Dropping a feed at 5 1/2 months??

[emma'smum]

My little girl is 5 1/2 months and she has recently seemed disinterested with her 11 o/clock feed i still express and give about 100 mls to her in a bottle however she takes a long time and tends to play a little still seeming uninterested?? Her day feeds are around 7, 11, 3, 6:30 and a dreamfeed at 10:30. Is she to little to be dropping a day feed. We started on solids 1 week ago as she seemed ready however the 11 o'clock feed was already getting smaller before this so I don't think it is due to solids.... She is only 6.2kg which is on the smaller side for her age so I don't really want to drop a feed. Has anyone expereinced the same thing happen

[lisi's mum]

This is a very distracted age! I really wouldn't drop the feed just yet. Make feeding time as calm as possible, try feeding when she's sleepy - right before a nap or the second she wakes up and is still dopey. Keep offering it, she may not be taking much which is fine, but if you keep offering at least she has the oppertunity to start taking more again when she wants.

Keep solids to a small amount - just a couple teaspoons to a couple tablespoons full maximum, and if possible just veggies for now.

[emma'smum]

:)Thank you, I must admit she does get very distracted (I haven't been able to feed her out since 3 1/2 months)and seems to need to Pooh at this time each day, so that may have something to do with it- she feeds for around 5 minutes on and off then does a poop, however after i change her she's not interested in any more.

I'm only giving emma little tastes of food at the moment 2 teaspoons at the most one food at a time for 3 days (fruit &veggies) which she seems to enjoy. I will continue to offer the feed as I do agree it is to early to drop, it may also be a smaller feed for the day as she seems to differ in her feed times depending on time of day.

 

[15milner]

As you already know she is too little to be dropping that feed.  Andrew is almost 10mths and he still feeds 6.30 11 4 bedtime and somewhere between 10.30/11pm and 3am.

Could changing postition 'confuse' her to feed.   Andrew is very distracted too - he often has something to 'hang on' to when feeding otherwise his hand wander everywhere.

If you can, go back to sitting in a very quiet room, and calmly try to feed, the more 'anxious' you are to make her feed then the more stressful it will be and it will be a vicious cycle.  For my own personal reason I always start with the right, then left then back to the right, but on days when he is very distracted I find starting from the other side first often results in a less distracted feed.  He is definately less distracted when feeding from one side over the other.

Just some things to throw out to see if it makes a difference.

Alex

[emma'smum]

Thanx Alex,
I have tried similar things I now make sure the tv is off, I try laying down & football hold position, i have a necklace i wear that she grabs and lets go of constantly while feeding she finds it hard to lay still, I love the dreamfeed as she is sleepy and calm, maybe thats the trick as Lisi's mum suggested -trying it when she is sleepy. I might also look at the sides she feeds on to see if she is more distracted on one side opposed to the other.

She certainly lets me know that she doesn't want it though, she gums down and pulls (ouch) each time I try to offer it

We'll see what happens tommorrow ...