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  | Bexee   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 18 December 2008
 Points: 1543
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Topic: What is a "good sized meal"? Posted: 14 May 2010 at 9:45am
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   SO
 DS is just over 9 months and is a real finger food baby, and is near impossible to spoon feed. Plunket are a bit worried about his iron, and everyone keeps saying not to worry as long as he's eating a good sized meal.
 
 What the heck is that? He will eat, on a good day, maybe the equivalent of an entire watties tin for baby.
 
 Can anyone give me how much mash/spoon stuff he should be eating at his age? ie. half a cup a meal? It's so hard to tell with finger foods!
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  | littlestar   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 13 January 2009
 Location: Auckland
 Points: 810
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 10:03am | 
 
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   I know they say to base it on the age appropriate jar of baby food - but mine has never eaten that much (and he is by no means a small boy either)
A trick my plunket nurse told me about iron is to put a piece of cooked steak (I'm going to assume its a well cooked piece) into muslin or a nibbler and just let them suck on it, which might work well for a finger food baby.
 
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  | mummymonster   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 11 September 2009
 Points: 849
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 10:39am | 
 
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   I've got the same question.
My boy has 1 slice of toast for breakfast, I'd say he ate 3/4 of it.
 Usually a 170g jar or a bit more than 1/2 cup mash.  Followed by finger food - usually fruit.  That he doesn't eat so much of.
 
 These's also iron in his milk.  I've heard there's more iron in FF than BM.
 
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  | WestiesGirl   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 11 October 2007
 Location: Aotearoa - In the 'Sunny' S.I
 Points: 4550
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 12:52pm | 
 
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   Our child health nurse said between 2 tablespoons to half a cup (but each baby is different). We mainly do BLW so its hard to get an idea of how much he is eating as well but I just trust Jackson. 
 If you cook a piece of steak, I'd cook it about medium so he can suck out the juices (blood) which is where all the good stuff is.
 
 You could also make some baby cereal up and let him dip toast into it so he gets iron that way too.
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  | AandCsmum   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 13 May 2008
 Location: Palmerston North
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 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 1:30pm | 
 
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   I've just seen a dietitian who said a serve is palm sized even for babies. 
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  | Bizzy   Senior Member
 
   
 
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 Location: New Zealand
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 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 1:31pm | 
 
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|  AandCsmum wrote: 
 I've just seen a dietitian who said a serve is palm sized even for babies.
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 was just going to say the same thing...
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  | Bexee   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 18 December 2008
 Points: 1543
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 2:06pm | 
 
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   Oh wow, a baby's palm size I presume? So like, that's all he eats in one meal?
 That would be a bit of a relief! It's so confusing when people ask to make sure he eats a good dinner, and I have no idea.
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  | WestiesGirl   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 11 October 2007
 Location: Aotearoa - In the 'Sunny' S.I
 Points: 4550
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 2:30pm | 
 
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|  AandCsmum wrote: 
 I've just seen a dietitian who said a serve is palm sized even for babies.
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 Good to know. Is that the amount you should offer or what they actually should eat?
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     Our Angel July 08    Gone but not forgotten  
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  | mummymonster   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 11 September 2009
 Points: 849
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 2:33pm | 
 
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   And that'd be one palm = one serve.  So then it'd be 5+ serves of fruit & vege a day.  How many on meat & carbs?
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  | Nikki   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 02 October 2003
 Location: West Auckland
 Points: 2279
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 14 May 2010 at 3:35pm | 
 
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   The palm size is a serving of meat - so you'd want them to eat 3x palm size per week of red meat (1-2 meat serves/day).  With veges and fruit - if you can't get mush in them finger food is fine, about the same amount as an age appropriate jar/tin per meal.  A baby serve would be a few grapes, half a manderin, a few slices of apple/pear/banana etc. or a small jar of puree (big jar would be a couple of serves).
 Jake used to eat about 2x small jars/meal plus finger food at that age.  Morgan has a small bowl of baby rice for breakie then about half a piece of toast (or fruit some days), then lunch and dinner is about 1/4 cup mush (shes a finger food girl too, so sometimes less) and lots of finger food.  She eats steak (has done since 5 months, with no teeth!) or a mince pattie or strips of fish / chicken or chicken nuggets etc most nights.  She'll also pick up pasta / fries / veges / fruit etc.  Plus morning and afternoon tea (yoghurt / crackers / fruit / dried fruit / cruskets / sammie etc).  Think shes a big eater though.
 If hes sleeping well, growing well and not consuming too much extra milk (3/day at 9 months) then I'm sure hes getting enough. Some babies just aren't huge eaters.   | 
 
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     DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs)
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  | monikah   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 30 March 2008
 Location: Wellington
 Points: 4085
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 17 May 2010 at 2:14pm | 
 
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   My son is one and quite a big boy. he doesnt like being fed either and hasnt for a long time. we let him eat things like mince and pasta etc with his hands. lol. its messy but a decent amount gets in there. he has 1 toast and 1 weetbix for bfast, some cooked pasta, bro, coli, carrot, cheese, chopped prunes and a banana for lunch. he entirely feeds himself though so about half get in his mouth. dinner he eats what we do but with rice and bitsy or mushy food i usually feed him off a spoon while he eats with his hands and he doesnt seem to mind too much
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