Food - 5 month old

[mmmmchocolate]

Hi, i am new to this so please bare with me. I was hoping someone may be able to help me/advise me on how to introduce meal times to me dd diet. As i have been told she should be on 3 meals a day at 6 months. She currently has 5/6oz 4 times a day at 7.30am 11am 4pm 7.30pm and a meal around 1pm. How do i add more food with out her reducing her milk intake. She has never been a big eater from birth. Thank you in advance x

Have just posted on your other thread

OOOps so did I

Hi,

If she's gaining weight well then don't be too worried. The current guidelines from the Dept of Health say that when weaning initially a baby should still be having mostly milk. However, as they start to increase their solids (often between 5-6 months but not written in stone)their milk needs will naturally decrease - mainly because they are getting the milk in other forms (Petit Filous, Baby rice made with milk etc).

Basically she needs to be having about a pint of milk a day - but this includes milk which she takes in other forms. Therefore you might find that she decreases her milk but this shouldn't have any detrimental effect on her. It might be worth making up some baby rice with her milk and then mixing up a Petit Filous fromage frais in it - loads of milk in that. You could also try sweet potato mashed and mixed with her milk - anything to give her a few different tastes. Once she's six months you can try other things like toast soldiors (which my DS used to chew to a mush and spit out) which will help her with learning to chew non-liquid food.

Hope that helps a bit

Mandy

The new guidelines for weaning say you should start at 6 months, so I wouldn't worry if she is not on 3 meals. At that age it doesn't seem very important.

thank you everyone. My mind is at ease.

Goodness me! In the US, you're not supposed to give cheese or yoghurt until 9 months. And they're supposed to be primarily on breastmilk or formula until 12 months, not 6 -- you don't start solids until 6 months, and most people believe in adding one meal a month, so you don't do 3 meals until 8 months.

I wouldn't worry about 3 meals a day at 5 months, but then again I wouldn't give fromage frais at 6 months, either.

Guildelines for 6 months are not new. The WHO have been saying that for over 10 years!

Three meals at six months isn't really the current guidelines, no. Maybe your health visitor isn't up to date, mmmmchocolate?

Guidelines for weaning now suggest waiting to six months. However, I think it depends on the baby and the mum - sometimes it's fine and sometimes they want food earlier. It's best to go at your own pace. Some paediatricians are against the idea of waiting until six months as they think it can interfere with the "window of opportunity" in trying new tastes. However, I think that will apply more to children who have been severely delayed for medical reasons.
It's all academic stuff though. I think you won't go far wrong if you follow your own instincts and baby - as the variety of posts has shown there is different advice depending on where you live. No pressure to get your baby onto three meals a day by six months - take it at her pace. When she's taking food off your plate then she's showing signs of being ready for more.

Mandy