Infants grow rapidly during infancy, more than any other time in their life. Therefore, your infant will require a specific amount of nutrients to support healthy growth and development. Regardless of whether he is breast-fed or bottle fed, good nutrition during infancy shapes your baby's eating habits and taste preferences for the rest of his life. On average, there is no difference in nutritional needs between boys and girls, as infants' nutritional guidelines are based on age and weight.
Nutritional Needs
Adequate nutrition for your baby boy is extremely important during infancy. Rapid growth occurs during the first few months and then gradually slows as your child becomes a toddler. Chris Johnson and Peter Blasco in "Infant Growth and Development" state that infants typically double their weight within four to six months and triple it by the time they reach 12 months of age. Infants also grow between 1 to 1½ inches per month, doubling their length by 12 months. While growth charts are used to compare infants, each infant is different and will grow at his own rate. Therefore, it may be difficult to know what and how much to feed an infant. While there are guidelines, do not worry if your infant eats more or less, because they are just guidelines.
Birth to Five Months
According to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, breast milk or formula is the only nutrition your infant needs for the first six months of life, as it meets 100 percent of your baby's nutritional needs. During this time, your baby boy is developing reflexes that help him turn toward a nipple to find nourishment. Because your infant's digestive system is still developing, solid foods should are recommended at this age. For the first few weeks after birth, infants drink 2 oz. to 4 oz. of either breast milk or formula every four to six hours, for a total of 20 oz. to 30 oz daily. This rate will increase to 5 oz. to 6 oz. every four hours at 2 months of age, or 25 oz. to 36 oz. per day. Between 4 to 5 months, you baby will drink 6 oz. to 7 oz. every three to four hours, for a total of 24 oz. to 35 oz per day.
Six to Eight Months
Between 6 to 8 months, your baby will typically drink 8 oz of breast milk three to four times daily, while formula-fed intents will drink 24 oz. to 32 oz daily. At this point, your baby can hold his head up, make chewing motions, show interest in food, move his tongue around his mouth and may begin teething. At 6 months, you can begin iron-fortified infant cereals by mixing 3 to 5 tbsp. of cereal with formula, breast milk or water. Increase this to 8 to 9 tbsp of cereal across two to three feedings by 8 months.
You can also introduce pureed, strained or mashed fruits and vegetables such as applesauce, bananas, sweet potatoes and squash. Begin with 1 tsp of each fruit and vegetables, gradually increasing to 1/4 to 1/2 cup over two to three feedings. When your infant nears 7 to 8 months, you can begin to introduce pureed meat, tofu and legumes. When initiating solids, it is important to give your baby one new food at a time and offer it several times. This will increase tolerance and make it easier to recognize an allergy.
Nine to 12 Months
By 9 months, your infant will begin to pick up objects, transfer items from one hand to the other and move his jaw in a chewing motion. By 12 months, he will be able to swallow food more easily, use a spoon and have most of his teeth. These behaviors are signs of readiness for solid food and independent eating. Infants should continue to receive 16 oz. to 32 oz of breast milk or formula per day, but they should be fed on demand. Your infant should eat 1/4 c to 1/2 c of iron-fortified cereals, fruit and vegetables per day. However, at this time you can introduce 1/4 c to 1/3 c of dairy, 1/8 c to 1/4 c of protein-rich foods and 1/8 c to ¼ c of combined foods per day. Dairy includes yogurt, soft cheese and cottage cheese, but no cow's milk until the age of 1. Protein-rich foods include eggs, pureed or ground meat, poultry, boneless fish, tofu and well-cooked or mashed beans. Macaroni and cheese, chili and other casseroles are combination foods. Let your baby decide when he is hungry and needs to eat; this is known as feeding on demand.
