9mo - feel lost with weaning

[DeepDeepFlavours]

DS is 9.5 months old. He normally eats really well apart from when he is ill and it all goes pear-shaped...unfortunately he gets a cold from nursery about once every 3 weeks so is often off his food.

I'm feeling a bit lost as to when to drop feeds or introduce more food. He currently has:

6.30am - 210ml/7oz formula
8am - 1 weetabix with cow's milk or porridge
Midday - meat and veg puree (normally about 180g)
When he is at home this is followed by small fromage frais and biscuit. He doesn't get this at creche
3pm - fruit (such as a small bit of apple puree and a banana)
3.30pm - 210ml/7oz formula but often doesn't finish it all
5.30pm - small fromage frais
7.30pm - 210ml/7oz formula before bed

I think I need to introduce proper food at 5.30pm but he often isn't that hungry and I don't want to run the risk of him not finishing his bedtime bottle (I like it when he sleeps through!).

I'm wary of dropping his 3.30pm bottle as when he is poorly he often doesn't want his midday meal or 3pm fruit so the bottle is all he has during the day.

I feel that he isn't eating enough - but he sleeps through so can't be that hungry plus he is a good weight. I'm feeling pretty lost and despairing of the whole weaning thing at the moment. I'm not in the UK and read so much differing advcie between what is recommended in the UK and what is recommended in the (European) country where I live at the moment.

Any advice would be much appreciated

I too am all over the place with dd's weaning!

She's nearly 9 months and compared to what your son eats you'd think she was on a food fast! I also don't live in the UK, which has made things all the more confusing for me because where I do live they have a whole different concept of weaning; and that is to start as soon as they turn 6 months by taking milk away during the day and introducing solids and only give them milk in the morning and before bed. However, in the UK milk is still considered the main staple of a baby's diet until 1yr, and what's more in the UK there seems to be a more relaxed attitude to the whole transferral from milk to food, ie don't have a nervous breakdown if your baby isn't having 3meals, plus snacks everyday.

I dread check ups with the HV because I always get told off for not being stricter about taking my dd's milk away, not to mention the fact that I'm also experimenting with BLW (the doc clearly thinks I'm some cuckoo foreign hippy-type). But at the last check up dd's weight hadn't gone up very much and now I'm back to square one and wondering what I should do. And if I should start dissolving sugary biscuits into my dd's milk in the morning like the doc suggested .

So take heart, as long as your son is gaining sufficient weight I wouldn't worry too much.

Stop worrying and let your little man guide you, which he will. At the moment, he's sleeping and gaining weight, therefore he's eating enough. It won't be long before he'll be after your dinner and VERY much up for real food in larger quantities. He'll let you know this in no uncertain terms.

Offmyrocker - don't put biscuits in the milk, whatever you do! Sounds like your doc is still in the 1950s. Also, your daughter's weight will be slower, as she's more active now and burning off calories. Oh, and you don't have to see the HV apart from the usual developmental checks. Babies only need continual weighing if they are failing to thrive.

offmyrocker - I feel your pain! I have to remember which lies to tell the doctor at the baby clinic and then the paediatrician at each visit (we have to see the peadiatrician here every 2 months for a checkup as this is "what is done").

The nursery seem to think I am crazy for still insisting they give DS his 3.30pm bottle as he is 9.5 months old and should just be on food all day with no bottle apparently!