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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Am i feeding my 6 1/2 mth dd2 too much?

18 replies

jeanini · 08/12/2006 20:17

hi my dd2 is now 6 1/2 mths and i have weaned her from about 6 mths.She has reflux so i was looking forward to her having food and maybe improve her symptons.

but her sleeping has got worse and she is only having about 15 oz a milk in 24 hours.

anything with cows milk in it is causing problems. fromage frais, cheese. rice pudding.

i have made homemade veg purees and to be honest i have been giving her about 4 tablespoons of veg puree for lunch followed by a little bit of fruit puree.

then doing the same for dinner. she also has porridge for breakfast.

she has milk early morning, 1.30pm, 4pm, 6pm, 9pm and has recently been waking in the night at 2-3am for milk.

i dont know if im meant to offer food before milk or other way around. i have tried giving her cooled boiled water at lunch and dinner but she doesnt like it and i think it aggravates her reflux.

i also think the fruit purees are disagreeing with her esp apple.

any tips plse i
used to get her up to give her a dream feed at 10pm but now she screams around 8.30pm for milk i can hold her off till about 9pm. i feel like i have gone backwards i thought it was meant to get easier as they got older.

she still has about 6 bottles but only 3 oz in each one what a nightmare!

any advice gratefully received. xx

OP posts:

Saturn74 · 09/12/2006 11:23

bump

taylormama · 09/12/2006 11:42

Hi - my LO has reflux so i do sympathise. Firstly i would stop giving dairy as reflux and dairy intolerance can often go together. I would discuss this with your GO tho' as you say it is causing problems.

I always offer milk before food, so DS has a bottle on waking and then porridge for brekkie. He has a small bottle of milk at 10.30 am (about 4 oz) and then veg puree followed by fruit.

He has a bottle at 2.30 pm (about 6 - 7 oz) and then tea at 3.00 pm (same food as lunch altho' am starting to introduce protein) and then a bottle around 6.30 pm before bed.

Stop offering water to try and encourage her milk intake to increase.

Do you offer any protein yet as that is pretty filling?

HTH a bit.

taylormama · 09/12/2006 11:43

GP - not GO!

springer72 · 09/12/2006 15:18

I'd be tempted to try dropping the 1.30 milk, and seeing if she'd take more at 4pm, and perhaps bring that one forward nearer to 3pm?

Although obviously it would be good if she took her milk in a few larger feeds, I don't think the total amount is much to worry about. My ds is 7 months old and takes only 14-18oz per day. HV seemed to think that was fine, but I know they all tell you something different.

Good luck

hermykne · 09/12/2006 16:07

most of her feeds seem to be from 1.30 pm to 9pm
would you not stretch them more accross the day and maybe drop the 4pm one. milk after food imo. or at least an hour or more if ouy give her milk then follow with dinner

hermykne · 09/12/2006 16:08

droppping the 4pm one might have take more milk at 6pm (to fill her up for the night) and then you'd be able to dream feed round 10/11pm hopefully for the night.

Original poster

jeanini · 10/12/2006 17:23

thankyou so much 4 all your comments,

i have started to drop the 4pm feed and give her solids at 5pm then milk at 6pm. but 2 be honest it hasnt made any difference she still wakes between 9-10pm for milk and again between 2-3pm sometimes earlier.

last night dh looked after her so i could catch up on sleep and she woke at 10pm had 4 oz then woke at nidnight screaming he offered milk she didnt want any and eventually waent bk to sleep at 1pm.

then she woke at 5am for milk.

i know there is no magic answer i will try and give her less food but its hard when she seems to want it. i have started to give her milk before her lunch.

OP posts:

Original poster

jeanini · 10/12/2006 17:26

i am ging to start giving her chicken soon i have made loads with veg puree and frozen them. i hope shes ok with chicken.

she seems to be unsettled with fruit puree as well as dairy desserts.

OP posts:

hermykne · 11/12/2006 14:05

jeanini theres nothing wrong with waking at 10pm for milk. shes only 6 1/2 mths, so i wouldnt worry about that yet. the wakening between midnight and 7am is what you need to sort out.
what did she take at 6pm milk wise?

Original poster

jeanini · 12/12/2006 19:14

hi hermykne she has about 3-5 oz at 6pm. the trouble is with her reflux if she has too much milk she is sick.

tonight she had about 5 1/2 oz and ive just had to change all her hammock covers and sleeping bag as she has been sick.

she is on 4 bottles now 6-7am, 2pm, 6pm and 10pm. but yesterday she only had 12 oz of milk.

OP posts:

hermykne · 13/12/2006 15:00

what fluids does she have between 7am and 2pm, that seems long, if shes spitting up with reflux would you spread the feeds accross the day with less in each bottle. tbh i dont think it matters how many feeds they have per day as long they have enough fluids and solids to balance.

Original poster

jeanini · 13/12/2006 16:58

hi hermykne she has about 3-4 oz at 7am then maybe 1 oz in her porridge at 8am. she then has lunch at 11am veg puree, followed by fruit puree. then she has her nap 11.30-1.30pm and has milk when she wakes about 4oz. xx

OP posts:

glamourbadger · 13/12/2006 19:07

Hi jeanini

I do sympathise - my twins have suffered reflux and have never taken anywhere near the recommended amount of milk. They are 8 months and still never take more than 6oz in a bottle.

We were prescribed a high calorie formula, it is thicker than the regular stuff and has twice the fat and calories. Has really helped with weight gain and sleeping through the night.

PrincessPeaHead · 13/12/2006 19:13

jeanini, I'd expect her pre-breakfast milk to be much bigger, and I think the reason it isn't is because she isn't very hungry when she wakes because she has eaten at 2-3am. Which means I think she doesn't really NEED as much in the middle of the night (if she did, she would wake starving again at 7 and take eg 6 oz, not 3 or4. So I think maybe you should see if you can cuddle her back to sleep at 2am, or possibly give her just a drink of water and then try and settle her, or if that doesn't work only give her say 2 or 3 oz instead of a full feed at that time.
I think it is fair enough for a 6mth old to look for one extra feed in the night if it is a very hungry baby, but I don't think two is necessary, and because she is taking so much at night she isn't taking it in the day.

Which is a long winded way of saying that I think you need to start trying to persuade her to move some of her calorie consumption out of the night and into the morning. Good luck!

PrincessPeaHead · 13/12/2006 19:14

(oh and by "night" feed I include the 9pm feed as being a night feed which ideally you want to get rid of!)

Original poster

jeanini · 16/12/2006 20:57

thanks for everyones comments.

princesspeahead- i know what your saying. but easier said than done i really try and hold her off in the night if she wakes at 3am i know she isnt hungry and i just keep putting her dummy back in and music on. if she is still moaning at 5am i get her up and feed her.

what makes it harder is she is in our room right next to where i sleep as no other room to put her in unfortunately.

she has had 19 oz today so im not going to wake her for her 10pm feed and see if she goes thru till morning.

OP posts:

LauraGas · 21/12/2006 19:42

Hi Jeanini,

Just wondered how you were getting on? Are things improving?

Original poster

jeanini · 23/12/2006 13:08

hi lauragas-no things havent improved but she is teething at the moment and it is a nightmare.

she is having about 19oz formula a day which i dont think is that bad.

i feed her 6pm bottle, then she goes to sleep but she then wakes up screaming at 8.30-9pm and has another bottle i then dont feed her till 6am.

so i suppose it has improved that way that im not giving her milk in the night. but she is a right pain all evening.

thanks for asking. xxx

OP posts:

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