Feeding my 6 month old please help :)

[natie26]

Hello i would like some help and advice please. I have a month old boy which is my first baby and have been weaning him for about a month. This is his current routine;

7am Wakes Up
7.30 Breakfast (1 weatabix) made with formula followed by remaining milk (i make a 7oz bottle)
1pm Lunch (half a jar of veggies) followed by 5oz bottle
5pm Tea half a jar of veggies followed by fruit or frmage frais.
6.30pm 7 - 8oz Bottle
7pm Bed!

Do you think i am doing this right? He is so stroppy when i finish giving him his solids that he wants more! I dont know if i am feeding him too much or too little but he never seems to be happy at mealtimes and i dont know what to do?! I think he is also starting to teeth as he is very grumpy and clingy throughout the day which he has only just started doing! Please help as i want a happy baby

to be honest, i don't think thre is enough milk there and milk is the most filling thing to give, rather than more solids. also you're not giving water so he needs more fluids

i would still be giving milk before food at this age, he's only getting 19 oz of formula a day

you could give him finger foods.. frozen bananas are good and will help soothe his teeth. as can cucumber sticks

Thank you for your reply. I offer him water with his solids but he wont take it and i have tried giving him water since he was about 1 month old but will never have it. What would you suggest i should do with the milk feeds and foods? The health visitor told me to only give him 3 bottles a day!

With dd1 I did this:

7am wake and bottle
8am breakfast - porridge or weetabix (made with formula initially but very quickly moved onto cows milk to make).
11.30ish lunch - this was her big meal with water to drink if she wanted
2.30ish bottle
5pm tea
6.15 bottle
7pm bed

It's very similar to yours but it meant that the milk was more spaced out between solids. Also Your gap between lunch and tea seems quite long... It's all trial and error. I would try offering more to eat at lunchtime - maybe yoghurt or something similar? Also try some finger foods too.

Hi thank you, that seems more like what i should be doing
I have tried so many different routies and i suppose it is trial and error until i find one that is right for him. How many ounces did you give at each bottle? Would you suggest 7? Also i am gradually introducing follow on milk. I have started offering finger foods but just wont pick them up yet, hopefully he will get the hang of it!! When did you give a full jar of veggies? Sorry with all the questions just getting myself in a pickle about it!!

yuour HV is IMO< giving the wrong advice

milk is the main source of nutrition for the first year. food is a compliment to it, not a replacement yet.

keep offering finger foods and he'll start to pick them up and get the hang of them

will he finish a 7 oz bottle? if os, add another ounce, if not, stick at 7

if he gets enough milk, water not necessary except for him to get the hang of a sippy cup

I gave 3 x 7oz bottles initially but over time the 2.30 one dropped to 5oz (but this was nearer 1 year old. Didn't use jars unless out so not sure about quantities - don't remember dd having a whoe jar til about 9 months. I used to make up batches and freeze in ice cube trays and then just mix and match cubes - easy to add another cube to try. Your dd will let you know when she's had enough. One thing to be careful of is not to give too much so that they don't cut out milk too quickly. Used a few ideas from Annabel Karmel in terms of recipes and her quantities seemed to suit us as a guide (know lots of people don't like her though). Am sure you're doing great try not to get too hung up about it (easier said than done )

I agree with lulumam, it should still be more milk at this stage. This was mine:

6 or 7am (when they wake), breast feed or bottle

8 to 9am breakfast

10.30am nap

12.00 breast feed and then solids after

3pm nap and a breast feed on waking to keep them going until teatime.

5pm - tea time

6.30pm bath and feed at bedtime

10 to 11pm dream feed

This was based on bf though really.

It wasn't long after this that they started having a snack at 10am and 3pm really.

Neither of my 2 DCs mastered sucky cups and liked water until about 10 months old. I just kept offering it everyday until they got it. So to speak.

Hopefully my post hasn't totally confused you but you definitely need to introduce more milk imo, if they're 6 months. I was told you should offer the milk before the solids in the early days of weaning

at 6 months my ds (bottle fed) still had 5 milk feeds and 3 small meals. He dropped to 4 feeds at 8 months when he dropped the night feed. He didnt go to 3 feeds till around 9 months and he did it of his own accord. His day was like this at 6 months:

7am - milk
8am - breakfast
11am - milk
12pm - lunch
2.30pm - milk
5pm - dinner
7.15pm - milk

I would maybe add in a milk feed between lunch and tea and see if it makes him happier.

Thank you all for your help and advice it is much appreciated and i feel alot more happier now that i can adjust things to make things better for him