Seriously what is more important?

[yellowbutterfly]

Milk or food until 1 year????

The huge majority of threads I have been reading seem to say that milk is more important until age 1 and food is fun.

However, my HV (whom i think is actually very good) insists that food is more important, hence why we wean when we do. Books we have also so food is more important, sooooooooo why do i always read on these threads that milk is more important.

Really want to know as weaning DD and very up and down at the mo. Now 8 months and can only get recommended amount of milk (500ml) into her if give 5 feeds a day, HV says don't worry just give 3 bottles a day, but then she only takes 250ml a day.

Having other issues too. Can't get her past stage 1 purees. DD was 2 months prem and still can't sit, in her highchair she can't even reach the tray so can't even grab finger food. Bumbo and tray useless as she hates it. She hates stage 2 foods, won't eat anything we make etc etc. My instincts are telling me to chill, keep offering all foods and just give milk freely until can sit and reach tray etc, but HV says food more important.

Any thoughts??

Sorry bit of a ramble.
TIA

It sounds like you are getting too many mixed messages from too many different sources. All very confusing.
The most important thing you can do is follow your instincts and follow what your DD seems to want and need.
Personally, I think at 6 months milk is more important and at 1 year food is more important. The change over happens somewhere in between, at a different point for different children depending on their appetite, size, movement etc.
If your daughter is now 8 months and was 2 months premature, the chances are that milk is more important for her now. Certainly, if she's only eating purees, she's probably not getting vast amounts of nutrition from them. (But they are still important)
Don't worry that she won't move onto stage two yet. That's fine. Let her take her time and move on when she's ready. No problem.
If she can't sit properly that's safer anyway.
Give her all the milk she needs and as much food as she wants.
As she grows you'll know when to decrease the milk and increase the food.
As long as she's growing, putting on weight and happy, then everything's fine.

thanks, all very difficult this weaning business

Exactly - exclusively milk until 6m then gradual introduction of food at baby's own pace so that by about 1 year food is of equal or greater importance than milk.

The advice 'food is fun before 1' saved me a lot of stress though.

If your DD was 2 months premature then everything should be adjusted. She will show she is ready for food by being able to sit and grab things.

Just to reassure you - I know plenty of babies older than 1, some nearly 2, who are surviving on mostly milk. If you have a slow weaner, it's not the end of the world.

All wise words. We saw a dietician this week and she did say that food is really important for after 6 months but that's because of the vitamins etc that you baby needs and have depleted in baby's own stores. If you are struggling with weaning, make sure that you are using vitamin drops (A,B,C,D) and perhaps also iron supplements for baby. You can buy the former over the counter but I think you need a prescription for the latter.

And then relax and enjoy the mess!!

if she's 8 months but 2 months prem then 'really' she's 6 months isn't she? so you would probably only just be starting food now if she had been born at term.

it sounds like your instincts are telling you to listen to her needs & that you know what to do really.

Thank you all. DP and I decided to chill. Have put her on follow on milk for extra iron and fats, just going to offer her 3 meals a day, mainly puree until she can sit properly, but with some finger foods as well so she gets used to it. If she wants it fine, if not no problem. She is actually very good at telling us what she needs (i just hope we don't confuse her) Have also found some vitamin drops WITH iron over the counter, so may give those as well.

Shes doing fab really. just tricky with the prem stuff.

In fact lets fact it parenting is tricky full stop

Follow-on milk is a marketing con. The stage 1 formula is adequate. If you give too much iron, you risk constipation.

Thank you all. DP and I decided to chill. Have put her on follow on milk for extra iron and fats, just going to offer her 3 meals a day, mainly puree until she can sit properly, but with some finger foods as well so she gets used to it. If she wants it fine, if not no problem. She is actually very good at telling us what she needs (i just hope we don't confuse her) Have also found some vitamin drops WITH iron over the counter, so may give those as well.

Shes doing fab really. just tricky with the prem stuff.

In fact lets face it parenting is tricky full stop

Yeah, we did think about it for a while but has twice as much iron and oligosaccharides (sp) which are good. Probably is a con in normal circumstances, ie. term babies with no iron problems etc etc but may have a role in other circumstances. We'll give it a go and hold off vits for now. DD did have huge problems with constipation as has reflux and gaviscon was a nightmare. I don't really think an extra mg or less of iron will cause constipation, but may help growth. Will keep an eye out any return of constipation.

if she was prem don't you have to give her vits anyway? i was supposed to give dd vits for the first year (didn't though, she found them so upsetting to take that i gave up). i did blw with her, felt much better about the fact that she was deffo leading the way and started to eat stuff by herself at iirc a good bit less than six months corrected.

Greetings yellowbutterfly and hope your DD is sleeping better these days.

The WHO guidelines on infant feeding (which is what the NHS ones are based on) say that between the ages of 6 and 12 months, milk should be 50% of babies' nutritional intake. From 12 months to 2 years milk should be a third of their intake. (They say this about breastmilk, but I would imagine it applies to formula in the same way.)

Obviously babies don't suddenly go from no nutrition to solids to 50% as they go past the 6 month marker, so it makes sense to me

Having said that, I know at least one 2 year old who is far more interested in milk than food. However, when he's with his dad and his mum is out for the day, he eats much more in the way of solids (he is bf). So I think as long as you are guided by them, they will adjust what they take so they don't starve. From what I've read, demand feeding works well with ff babies as well as bf.

Hey AngelDog she's really good. Still has 3 naps a day but sleeps 6:30pm until 6am so no complaints here.

Aitch we gave up with vits as too distressing for her and at 34wks the paeds said it was borderline if she needed them. She was on so many meds for reflux it was all just too much. We may start again in a month of so.

She is doing fab i just really wondered where you peps got your info saying milk was more important until 1 year of age, that was all.

Think its like RuthChan and the others say, a gradual transition over the next 6 months.

Go, baby butterfly! Sadly my DS is up 3 or 4 times most nights.