Switching to Solids before Milk

[bethg]

How and when is it necessary to switch milk and solids?  Do you just wake up one day and give breakfast solids before milk?  Or, is there a more gradual way to switch?  I feel like we should switch so that 9 mo old DD will eat more solids.  But I also think it’s too soon to cut out too much milk.  We just stopped dream feed and she just started crawling, so will she start eating more solids once she is more active?  Here is a sample day of EASY:

6:45 Wake
7:15 6oz EBM
8:15 1.5T Cereal & 1.5T Fruit
9:30 Asleep
10:45 Awake
11:00 6.5oz EBM
12:00 3T Various Veg or Fruit
1:30 Asleep
2:45 Awake
3:00 6.5 oz EBM
5:00 1.5T Meat & 1.5 T Veg
5:30 Bath
6:30 6.5-7oz EBM
6:45 Stories
7:00 In Bed
7:15-7:30 Asleep

[amayzie]

Hi hon- i've moved this to bottle feeding as i think it's more suited to this board...

[Lolly]

What usually happens is that around 9/10 months most bottle fed babies drop to 3 bottles and then 2 bottles around 1 year. The most common pattern seems to be wake up bottle, breakfast, nap, lunch, pre nap bottle, nap, tea, bedtime bottle.

Ideally they should be off bottles around 1 but in reality the morning bottle gets moved to milk in a cup with breakfast some time between 12 and 18 months and the bedtime bottle tends to be the last to go, and that really varies!

I am very impressed that you are pumping that much milk!

Laura

[SILLYFACE]

I agree! At 9 months she would probably be on 3 bottles - morning, afternoon and bed. 4 bf or ebm is pretty common though and if she is eating solids, trying a range of foods and finger feeding I actually wouldn't obsess. If you want to cut down I would start with the 11 bottle. Give her solids about 11.30/45 and a offer her milk after - she will take what she needs. When she is only drinking 1-2oz cut it out and give a pudding like a yoghurt or fruit. The other times seem fine to me! Id also start to introduce protein at lunchtime especially if she is active - lots of people give a hot meal (dinner) at lunchtime and do a tea later so that they have the calories after lunch but work it however it suits you. She seems fine and you are doing great xxxx