Eating at different times each day - is this ok?

[MissObsessed]

My DS is 6 months and we've been weaning for around a week now. I've made up some veg purees and also offered him some finger foods (toast, broccoli, peppers etc) but now I've started getting myself confused

I've read that you should introduce one meal a day however does it matter if this is 'breakfast' one day and 'lunch' the next? We're not always home at the same times each day and inbetween his nap times and milk sometimes there isn't time for lunch.

For example today he had a bottle at 11am but I couldn't offer food at 12am as we were out. By the time we got in DS needed a nap and then when he woke up it was only 30mins until his next feed. This meant he had some sweet potato around 4.30pm as this fitted in with his timings. This makes me feel really stupid but is this ok? The other day I knew we'd be in and out all day so he had some fingers of toast in the morning.

Also, he really wants to try the things we are eating so some days he has one 'meal' and others he ends up with some crumpet in the morning, some jacket pot and then strawberries in the afternoon.

I just feel like I'm getting it all wrong. I also feel like I'm on a hamster wheel of milk-food-sleep and trying to juggle it all.

Yes it's absolutely fine to offer food at different times. It's even ok for him not to have solids on some days at this age.

As for the "meal" it's easy to confuse this with what we see as a meal, i.e. a plate of food to satisfy hunger and keep us going for a few hours. With a baby, it simply means the amount of times you offer food. So if he wants to eat with you then count that as his meal.

It's also ok to offer food twice in a day, but I really wouldn't offer more. The current NHS recommendations are to move to 3 "meals" between the ages of 8 and 9 months. This is to ensure that baby doesn't drop their milk feeds too quickly

As for feeling like a hamster stuck in it's wheel, that's completely normal and will get better. Might feel a bit similar when he's a teenager and you're either shopping for food, buying food or washing up but at least by that time you won't have to deal with night waking and nappies

It's fine, just go with the flow at this age. The main thing is to gradually get them used to different foods and textures and make sure they are still getting enough milk. And don't stress if it doesn't work out every day.

Brilliant, thank you 😊 Just when I felt some semblance of control over each day the goalposts seem to change!

Also when I say he is sometimes eating 2-3 times a day that might just be a slice of pepper off my plate or a taste of something. Anything to stop the "oooooh" noises he makes when he sees me eating and trying to swipe things from my plate! 😃

I ended up eating when they were asleep in the end