Fitting in solids after work and before bed

[Kirsten~]

I think this is the right place to post this, but feel free to move if not.

I am having a hard time figuring out what is the best order or routine at night for doing solids and breastfeeding before BT. I usually get home from work between 5:30 and 6 depending on if DD is at the babysitter's or home with DH. And she usually needs to eat around 6 (maybe 6:30). I have been BFing at 6, then solids at 6:30, then bath, then BF again as part of our WD and a top off (BT is 7:30). BUt it seems like a lot of feeding in a short period of time. The solids in the evening has helped a lot with sleeping since she hit her 6mo GS last week, so I do want to continue doing the "dinner". But I would like to get to BFing only right before bed or is it too early to try and make that change? I'm also worried that if I do solids at 6/6:30 before BFing that she will be too fussy (I sort of tried it this evening, and she was a little fussy, but I was also sort of unprepared with her food).

Any ideas? Or anyone with similar experiences?

[Papaya]

Is she having solids at breakfast and lunch? If so, I honestly wouldn't worry about solids in the evenings for now - my LO was over 7 months before we were consistently on three meals a day. BM is more calorific than any solids she's likely to be taking at this age. How many milk feeds is she having in the day?

[Kirsten~]

No, she's only getting solids at lunch and now dinner. Honestly, I have no idea how I can fit in breakfast either, which is why I have not even gone there yet. Do you think lunch and dinner is ok?

She is doing 5-6 BFs a day. She has 4 day feeds (every 4 hours), a top off before bed, and then usually one NF (although last night it was two...no idea why). I just feel like with BFing and then solids, I'm constantly feeding her! That's why I was trying to see if I could merge the 4th BF with her BT top off. I'm just not sure how to fit it all in to one day! Ack

[Papaya]

Sorry for not getting back to you!

Look, I think even one meal a day is fine right now - she's not even six months. If she's enjoying it and you have time, by all means offer dinner (and/or breakfast), but it's more for fun and exploration of taste, texture etc, rather than much nutrition.

I also had trouble fitting in dinner when we were still doing a catnap, which is one of the reasons why I didn't consistently offer it until 7 months, when we had dropped the CN. Then I just had 4 day feeds (WU, after both naps, and BT) plus a dreamfeed. Even so, it was like the last A time was just eat eat eat!