is it time to change the feeding schedule?

[ishkin]

Hello all,
my LO is 7 months old, and I think we're starting to get into trouble with his feeding/eating patterns.
I'm not sure the problems arising are due to the fact that we're doing something wrong with his feeding routine,or due to the fact that he's currently teathing. Hope someone can shed some light on the problem.

Here's our current feeding routine: we introduced solids at 6 months old. He liked them at the first, but currently he doesn't want any (sticks the food out with his tongue, closes the mouth, starts crying). The amounts he eats are negligible (max a couple of tea spoons at each meal).
His milk intake is the same as it was before introducing solids.
The routine:
6:15-6:30 Wakes
7ish Bottle (180cc)
8ish Solids - fruits and some cereal
9:00-9:40 sleep

11:00 Bottle (160-180cc)
12:00 Sleep
13:30 veggies and meat

15:00 Bottle (160-180cc)
16:00-16:30 sleep
16:45-17:00 veggies/baby rice

18:30 Bottle (160cc)
18:45 sleep

22:30 DF (Bottle - takes around 120-150cc, instead of 180 as before)

Here's our problems:
1)I think its time to start cancelling the DF, especially since he's taking less milk there. But considering that his solids intake is so low- is it indeed time or should we wait a bit, since that will mean he'll be without any food for 12 hours.
In the meanwhile I've moved his DF to 22:00, started to give him 150cc instead of 180(he usually drinks even less than that), and started to give him 210 at his 7am feed, but I'm not sure we're on the right track,perhaps its too early. He barely able/wants to eat his 210 during morning feeds, I'm not sure that if I cancel his DF I can add similar amounts to his other bottles.

2)How much milk is he supposed to take daily? Perhaps we're giving him too much and that affects his solids intake? If you sum it up, currently he gets 5 bottles a day, and he drinks minimum around 800cc. BTW, part of it is breastmilk (2 bottles) and the rest formula.

3)Is it time to switch to solids first milk later? Or is this done later? Could this be the reason he's not taking solids- that he's so full on milk?

4)When do we need to cancel additional milk feed during the day?

I know its a lot of questions, I'm really confused (first kid) 

Thanks a lot in advance!

[Freya'sMum]

Welcome Ishkin,

I'll answer your questions as best I can in the order you've posted them ok?

1) dropping the df - here's a link to a sticky post on this topic in the Bottlefeeding forum, hopefully you will get the answers you need from here, if not I suggest you post in the Bottlefeeding forum for their advice/experience on the matter https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=54662.0

2) how much milk? - well, there are various posts in the Solid Foods and Bottlefeeding FAQ which you might want to check out for more details, but as a basic rule you want your lo to continue to take the same amount in 24 hours that he took before you started introducing solid foods. This is because until at least 9 months milk should be the main part of ds's diet, with solid foods 'topping him up' if he's still hungry. The nutrients in the solid foods are supplementary to the milk he has, so actually he's doing fine and well done you for still expressing and getting him to have some breastmilk !

3) Swapping milk/solid foods order - No! Your routine looks fab, try to think of introducing solid foods as an Activity rather than Eating (this is his milk feed), at this tender age solid foods are for babies to learn what they are and what to do with them (how to use their hands and mouths) in preparation for when they actually need to eat solid foods for nutrition as older babies. Right now he needs milk to grow, and solid foods are just for learning - this should take the pressure of him and you to get him to eat the solid foods you are offering, trust his appetite, babies have a natural survival instinct, they don't tend to starve themselves !

4) Cancelling daytime milk feed - not yet! Again there is a post in the Bottlefeeding FAQ https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=67398.0 I haven't read it, so can't advise on the usefulness of the info, but my thoughts would be as I've written above, don't alter his milk intake until at least 9 months! What 'should' happen is that ds's milk intake remains constant but his solid food intake increases over time until it balances out and then overtakes the quantity of milk he's having, usually by 12 months. As a personal example, my dd#2 (14 months) still has 4 milk feeds a day and has only recently stopped having a nightfeed too, and she eats masses of solid food - I honestly don't know where she puts it!

So, on the whole I think ds's routine looks great and that he's having the right amount of milk for him. I think you need to take the pressure off ds and yourself for him to eat a lot of solid food, he's only been eating for just over 3 weeks, he's got the best part of 80 years to try things so there's no rush! Just as with all aspects of bw, trust your lo's instincts with foods, many babies go on solid food or milk strike when they're teething, poorly, tired, distracted etc, some don't even start trying solid foods until after 7 months, they're all so different!

I'm not suggesting that you should alter they way you offer ds food, but you might like to check out the post on baby-led weaning https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=92560.0, not for the self-feeding approach necessarily, but just for the ideas about introducing solid foods at babies' own pace!

Hope that this reply isn't too overwhelming? Kinda got carried away, but I hope it helps you feel a bit more confident about the whole thing and that you are on the right track already?

Ax

[ishkin]

Thanks a lot for the support, I feel much more confident now 

I've followed you adviced and posted the question about DF at bottle feeding forum , and about the rest - I'll keep with the routine and check out the sticky regarding baby-weaning 

Thanks again!