6 month old - quantites of solids...?

[vmcd28]

Hi there,
ds2 started solids 3 weeks ago, as he was losing weight. He LOVES them, and is on 3 meals a day. He sometimes wakes very early in the morning as if he is hungry, but I already think he eats loads, so just wanted some input!
Is 1.5 weetabix really ok for a 6mo baby?!

Yesterday, for example, his day went like this -
6.20 awake
6.45 - breastfeed
8am - 1.5 Weetabix with cow's milk
9-11.45 - nap
12pm - breast feed
1pm - 1/4 pureed chicken breast, 3 pureed dried apricots, 3 ice cubes of butternut squash, 2 of carrot.
3-5pm nap
5pm breastfeed
6pm - mashed potato and broccoli
7pm 7oz formula
7.30pm asleep

If he is losing weight he needs more milk feeds. Some babies take to solids very rapidly but this can mean they don't get enough milk, which should be their main source of nutrition at this age. I'd rein back on the solids and offer milk more often.

See here

hi, thanks for the reply - the problem was, he wasnt taking enough milk, so I was advised to start solids. He's now having the same amount of milk, roughly, but lots and lots of solids too, and is gaining weight rapidly now

That's good if he's gaining now. But from what I've read offering a larger number of milk feeds per day is the recommended route if they are losing.

Hopefully some people with experience will be along soon. Ds did not take to solids quickly (understatement!) so I'm not sure what solids average 6 month olds consume.

He wasn't taking milk feeds, tho. If I offered extra feeds he ended up having lots of short feeds, so less hind milk, turning into a vicious circle.
Took 6 weeks of trying, but as he was showing signs of wanting solids, that's what we did. I often make a couple of ounces formula to add to meals, so he's getting more milk than it appears too

That's a lot more than my 6 month DD is having! We're on 3 meals too and day is something like this.

6.30- 8oz milk
7.30- two thirds of a weetabix with formula, 1 cube fruit puree, two prunes for finger food
8.30-9.30- nap
10.30- 6oz milk
11.30-12.30-nap
12.30- finger food lunch (e.g. toast, boiled egg etc) and half a jar of pudding (HIPP organic or fresh fruit with rice)
1.30- 8oz milk
2.30-3.30- nap
4.30- dinner (3x cubes savoury purees + fromage frais or similar) and milk top up (about 4oz)
6.30- bed time, 8oz milk

Saying that, not sure if mine has enough but she still has quite a lot of milk! I am sure all babies are different, I wouldn't worry too much if he is gaining weight and happy.

Are you sure he's not waking early because he has quite long naps in the day? Ds is 5 months and doesn't usually sleep more than 3 hrs a day.

Also, in the weaning session I went to they said that cereal should be with formula/breastmilk rather than cows milk until they are a year.

Thanks for your replies. Bumblebee, yep your dd is definitely having more milk than ds. Although I wouldn't actually say she's having a significant amount less food - her breakfast seems the same sort of quantity, for example. I'm also astounded that your dd is having toast and boiled egg - that's amazing! How long has she been on solids?

AnMum, no idea why he's waking early, tbh :)
He's always slept a lot, and until a few weeks ago he slept even more than that during the day!! But the long naps may mean he now needs less at night, so we've tried putting him down a little later tonight. I assumed he's hungry, as yest he woke before 6am. He babbled away for half an hour then started crying so I lifted him an bfed him. He then fell sound asleep lying next to me, which he NEVER does, so that suggested he hadn't actually had a long enough sleep.
Re the milk with cereal, that's the first time I have made it with cows milk. My hv had said that was fine, just not to substitute it for bmilk/formula for drinking. BUT I'm going to Google it to see what the official advice is - I'll probably use formula again in any case, just for the extra calories if nothing else.

Thanks again

My baby is enormous (21lb 9)- she probably needs more to fill her up! She doesn't really eat much of the toast and boiled egg type lunches, although she is getting better, she just plays with it and sucks it. We started purees at 20 weeks or so and moved on from there as she was constipated and the HV said some fruit would help, which it did!

Sometimes my DD wakes early and I fed her and put her back down and she goes back to sleep so it could be hunger, I'd try putting him back down!