solids twice a day.

Eating solid food at this stage will mainly be for practice, so try not to worry about consumption. Baby is likely awake for about If you are working on disassociating sleep and eating i. Baby is also offered a bottle as part of the bedtime routine in this sample schedule; however, if your goal is to separate eating and sleep, then consider offering the bottle as the first part of the routine — just before a bath and bedtime stories — to avoid the feed-to-sleep association.

Pick a mealtime where baby is happy, playful, and well-rested. We want baby to associate the table with happiness and have the energy and gusto to learn how to eat food. At this age, you can start offering small amounts of water in an open cup and a straw cup, alternating the cup style at each meal.

Limit water to less than 2 ounces 60 milliliters at each meal, with no more than 4 ounces milliliters per day, unless otherwise advised by your pediatrician. For more on teaching baby to drink from a cup and straw, see our Cup Drinking page.

Note: Some infants may drink more than the ounces listed above, especially during growth spurts. Want to learn more? Watch our video on feeding schedules and weaning. Baby is likely bottle-feeding five to eight times per day, with most still taking one or more bottles during the night. If you have noticed a large drop, consider offering fewer solid foods. Baby is likely awake for about 2. Please note that many babies and parents prefer to offer bottles right before nap as part of the nap routine.

This works as well. Our sample schedule shows separate naps and bottles for those who choose to work on disassociating sleep and eating i. However, if this is not a priority for you and your family prefers bottles as part of the sleep routine, you can modify the timing of bottles accordingly.

If you have yet to offer two solid meals per day, this is a good time to do so. Continue offering meals when baby is in a good mood, well-rested, and interested in eating. Consider allowing baby to come to the table a little hungry, with an hour or so between bottle feeds and table foods; this encourages baby to learn that food can fill their tummy. As you introduce chewables or gradually progress in the complexity of the chewable foods you offer, you might see a decrease in the amount of solid foods actually swallowed at each meal.

See our Cup Drinking page for more information. For babies who enthusiastically embrace breakfast, you may find you can start reducing the first bottle of the day or drop it entirely and take baby straight to breakfast upon waking.

Around 11 to 12 months of age, small amounts of cow milk may be offered in an open cup to acclimate baby to its taste. If they have not already, babies should be progressing at this age away from purees and mashes towards finger food that resembles what the adults in the family eat at most meals. Topping off with purees may teach your baby that the more challenging-to-chew foods are not worth putting in the extra effort to explore and learn, since they know the easier-to-eat food is coming next.

Formula is a more ideal supplement than purees at this age, since it is made to provide more complete nutrition. Solid foods are starting to become the primary source of nutrition at this age, and the solid food meal should ideally be offered before any milk feeds. The toddler should eat three meals of solid foods each day, and many take two snacks situated halfway between meals.

Some babies will continue to need a few bottles per day to get adequate nutrition and energy while they continue to build their chewing and eating skills. The goal is to wean all bottles and all formula by 15 months. Note: Some toddlers will drop the morning nap in this age range. Most toddlers do best with a 2-nap schedule until closer to months, but certainly, some children are ready to drop one of their naps a bit earlier.

Trust baby and your gut, and adapt the schedule as necessary. When your child does move to a 1-nap schedule, occurring midday around noon , offer lunch before naptime to ensure hunger is not an issue causing a difficult or short nap.

Generally, we like to see all bottles dropped entirely by 15 months of age at the latest. For more on milk, see our Milk FAQs. One way to keep within this limit: remind yourself that milk is a drink that accompanies a meal and not a meal itself. Only serve milk in a cup with meals. See our Nutrient Cheat Sheet for a list of foods by nutrient.

For more on milk and milk alternatives, see our Milk FAQs. By 16 months of age, the child should continue eating three meals of solid foods each day and two snacks between meals. The AAP advises that bottles and formula should be weaned by this age.

Experts recommend that babies be breastfed or bottle -fed with expressed breast milk or formula until 6 months of age.

Be sure not serve the cereal from a bottle for reasons we mention in the next section. Gradually, you can add less liquid to the dry cereal to find a thickness your baby likes. Feeding your baby through a bottle can lead to unnecessary calories—she may consume more food than she actually needs.

Although rice cereal may have been a popular choice, experts now say there are other infant cereals and first foods that may be safer for your baby. As your baby transitions to solid foods, you deserve lots of rewards for all those diaper changes.

Download the Pampers Club app to get rewards for all your Pampers purchases. How we wrote this article The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment. What Is Rice Cereal?