What time does your baby have their last meal of the day?

[Cydonia]

And does it help them to sleep?!
DS is 24 weeks, we slowly started weaning about 2 weeks ago. He's now on two meals a day at roughly midday then 6pm ish. Its still early days so he just had a couple of spoons of fruit or veg purée, sometimes baby rice.

Now I know that I shouldn't expect him to magically sleep through now he's on solids, but I didn't expect him to get worse! :( I'm just wondering if I'm giving his last meal too late and he's struggling to digest it? He goes to bed about 7.30pm - 8pm. He used to then sleep for about 4 or 5 hours, then be up for a feed ( breastfeeding ) then again about 3 or 4 hours later. But now I put him to bed, he takes longer to go to sleep in the first place then is up again an hour or two later. In between his night wakings he is whingy and unsettled, often crying in his sleep.

However he is teething and we also just moved him into the cotbed in his own room so it could be either or both of those upsetting him.

So I was just wondering what everyone else does? Care to share your feeding schedules?

[forevergreek]

Well there are less calories in fruit/ veg than breast milk/ formula so if they are having less milk they will be less full

If you think about it fruit/ veg only is what people eat on a diet.

I would make sure they are having the same quantities of milk as before. From 6 months baby can eat anything so then just offer what you are having ( spaghetti bolognaise/ fish pie/ roasts etc). It will be the protein/ carbs and dairy that help to fill her not baby rice and purée fruit

[forevergreek]

Also timings sound ok, but poss dinner slightly earlier. I think it recommended that dinner is 2 hrs before bed

[tory79]

And just a note on sleep - when i started weaning ds it made no difference whatsoever, his sleep only started to improve once he was properly on the move and tiring himself out more!

[Cydonia]

Thanks forevergreek that makes sense. I'm still breastfeeding on demand and usually bf just before giving solids. I was wondering if that was still necessary as thought he might be full of milk and not want anything else, but I'll keep it up for now.

I'm currently waiting for a referral with him as he had an allergic reaction last week to some ready to drink formula. Until we've seen the paediatrician I've been advised to avoid dairy, wheat, eggs or anything else that may cause a reaction so we're a bit stuck for now.
I've given him his tea a bit earlier tonight, should be about 2 hours before bed.

Tory.....don't say that! I try and 'exercise' him as much as I can as it is! Lots of wriggly play, bouncing and fresh air. Soothing bubble bath and massage lotion, lavender in the bedroom, dream sheep, etc etc nothing helps!!

[forevergreek]

yes that sounds ideal. i would breastfeed first, then offer something maybe 30mins/hour later.

try avocados and bananas

i would also keep a 'dream feed'. try semi waking him before you go to bed and offer a bf. it can help break the habbit of him waking and you feeding (as you would have woken him instead so stopping the cues of waking for food)

[Figgygal]

My 10mo has diner at cm 3 days a week so not sure what time he eats there but she drops him home 5.30 so must be around 5? At home he eats with us at 6.30 then bed at 7.30-8 depending on his mood.

[Cydonia]

You know I hadn't thought of the dream feed like that, I've never tried it as wasn't keen on waking him when it was such an effort to get him to sleep in the first place! But that makes sense, I'll give it a try later. Especially as I'm always moaning that DS usually wakes up about an hour after I've gone to sleep, no matter what time that is.

Its nice to come on here and get some reassurance I'm not doing it all completely wrong! Soooo many people I know are of the belief that weaning makes babies sleep longer ( I guess it must work for some babies then? ) and even though I started early at 22 weeks it was still later than everyone else I've spoken to in RL!

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

Do you not have a feed before bed too? DD has tea at 5 at home, and a bf after bath around 6.30-7. On nursery days, her tea is earlier at 4. But she's always filled up with milk before bed. She is now on cows milk and the only change is just milk before bath so I can brush her teeth in the bath.
HTH

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

I used to do dream feed as well. But DD can latch on in her sleep its amazing. And ofc the bf kept her asleep throughout. Give it a try, it might work for you.

[GoldPlatedNineDoors]

Dd is 11mo and she has a bottle at 7am, another one after lunch and another at bed time.

She has breakfast at 8, lunch at 12 and dinner at 4. She has a snack of.a slice of toast or fruit at 10ish and 5ish.

[teacher123]

DS is 6 1/2 months. He has breakfast at 8, lunch at 12 and dinner at 4. Goes to bed 6ish and has a bf before bed.

[Cydonia]

Kind of tried the dream feed last night but don't think it counts as DS beat me too it and was already semi awake! Still woke up twice after that too :-(

We also tried moving tea time forward to 5pm. This isn't going well either as naps seem to have gone out the window and DS is an overtired nightmare by 5pm. Tonight he just screamed and screamed, ended up taking him out of his high chair and giving him a breastfeed for half an hour, then tried again.

Normal routine is bath at 7pm, then BF, then bed. Don't know how well he'll sleep tonight as really he's had his solids too close to bedtime. I don't know how people manage to stick to a routine in the daytime! Every time I try to do things at set times DS seems to have other ideas and won't be persuaded otherwise. Feeling like a bit of a failure today :(

[teacher123]

Don't despair! (I am a fine one to talk!) we're all just making this up as we go along really DS is 6 1/2 months and goes to sleep at 6. He has to eat his tea at 4pm no later as otherwise he's too full to have any milk at bedtime... I am struggling as at the moment I feel like a total slave to DS's schedule and it feels impossible to get anything else done! All spontaneous activity has well and truly disappeared.

Our days are completely dominated by feeding and sleeping, and these timings remain broadly the same whatever happens:
7am breastfeed
8am breakfast
9.30am nap 45 minutes
11am formula
12pm lunch
12.45pm nap 1 hour 15 minutes
2pm breastfeed/formula
4pm dinner
5.30pm breastfeed
6.00pm bed

I hope things settle down soon

[teacher123]

Ooh-I forgot to answer your other question about sleep. We waited till 24 weeks to wean, and since then his sleep has fluctuated, but he has slept through 3 times since then... So I think the overall trend is it is improving it gradually, but setbacks like the hours of screaming last night mean that we're not relaxing just yet!

[Cydonia]

Thanks, maybe tomorrow will be better! Maybe I should try harder with the routine, but can just see myself getting more stressed out - " argh, why are you asleep, it's 2.30pm it's milk time! "
I thought a more laid back, baby led approach would result in a happy, laid back baby ( and also fits better with my disorganised nature! ) but I guess not.
Actually he IS happy most of the time. Maybe I should concentrate on the positive! And stop rambling..... Goodnight.

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

Don't worry too much about routines. It will fall into place once they are on solids and need very little sleep during the day. I was routineless until DD was on 3 very solids meal a day. The only fixed time for her is the bedtime. Even now at 19mo, the routine isn't completely set in stone. On her waterbabies day, she has her nap before lunch, otherwise it's after lunch. And last week, she refused to nap after naps. It's probably her changing again. They change so much you simply have to be flexible and adapt.

[teacher123]

My DS is incredibly self regulating, and really likes his routine-it's not one that I put him on, he put himself in it. He cries at bedtime when he wants me to stop feeding him and put him in his cot...! He is a baby that really doesn't like change, every adjustment is a battle. It's whatever wakes for you

[Cydonia]

Yes I guess they're all different, DS does seem to be of the flexible variety! Saying that I do try and keep his bath and bed routine at roughly the same time which does seem to help with him going to sleep. It's just keeping him asleep that's the problem!

[teacher123]

Yes yes to the keeping him asleep! DS has slept through 3 times. Yippee thought I. Last night he woke up 3 times for feeds, and twice just to have a bit of a shout... A bit tired today...

[OneLittleToddlingTerror]

And yes yes to have a bit of a shout. DD did it for over an hour last night. And you know what, she doesn't even have night feeds!

[teacher123]

He was yelling his head off at 5.30am, proper breathless shouting/crying in outrage. I went in and patted his tummy for about 5 seconds and he rolled over with his thumb in his mouth and went back to sleep! Why he couldn't have worked that out for himself, and instead needed me to do it for him, I have no idea... Babies are random. I think he might be teething, so am going to calpol him up tonight and see if that helps!