when to swap and when to drop

[elliesmama]

How do you know when to start giving solids first and bottle second?   My lo is 9 months old and just getting more interested in solids.  Also, she's on 4 formula feedings per day and my ped said yesterday that we shouldn't drop a formula feed until 12 months.  I thought she was supposed to drop feeds by then...any comments on that one?

[lilmonkey]

I was about to ask the same question.  DS is 8.5 mos and lately he is not interested in his milk feed first thing in the morning.  Solids is slowly making a comback after a strike but if I feed him finger food he will take a fair amount 1/4-1/3 of a cup.

[tylersmommy]

Some folks start dropping to 3 bottles/bfs and/or moving solids 1st anywhere from 9 mo onward. I didn't with either of my kids. They stayed on 4 bottles/bfs per day before solids until they turned 1. Like Stacy said, breastmilk or formula should remain their main source of nutrition until then, so that seemed the easiest way to make sure that happened.

[Freya'sMum]

I would suggest that if milk is interfering with solid food intake (ie they are drinking such a large quantity per milk feed that they don't have room or appetite for the solid food that follows) you could reduce the feed by an oz or 2 (say from 8 to 6oz) to see if that helps - as long as the total in 24 hours isn't less than 20oz!

If, however, the solid food is interfering in the milk intake, as milk remains the primary source of nutrition until 12 months, I would suggest that you reduce the solid food intake to maintain the interest in/hunger for milk.

I too kept to 4 milk feeds per day until 17 months, it really helps to structure the day as much as anything else, your 9 month routine might look a bit like this:

7am first milk feed
7.30am solid breakfast
10am nap
11.30am mid-morning milk feed
12.30pm solid lunch
2.30pm nap
4pm mid-afternoon milk feed
5pm solid tea
6.30pm bedtime milk feed
7pm bed

as time goes on, the mid-morning/afternoon milk feeds may become snacks (say a glass of milk with some fruit), and the first milk feed might become a cup of tea with breakfast, but the pattern this alternating milk/solids routine provides really helps to structure the day

Ax

[elliesmama]

How would I know if the milk is interfering with solid intake?  My dd doesn't hardly eat anything.  I offer her 3 solid meals per day--finger foods--and she's just not interested.  Does this mean that milk is interfering and I should try offering the milk second? 

[Freya'sMum]

Well, it depends how much milk dd is having in total in 24 hours if she's having 32oz (for example) over the 4 feeds then you could cut down each feed from 8oz to 6oz to see if this increases her solid food appetite without worrying about her milk intake dropping too low.

If it doesn't change her appetite, or if her milk intake is already 20-24oz per day, then I would suggest that your lo just has a small appetite, and I would recommend focusing on promoting the social/pleasure aspect of food and eating, and ensuring a balanced selection of foods offered, rather than focusing on the quantity.

Try having meals together at the table (if you don't already) so that she learns that eating is part of life, and a fun and sociable thing to do, thru watching you, and introduce foods as finger foods rather than purees (if you're not already) to see if that makes them more interesting for her

Ax

[elliesmama]

She eats on average about 28-32 oz per day now.  We do eat together and when we're at a restaurant, she eats like a pig.  We do all finger foods because she's never eaten purees.  And then I wait at least 1 hour if not 1 1/2 hours between formula and solids.