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Weaning

6 month old - no routine, how do I fit in milk and food?

15 replies

NoTeaForMe · 26/04/2011 12:17

Hi,

I'm getting all muddled. My 6 month old is currently having 3 meals a day. We're not in any pattern or routine at the moment, apart from trying to have the meals at sensible meal times. She doesn't wake up at the same time every day and doesn't seem to be going the same amount of time between meals each day. She has just had a tummy bug so is building back up after that but now our slightly patterned day is completely muddled.

How much milk is your 6 month old having a day? Do you have a set routine? I'm not really one for routines but should we be in one now? Should I be making her have more of a set sleep pattern?

She is still only having fruit and veg purees as we were about to start the more 'proper' foods when she got the tummy bug. Feel like we're falling behind!

Help!

Thanks

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BadPoet · 26/04/2011 12:23

At 6 months one of mine was having nothing at all bar milk (and didn't until 9m), and the other was having a little something at our meal times, he fitted in with the family pattern (one that had evolved through having an older dc) Remember that at this age it's more about exploration and getting used to the idea of meals rather than getting massive amounts of food in them. You are certainly not falling behind.

Wrt milk, what were you doing before? I never 'dropped' feeds because mine were breastfed on demand and they continued to be so, I would keep the milk intake up as it takes the pressure off the weaning and makes it more fun.

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Seona1973 · 26/04/2011 12:25

at that age ds had milk at roughly 7, 11, 3 and 7 (also had 1 night feed)
meals were at 8, 12 and 5.

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NoTeaForMe · 26/04/2011 13:00

Thanks.

How much milk should a 6 month old be having?

I guess partly this bug has really set us back and now I'm totally confused!

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Seona1973 · 26/04/2011 17:25

a minimum of 20 oz is recommended between 6 months and 1 year. My ds was having quite a bit more than that at 6 months though and didnt start cutting milk down until about 8 months when the night feed stopped.

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NoTeaForMe · 26/04/2011 22:26

She was having around 30-35oz a day but this has suddenly dropped because of her bug, she's now having around 20-25oz a day. I guess this is ok then, it's just that she has dropped it so rapidly.

She is very off her "food" though, she was going quite well with it she then had a cough and now her tummy bug and it's just put her off completely. I know she's only 6 months but the only babies I know were or are all amazing eaters. She sometimes has a couple of spoonful but gags on anything lumpy, so finger foods isn't great! Also although she puts everything in her mouth she doesn't put any food in! So finger foods involves us holding it for her which kind of defeats the point!! I don't want her to be a fussy eater and I want her to enjoy food and I can feel this already stressing me out!

I'm finding it really hard to even know when to feed her at the moment. Breakfast seems to be ok as she doesn't wake up starving so we can wait 10-15mins and then give her some cereal and then milk. This morning she had about 6 spoonful of food and then 4oz of milk. But then after that it all goes wrong! I don't seem to be able to know when or what to feed her anymore.

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NoTeaForMe · 28/04/2011 18:58

Any advice?

Thanks

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RitaMorgan · 29/04/2011 16:02

I would give her a bottle when she wakes up then breakfast an hour later so she's not too hungry or cutting down on milk too much. Same with other meals - food an hour after milk.

I found from 6 months we had a bit more of a routine, as I did milk before/after sleeps and meals an hour after milk. So milk on waking, breakfast, milk before nap, lunch after etc.

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barbiebostock · 30/04/2011 08:50

My 7 month old can start his day anywhere between 6 and 7, so his first milk feed and breakfast (usually a weetabix an hour after his milk) can vary in timing, but the rest of his milk feeds and meals are always at 11 (milk) 1 (lunch) 3 (milk) 5 (tea) 7 (weetabix for supper and milk feed) i've tried moving the times as it feels as though i'm constantly feeding him, but he just seems to prefer these times and his naps fit neatly between them.
He's never had a great deal of milk before weaning and was only on about 20oz a day but is only the 25th centile and HV was happy with his weight gain etc, but once i started weaning his milk intake went up to 25 - 30oz a day which was great.
Mine eats most things put in front of him (homemade/jars/finger food) but when we first started he would let me know if food was too textured or lumpy too soon, so i would puree it more and then try more textured a few days later, he soon got the hang of lumps and now hates pureed food (i guess he finds it boring!)
Please don't compare her too much to other babies, they're all so different, but she'll let you know if she's still hungry, and as long as she's still gaining weight and growing at a rate the HV is happy with, then you're doing a great job. and as for a routine/structure.... we sort of fell into ours as it was dictated by his hunger signs, but she's still young and generally speaking, babies don't know they're meant to have routines, so you and she will fall into one given time.

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beela · 30/04/2011 11:06

When are his naps barbie?

I am getting myself really confused too with how to fit everything in!

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barbiebostock · 30/04/2011 20:08

Again his naps are something he has kind of just fallen into. He has one around 9am for half an hour to an hour then the same at around 12 and then a longer nap after his 3pm feed which is often up to two hours long.
Initially i was worried as his naps were completely different to the 'guides' in most books and magazines i had read, which seem to advise the longest nap at lunch and only a short nap in the afternoon, but this is the routine he seems to prefer at the moment and whatever makes him a happy baby makes me a happy mummy.

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NoTeaForMe · 30/04/2011 21:17

I'm not really one for routines but I guess I thought we would have fallen into one by now! She does seem to have dropped her afternoon nap and isn't tired for it but seems young to me! Never mind! She has two teeth now but seems to be teething again and is very upset about it-is waking up in the night for food and comfort. She's had a tummy bug which seems to have knocked her food and our general day out of sorts. I feel a bit like I don't know what I'm doing with the weaning stuff any more!!

Thanks for listening.

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Dreemagurl · 02/05/2011 08:37

Don't worry, NoTea, I think part of being a mother is constantly questioning the decisions you make and how they affect your child. My DD is also 6 months and is still mainly breast fed with the odd bit of food when we eat. All the other babies in our baby group are having 3 meals a day and it does worry me sometimes but she's happy, healthy, and gaining weight well. She has only really in the last few days started getting into more of a routine - once I stopped trying to enforce one and let her lead me it all just made more sense. I guess what I'm saying is that your DD will let you know what she needs, don't worry, you're doing a great job.

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chocolateteabag · 02/05/2011 13:06

Everytime I read a book on what my DS "should" be doing I get stressed!
He's 25 weeks and on 3 meals a day. Sometimes he naps for an hour, sometimes 10 mins - he's not one for a set routine! He also likes to keep me guessing on sleeping through - sometimes he does, sometimes he wakes at 2am!

Currently I am on the following "routine" but if we sleep in or go out - the times are sometime inbetween the hours:
7am bf (if he has fed in the night he may sleep past this)
8-9ish breakfast of porridge or a weetabix
10-11ish bottle (7oz but he doesn't always finish it) he can sometimes want this bottle at 9.30 though.
May have a nap after bottle (or may not - as I said he keeps his plans to himself)
12.30 ish Lunch - We are on stage 2 puree already, he also likes a petit filous. He is a greedy boy.
2pm Bottle
May have a nap.
5pm supper
6pm bath
6.30 bottle - 7oz and he usually doesn't finish it. Falls asleep on the bottle which i am trying to stop!
10.30 - dream feed 2-5oz

These times are vv loose - i tend to take my cue from him. If he's tired, put him to sleep, if he's hungry - feed. I
He's starting nursery 3 days a week at 8 months so I figure they will get him into a routine

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chocolateteabag · 02/05/2011 13:08

Oh and my HV said he should be having 25-30oz of milk before 6 months and once he was on 3 proper meals a day this could drop to 20-25. And if he regularly won't take all the milk - to mix it in with his food (so he's getting enough iron/minerals etc)

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10oclocknews · 26/05/2013 20:52

Glad I found this post. Chocolateteabag, your LO sounds just the same as my DD. I have a DS who is 5 and he was great at naps, feeding and routines. DD on the other hand came out with every intention of going by her rules and no one elses. She too keeps all her plans the herself. She is 25 weeks and just getting upto 3 meals a day. I have struggled to get her in a routine, and have given up getting stressed about it. I usually feed her every 2 hours or so (milk at one feed food at another). She eats / drinks if she wants to. If she doesn't I don't get stressed about it. I've learnt to accept that she is good at telling me what she wants and won't let herself go hungry. She is growing perfectly so she knows how to get her needs met obviously. Not looking forward to the toddler years lol....Think she may bring a whole new meaning to the terrible 2's :-)

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