Weaning amounts

[Something20]

Hi, I'm just after some reassurance around weaning and the amounts my baby should be having as I think I have a bottomless baby!

She's 6 months old and only been weaning for 6 days and we just can't fill her! She had a 7oz bottle on waking at 7am, breakfast at 10am consisted of half a weetabix with whole milk, a whole banana and then 2oz of formula as she still wasn't full. 1pm was lunch and she had half a sweet potato with whole milk, 2 strawberry wafer things and then 3oz of milk. She then had 7oz of formula at 4pm and will have 7oz again at 7pm before bed.

Does this seem too much? I'm a first time mum so have no idea but it just seems a lot to me haha!

Thanks in advance :)

My second eats more than my 6 year old some days and has done from the start she will often eat her own portion and finish off her sisters’. If you gradually reduce the milk as she eats bigger meals and you’ll be ok. Does she drink water? Mine always has a cup on the go.

Milk should stay the same amounts not reduce at 6 months. So if she has 7am milk, maybe offer smaller breakfast at 8am. We were told to feed milk first, then offer solids around an hour later.
If on formula, each feed would be 6-8oz at that age I think

@Planning3457 oh that's good to hear! I presume she's just got a good appetite then, girl after my own heart 😂 she's always had a good appetite for her milk and drank way more than my friends babies haha

@Caspianberg oh really?! My health visitor said to do food 30mins before bottle and as the amount of food they take increases they will slowly wean off the milk and not need it any longer. So confusing when people are told different things!

Go with what you think is right for you and your baby, personally I went slowly with weaning first time mum here too and just winging it😄 I just did breakfast to begin with and then after a few weeks worked up to either lunch or tea depending on how baby was during the day. I found that by going slowly the milk feeds became more predictable and meal times became routine. Remember food before 1 is just for fun and baby should still be having their breast milk/formula as their main source. My baby is 10 months old and we're just about to drop the morning milk as he never takes much and just go straight to breakfast and then a snack before nap time, he's on 3 bottles a day atm but like I say the morning one now is barely anything. I hope that helps, but just remember you're doing a great job and just go with what you feel is right x

Sorry, just reread my reply and felt I didn't give much reassurance 🙈
So! This is what my little boy has at 10 months -
I always make up 7oz bottles
Today -
Wake up 7am takes 4oz formula
8am breakfast 1 weetabix with raspberries
Lunch 12pm - 3 fingers of bread with cream cheese, half a banana, yoghurt & 2 melty puff fingers
2:30pm milk took 6oz
5pm tea - chilli con carne
7pm bedtime 7oz milk

Some days he might want a little more/less milk depending on what solids he has in the day x

At 6.5 months DS was eating 1.5 weetabix plus fruit for breakfast but weaning was at 4 months then. He was always hungry and despite guidance being don't give meat until 6 months the health visitor told me to give him meat from about 4.5 months to fill him up and keep him full. He always ate huge amounts but was consistent on the percentile in the red book so it was never a concern. 10am isn't really breakfast time so I would probably bring that forward by a couple of hours - it's more like grazing. Give the breakfast plus milk first thing in the morning and then if still hungry mid morning mire milk. DS was at nursery at that age with breakfast at 7.30am, lunch at 11.30am and tea at 4/4.30pm.

It is great that she has taken to weaning with such enthusiasm. Maybe keep the ultra processed food away to begin with. You want to give her a taste of the real food. Think about offering soups from the sweet tasting pumpkin-carrot to a classic pea-potatoes ones, so many different tastes and flavours. Encourage vegetables in as many ways as you can and keep the sweet food to those naturally sweet such a fruit as you are already doing.

Thanks for your help everyone! I'll see how this week goes and might speak to the health visitor for support :) I'm following what she has told me so far so if I get stuck I'll go back to her

@Cormoran what do you mean regarding the ultra processed food? We have started with vegetables and so far she has had broccoli, potato, green beans, parsnip, carrot, sweet potato, avocado and they have all been for her lunch for the first 6 days. She has also had banana, Apple and pear :)

Thanks for your help @TheTeenageYears!

I mean this 2 strawberry wafer things

Both my kids massively preferred food to milk & dropped to two bottles at 7 months 🙈 we did wean from 5 months. My youngest (10 months) eats more than my 3 year old 😂

The recommend 18oz milk from 6 months onwards. That’s a minimum obviously. My two didn’t drink this from a bottle. They had 2x 6oz bottles. We then did 3oz in cereal with breakfast (weatabix/porridge). And then you can use regular dairy such as yoghurt & cheese to boost to 18oz.

Let them eat. Honestly, babies have good control of their appetites, they won’t over eat. If they are enjoying food, fantastic! You get a 100 threads on here about kids who only want milk & won’t eat! I was delighted mine loved food, I really enjoy them sitting & eating with us.

Potentially, instead of wafers which have little nutritional value, you could offer oat crackers (fine milled).. good fibre and still melts in the mouth. But they do contain salt so bear that in mind. My DD loves them. We pop 100% peanut butter or avocado on them sometimes too, really nutritious little snack! ☺️