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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>New 9 Month Old...Help Please..Been a Loooooog Time
handemom 05:22 PM 10-18-2010
hello!

I just started watching a 9 month old. She is currently on formula. Parents said that she has NO schedule and they have never been able to get her on one.

she arrives at 8:30 every morning. Has a 4 oz. bottle at 10 a.m. and a small jar of baby food at 12:00 and then another 4 oz. bottle at 3:00 p.m. she goes home around 4:30.

She only naps at the 10:00 feeding and that is ONLY if she falls asleep during eating her bottle. more often then not, it seems like she wants more....

This is all the parents send me everyday. What is your opinion on this?

Is this a normal "schedule" for a 9 month old? She is not overweight or anything like that, it's just how the parents choose to feed her.

anyone else out there with 9 month olds? What are their schedules like?
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ninosqueridos 05:52 PM 10-18-2010
my 9mo dcb is on a similar schedule

8:30 arrival
9:15 3-4 oz ebm & some puffs/cheerios
10-11 nap
12 4-6 oz baby puree fruit or veggie
1:15 3-4 oz ebm
1:30-3 nap
4 some puffs/cheerios
4:30 3-4 oz ebm
5 go home

(ebm=expressed breastmilk)

He is healthy and growing like a weed. My own kids barely had any solid foods at all their first year and they were healthy as well.

I'm wondering why she doesn't sleep in the afternoon at all? I wonder if you gave her a 2pm bottle, then nap, then 4pm bottle before she went home if that would make a difference? Or are they expecting her to nap once at home before bedtime? It just seems that noon to bedtime is a looooong time for a 9mo to be awake with no rest. What are her bedtime hours at home?
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handemom 06:00 PM 10-18-2010
I guess my first thing was "is it normal for her to only have those two 4 oz. bottles in the 8 hours she is here? She cries quite a bit and I almost feel like maybe she is hungry.

The parents said that she only takes minor cat naps. and the longest she has slept here in the last week I have watched her is 1 1/2 hours total. They didn't tell me her sleep schedule.

And I would LOVE to offer her another bottle as i am almost positive that is what she needs, but they send me 2 premeasured baggies for the bottles. I asked for extra but they said that they don't really think that she will need it.

????
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ninosqueridos 06:14 PM 10-18-2010
Being that she is crying a lot, I would strongly encourage more formula as a back up just to try it. You could always suggest it as a "1 week trial" thing. Does the baby have teeth yet?

I should mention that my 9mo dcb sometimes will take ZERO milk from me but he is still a happy camper. The crying would have me concerned - good luck!
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handemom 06:26 PM 10-18-2010
i know that she is teething also, which I feel horriable about, i am trying all i can to help her out. Im just really not all that good with formula as both of my kiddos..... now 10 and 6 were both breastfeed.
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Live and Learn 06:36 PM 10-18-2010
At this age their nap schedule is 9 to whenever usually 10:30 to 11:00.
Afternoon nap is SACRED. EVERYONE is down at 1:00 to 3:00.
This is really the best age to get them on a schedule. The first couple of weeks can be hard but stick to it and the pay off is golden.
I don't think she is eating quite enough...follow your instincts...maybe some cheerios or puffs?
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Francine 01:48 AM 10-19-2010
The 9 month old little boy that I have would starve to death eating that little bit. He eats a big bowl of cereal and fruit before coming to me, he gets here at about 7:45, sometimes he wants to go down for a nap shortly after getting here and will sleep 2 hours. When he wakes up he will eat a container of applesauce ( real, not babyfood) with cereal stirred in plus cherrios, or some other snacky thing that his Mom has brought. At noon he will eat lunch, sometimes Mom cooks squash or some other home made food and sometimes she brings baby food but either way he will eat what equals at least two containers of baby food plus cherrios, bits of muffins or whatever Mom supplies. Takes another two hour nap and then eats a container of yogurt, chunks of banana, cherrios, etc. He is a HUGE food eater but I am lucky if I can get him to drink any formula at all during the day. He MIGHT take a bottle for Mom at bedtime but that's not even a given, he just doesn't like it. Mom was giving him juice until the DR. told her to stop and only give him formula.....if he's thristy he will drink it. Now she will bring him with a sippy (doesn't do bottles) of water instead of juice but he doesn't even really drink that. He just isn't a drinker, it really bothered me when he first started coming here but he seems to be very healthy although I do worry about him missing out on all of the vitamins that are in the formula. I stir it into whatever I can just so that he gets it one way or the other but as far as him drinking it he just doesn't. I made 2 ounces yesterday morning and offered it before I offered food every single time and still he didn't drink all of it. If he were a year or so older I would be stirring chocolate syrup into it just to get him to drink it but what can you add to it for a 9 months old? Seriously if anybody has any ideas I would love to hear them.
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nannyde 02:28 AM 10-19-2010
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/pro...l_patterns.htm

Yes you are correct that this is not enough formula.

At that age the baby needs at least six ounces per meal and two to four ounces at snack.

It looks like they are providing you two snack bottles but not a lunch bottle.

She needs an additional six to eight ounce bottle for lunch. I also figure the MAX when calculating formula. So if the baby eats breakfast at home she would need four oz. for a.m. snack, eight oz. for lunch, and four oz. for p.m. snack. The parent would need to supply 16 oz. per day.

I don't allow parents to dole out formula or make formula amount decisions. I have them bring me two cans when they start. I put one can in my pantry for back up and then they replace the other can when it is empty. Usually about every Monday they bring me a new can.

I decide the amounts the child is given based on the Food Program guidelines. These are the USDA recommended amounts. My State requires that both registered and unregistered providers FOLLOW the USDA reccommended feeding for all ages. We don't have a choice whether or not to do it. It's not a parental decision. Once the child enters care here the government decides. Here is the regulation in my State.

Meals
Regular meals and mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks shall be provided which are well balanced, nourishing, and in appropriate amounts as defined by the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program.


I would tell them they need to leave three bottles at your house and bring two cans of formula. Then you wash the bottles every day and report her total oz. in a day if they need that info. If they feel it is too much then they can do as they wish at home regarding withholding what THEY do. They don't have guidelines to follow. As long as you are giving her the proper amounts when she is there... that is your only concern.

You usually see this kind of behavior from parents when they are on free WIC formula and don't have enough WIC to cover their whole month use so they want it for their house OR you see it with parents who don't want to spend the money on formula while at your house. They don't have the option to do EITHER one of these while in your care. They HAVE to provide what the baby needs or you provide it yourself... but in the end the baby needs more formula then they are bringing... and that needs to change TODAY.

I also do not do cat napping. I believe it is harmful to babies over time. Babies need deep restorative sleep that can't be gained in fifteen minute cycles. Junk sleep nets junk behavior. Every baby I have come to me is a cat napper but they convert to a regular napper within three to seven working days. At that age she would have a 1.5 hour nap in the morning right after she arrived (assuming she ate brek at home) and then a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon.
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DancingQueen 05:55 AM 10-19-2010
Haven't read any responses yet - but that is not enough formula. That should still be her primary source of nutrition at 9 months of age.
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QualiTcare 06:04 AM 10-19-2010
i was sending 3 full 8oz. bottles with my daughter to daycare every day when she was that age.

i made them up at night - adding water and all -and usually i would end up taking a full bottle home with me, but she'd usually want that in the car anyway. bottom line: it's better to have too much than not enough! why would anyone want to risk their kid being hungry when it's so easy to prevent?

the daycare my kids went to were on the food program and they gave us formula to take home - all we had to do was ask for it when we needed more. they gave it to us to take home cus they'd rather us make the bottles at home instead of them having to keep the formula there and make them on their own. plus, there were people on the WIC program who didn't need the daycare's formula cus they already got it free so there was always extra.
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TGT09 06:46 AM 10-19-2010
I have a similar dcb that is almost 8 months.

DCM breastfeeds him about 6 a.m.
Arrives at dc at 7:30
Eats about 1/3 cup of cereal at 8
Sleeps from 8:30 to at least 10:00 (sometimes 10:30 or 11)
Has 8 oz. bottle at 12 or 12:30.
Sleeps from 1:00-3:00 (sometimes 3:30)
Picked up at 4:30
Mom breastfeeds again as soon as they get home.
Then he gets jarred food later and nursed again before bedtime.

I too have been a tad concerned that he's not getting enough while he's here. She has told me I can supplement with cereal and/or puffs if I feel like he needs a little something extra. I do have 2 extra bags of breastmilk in my freezer though in case.
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Unregistered 06:57 AM 10-19-2010
WOW 4oz of FORMUAL is NOT enough for a 9 month old she should be eating at the least 6 oz ad the most 8oz. My own kids where eating 8oz by that age and tablefood and graduate snacks ive had kids in daycare who where 9 months eating 6 to 8 oz and stage 3 jars of food not ones she is not feeding her kid enough. You CAN you her on a shecdule by feeding her MORE at the same time everyday my kids and dc kids ate every 4 hours at that age on shecdule.
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handemom 07:44 AM 10-19-2010
thank you guys! I mentioned it to the parents last night and all they said was that they would send more,

ummmmm k.


they send two 4 oz bottles. (normal)

and an additional premeasured baggie containing another whole 2 oz.

they said that it was on a "really needed" basis. they said there is no reason for her to have more than 10 oz total at my home.


so this morning she came at 8:45 (had already had breakfast at home)

she had some puffs at 9:30, cried for her "ba-ba" and i gave her the 4 oz at: 10:00.
she slept for 20 minutes.

an here she is now at 11:00 and rubbing her face into blanket an wining. I don't wanna give her to much, if I do then she wont have anything for the day..


i did ask about her sleep schedule at home and they said that she goes to bed at around 8:00p.m. and most often sleeps till 6:00 am


soooooo not sure what to do i guess. I am dying to get her onto a schedule.

the children that I had before were 3 and 5 years old. and from day 1 in my house they followed the quite time. from 12-2 everyday. They didn't have to sleep but they did have to rest.


I have noticed that in the last week that I have her here, there is no schedule, threfore I get nothing done, I used to take time during quite time to have a quick bit to eat, do my morning dishes and clean the table for the kids to come home from school and do homework. hasn't happened in awile. ugggg so

how would you recommend getting her on a schedule? Any methods that have worked like magic for you?
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SandeeAR 07:58 AM 10-19-2010
I simply tell my parents, if you don't send extra and I spill the formula/breastmik, (which has happened), you will be getting a call at work to come feed your baby. Plus, YOUR baby is suffering and crying while you are driving here to feed him/her.
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tenderhearts 08:17 AM 10-19-2010
The 9 mo old dcb I have his schedule is as follows.

6:30 arrival
7:00 #2jar baby food (fruit) with rice cereal (not much of rice cereal he doesn't like it)
8:is bottle (lucky if he'll drink 3 oz)
8:30 ish morning nap about 1 1/2 hrs
10:30is snack- puffs/cherrios/baby mum mum
cup with water
12:30 lunch - #2 jar of veggie and just last week will give him small cubes of
cheese, not every day
1:30ish bottle again lucky if he'll drink 3 oz
2ish nap about 1 1/2 hrs
pick up 3:45

This boy does not like spoon feeding, he is sooooooo incredibly hard.

He just went to doctor yesterday and doctor told mom he needs to do more solid foods so she's going to start introducing more stuff.

So he'll probablly start with maybe toast and banana
or cherrios and banana

I haven't had an infant for 5 years so I'm slowly remembering stuff. Thing is mom's like you can try whatever you want but I dont' like to during their first year, I'd rather them do them then tell me what he can have. She understands.
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Live and Learn 08:21 AM 10-19-2010
Beginning day one every child this age would take a nap at 9am until whenever 10:30 to 11:00. If she squeaks before then I would make a quick check and let her fuss around. If she is rubbing her face and fussy so soon after her morning 20 minute cat nap then she didn't get enough sleep. I wouldn't get her up before 10:30.

At my house afternoon nap is sacred. it is the only time I can have a complete thought all day....! Afternoon nap is sacred. Everyone sleeps in a play and pay in their own room. Works for me.

The key to this system is frankly to be RIGID for the first couple of weeks.
I know that there are some providers out there who will read this and gasp...thinking I am outrageously ********. I am just matter of fact nap time is 9-10:30 and 1-3. That is just the way it is. All of my lil ones work great after a couple of weeks.
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Live and Learn 08:29 AM 10-19-2010
I think it is funny that the word that bleeped out was ,h,a,r,d, c,o,r,e.
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AfterSchoolMom 08:47 AM 10-19-2010
When I used to care for babies, I required enough breastmilk or formula for the day PLUS two more bottles. You never know when a child will have a growth spurt. I have a friend who has a newborn at home, and that baby is drinking 4 oz at a time at 2 months! 9 month olds need more than 4 oz bottles.

You could make it clear to them that the baby is hungry for more, that she's crying, and that either they need to bring you more than 2 extra ounces or they need to up her bottles by at least 2 ounces each, but preferably both! What are they afraid of there? I'll never understand parents who don't care that their babies are going hungry!
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tenderhearts 08:47 AM 10-19-2010
liveandlearn, I'm getting closer to getting my 2 babies to sleep at the same time as the other kids but its so hard. #1 baby gets here at 6:30, I try to keep him up until 9 which lately I've able to do this. He then goes down again rght after I put all the other kids down for nap, however this is at like 1:30is, he then wakes up at 2:15 or 2:30 and quiet/nap time isn't even over, he is VERY cranky, I have let him fuss in there up to 20 min with just almost constant crying.
Baby #2 gets here at 7:30, she sleeps through the night (unlike baby #1) so she goes down for her nap about 9:30, she will sleep 4 hours so she wakes up just after the other kids go down for nap so she's awake the whole time. I've tried waking her up so she'll go down at a better time but she then becomes VERY fussy for the next 3 hours.
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Live and Learn 09:11 AM 10-19-2010
I am a mother to twins. This is the schedule that preserved my sanity.
back to the original poster.....I always have family provide extra formula besides the bottles they bring daily. I say just in case baby is extra hungry or you forget your diaper bag I have food for baby. I don't have a nine month in my care right now but I suspect her trouble is a combination of not enough nap and not enough food.
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DancingQueen 09:43 AM 10-19-2010
for a nine month old I would be putting her down for a morning nap around 9 - and then wake her at 11
then she'd be nice and tired come the afternoon nap.

Rather than thinking about how to get her onto a schedule - you should think about the schedule YOU WANT her on. And then determine the best way to do that.

For me - I WANT my afternoon naps to include EVERYONE sleeping. I'd like everyone to have lunch at the same time.

So if I put down a baby int he morning and let her sleep for 2 hours - then chances are my afternoon nap is going to be shorter.

once we get them down at the same time as everyone else in the afternoon. If I think it is still not enough - then I'll consider lengthening the morning nap a bit.

But at 9 months. an hour in the AM and then 2.5 in the PM is usually enough.
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Unregistered 01:47 PM 10-19-2010
It sounds like she cant sleep because she's HUNGRY. There's no way that's enough formula. She is waking up with hunger pains. There's no way I'd put up with that from a parent. I wonder what they're telling her pediatrician re: how much formula she takes in a day - I wonder how much she takes at home.
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nannyde 04:45 AM 10-20-2010
Hey OP

is this baby on special formula?

If regular formula .. maybe you should consider purchasing a can for the one bottle a day that might change this.

You can't get a hungry kid on a schedule. If they don't eat properly everything else turns to dust. Feeding and sleeping are completely tied into each other.

They are most likely getting the long nights of sleep and the "normal weight" of the baby because THEY are filling the baby up when they have her.

There is a certain amount of the population of parents that want to save on formula because it saves them money AND they want the kid to be awake as much as possible at day care so they can have an early, easy, all night sleep on their clock.

They know if they keep the formula down and the kid is fussy for you there is a really good chance that she will be UP most of the day and sleeping a LONG long night once they get her and get her belly full of milk.

It's very selfish but unfortunately you will see this in the parent population.

I would consider purchasing a can of whatever formula she is on and providing the one extra bottle per day. It will most likely cost you a buck a day or so but it can revolutionize your day with the kid.

I have a sneaking suspicion that they are also doing a small amount in the morning before she comes to you. I would check this by giving the baby a bottle right when she arrived and see how she takes it and how much she wants.

You may have a deal where they are doing this before care and telling you she IS having breakfast when she is having very little.

If a baby goes all day with little formula and then gets formula in the afternoon and evening they will settle down... be easy ... go to bed early.. and most likely sleep thru the night.

They may have figured that one out...

The other option you have is to just TELL them that the State requires you offer six to eight ounces three times during her time there and they MUST provide it. Tell them that if they don't agree that you will need a signed doctors statement that YOU write and they must take to the doctor and return signed. You must also have a PHYSICIANS ORDER to do these amounts.

YOUR letter needs to address to the Dr. the amount the parents are saying the child needs and the USDA Food Guidelines that we are to offer six to eight ounces per feeding.

If you need help writing the letter just p.m. me and I'll help you.

Nan
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Tags:9 month old, feeding, formula, schedule, schedules
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