I can't get a routine.

[CarlyRose80]

No matter how hard I try I can't get LO on a good feeding routine. He's 5 months and is being weaned so now on 3 small meals but he doesn't have much milk (4oz feeds on a good bottle) I try starting him at 7am which is around when he wakes after a fairly decent night but the day never follows that well. I'm just finding it hard to stage it so that by bed time 7-7.30 he will want his feed as normally he won't take enough and is waking by 10 for another feed then 3 ish then day starts at 7. This is all wrong today as he woke so much In the night he is already napping and has missed breakfast. Grrrr. Please help. xx

Is there a particular reason that he is on the 3 meals? Please don't take this as a criticism as some mothers are advised to wean this early.

Usually the food has far fewer calories than the milk. At this age its much more important that they have the milk as they need it to grow and develop. Food should be more about exploring tastes and textures, rather than "filling them up".

Because of ths, its advised to give Lo his milk roughly an hour before solids. If you are running out of time, its much better to not not offer the solids than to miss a milk feed.

Unfortunately, if a baby this young has lots of solids and drops milk feeds, he probably won't get the calories he needs and could be waking from hunger.

Having said that though, waking at 5 months is normal and you shouldn't worry about it too much

Hi there, I was thinking the same. If your keen to get him trying some food now, once a day would be ok. I'd concentrate on getting lots of milk in him and getting him in a good routine for sleeping and naps etc.
You can aim to get him sleeping thought the night at 6 months. Not long now. I definitely find things seem to slip into place at 6 months.

Remember this wont last forever.......

My DS2 is almost 6 months and too is on 3 meals plus his usual milk. The only meal that naturally coincides for us is dinner time so he's having food at about 5.30 then his bedtime bottle at roughly 6.30/45. We make dinner reasonably light (fruit rather than starchy veg or rice) and it works fine - he'll then have a dream feed at 10 & is touch wood going through til 5 or 6. Before this pattern emerged & he wasn't sleeping so well we gave him his milk first at about 5 then a hefty dinner of rice made with his milk & fruit or 4 grain porridge & fruit at about 6.30 after his bath, this carried him through til about 2 or 3am (no dream feed) and gradually we've tweaked it.
Bit rambly, sorry, just meant to advise a bit of trial and error!

Him. Thanks for all advice. Yes the reason he is on 3 small meals is due to his reflux. He can't take more then a 4oz bottle at one go and is on meds for it. HV advised early weaning as its helpful at keeping reflux to a minimum unlike milk. That's why he wakes so soon at night as he doesn't take enough at one go to keep him going much more then 3-4 hours. I just need a guide as to what he should have and when, solids an hour after milk then when does the next bottle come in? 3 hours after milk or solids? Thanks again.

I'd try 3 hours after the last bottle and keep solid meals very small. Think there is a reflux support thread going on in either weaning or feeding, if you have a nosey you should be able to find it

Its here. How are you getting on now?

Hi thanks. Not great at the mo as he is full of cold so off his food. Hoping once this passes I can start again with him in a better routine. Thanks for the link. X

Hope he feels better soon and you get a routine that suits you both

He's done ok with his milk today but no solids now for 2 days as he's just not interested and he's coughing to much. He was very sick when I put him to bed (cottage cheese like) so I'm hoping its lifted some crap off his chest also. Will try again with solids once he's fully better but for now I'm just sticking with milk. We are having 4oz every 3-4 Hours which is about normal for him. X

If he's very chesty it might be worth getting him checked at the GPs tomorrow. I always ask them to check the ears and throat too, just because our last GP had been a Paed and he always did it