When do i introduce 3rd meal?

[cbmum]

My DD is 6 1/2 months old and at 6 months was on 3 (albeit small) meals per day plus her usual milk feeds. I always offer her milk first then half an hour later the food.

About 2 weeks ago her sleep starting getting very disrupted and she went from waking her normal twice per night to feed (about 4oz each time) to waking an additional 2-3 times. This corresponded with a drop off in her wanting to drink her milk.

I reduced her food quantities and dropped the afternoon tea food and since then she has upped her milk again. She now has about 23-25oz per day. (She's never been a huge feeder).

My question is - when do I re-introduce the 3rd meal?

Obviously all children are different and you should follow your instincts, but the usual guidelines are to intoduce one meal a day at 6 months, a second at 7-8 months and a third at about 9 months.
She is still very young and her insides are just adjusting to solid food.
If you think the food might be causing the sleep disturbance it is better to feed her earlier in the day so that any bad effects show up in the afternoon/evening. This is especially true when introducing new foods.