To start solids with milk feeds or between milk feeds?

[polar515]

We've started solids (baby rice mixed with fruit puree 1 x day so far) 3 days ago and was wondering what people felt about how to fit this in with / around usual milk feeds?

Gina Ford suggests 'tier feeding' others suggest straight after milk feed, others suggest a wait - does it matter.

Currently we feed every 3 hours- 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, 10pm (dream), sometime in night.

So far, we've tried these schedules around the milk feeds;

Day 1 - Tried solids before usual 1pm feed (since read this approach seems not suggested anywhere! woops)
Day 2 - Tier method- Gave 1 breast at 1pm feed, then solids, then 2nd breast. (TBH I found this a total faff and v. difficult at table etc).
Today - Usual 10AM feed, solids 11.30 (which seemed to be towards a more appropriate 'lunch' time), then usual milk feed at 1pm. (this routine seems to work quite well but is this OK to do?)

[Seona1973]

I did food in between milk feeds i.e. milk first and food an hour or more afterwards.

[RitaMorgan]

I just did food an hour after milk. My ds used to have a breastfeed around midday so I started with lunch about 1pm. In your case I'd do the 10am milk feed then 11.30am lunch.

Later I started breakfast at 8am after milk around 7am, and then tea at 5 after milk at 4pm.

[gentlemantobed]

i started weaning with my ds approx 4 wks ago now and was on a very similar BF schedule to yourself. For the first 3 weeks i tried every combination possible and ds never seemed that bothered by food -i figured i'd started too early BUT continued with sitting him in highchair 3x/day and offering finger foods and puree - sometimes he took one, both or none! i tried not to stress!
This week i've seen a massive change...could either be he's now actually 'ready' for solids OR i've hit the right schedule for him...
(NB he still has a BF at 11pm and 3am!!)

7.30am solids THEN BF
11am BF
1pm solids + offer water
2.30-3pm BF
5-5.30 solids + offer water
7pm BF/bottle

this has now worked successfully for 4 days (!)...though i'll be starting my own post to get ideas on how to loose the night feeds!!!!!

[AngelDog]

It's a good idea to offer bf an hour before solids up till 12 months to make sure milk remains the main part of their nutrition, and to avoid early weaning. More info from Kellymom here.

[AngelDog]

I wouldn't worry too much about giving food at proper meal times though. DS was 11 m.o. before he got grumpy if we missed a meal - until then he was fine with just milk if we were busy.

[polar515]

Thanks everyone. I'll carry on as I am at the mo then. Gentlemantobed - have you dropped breastfeeds for the schedule above? How old is your DS? Did you go for trying solids around breakfast lunch and tea all at once?

Have been reading a bit too much Gina Ford - it's soo prescriptive.

[Antidote]

Watching this with interest.

Ds is nearly 5 months, we tried to start solids (finger food, puree and baby porridge) a few weeks ago but have decided to give him 10 days off as his guts were very rumbly and his sleep has gone off (never thought it could have got worse!)

I was trying some solids at lunchtime and a bit more in the evening if he showed any interest.

Trouble is I have been so bloody baby led we have no routine to speak of.

We also have multiple night feeds (7, 10, 1, 4, 6 ish).

[gentlemantobed]

i started at 5.5 months with a breakfast about 10am,
week 2 added a midday meal about 2pm and with both continued to experiment with milk before/during/after.
week 3 added in meal about 5.30pm
week 4 brought the first 2 meals forward to 7.30am and 1pm
as i say, the schedule in my first post is now working for us BUT i my ds still needs a BF at 11pm and 3am and he's now 6.5 months...so i haven;t got the right combination yet or he would go longer in the night surely?
BUT i just wanted to reassure you that it took me a month before my lo would eat 3 meals and with lots of experimenting with BF.
keep going!!
p.s i read too much, got confused and stressed and am now just desperatley trying to follow my instinct!

[gentlemantobed]

sorry forgot to say prior to this feeds were approx. 7, 10, 1, 4, 7, 10.30, 2 (and sometimes 5am!)
so yes have only dropped from 7 BF to 6 BF...so assume he's still def getting enough milk!

[polar515]

That's progressing much quicker than I thought. We've been trying a bit of puree with rice at lunch only since Sunday, so might try 2 x daily also. Was thinking, if you give solids between milk feeds, it kind of gives another 'sitting' of feeding, where as if you give solids with milk, I guess it's more straightforward?

[AngelDog]

2 night feeds at 6.5 months sounds totally normal to me. Milk should be the main source of nutrition till 12 months. At 11 months my DS was having 5-7 bfs during the day and 2-3 at night, as well as 3 big meals a day.

[gentlemantobed]

polar515 - by week 4 i just figured i'd sit him in highchair while i had my breakfast and lunch and thought it only fair to offer him something. i always give a finger food which he either plays with, sucks, gums or eats. and i always offer a puree which, by week 4 he was always having but until then very variable.
Angeldog - thanks for reassurance on night feeds - when and how did you lo wean off these?

[deenamathew]

I have start feeding after feeding milk. Its around 1 hour. So it's best to give him food after a milk feed, or in the middle of one. As your baby gets used to eating food, you can give it to him before milk