How to fit milk feeds around solids????

[Confusedmum23]

Hi all,
I started weaning my DS at 18 weeks and now that he is 6 months old, I am wondering if I am giving him enough milk. He has multiple food protein allergies and reflux and so he is on Neocate which is vile and he hates it and will only drink it when he is absolutely hungry or thirsty or half-asleep. Currently he has solids at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and only have milk at 2.30pm (5oz) 6.30pm (3oz) and 11pm (5oz). At his age he is definitely not having enough and I am worried as he is gradually dropping in percentile. How should I fit more milk feeds in without jeopardising the goal of weaning which is to get him onto 3 meals a day like a grown-up? And how do we know when to give him in-between-meals snacks??? Thanks! x

Hi Jojay, Hi Mantlepiece, thanks for your empathy. I tried to request for tests but 3 paediatricians, yes 3 of them, said the allergy tests are either not accurate or way too invasive (the reflux one). As mentioned in one of my earlier messages, I feel awful that the way for me to get the formula into him is to add it to all his solids and even desserts, he is such a poor little thing to not be able to enjoy more different foods and treats like most "standard" babies do, but even his limited diet has to taste of the horrible formula. It breaks my heart just thinking about it.

Have you tried mixing it with Nesquik or something like that?

Hi confused,
Our two are a similar age to yours and we started to wean them at 5 months. I'm constantly tinkering with their routine but, as I understood it, from 4-6 months they require between 21 and 28oz milk, dropping to no less than 20 oz at 6 months. Before solids, they were on 36 oz of mik per day so it has dropped significantly. All this has been checked with the HV. Anyway, here's how we do it:
7am - 7oz
8am - 1 to 2 cubes fruit
10.30 - 5 oz
11.30 - 4-5 cubes veg
2.30pm - 5oz
5.00 - 4-5 tsp baby rice and 1 to 2 cubes fruit/ veg mix. CBW
6.45 - 7 to 8 oz milk
9.45 - Dreamfeed. 4 oz
I found that they weren't really interested in their solids at lunch and tea until I dropped their milk a little.
Hope things get easier for you soon x.

My DS no. 2 is 6 months old and I've been having a similar juggling act with milk and solids. He didn't seem to be having much of either and it seemed that we were feeding something every hour or so which mixed results (refusal of bottle etc). I've switched him to Follow-on milk and he now has the recommended amount of 3 7oz feeds a day so I know that he is at least taking in the recommended amount of nutrition from the milk. It's made our days much easier and not only is he eating more solids, he is also taking all his milk. I start off by giving him 3oz of milk before breakfast. I have my breakfast and when I'm finished and ready to give him his baby porridge which is made up with 1oz of milk. How much is used will be dependent on what brand of porridge/rice is being used. I'm currently using Plum four grain porridge. He wasn't too keen on the taste so I've taken to mixing in some fruit or squeezing in some of an Ella's Kitchen fruit pouch and he seems to enjoy it. I then give him 3oz before his morning nap. Lunch (solids) is generally 11.30-12 and a 7oz bottle a couple of hours later (after his afternoon nap). Tea (solids) is generally 4.14-4.45 and he has a 7oz bottle at about 7.30pm.
No, he's not sleeping through the night! But I'm not holding my breath as my DS no.1 didn't until he was about 18 months old.
Even though I've done the weaning process before, I'm amazed at how differently both my boys have taken to it so it just goes to show how different they all are but they get there in the end. My DS no.1 refused a bottle when we started weaning and I bf him til he was 11 months. I have no idea how much milk he was having but I very much doubt it was the 20-24ozs that are recommended. My health visitor at the time advised that weaning is all about getting him off milk onto 'normal' food and he was doing it earlier than his body really needed. She suggested I add as much milk to whatever food he was having. He is now a very healthy and happy 3 year old.
Good luck!

Hi Jojay, I asked the paediatrician and the dietician if I could mix anything in the formula to make it taste better for the poor LO. They said no not recommended. I don't understand that, as he is already on solids and do have apple etc. puree/juice, and so why can't I mix it???!!!
And jumblejam and EmeraldMum, I am envious that you could get 7oz into your LO's. As mentioned I suspect my LO hates his formula, and so the best I can do is this:
7am - 4oz, any more he will refuse his solids
8.15am - Breakfast, half of pot of cereal or 1/3 of a Weetabix. Not much milk used for this small portion of food eaten, and I could not use more formula as it will put him off the solids... You see my dilemma??? I used to not feed him at 7am i.e. straight to solids but since Sunday I have re-introduced a milk feed at that time after reading the kind advices here and since he is starting at a nursery next week and doubt he can wait till he gets there for breakfast around 8.15am without having anything first.
11.30am - Lunch. Again half a pot of vege / carbs / protein. I cannot feed him milk before this as otherwise he wouldn't eat any solids.
2.30pm - 5oz if I am lucky. Two weeks ago he went off this feed, was hysterical and refused to drink any.
5pm - Dinner. Again half a pot of vege / carbs / protein.
6.30pm bedtime feed - 3oz if I am REALLY lucky. Only managed last week to get him to drink again at this feed. And suddenly since last night he refused this feed again!!!!! To think that we are now trying a soy formula at just this one feed since Sunday to hopefully replace the horrible prescription one, and even that does not work and we are not allowed anything with cow's milk!!! I am so desperate!
11pm - Dream feed. 5-6oz. As mentioned he would only drink his formula if he is either half asleep or starving!

I can see that it's not 'recommended' to mix in Nesquik, but then nor is taking less than 20oz milk a day, and if that's the only way you can get it into him.....I think I'd give it a go.

The only other thing I would say is that I would prioritise milk over solids at his age, so I'd give him as much milk as he'll take and if he then refuses solids, then so be it.

Many babies are only just starting solids at his age, and are having tiny tastes. They certainly don't need to be on 3 full meals a day at this age - see DoH weaning leaflet which talks about 3 meals a day by nine months. He'll get most of his nutrition for milk still and hardly any weaning foods have more calories than milk, so don't go too mad on the solids.

I'm so sorry you're facing all this. It sounds very difficult.

Thanks Jojay. I really appreciate your advice and encouragement. I have just been told by the paediatric dietician today that I should go see the paediatrician specialist AGAIN due to his refusal of feeds and gradual drop in percentile. They cost a fortune and so far none has been able to tell me what to do to make my boy happier. Argh. As a matter of fact yes since I started this thread I have prioritised on the milk but as mentioned it is hit and miss with the milk as he rejects the taste. Will keep persevering x

Are you not in the UK? It sounds so hard. I really hope you can get some answers at your next appt.

I still find the concept of them telling you to rule out so many major foods, without conclusive testing, very odd. What if it is, in fact, only say, dairy, causing the problem? He's missing out on so much else by this blanket exclusion policy when I can't see how they know that all those things are causing a problem. They appear to be banning all the most common allergens /foods that cause intolerances on the off chance that he can't tolerate any of them. Seems odd to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

Bestof luck with it all

Hi Jojay,
Yes I am in the UK - London to be exact. Yes it is frustrating and even now as I am signing my DS up for nursery and needing to submit food allergy details, it is heartbreaking that he cannot be like one of the "normal" babies. To be fair to the paediatrician, he is now willing to gradually reintroduce the suspected allergen foods and as mentioned we have started with soy formula. What is frustrating is that his eczema seems to have worsened but I cannot tell if it is down to the beef or fish that he is now experiencing, or simply a heat rash as the weather turns hotter!

I feel your pain re the eczema. My boy twin suffers and it's so hard to pin down what causes a flare up. Very frustrating.