8 month old routine

[CarlyRose80]

Hi my LO is now 8 months and not on solids yet. He's had some here and there but never really took to feeding as he's had lots of illness and allergies. Now he's fixed so to speak and on special milk I want to routin him on meals and milk. He's having 5 feeds of 5oz, 7am, 10, 1, 4 and 7 for bed. He used to sleep through but now wakes for feeds at 11pm and 4am which shows me he's not getting enough in the day. He won't take more then 5oz hence feeding every 3 hours. Tried him with porridge this morning and he won't entertain it. Help and advice please as I want my sleep back.

My DD doesn't like porridge either -- I decided I couldn't blame her as baby porridge is gross looking stuff! I started her with fruit purees (I like the Ella's packets) and gave her stuff to hold and sometimes even put in her mouth (breadsticks, cooked potato & carrot, prunes). We have now moved onto veg purees.

If you just want to get the calories into him why don't you try a range of fruit purees till you hit on something you like -- the baby rice is a lot more palatable mixed into them I would guess. I am sure most babies like fruit purees as they are sweet like their milk.

My DD is on a significantly lower weight percentile than height percentile so I am keen to get plenty of calories into her. We are doing:

7-8am food, milk (sometimes just milk if we're going out)
12pm food, milk
4pm milk
5.30pm food
7pm milk

But she has been on solids since 24 weeks exactly.

Oh, the other thing I discovered is that DD doesn't like being spoon fed (she will tolerate it if the food is really yummy) but will put the spoon in herself or suck from a packet. So it may be the delivery method as much as the food...

Our ds3 is 9 mo. he has only just started to be spoon fed, he hated it previously, as did ds2.

Ds3 eats dry cereal, like shreddies, Cheerios, banana, apple, cucumber, new potatos, sweet potato wedgies (with skin off) strawberries, melon and pear-all chopped up do he can feed himself. Cheese cubes, crackers, toast, breadsticks, baby biscotti, crumpets, scotch pancakes.

The only food he'll let me feed him is yoghurt, custard and rice pudding. Nothing savoury.

Take it really easy and slowly, take your lo's lead. Mine all woke in the night until about 15 months for a feed. With growth spurts etc sleep routines change all the time.

And he has 2x 6 oz bottles of milk in the day. 7oz before bed and 6oz about 11pm.

Thanks. LO is no where near feeding himself sadly, he can hold food and will happily put it in his mouth but instantly gags and chokes as he's not learnt how to break it down first and then swallow. Think this is due to him having lryingitis when 5 months. I try but its so frustrating. I really don't know to teach him or encourage him.

All you need to do to encourage him and teach him how to self feed is to keep giving him finger food to feed himself. He will start off as you describe, but then slowly he will learn for himself how to manipulate, chew and swallow. One of the most important parts is to try and relax about the gagging. It's normal and will get less and less as he gets better at manipulating food in his mouth.