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Weaning

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

Really need help with weaning and sleep

4 replies

Dera1234 · 07/02/2019 00:11

DS is 9mo and has no teeth.

He has 5oz bottles every four hours from when he wakes about 8ish. In-between bottles we do breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We're lucky if he drinks 3oz of his daytime bottles as he's too interested in everything else going on. So we give him a 7oz bottle right before bed which he guzzles. But then he's up for a whole 7oz bottle at around 12 and again around 4.

Breakfast is fruit or toast or eggs. Lunch tends to be a cooked meal that's a bit lighter, or veg with humous, and then dinner it's fish/sausage with veg and potatoes, mash, pasta.

We started off spoon feeding, and he did well. But then mixed in some baby led, and he was away. He hates being spoon fed. He just has a tantrum and clamps his mouth shut. If I puree up something for him (rare nowadays) he will at best let me take the spoon from him, scoop up food, then hand back to him to out in his mouth). So we do baby led every day.

He comes in the kitchen in his highchair and I get on with dishes, meal prep, our tea or washing whilst frequently engaging with him. No issues there, he is mostly very happy at meal times. Laughing and gurgling away.

However, he puts it all in his mouth and does well, but then he just spits it out once he's chewed it to a point. It seems like he's barely eating much of it at all.

I really thought at this stage he'd be eating solids well and at least giving me 6/7 hours at night. I don't expect him to go all the way through or anything but considering he has on occasion, I don't understand where we're going wrong.

My DM keeps saying to force the spoon feeding as he should be taking in more solids and he'll sleep through then. Tbh I'm not too fussed about the sleeping through (would be nice) and I'm happy to be solely baby led but I'm worried he's having way too much milk and not enough solids and he's nearly 12 months and at that point he shouldn't be having formula.

If anyone can see anything really wrong I'm doing, or has any suggestions I'd be eternally grateful. Sorry it's a bit rambly.

OP posts:
Ricekrispie22 · 07/02/2019 06:43

This is what worked with mine:
On waking: around 4oz. Often it’s this feed that is dropped first.
Breakfast: should include milk so that he gets the RDA for his age as his bottles alone aren’t enough.
Morning nap
Mid-morning: around 4oz.
Lunchtime
Afternoon nap
Mid-afternoon: around 4oz and a small snack such as rice cakes
Teatime
Bedtime (was about 9pm for us): around 5oz. May need a top up snack so could use some of the 5oz with some baby cereal or porridge.

december212 · 07/02/2019 06:46

You may already be on it, but if not, definitely join the baby led weaning app support group - I'm sure I've seen similar posts to yours on there before. The overall opinion seemed to be that sleep isn't always linked to food, but more developmental leaps. Could it be a delayed 8 month sleep regression? Wonder weeks app is also good for stuff like this.

Notadogslife · 07/02/2019 06:54

You are going the right thing. Most of his nutrients will come from milk until he's 12 months old. Until then he needs to learn to enjoy food so what you're doing is great. I'd maybe swap one daytime bottle for a cup of water.

Dera1234 · 07/02/2019 13:01

Thanks so much for the advice. He's pretty poorly at the moment so will have to hold off making changes for now but will definitely try replacing a bottle with water. He's never too impressed though when he realises it's not milk so it could take some getting used to!

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