What do you think of this routine.

[Puppie]

My DS is nearly 11 months old now and my HV has suggested that I try to get him into the following routine for the childminder before I return to work in 4 weeks time. the problem is is that it seems to be really hard to incorporate all these feedings into his day if he has a nap in the morning and afternoon which he nearly always does.

Please let me know what you think and how much formula (if not BF) your Lo's are having. DS has just gone off breast onto formula.

7.00 a.m bowl of cereal made with formula plus 3oz formula to drink.

9.00 a.m Finger food snack + water

10.00 a.m. 7oz formula

1.00 p.m. Lunch + dessert + water

2.30 p.m. snack + water

3.30 p.m. 7oz formula

6.30 p.m. Dinner+Dessert+water

8.30 p.m. 7oz bedtime bottle

[girliefriend]

Hello that routine sounds weird! You are right when would they sleep? Ok my dd routine at 11 months went something like this,

7am up and breakfast, stopped bf at about 11 months and couldn't be bothered to make a bottle at this time so she had cereal (with cows milk and maybe some fruit)

9am she went back to bed for about 45 mins.

10am bottle of formula approx 6ozs, a bread stick or some snack.

12.00 lunch plus pudding.

12.30 back to bed for longer sleep.

14.30 bottle of formula and snack.

17.00 dinner and pudding

18.30 bottle of formula

19.00 - bed!

she stuck to this routine until she was about 18 months at which point we stopped bottles and replaced with cup of milk and she dropped the morning nap.

hope that helps, sorry about 24hr clock used to doing it of rwork! XxX

[TheProvincialLady]

1. Don't count how much formula you give your DS - you weren't counting how many oz he took in breastmilk. It will be a matter of about 3 weeks before you can give cow's milk anyway and you certainly don't need to count that in oz.
   
2. Your HV is a loon if she thinks that routine is necessary or even sensible (you could tell it was a HV when she mentioned desserts for the meals)
   
3. You know your DS better than she does - you don't need a HV to tell you what your DS should be doing and anyway, it will change quickly anyway.
   
4. What we did was something like this:
   
   Wake up, have some milk
   Have some breakfast
   Have a snack
   Have a nap, probably bottle at same time
   Have lunch
   Have a snack
   Have a nap, maybe a bottle
   Have dinner
   Have a snack
   Go to bed, have bottle
   Repeat
   
   Get a cup that is easy to drink from then your DS can have water at any time during the day. He will drop the milk and the naps of his own accord in his own good time anyway. It just isn't worth stressing over like this, honest

[Puppie]

Ta StarlightMcKenzie and girliefriend! I've been doing the HV suggestion for a few days and honestly I am spending almost as much time feeding him at 11 months as I was when I was breastfeeding him at 5 weeks! Sometimes it can take an hour to get 7oz down him (he has reflux so have to make sure I get a burp after every 2oz or he projectile vomits!). Then just as I have finished that it is time for snacks etc....and so it goes on all day long. I thought it was meant to get a bit easier the older they get!

[pinkspottywellies]

Agree that HV is a loon

Why don't you speak to the c/m about what kind of routine (if any) would help her?

DD's 'routine' was much the same as the other replies. Sometimes a drink would be enough mid morning, sometimes a snack. He will let you know if he's hungry. Lunchtime usually 12, tea usually 5 but later or earlier depending on snacks and sleeps. Don't get hung up on must have snack/milk/ desert. If he doesn't want it then don't worry, if he seems hungry, offer more.

[TheProvincialLady]

Oh puppie that is so sad about you spending so much trying to feed your DS The trouble with some HV approach to FF is that it can end up tantamount to force feeding - ie that they must take x number of ounces a day. The beauty of BF is that your DS regulated his own intake and knows his own appetite - if you go down the route of trying to shove formula or cow's milk down him that he clearly does not want, you risk affecting his ability to judge how much he needs for the rest of his life. FF is recommended to be on demand too these days. He will let you know when he needs a bottle in the same way he did a breast feed.

And I really can't see a CM spending her whole day feeding a reluctant child!

[Puppie]

TheProvincialLady that is exactly what I thought about the CM! She has 3 other under 5's to look after so how on earth would she be able to spend that much time just feeding ONE child!

The whole thing has stressed me out a bit because at the moment I am completely hung up on how many oz he has and feel like I have failed if he doesnt have the 21oz he is meant to have plus eaten all his other meals. I dont have much confidence on the feeding front (stemming from massive bf probs for the first 2 months of DS life), so I rely on what HV is telling me even though logically it does seem like a ridiculous amount for him to ingest all day long.

[ExterminAitch]

if you've been bfing all this time then you are the expert, not the HV, regardless of your rocky start. by 11 months your baby also knows what he's doing. try to take it easy and avoid the HV, for she is a nut.

[beansprout]

Lordy that sounds like too much, and the recommended bedtime of 8.30 for an 11mo proves it really!!

I aimed for three meals a day with milk inbetween (if he wanted it). More milk or water in hot weather.

[TheProvincialLady]

My DS is 22m and doesn't always eat his three meals a day plus snacks. Some days he will eat an enormous breakfast, then hardly any lunch, then a smallish dinner. Other days he will just pick at everything. Or he might eat like a vegetarian wolf - like an adult, he is hungrier on some days than on others. He doesn't have any milk at all because he is dairy intolerent but he is still thriving. You really have nothing to worry about. I agree with Aitch, you are the expert - avoid the HV. Her regime might be attainable for some children but not many of the ones I have known.

[Seona1973]

at 11 months ds only had 2 lots of milk per day - morning and bedtime. He had 3 meals at around 8am, 12noon and 5pm and snacks in between if I remembered or if he seemed hungry. Our day was sort of like this:

7.30am - lidded cup of milk closely followed by breakfast
10.30/11am - snack (sometimes) plus water
12pm- lunch with water
2.30/3pm - snack with water
5pm - dinner with water
7.15pm - milk before bed

The snacks replaced the daytime formula feeds so if you were still giving formula you wouldnt really need the snacks. Up to 1 year the minimum recommended milk intake is 20oz but this drops to approx 12oz after the age of 1 so your lo isnt going to need as much formula (or cows milk by the time you go back to work) so wont really need 4 lots of milk during the day.

[Seona1973]

p.s. any dairy, milk in cereal, in food and in cooking also count towards the 20oz so they dont have to take it all in drink form

[MrsBadger]

dd (11m) doesn't eat anywhere near that much
the HV is a loon

talking to the CM about her routine would be a lot more use, as ds will have to fit in with that to some extent and you can start getting him used to it.

[Puppie]

Thanks everyone! I have tried to be somewhat more relaxed with him after reading your posts and tbh I think we're BOTH more relaxed now.