Quick Question: Solids before or after bottle?

[newmum27]

Hi,

Just a quick question...what is best...solids before or after bottle feeds? And if it is after, how long do you wait after a bottle feed to give the solids?

Also if you have a 6 month old at home or any suggestions of a routine for solids I would appreciate it too. We basically run a 7am to 7pm routine these days.

Thanks

Ruth

[deckchariot]

Until babies are 1, milk should still be their primary source of nutrition, so I always offered milk first, then solids.  When my dd was 6 mos, we started with breakfast solids, so she'd wake at 7:30, bf, the have a solids breakfast around 8:30.  As I introduced additional meals, I tried to keep about 45 min - 1 hr between bf and solids. 

HTH
michelle

[newmum27]

Thanks for your reply Michelle...I have tried both before and after bottle feeds and so far we haven't got very far. What kind of routine did you have at 6 months? Should I only be focusing on 1 solids meal a day at the moment? I have been trying 2-3 meals and it doesn't seem to be working. Did you try BLW (baby led weaning). My LO is very spirited and constantly wants to hold the spoon and put his fingers in the food.

Ruth

[Seona1973]

at 6 months my ds was on 3 very tiny meals a day with roughly these timings:

7am - milk
8am - breakfast
11am - milk
12pm - lunch
3pm - milk
5pm - dinner
7.15pm - milk
in the night till 8 months - milk

I gave meals at the times I would have something to eat with dd so we all ate together.  I did a mix of puree/finger foods and gave finger foods for ds to be getting on with while I fed him his puree.

[Freya'sMum]

Ruth,

Hello again!

I believe all the responses you got in your previous thread here should answer your questions and reassure you

Seona's routine looks good!

Ax

[deckchariot]

Ruth - I started with just one meal for the first week, then 2 meals, then 3 meals (over the course of a month), and they were pretty small meals.  My routine was pretty much like Seona's:

7:30 - bf
8:30 - solids
11:30 - bf
12:30 - solids
3:30 -bf
4:30 - solids
7 - bf and to bed

We started with purees, but pretty quickly went to finger foods.  Now she only has a spoon at breakfast.  You can try giving her a spoon to play with while you are feeding her - or go straight to finger foods if she's not keen on the spoon - follow her cues.  If solids aren't going well, don't push it.  It's not really for nutrition at her age - just for fun, she's learning texture, taste, etc.

[Wriggly]

Hey Ruth,

Have just started my lo on solids too, he's been on them only a week now (he's 5 1/2 months but big and greedy). First gave them just before his 11am feed, as he's usually not starving then, and usually in a good mood. He seemed to like it so next day I gave it at breakfast before the bottle, again he took a little but the next day just wanted his bottle, so now I've switched to giving them after the bottle like everyone suggests. It still isn't great at breakfast, but I started giving him lunch yesterday as well, so 2 meals, and he wolfs it down at lunch, will only take 1/2tsp-1tsp at breakfast, but took 4tsp for me at lunch today (he's just been on very sloppy baby rice, but will start a new food tomorrow at breakfast). I think that as time goes on and he grasps the concept better, he'll probably take more at breakfast too.

His reaction to them is fairly mixed, first few trys he'll let me put the spoon into his mouth but won't look for them, then after about 10 minutes, he'll start opening his mouth and looking for them. I sit and eat with him so we have our meal together which he seems to like.

Routine (roughly):
7am bottle, 8/8.15am solids
11am bottle
12.30pm solids
3pm ish bottle
7pm bottle
8pm bed
10.30pm DF.

Don't think he has fully grasped the concept yet, but it's great fun and he seems to enjoy the whole ritual of eating with me. As he's younger than 6 months, I'm very careful of taking it slowly and let him guide me, it's reassuring to think that there's no rush and that the milk is still the main source of nutrition.

Best of luck!