Confused about increasing solids and reducing feeds

[greeneone12]

Hi All

As a first time Mum I worry about lots of things so thanks to all those who have been there and always answered my questions...no matter how stupid!

I am just a bit confused about increasing solids. At the moment my LO is on 3 very small meals a day (sometimes a few spoonfulls) and we have only just started protein at lunch. I am using the Annabelle Karmel freezer trays and she doesn't often finish a whole one of those. She doesn't seem to have the best appeitie in the world.

Am I meant to reduce milk to increase her appetite or keep milk as we have been until she is at least 1 year old or she stops dropping feeds herself? Just not sure which way round it should be.

After a shakey start we seem to be on the right track but she is already refusing things she liked initially.

Thanks!

As far as I know you view it like a seesaw so increase one to decrease the other. So increasing what she eats should help to deplete one milk feed at a time. Water and diluted juice seem to work well for liquid intake with meals.

Id guess (others may know better as Im on my first child too) that the ones to go first are perhaps mid morning or mid pm with a late night and early morning ones being the last. Mostly as I see with friends as these are often comfort feeds as well as eating feeds.

Are you feeding on demand? You don't need to deliberately drop feeds yourself, your baby will drop them as she eats more.

I find somedays they want more than others - typically my 10 month old has 4 feeds a day, but somedays only 3, somedays 6. At the moment he is ill so for the past couple of days has eaten almost nothing and is bfing 10 times and dya (and night!).

As she eats more solids she'll drop feeds by stopping to demand them. DS dropped his mid morning one first and i think the mid afternoon one is now on the way out too. But he's just loving proper food and was on really good sized portions within a couple of weeks. Be led by your LO, when she's ready to eat more proper food she'll demand less milk.

Thanks all. I am feeding on demand but these last two days she has gone right off food :( She happily eats breakfast but lunch and dinner she has been refusing. We were doing so well! I have been trying protein and she is having none of that either. Not sure if I can give a month or two but don't want to miss the window!