Taking ages

[Maxdrewe]

Hi all

Just a couple if quick questions;

My DS - 6 mnths old is on 3 solid meals a day + bottles at 7, 11, 3, 7 and a DF at 10 ish. He is a super fussy eater and takes ages to drink his bottles, he usually drinks between 26 and 31 oz in a day but can take up to an hour to drink, he usually finishes with his solid meal. I have tried level 3 teats but they don't seem to make a difference. He is spirited and very active, I just can't get him to sit still for long enough so he has a bit at a time and a wiggle between. It isn't really a problem for me but wonder if I am doing something wrong.

Secondly am I right in understanding that I can mix my formula in the morning for the day from boiling water and put in the fridge then warm when I need?? How long do they last in the fridge? Do I need to keep them cool in a freezer bag if I go out??

[Lolly]

Usually a bottle feed takes about 20 mins max, but if the time he takes doesn't bother you then don't worry about it, his intake is good though. The only issue with feeds taking that long is you can get into snacking because they have less time to get hungry before the next feed so take less and get hungry sooner than they should and then take a small feed again...... and so on!

Many people make feeds ahead of time but the safest way is made with freshly boiled water when you need them. If you do make them before hand cool them very quickly under running water and store right at the back of the fridge where it is coldest. Once a bottle has been made up it's good for 2 hours at room temp (but should be discarded 1 hour after a baby has started drinking from it) and should be fine in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

If you are taking a pre-made bottle out and about you will need to keep it in a cooler. An easier way is to put the amount of water you need into the sterilised bottle and keep the powder in a container then just mix and warm when you need it. Although the water won't be hot enough to kill any bacteria in the powder becuase you are using it straight away you aren't leaving it for bacteria to multiply! We used this method for all bottles because the reflux formula my kids were on needed to be mixed with cold water so we just kept the bottles of water ready in the fridge.

HTH!

Laura

[Maxdrewe]

Are there any top tips I can try to speed him up??

[*Kara*]

I would go back to the level 3 teats and keep with them for a good few days to let him adjust.

Edit - just noticed that he is on 3 solid meals a day - he could be ready to space his bottles out a little bit more than 4 hours... once solids are going well, it's not uncommon for LO's to adapt to a 4 hr + EASY...

We were like this around 6 months ( note my EW - we had two 2hr naps though and did STTN all the time)

5/530am- 6.5 ozs
7am - solids
1130/12noon - 6.5 ozs and solids right away
430pm - 6.5 ozs and solids right away
645pm - 8 ozs and BT

I have no idea why, but she would never have her solids breakfast right away like she did with her lunch and dinner... and now at 11 months, her feeds are all spaced out with bottles OR solids again.. weird.

[Maxdrewe]

I will try spacing them out more. I use a level 3 teat at 3:00 pm feed but he is no quicker, I will add another one in during the day.

It can't be a not hungry thing as he is fussy even for the first feed, I am confused.

Thank you

[*Kara*]

I use a level 3 teat at 3:00 pm feed but he is no quicker, I will add another one in during the day.

This could be your issue.  I would change all feeds to the new teat otherwise LO is never going to learn to adjust how he eats... he will never know what to expect   I tried the same thing with my DD thinking that it would give her a chance to figure it out - all it did was confuse the heck out of her

One other question: how much is he eating in terms of solids?

[Maxdrewe]

Eating about a cube and a half of annabel karmels trays + petit Filous at dinner.

[*Kara*]

How much is a cube in the Karmel trays?  The website doesn't specify a volume but it does say that one cube is a meal portion.  So, it could be that you are giving LO too much in terms of solids and therefore, he isn't hungry enough for his milk feeds.  Since milk is most important until 1 year, I would greatly reduce what you offer in terms of solids.

When did you intro solids?  Most babies aren't on 3 meals until 9/10 months if started at 6 months.

[Maxdrewe]

We started at 5 months- hv advice. I always feed milk first and give an hour before solids. I guess he has about 1 1/2 tbsp at lunch and dinner + porridge. what do you think I should reduce to? He is the same with his morning bottle before solids??

[*Kara*]

Oh well, I wouldn't reduce his solids if that's all he eats   You said cube and a half and that would be more like 7-8 tbsps

We started at 5 months too, but only got to 2 meals at 7 months, then 3 at 8 months.

[Lolly]

Kara - the Annabel Karmel ice cube trays aren't that big, each cube holds about 1-2 tablespoons depending on what it is!

The only other way to speed things up is to try and cut the time down for a few days and see if that makes him hungrier. So start a feed, give him about 20 mins and then stop the feed. Offer him less solids than is normal and see if that makes the next bottle feed quicker. He will take less at the first feed but should take a full feed in less time at the next feed, if you keep the feeds to the less time he should catch on. Definitly keep the faster teat for all feeds, depending on which bottles and formula you use he may even be better on a vari-flow teat.

I guess it depends on what you are comfortable doing really.

Laura

[Maxdrewe]

He was much better with his bottle at 4:30 and had 2 oz of lovely lentils and pear. So he fed at 7, 12, 4:30 and will have a bedtime feed at 7 ( i know 5 hrs is maybe a bit much between 7 and 12- more accident that intentional) He was much quicker on the level 3 and guzzled 4oz straight off and then a bit slower with the next 2 and had an oz with his dinner - much better. How much solids should I think about per solid feed??

[Lolly]

If he's taking his milk better then stick with what you are doing, if he starts dropping back again then give about half of what you have been doing and increase it again after his milk intake increases!

Laura

[*Kara*]

Kara - the Annabel Karmel ice cube trays aren't that big, each cube holds about 1-2 tablespoons depending on what it is!

Thanks Laura - the website described them as a "meal portion" which made me think it would be 4 ozs or so.  And they look big on the site

I agree 150% with all that Laura has said... be sure to let us know how things are in a few days

[Maxdrewe]

Will do- thanx, could be a bit hit and miss for a while as he has developed a cold, poor little man.