Water or bf at meal times

[Liliben]

DD is 7 months tomorrow. We've been introducing solids for 5 weeks now. To begin withh we just introduced finger foods at one meal, the following week at 2 meals. We now have some spoon stuff as well. My problem is every time we introduce a dinner we have night time sleep problems. The first time it happened she began pooing about 3 times in the night and was obviously in pain when she had previosuly cut back to only the DF during the night time. Th BM was more solid than BF poo but still quite runny. after several night wakings we're back to the DF and one NF again. So we tried a third meal again this week and she was up all last night again. Poo has now become formed in the last three days. She didn't pass a bowel movement at all and the in the last 3 days she's passed 2 or 3 small formed BM every day. Is this normal. I'm not sure if she should be having more water now or whether the BF is better to stop her becoming constipated. DS who is 6 suffers really badly from constipation despite having a good diet and I don't want to get into bad habits. This is DD's routine. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

7.00 BF
8.00 Breakfast followed by short BF
9.15 Nap
10.45 Wake
11.00 BF
12.00 Lunch
1.15 Nap
2.45 Wake
3.00 BF
4.45 Catnap
5.30 Dinner followed by water (doesn't manage to drink much but she perseveres)
7.00 BF
7.30 BT
11.00 DF
4.00 NF

Sometimes if we've been out on errands in the pm she'll nap in the pram but only for 45 mins which means she'll have an earlier third nap at around 4pm until 5pm. AFter waking here she usually demands and extra BF. Also at night time if I don't wake her for a dream feed she will often sleep until 1 am and then starts her day at 6am.

Sorry for rambling. Maninly what I'm trying to ask is whether I should offer less BF, more water, less mealtimes, less food. I really don't want her to become constipated.

[~inbalance~]

I think your routine itself looks good in terms of solids and BFs.  I would continue to offer water with meals, but if she is having 4 BFs a day plus 1 or 2 other ones throughout the night, then she should be getting enough liquids.

What kinds of foods are you offering? 

Is she straining when she is trying to poop?  Constipation isn't necessarily about the frequency of BMs, more if they are small and formed, kinda like rabbit pellets.  So if she is skipping a day or two, but doesn't seem uncomfortable then she is likely not constipated.

The NWings may not be related to her food at all, it could be a routine issue.  Around this age many LOs will start to need more A time and will be ready to drop the catnap, as it can interfere with night sleep.

[Liliben]

Thanks Martina. So you think I shoul drop the BFs after breakfast and lunch and offer water instead? In terms of foods we are mainly doing veg and fruit purees in terms of spoon stuff but anything goes really as finger foods. She has toast fingers at breakfast time and has lots of fruit and veg, meat and cheese at other meal times. We've tried yoghurt but she doesn't seem to like it. I try to keep things simple at dinner time with stuff that's easier to digest. She will eat quite a lot, as much as I'm willing to give her.

She has been straining to poo the last few days (concentrating and straining and not managing to do much) and produced small formed dry sausage shaped poos that don't requir any cleaning up off her bottom at least 3 times a day and once in the night. With Ds the paediatrician told me that you should have to wipe a bottom. That not having to wipe isn't a good sign. They have improved over the course of today - more poo and slightly runnier.

In terms of routine as well we are struggling to extend wake times any longer than 2.5 hours (more usually 2.25). DD is ywaning like mad on the way home from the school drop off at 9am so I have to put her in her cot once we get home. If we do manage a longer A time after the first nap I have to wake her early to do school run again for 3pm (I sometimes have to do this anyway even when she's napped at 1pm and drive to school and BF in the car just before 3pm!). So that means we are never going to make it to BT without a catnap!! I did try to put her to bed earlier once at the weekend without a catnap and she woke at 10pm and then 4 hourly through the night!!!

[~inbalance~]

Yes, I would just offer water at breakfast and lunch and not worry about BF, since she is already getting lots of BFs.

She does sound a bit constipated.  I would stay away from toast and other grains, and bananas, and maybe go easy on meats as well as I think they are harder to digest.

There is a laxative foods thread that might have some helpful ideas to keep her system moving:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54820.0

[Liliben]

Thanks Martina. We do avoid bananas and don't do much meat but we'll try steering away from grains and toast too. I'll also check out the laxative foods.