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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

Confused about milk and starting solids

21 replies

Becky77 · 06/11/2008 09:23

I've just started my DD on solids and she is taking to it like a fish to water, gobbling purees in vast quantities! She is still getting lots of milk too 5x 7oz bottles... So I am beginning to worry about over feeding her... She never really cries in hunger anymore so should I cut down on the milk she's getting?

What's your daily feeding & milk schedule so I can get an idea?

(My DD is 5 months and weighs 18lbs )

OP posts:

MrsBadger · 06/11/2008 09:34

at 5m I would certainly not cut down on milk

one way of helping new eaters regulate their own intake is to let them feed themselves - how does she do with finger food?

Original poster

Becky77 · 06/11/2008 09:56

I haven't tried her with any finger food yet unless you count fists full of puree?

OP posts:

MrsBadger · 06/11/2008 10:11

any food they get in with their own fingers is finger food

but seriosuly, steamed carrot sticks, broccoli etc are all fine to offer her- basically what you make purees form before you puree them

the huge majority of her nutrition is coming from milk, and should do till she's 12m, so food is really just for having fun with and experiencing new tastes etc at this stage, not for filling up on.

Original poster

Becky77 · 06/11/2008 10:30

There are different schools of thought on this though MrsBadger and with respect we aren't taking the BLW route. But thanks for your responses

I agree that if people are breastfeeding then that is a complete nutrition and can keep babies going until they are 1. But we are no longer breastfeeding and so whilst obviously she still needs a lot of milk she will be getting a lot of her nutrition from the solid food she'll be eating.

My main concern though is the sheer amount she is taking of both milk and purees. I am not pushing the purees as soon as she stops opening her mouth and wiggling with excitement that's the end of the meal... I am however slightly more persistant with her milk feeds and like I say she is getting 5 x 7oz in 24 hours... My thought is that perhaps I should not be pushing the milk so much...

Anyone else in my situation? With a 6 month old perhaps?

OP posts:

MrsBadger · 06/11/2008 11:06

Fair enough re BLW Becky, it's not everyone's cup of tea

But remember formula is a complete source of nutrition till 12m as well - that's what makes it different to plain ol' cows' milk.

(I suspect I am a bad source of advice for your situation though because a) dd was bf so I never knew, nor worried about, how much milk she had and b) she's 14m now so it's a bit of a dim blurry memory...)

Bramshott · 06/11/2008 11:13

I would say take your cues from her - continue to offer her as much milk as ever, but if she doesn't want to finish her bottle, or needs a lot of persuading to do so, maybe that's a sign that she's full up and doesn't want quite so much. I guess you will gradually see the amount of milk decrease, and food increase over the next few months.

Chocolatedays · 06/11/2008 11:18

Hiya Becky
Where is DD on the growth charts? If she is still within the boundaries - even at the very top - then great! Her weight will balance out ince she starts crawling and walking.
Choc

Original poster

Becky77 · 06/11/2008 11:26

@ MrsBadger - Thanks again for your responses

@ Bramshott - That sounds like a good plan... I'm also still feeding her once every 3 hours in the day and once at night. I wonder if I should try and spread these out a bit? I'm currently feeding DD a bottle before every puree meal and she still wolfs down about 40ml mixed with 2 teaspoons of baby rice

@ Chocolatedays - She's approaching the 98th percentile, but she is in the 95th for length so she's basically the size and weight of a 9 month old! She was only 7lb 10 at birth. But yes I'm hoping it will all even itself out when she starts crawling

OP posts:

Chocolatedays · 07/11/2008 09:37

Sounds like she'll be a tall and perfectly proportioned stunner! Bramshott's advice sounds spot on. Enjoy!

ShowOfHands · 07/11/2008 09:46

I certainly wouldn't get bogged down by what she weighs or where she is on a centile chart, certainly 'within the boundaries' can be an indication of sweet fa. If you have made the decision to give solids at this age, please just be led by your baby, offer milk first and do not try to actively decrease milk feeds at this point. Milk is most definitely the most important thing for her.

pudding25 · 07/11/2008 10:09

Hi Becky. Are you covered in orange goo like me? . From everything I have been reading, until they are 6 mths, give the milk first, then the solids. Once it gets to 6 mths, you can start reducing a bottle. E.g we give a bottle around 11pm, then solids. DD usually takes about 200ml. As she is now 6 mths, I am going to gradually reduce that bottle so that in about 3wks or so, she will just be having lunch at that time with water and no bottle. The plan being that she will have a milk feed first thing, one around 2.30pm, one before bed and then the dreamfeedat 11pm which will, over the next 2 mths, be phased out.

Hope that makes sense (I have got this fron Gina Ford's weaning guide and I am going to try and loosely follow it).

sunshine75 · 07/11/2008 10:11

It's funny how we worry isn't it. I have the opposite problem. DD really isn't very greedy at all (for milk or solids) and is desperately clinging to the 2nd centile. I wish I knew how to feed her more. Our dds need to meet in the middle!!

Original poster

Becky77 · 07/11/2008 10:14

Thanks for your advice everyone... I wouldn't want to reduce milk below her recommended amount but perhaps reduce down to the recommended amount... She's currently getting 5oz a day over it... Anyway it's no biggy... She's a very contented baby so I'll continue to let her take the lead...

Out of interest for those who aren't doing BLW do you continue to offer milk before each solid feed meal? It seems the advise is to have milk in the early morning, then a milk feed before breakfast, then lunch and dinner without milk, then a milk feed for bedtime... This is the bit that confuses me

@ Chocolatedays - Thanks

OP posts:

SoWhat · 07/11/2008 10:18

My DD is almost 6 months and she currently gets:

7am 210ml formula
8am Breakfast
11am 210ml formula
1pm Lunch
3pm 210ml formula
5pm Dinner
7pm 210ml formula

I am still trying to get her to take water with her meals but at the moment she just spits it out!

She doesnt always finish all of her bottles so I know she is getting enough and is full.

HTH

Original poster

Becky77 · 07/11/2008 10:27

Thanks SoWhat - Is she off the night feeds now then?

My DD currently gets:

3-4am 7oz Formula

8am 7oz Formula
(Will add breakfast next week)

9-10am nap

11am 7oz feed followed by fruity lunch

12-2pm nap

3pm 7oz feed followed by veggie dinner

5.30-6pm Bedtime feed

OP posts:

SoWhat · 07/11/2008 10:34

Yes she is off night feeds. I stopped bfing at 3 1/2 months and i think she had a bottle during the night once after that. She still wakes up but will settle with a dummy now - I think she used to use the bf as a comforter during the night tbh, rather than being hungry.

Original poster

Becky77 · 07/11/2008 10:46

Hmmm yes I do suspect my DD doesn't really need 7oz at 4am but its a sure fire way to get her back to sleep. I think once she's on 3 meals a day I'll gradually reduce that feed and hopefully she'll start going to bed later soon too so that getting to 7am isn't an extra stretch for her (she's currently zonked out by 6pm at the latest!)

OP posts:

SoWhat · 07/11/2008 10:52

DD has 3 naps a day which seems to help I think but that is only since she has been getting solids. Maybe you could try moving her dinner later and letting her have a nap before it? I know all babies are different though.

Original poster

Becky77 · 07/11/2008 11:15

She used to have an afternoon nap but she dropped it... If she doesnt get much sleep at the other two I'll put her down for a third nap... I think it's because she sleeps from 6pm to 7am she's getting an extra hours sleep there anyway She's a funny thing though because she absolutely wont nap after 4pm so pushing her bedtime later has always proved difficult!

OP posts:

TettyLouBar · 07/11/2008 19:21

Hey Becky,
I'm nearly in the same boat as you (again!!) Just wondered in what order you dropped the breastfeeds? I have dropped the bedtime one with DD since sunday and plan to drop one every 7-10 days ish? is that what you did?
She now takes 7-8 oz ff instead at bedtime, and has babyrice once a day at moment.

Original poster

Becky77 · 07/11/2008 19:48

@ TettyLouBar _ Haha hello again! I started giving DD a bottle of formula at 10 weeks after her lunchtime nap... then about 4 weeks later I added a second bottle in before the lunchtime nap... Around 17 weeks when she had a big growth spurt my supply had been dented and couldn't keep up so I start giving bottles for all day time feeds and boob for bedtime, in the night and morning... About 2 weeks ago there just wasnt enough for her anymore (I was very sad ) so I went down to just the night feed but that was beginning to not fill her up and then this week my period came back (also very sad) so I decided that that was a fitting time to stop. My boobs are still sore from engorgement... And it's soooo tempting to feed her but at the end of the day I planned to only do it until we started solids so thats the end of that... Until next time!

@ Pudding25 - Dont know how I managed to miss your post!! But yes I am covered in goo, yellow, orange and brown! Your system sounds pretty good... We're going to introduce breakfast tomorrow and then for the next four weeks just keep going with milk first then solids. We're sticking to just fruit and veggie purees mixed with a bit of baby rice although she prefers them without! I gave her a piece of very soft (microwaved) pear to play with today and she gave it a good old suck and swallowed a bit... I was hair raising I can tell you but she loved it!

@ Sunshine75 - Sorry I missed your post too! So true isn't it, we worry either way!

OP posts:

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