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Original poster

Amount of milk required during weaning

12 replies

snowmoon · 30/11/2004 21:47

Hi. My DS is 4 months and a week old and I started weaning him last week. He is now having two meals a day: a couple of teaspoonfuls of baby rice in the morning and the same amount of pureed veg in the afternoon. I'm confused as to whether he still needs to take the same amount of formula as before he started on solids. Before he used to take 4 bottles of 6oz and 1 full breastfeed in the morning. Now I'm finding that he's drinking only 5, sometimes 4 oz of formula. Is this normal when babies start on solids?

OP posts:

LIZS · 30/11/2004 21:50

Think they recommend not reducing milk intake until around 6 months, but that could include some mixed into his food.

Dior · 30/11/2004 21:51

Message withdrawn

Original poster

snowmoon · 30/11/2004 21:53

I give him half of his formula, then his solids, then offer him the milk again. Perhaps I should try offering solids after he's finished all his formula?

OP posts:

Dior · 30/11/2004 21:54

Message withdrawn

Ghosty · 30/11/2004 21:54

The current advice is that milk should be the mostimportant food for babies until they are 8 or 9 months Snowmoon.
DD was fully breastfeed (5 times a day) until I started to wean her at 4.5 months and I only gave her solids AFTER a full milk feed. She dropped the night feed soon after that and then at 6.5 months I went down to 3 breastfeeds a day when I introduced protein into her diet at lunchtime.
I gave up breastfeeding 3 weeks ago (at 9 months and 1 week) and it has only been since then that she is eating more food than milk.
I would definitely hold off givin solids before feeds as that could be why he is taking less milk.
HTH

Amanda3266 · 30/11/2004 22:01

Hi Snowmoon

Most of the advice from the Dept of Health is that initially on weaning the milk intake should be about the same, as the baby is really only getting first tastes. However, some babies do cut back their milk intake considerably as they increase their solids. (I'm a HV so I see babies that do this alot). What your son is taking sounds fine. I usually suggest aiming for about a pint of milk a day but that includes milk taken as solids eg Petit Filous or milk used to mix his rice or whatever else.
Keep an eye on his weight as this will give you a guide of wether he's getting sufficient calories. Also if you are still getting lots of wee and poo from him you can rest assured he's getting enough.

I know my DS did the same at about this time and it worried me lots but he was just getting his milk in other ways.

Have a chat with your HV if you're not sure
Hope that helps

Mandy

Original poster

snowmoon · 01/12/2004 00:11

Thanks for all your response. I'll try and get him to drink more of his formula before offering him the solid food.

Ghosty, how did your DD drop his night feed? Did she just not wake for a feed at the usual time? Or did you not wake her for a feed? I ask because at the moment I still wake my DS for a bottle at 11pm. I would like to try and drop that at some point but not sure how to do it. Do I just not wake him at that usual time and see what happens?

Amanda thanks for your advice. DS is definitely weeing and pooing normally. I will keep an eye on his weight and see if he's taking enough calories.

OP posts:

Ghosty · 01/12/2004 00:19

Snowmoon ... I used to wake her at 11pm for her feed and we just decided not to wake her one night.
The biggest sign was that she was becoming harder and harder to wake at 11pm and would feed for a few minutes and start snoring again. Up until weaning she would always have a good long feed at that time but once she was established on 3 meals a day (just over 5 months) ... all after milk feeds ... she wasn't interested in that feed any more.
I would wait until your DS is 5 months if I were you .... one week on solids he won't be ready yet to drop that feed.
HTH

alibo · 01/12/2004 09:54

hi ghosty, what amounts of milk and food is you dd on at the moment then?? my ds wakes at 6am, ssometimes earlier and seems hungry. wondering whether he needs a bit more milk?

nicnee · 02/12/2004 22:21

Hi snowmoon. I am currently weaning DS at 4.5 month old and i read that babies of this age still need 600ml/21oz of milk/day. DS is huge, and has not dropped any milk yet despite having at least 5 heaped tbsp of fruit/veg and baby rice, 3x a day and a litre of milk/day. I was worried I was increasing his food too fast, but I couldn't fill him. I think you have to look at your babies size and as the HV said, wet and messy nappies.

ghostofchristmaspast · 03/12/2004 06:27

Hi alibo,
DD (10 months today) is currently on:
7am: 200mls formula (she NEVER drinks it all ... the most she will have is 150mls, usually she has about 100mls)
8am: Breakfast (we have gone back to rice cereal and fruit - I have cut wheat out completely at the moment as she seems to be reacting to wheat ... eczema type rash on her face and hands) Rice cereal mixed with left over milk of bottle with some fruit mashed in.
12 noon : Lunch ... casserole or risotto or similar followed by mashed steamed fruit or a banana followed by some rice crackers to chew on
2.30pm: 150mls milk which she downs.
5pm: Tea ... Vegetables mainly followed by fruit and yoghurt and more rice crackers to suck on.
6.45pm: 200mls milk (sometimes she will drink it all, sometimes she will only have about 50mls)

HTH xxx

alibo · 15/12/2004 13:02

sorry -only just seen reply, does your little one sleep through??

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