routine for 6 month old needed!

[entropy]

dd is 6 mnths oldthis week, we have been trying purees for 3 weeks with mixed success (early weaning on medical avdice) but only once a day.

feeding her milk has always been a battle but she is in a lovely routine at the moment which I don't want to mess up! she is having feeds at 7:30am, 11am, 3pm 5:30pm and 7:30pm with a dream feed at 11pm. she currently has solids before her 5:30 feed.
I have tried offering her things at my breakfast and lunch time but as she isn't hungry she doesn't want to know. the 5:30 feed has decreased in volume by about 3oz because of the puree/yogurt she has first. (she isn't interested in having the solids after the milk)and I don't want to reduce the amount of milk she has at any other feed by giving her solids first.
any reccomendations as to how to increase her solid food? (I will be BLWing from now on btw(as soon as my highchair arrives now that dd can sit up on her own. don't know if that makes any difference to the situation
Also, what should I be aiming for in terms of a routine? and anyone out there just atarting out, what routine are you in???

is there a reason why you need to increase the amounts of solids? i think it's quite telling that if you give milk first she doesn't want the solids.

My 6.5mth old dd has been in the following routine since 4mths old :
(BTW is formula fed)
7.15am - 7oz bottle
9-10am - sleep
11am - 7oz bottle
12.30pm-2pm(ish) - sleep
3pm - 7oz bottle
4.30-5pm - sleep
6.30-7pm - book,bath,bottle (7oz) & bed.
Had dream feed at 10.30pm till ~ 5mths.

Since 26wks, had had solids @ 8am & 5pm. Doing BLW.
Will introduce 3rd meal (12pm ish) at about 7mths. Then aim to cut down on 11am bottle.

This has all taken a while to get into place, and still differs slightly every day, but she seems happy on it. Hope that helps xxx

I'd agree with DizzyBint on this one to a point. Are you breast or formula feeding? I must say, I haven't had this problem with DS. I started him on very small amount of solids when he was around 20 weeks, like you on medical advice, and he lapped them up and still increased his milk intake day on day. That's what prompted me to increase the solids very gradually alongside giving him extra milk feeds.

Having said that, and I know many people disagree about this, after 6 months they do encourage you to increase solids. I'm not sure now that DS would take solid food after a full milk feed (as he's now settled down after his huge feeding frenzy). FWIW, I tend to give the solids separately. His routine goes something like this (he's on formula now):

7am 7oz bottle
8am breakfast
11am 5-6oz bottle
12pm lunch
3pm 7oz bottle
5pm tea
7pm 7oz bottle

After much experimenting, this works extremely well for us. I tried the whole give half the bottle first thing and it just didn't work - DS really objected to having the milk taken away from him before he was full. I have a certain book which has helped me a lot.

Sorry, should say DS is 6 and a bit months. He's been having breakfast for the last week and a half. I'm trying to gradually cut down on the 11am feed. My aim is eventually to switch around his breakfast and early morning milk feed so that the milk feed merges with the 11am one into a mid morning feed (if that makes sense). I'm becoming a bit of a feeding routine bore at home I'm afraid

caspercat - you're approach sounds very similar to mine (apart from the naps )

I know, we're very lucky with her naps. However, it took being diagnosed with PND, taking happy pills , counselling & a v. expensive maternity nurse to get this sorted. The 1st 3 mths were hell! Hope that gives hope to everyone else having a sh*y time

Dizzybint - the reason I was told to wean her ealier than the recomended 26 weeks is that she is very very underweight due to her unwillingness to drink milk. was bf, then mixed fed now totally ff as they suspected lactose intolorance (but this has now been ruled out) the doctors and I were kind of hoping she would take to solids and all our problems would be solved. It would save them the headache of working out what is actually wrong...

caspercat and twinklemegan - thanks for sharing your routines! thats what I thought I should be aiming for.

I think I could get more calories into her by giving her rubbish to eat (think she takes after me) she lapped up baby yoghurt and rusks but turns her nose up at anything roughly healthy or home made (grrrr)

and re naps, dd was a fantastic sleeper until I started her on solids! now its all over the place, not napping for more than 1/2h and waking up lots in the night! like being a PITA to feed wasn't enough for her