How can you be sure your baby is getting enough nourishment? Learn from these real moms, who share insights about feeding their 4- and 5-month-olds.
Learn as You Go
- “After about four months my baby’s best feeding of the day was the first one in the morning. I think she was really hungry, and it was still dark and quiet, so she focused on eating. Later in the day, she wanted to look around and socialize, and it was harder to tell if she was finished feeding or not. But first thing in the morning, she meant business!” —Isabella S.
Express Yourself
- “What was helpful for me, once I was back at work, was to leave bottles of both expressed breast milk and formula for my baby. Because I always had trouble pumping enough milk, I wanted to make sure he’d have enough to eat. I used ready-to-pour formula, so there wasn’t any extra preparation, and there was never worrying that he wouldn’t have enough. He switched back and forth between breast milk and formula very easily, and I didn’t notice any difference in my milk supply.” —Arikia D.
Out and About
- “We discovered that if we fed Amanda a little bit before we had to take her out on errands, she would be happier, even if it wasn’t exactly her feeding time. She just seemed to take a bit less at the next feeding. Even though we had a routine for her, which worked really well, we found that, when you can’t stick to the schedule, this was an easy stopgap solution.” —Emily M.
- “Once my baby got to be 4 months old, she wouldn’t settle down and nurse in public as easily as she used to. That’s when I found that I had to find a quieter place. I used to feed her anywhere, but she did better in a quiet spot as she got older.” —Maria S.
Trust Your Healthcare Provider
- “When he was about 4 months old, I started to get a lot of pressure from my mom, grandma, and mother-in-law that Zack wasn’t getting enough food and needed cereal in order to sleep through the night. But the doctor said I shouldn’t give him solids until he was 6 months old. I was getting tired of fending off my family, but then one day I said to them, ‘This is what the doctor’s orders are.’ Strangely all three of them backed off—if the doctor said it, it was good enough for them!” —Noey F.
Formulas for Success
- “I started to get tired of breast-feeding, but I knew that I wasn’t supposed to start Max on solids yet. So at about 5 months I switched to formula. You’re not a failure if you don’t breast-feed exclusively to the magic 6- or 12-month mark. I think every mom has to pick what works best for her.” —Evgenia W.
- “Be sure to offer your baby breast milk or formula from a cup after 6 months. They’re capable of sipping from it by then, and it’s good practice, so they’re not walking around with a bottle at age 2! It’s really messy at first, but a small cup with two handles works well. You have to guide it, and at first, they don’t take a lot in. But they get the hang of it, and that’s the main thing. I started doing this early, and by 10 months all four of my kids were ready for sippy cups and done with bottles.” —Mary N.