6.5m old loves solids but milk intake barely 16oz day

[NikkiSurrey]

Hi there

I started weaning my spirited DS at just 1 week before 6 months as he never woke in the night (we are blessed, but tricky daytime naps compensate a little!) and never started to drain his bottles.

At 5.5 months it became very difficult to bottle feed him in my lap, reaching a point where he point blank refused to drink while constricted in someone's arms.  After a stressful few days wracking my brains for a solution I realised he just needed more independence and he now sits in the corner of our old sofa or in the high chair to have his bottle, free to kick his legs to his heart's content and whip his head around to take in his surroundings.

At the same time I finally realised that he must be bored of milk and must be very ready to try solids.

He loves his food, so I am moving quite quickly through the first veggies and fruit with now two types of fruit and 4 types of veggies on the menu.  I've just introduced lunch so he's on 3 little meals a day.  I now wonder if that was a little too soon but don't really want to go back to 2 meals as I think that would be rather unfair on him.

However, he is becoming harder and harder to bottle feed and seems ever more enthusiastic about his solids.  I am lucky if I can get 16oz milk into him every day.  I give him Aptamil follow on milk with extra iron as I have not got to iron-rich foods yet.

My question: as he loves his solids but is not bothered with milk, should I be careful to regulate his solids portions to ensure he doesn't cut back too quickly on the milk?  Or should I feed him as much as he likes, and let his own appetite lead the way?  I know I can add milk into his purees and am trying to do that but just want to ensure I am doing the right thing as far as portion sizes and his bottle feeding are concerned.

Thanks very much in advance for any advice or thoughts.
Nikki

[em_here]

my 5 and a bit month babe is like this sometimes, I'll be watching this thread closely, she LOVES her solids, much better 2 her than the bottle!!!

[taygensmom]

Definately I think you should moderate her solid intake. My LO also loves solids more than milk, but at 6.5 months milk should still be the main form of nutrition and 16 oz. is not enough for your LOs age. You can keep the 3 meals if you want, but I would really suggest limiting the solid amounts and consistently offering the bottle right before solids. If you offer solids right after the bottle you are ensuring that he is getting some milk first, and it will give him time to get hungry again for more milk before the next feeding (as opposed to offering milk and then solids 1 or 2 hours later).

[NikkiSurrey]

Thanks very much for the advice, taygensmom.  Milk consumption seems to be better today than yesterday, it does seem to vary.  But I still want to ensure that he gets enough for nutrition, so I will be sure to limit the portion sizes.

He never used to be very demanding for food anyway, but he has started crying for his dinner in the afternoon.

I always give his milk first, glad to hear that is a good idea.  For info, this is our routine:

Between
5am-6am: wakes up and chats.

7am: Bottle 1

7.30/8am: Breakfast

9am: Nap 1 (30-45 mins on a bad day, 1.5 hrs on a good day)

11am: Bottle 2

11.45am:  Lunch

1pm: Nap 2 (30-45 mins on a bad day, 1.5 hrs on a good day)

3pm: Bottle 3 (sometimes this happens at 2.30pm as he is less able to wait than when we first went to a 4 hour routine, especially if he already woke at 1.30pm/2pm)

3.30pm/4pm: Dinner

4.30/5pm: Catnap (30-45 mins; starting to drop this, even if previously woke at 1.30pm)

6.15pm/6.30pm: Bath

7pm: Bottle 4

7.30pm: Bed

Thanks again
Nikki

[NikkiSurrey]

taygensmom, I have reread your note and realised I may have misunderstood first time what you meant about feeding milk right before solids.  At the moment I give DS about 1/2 hour break before solids.  Do you think no break at all is worth trying then?

Many thanks.
Nikki

[taygensmom]

If giving 1/2 break before solids is still getting enough milk in him then you could keep it. But if you are trying to increase milk consumption I would personally make his milk/solids one "meal", present solids directly after milk, and limit the amount of solids. You will probably be more successful limiting the amount if presented right after anyways, as he will be fuller from the milk. HTH

[cbg]

Hi - I'm having the same issue with my 8 month old.  Since I went to 3 meals a day, her bottle intake has dropped to 10 -16 oz per day (anywhere from 3 - 6 oz per feed, 4 times a day).   She is a little light and my dr. wants her to put some weight on (that's why I moved to 3 meals a day from just 2).  Oh, the pressure!!  Is that enough formula for her age?  Also, she woke up last night for the first time in months for a 1am feed.  Agggghhhh!!!  Any advice?
Thanks!

[Freya'sMum]

cbg,

10-16oz of baby milk is not really sufficient for your lo, she needs anywhere from 20-30oz until 12 months when 20oz (1pint) is the recommended daily milk intake until at least 24 months! Most folk find that between 10&12 months, the milk solid foods balance shifts, and baby often drops a milk feed, but at 8 months, milk is still her primary source of nutrition.

When you say that your dd is a little light, do you mean she's on a low centile, or below the centiles range, or that she's dropping down the centile chart?

There seems to be a common misperception that feeding solid foods assists weight gain and helps babies sleep thru the night - actually, milk is by far the super food, it has more calories and fats than most common weaning foods, which babies need for all aspects of development. Check out this link for a comparison of the calorie/fat content of milk and solid foods:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/babyfoodcalories.html

My advice would be to either drop the third meal, or if that seems a bit mean, reduce the amount of solid foods that she has at each meal, then make sure she has milk first and solid foods second - this way she satisfies her hunger with the all important milk, and tops up with the solid foods. More milk is also more likely to promote a good night's sleep (altho no-one has told my dd#2 this!!!)

For my premature (and therefore low birth weight) dd#1, I added unsalted butter to all of her purees to aid weight gain, but check this suggestion out with your doctor/health visitor first if you're thinking of trying it!!!

HTH?

Ax

[NikkiSurrey]

Hi again

Thought I'd come back to give an update.  DS's milk intake has improved slightly.

I think he is calming down just a little (he is always quite hyper), which helps, and I think as he gets older and bigger, his appetite is overtaking his impatience.  So he is now taking more milk (just over 20oz a day).

Also, we discovered that DS now wants his milk nice and warm.  He used to be unfussy about taking it at room temperature.  If we ensure that the milk is warm enough, he'll be much more inclined to take it.

On another very practical note he is filling his nappy a lot more now he's on solids and we realised often the reason why he won't take his milk is that he already managed to fill his nappy between getting him up and getting the bottle ready!

I have been careful to limit portion sizes.  Keeping the solids meal fairly close to the milk feed also does seem to ensure that he gets hungry enough again for the next milk feed.

Nikki

[cbg]

Hi Again - thanks so much for the tips. Alison, my dd was also a preemie.  How early was yours?  Sadie was born 6 weeks early and has always been at the 3rd percentile.  She slipped just a bit at the last dr's visit and wasn't even on the charts at almost 15lbs!  So tiny and cute...but I have to help get that weight up.  Sure wish I had that problem myself!

Good news - She fed very well today - probably 22 oz in total.  I reduced her solid intake slightly and fed her solids sooner, about 15 minutes after her bottle feeds.  That increased the time between solids and her next bottle just enough to get her appetite back.   

Nikki - I noticed the same thing with Sadie re: the frequent bm's.  She went from one a day to 3 or 4 or more!  She also likes her bottles very warm (unless it is really hot out...then she likes them refreshing, go figure??) Good luck, hope he keeps it up.

Thank you everyone - this thread really helped!

[Freya'sMum]

Glad it's been helpful.

Dd#1 was born at 27 weeks weighing 2lb 13oz (actually quite big for her gestation) and has always been on a high centile (75th-95th) for height and weight! Must've been that butter !

Ax