What time to give breakfast/fitting in 3 meals a day?

[mazzymc]

My ds is now 6.5 months old and started solid food purees 2 weeks ago. I'm finding it hard to fit in breakfast as he has a full breastfeed at 7am and then goes back to sleep at about 8:30am until about 10am every day. If I try to give him breakfast before this sleep he's just not interested. I don't want to cut down the early morning milk feed, but I wonder how I will ever get 3 meals fitted in !!
Interestingly, I sneaked in on him the other day at about 6am and found that he was awake and just sucking his thumb, so he evidently wakes up early and amuses himself (!) and is then tired at 8:30. I wonder whether I am putting him to bed too early at 6:30pm? I am also still feeding him at 11pm when I go to bed - when should I drop this feed??
Many thanks - I am a confused new mum...

Hi, I found the breakfast one hardest to do as well. I weaned at 4 months but as an idea our usual routine is this, (6.5 mnths)
8am wake full feed
about 45mins later small breakfast
about 10am small nap
11am ish 'lunch' and then big nap
2pm full feed and nap @3.30pm
5pm tea
7pm full feed
We never really did an 11pm feed and it's only within the last week the times have been 11 and 5 for solids, they were 10.30 and 4.30. Gradually I'm trying for more normal times.
HTH
spod75

Hi Mazzymc. My little boy is 7.5 months now but I also started on solids just after 6. He's still on only the 2 solids and 5 boobs - ie 8am - porridge with fruit & toast then at 5pm his vege's - plus of course boobs during the day. I'm going to stick with just the two until 8.5-9 months then change his tea to his lunch and tea will then become yogurts etc. He's still sleeping his 12-13 hours at night so seems to be thriving on this routine for the time being. Any reason why you want to go onto 3 meals already?

Not sure really - just thought I should be aiming for 3 meals a day by now?? All of the books seem to contradict each other and I keep getting worried that ds won't get enough iron...

If books contradict each other then don't worry - 3 meals is a convention i reckon. ds often doesn't fancy one of his meals (7m 1wk) so i just try and give him something I think is good for iron once a day or so. I do aim for 3 meals a day but he's so often unenthusiastic that I think I'm overfeeding him.

Also if your ds is going to sleep at 6.30 and is happy to amuse himself until 8 am then - well all I can say is please don't fix what is working so incredibly well! Clearly you have a very happy and healthy son. My little darling is currently going down at 7.30, screaming until 8 (with visits) and waking up anything from 5.30 to 7am. And that's good compared to some I've read about. In fact, having read your post I may try moving his bedtime earlier, perhaps he's overtired!

I know what you mean about the "books". Remember, they are only a guideline and the fact that there is so much conflicting advice out there proves that there isn't just "1" way of doing anything. I personally think that boob is still so very very important for a 6.5 month old. As for the 11pm feed - I was on tender hooks about dropping it at 7 months but bit the bullet one night and didn't lift him for it - he slept thru till 8am!!! If he hasn't napped well all day, I also pop him into bed at 6.30pm - he doesn't seem any the wiser Good luck with what ever you decide.

I too am new to this weaning lark. My ds seems to be eating or drinking all day!
Because he usually wakes at 5 and won't go back to sleep without a fullish bf - he's not hungry when he wakes again at 7/7.30ish. That puts the whole day routine back a bit as I don't want him to go too long without milk. So all his feeds/meals tend to run into each other!
I'm also not sure how much solids to give him (6 mo ). He will happily keep eating what I offer him and equally happy if I take it away!
I don't want to give him too much solids that puts him off his milk - but I don't want to give him too little that he wakes in the night hungry (which he is doing).
Should I increase him solids in the day or increase his milk feeds??
And they say the first few months are the worst....!!!

Remember that most of "the books" are still assuming a 4 months start to weaning.

We are at the same stage as you. Ds is 6 months and 1 weeks and has been on solids for 2 weeks. I havn't bothered at all with breakfast yet and probably won't for a few more weeks yet.

Our day goes something like this.

6-7am Breastfeed Sometimes he goes straight back to sleep other times he stays awake but has half hour nap around 9am.

10-10.30am Breastfeed

11am solids

12noon ish Nap

2.00pm Breastfeed

4.00pm Sometimes has an extra breastfeed. Sometimes he has a short nap

6.00pm Breastfeed followed by solids

7.00pm Bedtime

10pm Breastfeed

HTH

Dd is 16 months old and still doesn't have a real meal routine, myself/partner do shift work,so have little routine in the way of meals. Dd always has breakfast 0730 ish, then some kind of snack mid morning but wether or not she'll have this is random..we try to get her to sit in the high chair for food after her midday sleep, but again it's random as to what/ how much she'll eat. Evenings we try to get her to eat something 4-5 ish...sometimes she laps it up, other times it turns into carpet decoration. We try to give her snacks throughout the day..and she still has at least 3 bottles a day. I just think she's working out what she likes at the moment, plus she's teething with the pointy ones coming through so may have sore gums. I really wouldn't worry about 3 meals a day, just have fun trying to work out what he likes! Alot of hit and miss involved.