Struggling with weaning

[moomin35]

My DS is 7 months old and I've now worked up to three solid meals a day, he's usually eating them give or take the odd bad meal or day.
Trouble is he still has all 5 bottles of milk (he's formula fed) so my day is something like this -

8am formula bottle
11-am solid meal + formula bottle
2pm - solid meal + formula bottle
5pm -solid meal + formula bottle
8pm - formula bottle

He shows no signs of wanting to cut back on his milk and if he's grumpy thd bottle always soothes him rather than sitting in his high chair for solids.

When do I need to drop a milk feed and what am I doing wrong?!

[dementedpixie]

how much is in each bottle? Does he sleep through with no feeds in the night? My ds dropped to 4 bottles at 8 months when he gave up his night feed. He dropped to 3 bottles around 9 months.

You could try splitting up milk from food i,e, give milk then give breakfast an hour or so later e.g. my ds had milk at 7, 11, 2.30, 7 and food at 8, 12 and 5

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

I always gave formula an hour before solids. It meant DD wasn't so hungry that she was grumpy and just wanted milk, and also meant she didn't fill up on solids and therefore drop milk too quickly. To be honest she didn't really drop any milk feeds until about 9 months.

[bugoven]

My son is also still happily drinking all his milk with 3 meals per day. I tried reducing each feed by an ounce and he was still finishing so we're back up to what he was drinking before weaning. HV has said he will regulate himself.
He has 8oz on waking (5,6,7am - still varies) then at 10am, 2pm and 6pm. I offer him food at 8am, 12 noon and 4pm. He always finishes whatever I give him!

[stargirl1701]

I didn't see a milk reduction with DD1 until 9 months but I did BLW.

[moomin35]

Thanks for your replies I'll start to give food in between bottles and see how I get on. It just means then that I'll be feeding him either solids or milk all day!

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

Yes, it does feel like constant mealtimes at the beginning! Although I don't think we made it onto 3 proper meals until about 9 months.

[moomin35]

7oz demented pixie...

[moomin35]

So it's not the end of the world if he's not on 3 meals a day at 7 months?

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

Definitely not the end of the world. I kept this mantra in my head when I was struggling...

'Food is for fun until they're 1'.

They are supposed to get the majority of their calories and nutrition from milk at that age. Your baby will get there in the end, they all do .

[stargirl1701]

No, not at all. I added a 'meal a month'.

6 months - offered lunch
7 months - offered lunch & dinner
8 months - offered B,L & D
9 months - B, snack, L & D
10 months - B, snack, L, snack, D
11 months - B, snack, L, snack, D, supper

[moomin35]

What's considered a 'snack' star girl?

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

I still don't offer snacks at 14 months as she's never asked for one and doesn't eat her meal if she has a snack.