Baby moving onto solids faster than I am ready for

[Quodlibet]

An odd question maybe, but my 7mo DS2 is a fantastic eater, has been from the get go. He was previously EBF with a good appetite who gained weight well (but not overweight). He's been very enthusiastic about food from the start and although I held off weaning until 5.5m he was trying to snatch food from my plate and getting very cross that he didn't have any for a good while before that.
He's my second child, and I remember with the first weaning being a much slower, more playful BLW process where I would give her stuff, she would play with it/eat some of it, and her food intake gradually built up over several months.

My son is a bigger baby (in 9-12m clothes at 6m) and has been much faster - I've been led by him, but he obviously joins us for all meals and shouts until he gets given something so it's been three meals a day from the get go. I've also spoon fed him far more than I did my daughter, alongside letting him self feed, because otherwise he often becomes frustrated and irate because he's hungry. He eats what I think is a LOT at meals, eg a whole (small) bowl of porridge, or (the other day) most of six small fritters followed by two helpings of yogurt.

His BF has dropped right off and he will sometimes go up to 5-6 hrs in the daytime without a feed. He does feed several times in the night time.

Basically my question is: am I giving him too much food? Should I be making more effort to BF him first? Is it ok to keep giving him food (and water at mealtimes) following his hunger cues, even though he is eating far more than I would expect for his age?

Could the reduction in BF during the day be partly why he is waking so much at night? Can I do anything about this? I was hoping that weaning might improve his sleep,but no such luck so far!

Thanks for any advice.

Yes, I'd try to make the effort to bf more in the day. This might help with reducing the spoon feeding too. Really he shouldn't be that hungry at mealtimes, you should ideally be bfing about an hour before offering solids. Not a criticism, it's just best to try to fill them up with milk as much as possible at this age.

And yes, if you're lucky more bfing might help to reduce the night wakings too

Was told before by a lactation consultant when I asked you should offer BF first, wait an hour and then feed food.

However my baby is teething ATM and the night waking has increased as she's uncomfortable.. no amount of food/milk helps

Thanks that's helpful advice. I've been offering boob at every opportunity today. He's having snacks, but it's also the age where they get really distracted and pop on and off to peer at everything! Not easy to go off and BF somewhere quiet when you are also in sole charge of a 3yr old.

Tonight he ate almost as much fish pie as his 3yr old sister, and then yogurt for dessert.

I mean he is having snacky BF often but few full feeds.

I had a very similar experience with my dd (also my second dc), she has just always loved solids and weaned really quickly, far quicker than ds. I just offered milk frequently and let her set the pace. I was concerned as she dropped milk feeds from 7 months and was having none during the day by 10 months (she also stopped having milk I the night at around 8-9months)so brought it up with the hv who said not to worry, but offer lots of dairy in her diet.

Thanks Nicky, really helpful.

My DCs were the same as NickyEds, they wanted food, not milk. While it is recommended to encourage milk before meals you can't actually make them drink it. I saw a nutritionist with DD ( about a different issue, reflux ) and she was quite relaxed about DD's milk refusal at 7 months. She said to encourage dairy, which as DD loved full fat yogurt and cheese sauce ( well cheese anyway really - cubes, on toast, in omelettes ) was not a problem. I always offered milk but DD largely ignored it. One thing I did try for a while was putting DD down for a nap while everyone else had lunch and giving her milk when she woke, so she didn't see us eating and so wouldn't feel left out. It did work for a while but it was difficult to always get her to nap while her older brother was eating. And impossible not to let her join in if she was awake.

My eldest was like this, although I didn't spoon feed. My second is 8.5mobths and much more by-the-book, interested but not too much actually getting swallowed. I went back to work at 9m with DS and he was fine with me doing half days and him just eating- he'd fall on the books when I got on though, although totally uninterested in bottles or milk in cups. I'm due back at work in a fortnight and really worried about DD though. Since it was so easy with DS I kind of forgot to plan her food and now I'm not sure what to do.
So basically- it's ok! They go at their own paces!

My DD is like but she is formula feed so I know how much milk she is having. She has never had much milk for breakfast but she started only having a tiny bit of milk then signing for food. She is also a big/tall baby. Although she is nearly 10 months I have just put her in 18 to 24 month vests.

I agree with feeding milk before food and don't spoon feed.

At the end of the day you can't force feed milk but you can keep offering.

DD2 started refusing milk at 5 months,I was so stressed but the paeds team said it was fine to let her fully wean, just get the equivalent of about 18oz of milk into her diet everyday. I did this through yoghurt and cheese, making the it's like rice pudding and cheese sauces for veg etc and she was-and still is- absolutely fine