My daughters 5 month old weaning/feeding routine.

[Staciiemummyof2]

Hi ladies.

I just was curious what all your weaning/feeding routines were for your babies (5 months or near enough) if I'm giving enough or too much as she seems to waking @ night @ the same time.

This is my daughters:

5:00 - Bottle Feed 7'oz's
5:30/6:00 - Goes back down for a nap
7:30 - Wakes from nap and has some porridge (This is the same with having the porridge pretty much each morning!)
8:00 till 9:00/9:15ish Plays in jumperoo, playmat or just has a roll about!
9:15/9:30ish - Nap for 2 hours roughly!
11:30 - Wakes from nap.
12:00 - Bottle Feed 7'ozs
12:45/1:00 - I give her a fruit purée pot.
1:00 till 2:30ish - Plays again.
2:30 - Naps for 3 hours roughly!
5:30ish - Wakes from nap & feeds her a jar or pouch of something!
6:00 - Bath time & play!
6:30/6:45ish - Bed time bottle feed 7oz's.
7:00/7:15ish - Bed (Goes in cot awake but sleepy and settles herself!)

But for the last few nights now, I don't know why but she's been waking up roughly around 2:45/3:00ish and just chatting then moaning and won't settle till I go in to her! I pat and shhh her, put her on her side and she sucks her thrumb and holds her comfort. I leave her for a while which I then think she is asleep but no.
Like last night she did this, then settle for about an hour and then was doing the same again so in the end I gave her a feed! And she drunk the lot!

I've also tried giving her milk when she wakes from the early morning nap @ 7:30 but nope she doesn't want it and rather the porridge, suppose because she is so used to having then she wants that!
Was thinking g maybe water when she wakes in the night?

Would love to know your routines and maybe thoughts on anything else I can try?!

Thanks :)

"...babies should have milk and only milk until 6 months...."

No. Babies should have milk and only milk until 17 weeks. There is strong research based evidence that weaning before 17 weeks might have negative impact on the babies digestive system.

Recommendation to start weaning at 6 months was introduced by WHO based on 2002 research which back then appeared to demonstrate that (1) in developing countries, with limited access to clear water, later weaning had clear benefits while (2) in the developed countries weaning at 4 vs 6 months made little to no difference. NHS and AAP followed WHO recommendation in an effort to encourage breastfeeding.

Later (post 2010) research actually shows that earlier exposure to certain types of food (e.g. eggs or peanut butter) reduces risk of allergies later in life. Some medical bodies (e.g. AAAI in the US) have changed their advice back to 4-6 month weaning. NHS and AAP are sticking to 6 months (at least, for now) although their latest guidelines say something like "wait for the signs that your baby is ready". My GP, however, was very much supportive of weaning before 6 months. He has young children and is on top of all the latest research.

Here is additional analysis with links to actual studies (in case anyone is interested):

scienceofmom.com/2015/05/14/starting-solids-4-months-6-months-or-somewhere-in-between/
expectingscience.com/2014/11/07/when-is-it-best-to-introduce-solids/

Back to the OP question - I agree with everyone who said that her DD does not appear to have enough milk and may sleep too much during the day. Here is our routine at 5 months.

6.30/7.00am - wake up. DD never cried for food in the morning (with only one exception when we tried to skip a dream feed the day before. It did not work).
7.15am - milk - 7 oz
8.10am - breakfast (2 tsp of porridge or 1 ice cube of fruit)
9.00-9.45am - nap 1
10.45am - milk - 7 oz
11.30am - lunch - 1 ice cube of different vegetables (to introduce tastes/textures only)
12.00-2.30pm - nap 2
2.45pm - milk - 7 oz
4.15-4.45pm - nap 3 (usually 30 minutes between 4 and 5pm)
6.00pm - milk - 7 oz
6.45pm - bed
10.30pm - "dream feed" - milk 7 oz. DD would always wake up, coo/chat for 5-10 minutes and go back to sleep.

We introduced "dinner" (5pm meal) at 5.5 months and moved the 6pm feed to 6.15pm.

DD loves her food and can eat a lot but she is pretty big girl who has been consistently tracking the 95th percentile curve.

I personally don't think babies should be weaned before 6 months; guidelines are there for a reason. But that's based on my own personal experience so each to their own.

My DS (5 months) tends to stay awake for 2 hours at a time with the exception of after 4pm, where we try to keep him going until bedtime (7pm). So he's napping approx. 3x a day / one long nap & two shorter naps. He's breastfed apart from one bottle a day at 7pm (8oz) so hard to know how much he's getting but he's fed every 3-4 hours. In between feeds and sleeps he plays, baths, jumperoo, gets dragged around with me & DD here there & everywhere & so on.

I'll start weaning next month (6 months) by chucking a bit of whatever DD is having onto his high chair tray

Agree with other posters that you may want to cut daytime sleep, up the milk & lower the food (for now). And be prepared to go with the flow regarding the night feeds, at least for a little while yet.

Good Luck.

My DS2 is 21 weeks & he looks interested in food but his tongue has only stopped pushing forwards this week, he's only just Been able to hold his head up all day & isn't sitting up unaided so he's not ready to wean yet.

I am however putting milk in a cup for him to get used to.

Up the milk & try a dream feed.

I personally don't think babies should be weaned before 6 months; guidelines are there for a reason. But that's based on my own personal experience so each to their own.

Yes, the guidelines are there for a reason - reasons which wintertravel1980 has outlined very clearly and succinctly and which mainly concern the maintenance of breastfeeding.

I am so sick of seeing parents being demonized on these boards for weaning before six months. The tone of the posts on this thread is really shitty, considering OP is doing her best and looking for advice and support. There is a lot of smugness and passive aggression going on. It's ugly and unhelpful, especially when it's being spouted by posters who are clearly not very well informed themselves.

So many people on Mumsnet who are experts on baby nutrition because they read the NHS guidelines and spent some time hanging about on the Weaning board

OP, maybe try getting some more milk into her. Her sleep is fine - all babies are different, she's still very small - and whoever suggested that she's sleeping too much because you're starving her () is talking out of their arse. If she's taking a full 7oz bottle could you try offering her an 8oz bottle instead?

I agree with others that she should be having more milk. There should always be milk left in the bottle, if not then you need to offer her more milk.

Weaning is not advised until 6 months and as others have said milk contains more calories so early weans can start to wake more in the night for food. In traditional (puree) weaning you should be moving towards three meals a day at nine months. I did blw and my little one started waking more for milk during the night. Babies go trough periods of time when they suddenly need an increase of calories as they are getting ready for a growth spurt.

It might be a good idea to speak to your HV for advice.

Well said @wintertravel1980 and @FartnissEverbeans

I would also say that she is getting ready for a growth spurt, just give her a night feed.
My 7 month goes to bed at 7.30 and wakes at 7.30 with a few little breast feeds during the night.
She also eats lots during the day and is very active now.
She has a half hour nap at 9ish and 2 hours after lunch.
Perhaps porridge before bed would fill her up?

@wintertravel1980 thanks for those links. My night feed reading sorted for this evening!

Not sure about the sleep thing, all babies are different! I'm envious about how much your baby naps!

Agree your baby's first sleep isn't a nap, she has a 'night waking' where you give her milk and she drops back off again.

At that age my baby did three naps. One at around 830/9 for 30 mins; one at around 11 for 30 mins; one at around 2.30 for 30 mins. He wasn't a great napper!

He breastfed on demand around every 3 hours.

Very wakeful at night (every couple of hours) and still is.

I would definitely cut back on the food, which doesn't have the nutrients and calories that she needs.

I would try and give her more milk and definitely give it to her at night when she wakes - she is still small and may be making up on her nutrient needs at that time.

Milk should be the main form of intake until they're one.

@missJC i did what you suggested and I have cut out the porridge and the afternoon purée fruit pot out all together, she has been sleeping through from 7 till 5/half 5 (no more half 2/3 o'clock wakes) for the last 2 nights and all with just 1 change!... so CRAZY!!!!

This is now how it is and works for her:
5:00/5:30 - Wake for feed bottle 7oz's (Straight back down)
7:00 - Wakes & Plays!
9:15/9:30ish - Bottle 6/7oz's THE 1 CHANGE
9:30 - Sleep
11:00/11:15 - Wakes & Plays!
1:00/1:30 - Bottle 6/7oz's
2:00 - Sleep
4:30/5:00 - Wakes & Plays!
5:30 - Rusk with milk (Eats the lot)
6:00/6:30 - Bathtime & Plays!
6:45/7:00 - Bottle 7oz's then bed!

So she is now getting 28oz's instead of 21oz which I feel much happier about!
Thanks for everyone's help!! :)