Weaning drinks advice? (long-winded)

[SarryB]

I've just started weaning my 5 month old in the past couple of weeks (I know, I should wait until 6 months, please don't tell me that). I felt that he was ready, and hungry too, and the HV agreed.

At the moment, LO is getting lunch around 11am, and dinner around 5pm, and has one/two ice cubes worth of veg or fruit puree. He is combined fed, BF on demand all day, and then gets a bottle of formula at about 6.30pm, before bedtime, then another BF at about 11pm ish. He might also get another BF during the night if he appears hungry. Occasionally he may have another bottle during the day (like if I have a driving lesson)

Anyway, what I want help with is drinks - ideally, I'd like to be able to cut out the formula altogether before he reaches six months or so, but I was wondering what else can LO drink aside from water? Obviously, I don't want to replace a whole bottle feed with water/whatever else, but I'd like to be able to offer him something from a bottle/cup on a daily basis.

Did anyone understand that?

At 5 months your baby still needs a mainly milk diet. Seeing as you've started weaning you can offer water with meals (in an open topped cup preferably but a free flow sippy will do for now).

Giving juice or similar is likely to fill him up and not leave enough room for his essential milk feeds. He really doesn't need anything but milk and small cups of water with his meals. He has the rest of his life to drink squash, he won't get anything he needs from it now.

Just milk or water at this age - you don't want to get a little baby used to sugary drinks.

And after he's six months, just stick with breastmilk? So say for dinner, he'll hopefully be having finger foods, a bit of puree and then some milk too? And just keep breast-feeding on deman?

Am I right in thinking that I shouldn't give cows milk until after a year? But could I make porridge with cows milk after 6 months?

Bah, so many questions. My HV has been very helpful with the food side of things, but I hadn't thought to ask about drinks.

Breastmilk before meals until 12 months (I did food an hour after milk), sippy cup of water with food. Cow milk isn't suitable as a "main drink" until 12 months.