Feeding routine for 6-9months

[MoonMom]

I can not get my baby to eat for the life of me!  ANyone have the problem of a baby just not wanting to drink very much?  She is 7.5 mo, here is what our "routine" is, if you can call it that.

6:30am-nurses
8:00-cereal/fruit
9:00 nap--10:30
10:30--bottle offerred on waking, usually eats no more than 3oz if I'm lucky.
11:00--fruit
1:00 nap--2:00
2:00 bottle offerred, usuall yonly takes 3 oz.  I have to fight her to get her to take that much!
sometimes cat naps between 4:30-5.
Offer bottle at 5, takes 2-3 oz
Dinner--veggies/fruit
offer bottle at bedtime 7:30, usually takes 3-4oz.

She wakes at least 2-3 times a night, has never slept through the night.  We are SO tired. Help!  We've recently stopped feeding her at night, still doesn't change her eating during the day. SHe is so stubborn.  SHe doesn't complain or act hungry, either. I don't know if I should be concerned or not that she only takes maximum of 15-18 oz a day!

[Freya'sMum]

Lindsay (& MoonMom),

Up to a year old, milk (breast or formula) is the most valuable source of nutrition for babies, however big they are, and however much they eat, so it is important that the milk/solid foods balance is weighted towards babymilk until at least 9-10 months old.

Curious babies might be more interested in the solid foods than the milk, perhaps they taste better than formula but it is in their best interests for them to have more milk less solids. With a baby-led weaning (self-feeding) approach, a baby's natural developmental limitations paces how much solid food he actually swallows, however with spoon-feeding, we have the responsibility to do that for him.

This is why I suggest thinking of babymilk as the Eat in the EASY routine, and solid foods as an Activity, this takes the pressure off babies and parents for los to comsume any vast quantity of solid food, and ensures that the milk takes priority for nutrition.

So, in terms of routine (not sure where your naps fit in ):

8am formula
9am breakfast
nap
12noon formula
1pm (lunch) when you add it - no rush!
nap
4pm formula
5pm tea
6.30pm formula

Honestly, there is no rush to introduce larger or more frequent solid foods meals, nor to drop any milk feeds. Dd#2 still has 4 milk feeds a day and she's 18 months, it's the balance between milk and solid foods that has switched, milk is now a morning, snacktime and bedtime drink, solid foods are the meals. She was also still having a night feed until 13 months!

HTH a bit?

Ax

[Mia & Scarlett's Mummy]

Hello - Scarlett is 8 months old and here is her feeding (and sleeping) routine

7am - 8oz bottle
8am - breakfast.  Alternate between weetabix and porridge, with banana or apple.  Toast w/ butter.
10.00 - 3oz milk and nap (30-45 minutes)
12.30 - lunch - protein such as one-pot chicken, beef casserole, shepherds pie.  Juice to drink.
2.00 - 4/6oz bottle of milk and nap (2 to 2.5 hours)
5.30 - tea (vegetarian)  macaroni cheese or soup or lentils and veg, cheesy veggie bake, pasta bake etc.  yoghurt for pudding.
7.15 bottle and bed at 7.30

[surfgirl1]

Im having trouble weaning my LO he is 6months 2weeks and he just wont open his mouth,he hated the baby rice, and is better with savoury but TBH he still wont open, I do aeroplanes etc and he lauh and giggles so im go stright in and his mouth is sealed shut again, i dont reemeber it being like this for my other two. any tips???

[Freya'sMum]

Check out the FAQ on Spoon Refusal and Baby-led Weaning in the FAQ section of this forum - my dd2 did exactly the same thing, so I went with her 'whisperings' that she didn't wanna be spoon-fed, and it was bloomin' marvellous - if you do decide to go the BLW route (which I recommend, in my non-Mod capacity ), then there is a BLW Support thread (now in its 4th edition) and also a Finger Foods for Young Babies thread in the Recipes section to get you started - even if you are uncertain about the approach, read the last few pages of the support thread, and/or post your worries there, and folk will shower you with their success stories I'd certainly recommend it for a 2nd/3rd/4th child - is sooooooooo much easier when you've got your hands full with other things!

HTH?

Ax

[~*Sugar*~]

My lo just turned 9 months and here is our routine...

730am 5 oz bottle
830 breakfast - 3-4tbsp cereal mixted with formula and 2tbsp of fruit
1030 nap 1-1.5 hour
1130-12pm 4-5 oz bottle
1230-1pm lunch - usually yogurt,cheese,crackers,grapes(he loves grapes)with some bread and milk or juice in his sippy cup
330 4-5oz bottle then his nap...usually 1hour sometimes more but not often
430 supper - 2-3 tbsp veggies,a few bites of meat(hes not liking meat very well)pasta or casserole(whatever we are having) 2 tbsp of fruit and milk or juice from his sippy cup and sometimes a teething cookie
6pm bath and bedtime routine
630 bottle...this can be anywheres from 5-10 oz
bedtime by 7pm but occasionally he holds out until 730

He has never been a big milk drinker or eater.I struggle most days to get the recommended 20oz a day into him.Also hes not likeing meat so i am trying to find ways to get protien into him.

[*Natasha*]

DD2 is 6months tomorrow and she has been on solids for a month now and loves it:

7.30am - Wake Bottle 8ozs
8.15am - 3tbls cereal mixed with whole milk
9.30am - Sleep 1.5hrs
11.15am - Bottle 6ozs
12pm - 60g Tub of yoghurt
1.15pm - Sleep 2-2.5hrs
3.30pm - Bottle 6ozs
5.30pm - 1 ice cube vege and 1 of fruit
6.30pm - Bottle 8ozs and bed

[MeAndVee]

Vinayak is 8 months

7am - 8 oz bottle 5 tbls oatmeal
8:30am - 4 oz yogurt or breakfast babyfood
11am - 4 oz bottle
12:30pm - 4 oz fruit
3pm - 6 oz bottle
5:30pm - 4oz meat and veggie
7:30pm - 8 oz bottle 3 tbls cereal

I know it is early but we have been thinking about phasing out the 11am bottle.

[Freya'sMum]

Just to advise that milk is the primary source of nutrition until 12 months old, solid food is just for the experience (learning what solid food is and what to do with it) until then, with the aim of introducing your lo to the kind of foods you will be expecting them to have in their diet as a toddler and beyond don't be in any rush to drop bottles, you really want your lo to continue to take their pre-solids quantity of milk until at least 9-10 months - you can find the rationale for this on the main board and in the FAQs

Ax

[oigsmom]

After hours of scanning this site for answers, I hope I can finally help someone else. My DD turned 6 months yesterday. We began weaning at 5 months, starting with 1T of rice cereal at dinner. After about a week, she began taking 4T, so we added breakfast, and then a week later lunch. Solids happened to coincide with the end of night feedings (glorious) so she went from 5 bottles to 4. But we also went from 5 oz. to 6oz. Next week we are adding veggies at lunch! Here's the current schedule:

6:15 Bottle
8am Cereal
9-11am Nap
11am Bottle
12pm Cereal
1-3pm Nap
3pm Bottle
5pm Cereal
6:30 Bath
7pm Bottle & Bed

We have a 45 minute commute to and from daycare/work 4 days/week so the schedule is a bit forced in the early am and evening.

[MeAndVee]

We're keeping the 11am bottle.  He goes through phases where he isn't as interested in that bottle and that is why we thought of dropping it.

[Mum of 3 + 2 stepkids]

Hi all, DS (Zane) is now 7mths and at the mo are doing:

6am BF
10am BF
10.45 cereal
2pm BF
2.45 Veg & Fruit
4.30 BF (top up)
6.30 EBM 7oz
7.30 bed no DF

All is going well but the last 2 days at 7am he is getting upset, its on and off for an hr till he goes for a nap at 8am. Do you think i should be doing a breakfast also?

Kate x

[Freya'sMum]

No reason you can't offer breakfast Kate, see what happens - if it affects milk intake, or doesn't solve the problem, then don't push it, but otherwise follow Zane's lead

Ax

[*Natasha*]

Ok here is ours at 8.5months:

7.30am - Bottle 8ozs
8.30am - Breakfast weetbix or oats mixed fruit and whole milk
11.45am/12pm - Lunch bread, cheese, fruit,tub of yoghurt
1/1.15pm - Bottle 6ozs
3.30pm - Snack plain biscuit/sultanas
5/5.30pm - Dinner 90% of the time she has what we have which includes 3 vege, almost always meat and either rice or pasta. Then custard or jelly for dessert. 3.5ozs milk in a straw cup.
6.30pm - Bottle 8ozs

[emz1907]

My lo is just shy of 9 months and we do the following:

6am - 7oz bottle
7am - Cereal/porridge breakfast
10am - water/juice from sippy and finger food snack (toast, cheese, veg batons, banana etc)
12.00am - 7oz bottle
12.15-12.30pm - Lunch, normally home made concoction followed by fruit pieces with yoghurt or fruit puree.
3pm - water/juice from sippy and finger food snack
5pm - Dinner, same kind of things as lunch was.
6-6.30pm - 7oz bottle

I was wondering if that looked ok? Just I sometimes find my lo is getting cranky as it gets towards 12 and I wondered if he was getting hungry faster than I normally feed him lunch? Or should his 12 bottle be earlier therefore further apart from his lunch? Now he's on this routine it seems we have to stop for food tons more times, a least before solids took hold it was just 4 bottles with bits of solids 4times a day now its 8!