Weaning/Sleep/Milk help

[andadietcoke]

It feels at the moment like I've created a perfect storm, and I don't know where to start to make anything better. DTs are 6 months. Since 5 months they've been on two purée meals a day - normally half a pouch each of veg and half of fruit, or fruit and a yoghurt. Started early because after Christmas they started to refuse milk and weren't sleeping as well, plus showing 'signs' of readiness for weaning. All starts well; we drop nighttime feeds and although they wake once or twice they settle quickly.

It's suddenly gone completely wrong. They basically refuse milk after mid morning and have half a bottle before bed. Cumulatively they're probably having the 20oz between 6am and 7pm but nothing more. They've also started waking up at 11.30, 1, 3.30, 5 and 6 before being awake for the day at 7. DT1 had been worse, but now DT2 seems to have caught on as well. They're having probably another 14oz during these wake ups whereas a few weeks ago they didn't want anything in the night.

I have no idea what to do. Am I feeding them enough? Should they be on a 2 pouches each per meal? DT1 is hopeless at feeding herself, DT2 is wonderful. I know I need to introduce proper solids but feel like I need to crack volume first. I don't know where to start. I've bought weaning books but don't have time to open them - I don't even have time to myself in the evenings any more because they'll often stir before 10.30 if they've gone to sleep with not much milk in them.

I have no idea what to do and it's all feeling a bit hopeless and like there's no end in sight. I feel like I've broken them by doing something wrong somewhere and I don't know how to fix it. Should add that they're not constipated and have plenty of wet nappies. I've tried giving them water. DT1 will have it but not DT2 - currently trying after every meal.

I'm sorry this is so long, if you have any advice at all I'd love to hear it. Thank you!

[andadietcoke]

Forgot to say that we're up to three meals a day now and it hasn't helped. Breakfast is porridge (tommee tippee pot between them), lunch is fruit purée and a yoghurt (one pouch, one Rachel's first yoghurt between them), and dinner is a savoury pouch and fruit (again, total of two pouches).

Last night they had a full pouch of savoury purée each and did both finish it but then I was scared about over feeding them so didn't give them fruit as well. I'm crap, I know.

[ExBrightonBell]

I have no experience of twins, but it seems like an awful lot of food for a 6 month old. NHS advice is to work up to three meals by about 8-9 months, so to be on 3 big meals at 6 months seems a lot. Maybe that's why they are not so interested in milk any more.

I am interested as to why you are concerned about getting volumes of food into them? Could you refocus on weaning being about exploring a wide variety of tastes and textures rather than being about volume of food?

Perhaps scale back the amount of solids, and offer twice a day rather than 3 times. You could also try more finger food and let them feed themselves, which is great fun to watch as well! It's also good for developing fine motor skills. For example, instead of giving a fruit puree, you could give fruit such as sliced very ripe pear, banana, peaches, nectarines etc.

[andadietcoke]

Thank you! I'm not concerned about getting volume of food into them, but milk - It's clear there's an equilibrium gone wrong, but the milk refusing came before they started on solids, so I don't think it's completely attributable to that although obviously I won't have helped matters. I didn't start solids until mid January when I didn't know what else to do because they were having less milk than they are now (mainly because now they're having milk at night as well).

What damage will I do if I stop solids completely and just go back to milk, even if it is only 24oz a day? Then, as you suggest, introduce small bits of things. DT2 had toast fingers this morning, but DT1 wasn't interested at all. I guess that's something I'll have to live with.

[andadietcoke]

Oh, and have only had two days of three meals; otherwise it's just been two. Is half a pouch each a massive meal? I genuinely have no idea!!

[ExBrightonBell]

Hope I didn't offend, but you did say in your OP that you wanted to crack volume first, which was why I mentioned it. 3 meals a day with main and pudding (veg then fruit puree) for lunch and dinner does seem a lot to me at 6 months, when you would only expect this at 8 to 9 months. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that, as all babies are different. But as they don't seem to be interested in milk so much, then maybe it is a little too much for your babies right now.

I don't think there would be any problems with dropping solids right back down, as this often happens anyway when weaning due to babies being unwell, teething etc. They will be perfectly ok just on milk, and afaik 24 oz of formula is about right for a 6 month old? I didn't ff so I am not certain of this but various websites quote around this amount as typical for a 6 month plus baby.

Just out of interest, have they been teething? This can make some babies less interesting in milk feeds, as sore teeth can mean a reluctance to have a teat in their mouths. Less interest in milk feeds can also be connected to when babies become more mobile, as they are too busy playing/moving to be bothered to stop and feed. Are they crawling?

[andadietcoke]

You didn't offend me, I'm just hyper sensitive due to the lack of sleep and frustration that I feel that I've actively done something to cause this and I can't work out what it is to undo it!!

Sorry, by volume I meant finding an equilibrium between milk and solids. Think I'm going to try scaling right back. 24oz seems to be okay with a weaning diet, but otherwise, too little - think 35oz was mentioned to me by the HV.

No, not crawling, or sitting, one isn't even rolling.

Thank you so much for your advice, I really do appreciate it.

[ExBrightonBell]

Ah, I remember the sleep deprivation and resulting brain fade well! Not that it was that long ago really .

It's not often in life that we are thrown into an important new role without any training or preparation, and without any real assistance, yet this is what happens when you have a baby! No-one knows what they are doing, and anyone who claims to is lying or deluded . And you have TWINS, much respect for that as I found 1 hard enough.

Fwiw, I think babies just do what they do, and there isn't much we do that can cause anything to happen. We just have to react to it and try and cope as best we can.