Your opinions please - very nervous first time Mum!

[Chini]

Dear All! I have not come across a more comprehensive website for information on weaning than this! Also, you ladies are so knowledgeable. I started weaning 5 weeks ago. My identical twin boys - Joshua & Ryan are now 27 weeks from birth (19 weeks corrected as they were 8 weeks early). They are on a 4 hourly feeding schedule at 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm and 6 pm. I have been offering one solid meal to date after the 10 am feed. So far, I have offered baby rice, pears, carrots, squash, avocado, banana, cauliflower, courgette. I have sweet potato, apple and peach ready in the freezer to be given too. Joshua drinks on average 700-900 mls (25-30 oz I think) per day and Ryan 600-700 mls (22-25 oz I think) per day. I am not totally sure of the conversions to ozs from mls though - hope my calculations are accurate.

Please give your opinions and advise :

1) Is it ok to offer a second meal before the last feed of the day - around 4/5 pm? Should this be veg rather than fruit, or is it irrelevant? Will this reduce their formula intake?

2)Is it ok to use a bit of cheese or unsalted butter in cooking now?

3)Is it ok to offer them full fat yoghurts?

4)When can meat or fish can be introduced? Fish before meat or meat before fish?

5)Have I been doing the waning too slowly? It is just I have read in books that by 6 months, babies should be on three meals a day, but I have been too worried about them reducing their milk intake.

So far, the boys have not shown any bad reaction to any foods - except dry stools with banana!

I would very much like your opinions please? I am very stressed out with worrying about whether I am on the right path on not! Thanks so much. xxx

[woopster]

Hi Chini, It sounds like you're doing fine!
If it works offering the 2nd meal in the pm , then that's fine.  It doesn't matter whether it's fruit or veg. They may take a smaller amount for their last feed until they get used to the solids.
You can certainly use cheese and butter in cooking. Just make sure it's the full fat stuff.
Full fat yougurts are fine too.
I offered fish, as I found it blander and easier to chew than meat.
The banana is normal!  Gives my 2 silver poops!!
The way you are weaning them is fine - you are being led by them and that's the important thing. 
Sam wouldn't touch solids until he was 6 months although my consultant gave me the go ahead at 4!
We have only been on 3 meals a day for a while ourselves.
They will let you know when they want more!! 

[corrina01]

1) Is it ok to offer a second meal before the last feed of the day - around 4/5 pm? Should this be veg rather than fruit, or is it irrelevant? Will this reduce their formula intake

I did this with my DD, when I first started her on solids, I fed her about 11am, to see if there was any allergic reactions.  I gave it about a week (they usually say 3 days). There wasn't, so I then moved to what I was feeding her at 11am on to the 4.30pm slot, so that gave her 2 meals a day.  I then tried something different at the 11am feed.  That didn't affect her formula intake. In fact she took more.

2)Is it ok to use a bit of cheese or unsalted butter in cooking now?

 

Unsalted butter is okay, I don't know about cheese, as when I gave this to my DD when she was about 7 months, that gave her a stomach ache, so I held off until she was about 8 months then she could handle cheese.

3)Is it ok to offer them full fat yoghurts?

I fed these to my DD at 6 months, she loved them, still does.  

4)When can meat or fish can be introduced? Fish before meat or meat before fish?

I introduced meat when my DD was about 7 months, after I had introduced most veggies and most fruit. Then at 8 months I introduced fish.

5)Have I been doing the waning too slowly? It is just I have read in books that by 6 months, babies should be on three meals a day, but I have been too worried about them reducing their milk intake.

Most countries they don't advice giving solids before 6 months.  I think I was giving my DD 3 meals a day at about 7 1/2 months.  If they reduce on their milk intake, usually there is too much solid food been given, just cut it down a little bit and they should increase the intake again.  

HTH

[tylersmommy]

Bearing in mind that full fat yogurts counts towards the formula intake, at about 4.5oz.

Just out of curiosity, is this a UK thing?

[Chini]

Thank you all sooooooo much!!! As I am sitting here in London (UK) surrounded by books, I am so pleased to get advice from you all. Will probably sleep better tonight as I have been so stressed out with this weaning!

I offered a second solid meal today at 3 pm after their bottle feed at 2 pm and they took it all! I thought this is a ideal time for now as it gives another three hours before their last bottle feed - hopefully by then they will be hungry again and finish all the formula.

By the way, can I use full fat organic adult yoghurt, or does it have to ones made for babies/kids? The baby/kids's ones are already mixed with fruits, and I was thinking about mixing plain yoghurt with my own fruit purees.

Thanks so much for your help!

[JennŠ]

Melissa, I think we count yogurt as a liquid at the hospital.  Like jello and pudding.  Never heard of it as a formula substitute though.   

[Chini]

Another question : Books says can use cows milk in cooking from 6 months. Can I use formula in the cooking instead and freeze? This would be more nutritious than using cows milk which is why I would like to do it if it is ok.

[woopster]

Chini, I don't think you can freeze formula. 
They would be getting  a load of nutrients from the formula they are drinking anyway.  You may as well get them used to the taste of cow's milk now, save you doing it in a few months!!