Confused by HV advice to reduce solids - am I overfeeding my LO??

[clairebear79]

Last week I took DS to see my health visitor for his 6 month weigh-in.  My usual HV wasn't there & so I saw someone else.

He weighed 20lb 6oz (9.2kg) and is around the 91st centile.  She expressed concern that he's gaining a little too much weight, as at birth he was 7lb exactly & only the 25th centile & wanted to know exactly what I'm feeding him.

He currently has 4 x 9oz FF's per day.  He generally drinks around 8oz & some goes in his solids too. So around 32-36oz/day in total. 

In addition he's on 3 'meals' a day of approx 2 tbsp each - he has fruit puree with baby rice or banana porridge for breakfast, then veggies for lunch & tea.  Sometimes a small pudding of fruit or yoghurt if he seems hungry for it after his veggies.  I've given him his first tastes of chicken & lentils in the last few days at lunchtime.

She was horrified that I started weaning at 4.5 mths & that I was giving him 3 'meals' a day already, however I did explain to her that this was after numerous home visits & discussions about how to wean with my previous (& very helpful) HV.  She told me I shouldnt be feeding him in the night now & if he wakes to only offer him water, & has also advised me to cut back on his solids in order to slow down his weight gain.

She said I should ONLY give fruit/natural yoghurt for breakfast & not rice cereal/porridge/toast, to give protein at lunch and ONLY veggies at tea.  And not to offer a pudding at all.  She said not to cut his milk at this stage, although he drinks a lot already, & I do understand that this is because this is where he gets most of his nutrition from.
 
So this week I've tried cutting the solids back a bit & he's now drinking more milk as a result (draining his 9oz bottles) but he's also been EW again, so I'm unsure whether cutting the solids is making him more hungry at night or if he is having a GS or what.  The other thing I can't figure is that if he gets most of his calories& nutrition from milk & he's gaining too much weight, surely reducing his solids (& therefore increasing his milk intake) will make him gain even more???

I've now got a real complex about whether I've been overfeeding him on either milk or solids or both???  I feel like a bad mummy I dont want to make him overweight
But what I've done so far has been completely on the advice of my previous HV together with some backup info from these boards & DS has been loving it.  He keeps opening his mouth for more & I NEVER force him to eat his solids - he is completely polishing off what I give him, so do you think I should keep feeding him how I have been doing or do what this HV says & restrict the solids more?  I am so confused!

Also I'm a bit miffed at the comments about not feeding at night anymore - of course I'd prefer not to, but if he NEEDS it how can I just give water?

When I told DH about what she said the first thing he said was what was his length? - & do you know what, she never measured him.  We did it at home & he was 75th centile so has jumped up the charts in length too.  Should I just ignore her comments - I mean can she really say he is overweight without considering his length???  he is both tall and heavy but he looks in proportion to me.   

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.  Sorry for the long post!xxx

[clazzat]

TBH, where they are on the centile charts at birth isn't really the most important thing - both of mine were near the 75% on birth weight (one below, one above), but then settled to just under the 50% and have stayed there ever since.    If he is tall (long? ) then it is not surprising that he should be heavier - but none of the HVs I ever saw measure either of mine either, unless I made a big deal of it.

I would say if he is enjoying his food and you are not encouraging him to eat anything that he doesn't want then you should carry on the way you are, especially if you have already had the discussion with another HV.  I do also remember wondering if my children would ever stop eating solids, as they never refused a mouthful and I was worried that I was overfeeding, but then I found that they did refuse when they had had enough so I was reassured - so I think you should trust him to tell you when he has had enough.

[~inbalance~]

TBH, where they are on the centile charts at birth isn't really the most important thing - both of mine were near the 75% on birth weight (one below, one above), but then settled to just under the 50% and have stayed there ever since.    If he is tall (long? ) then it is not surprising that he should be heavier - but none of the HVs I ever saw measure either of mine either, unless I made a big deal of it.

I was going to say this as well.  Personally I think the weight that babies are born does not indicate what they will be like as they grow.  Both my boys were a lot larger than I thought any babies of mine would ever be at birth, and yet both of them as they grow slipped of their curve but I know it is naturally how they are.  There are no big people in my and DH's family.  So I wouldn't worry about his birth weight vs. his current weight.

And TBH, I think a 20lb 6mo is on the larger side of the scales but is not huge at all.  I know lots of babies who are 20lbs at that age!

This is what I think personally.  I think you have done a great job reading your baby, and I think it's great that he is enjoying solids so far.  I also don't think that the amount he is eating right now, although maybe a little more than most babies his age, is extremely a lot.  Especially if it is healthy food, then he is really getting only good nutrition from it.

Since he is doing so well with solids, maybe limit his total milk to 32oz.  But really, I wouldn't lose sleep over it, sounds like he's doing well.  Keep following your mummy instinct!

Please don't let one HV who is not familiar with you or your LO make you feel like you are doing things wrong.  It sounds to me like you have already put a lot of thought into your baby's diet, and have already spoken with people you trust and done your own research.  I think if you continue to be concerned, perhaps speak with your LO's doctor the next time he is in for a checkup to get another professional opinion. 

[charmie]

If the new regime is causing you problems, I would go back to the old regime and seek advice from your usual HV.  My dd was always at the top of the charts and I have always been given a hard time by most HV's about this.  Likewise they never used to measure her length.  Admittedly she was chubby. Yes much chubbier than your average child.  But now she is 3 and she is much leaner.  She's not the skinniest mind you, but I know what she eats is healthy, and when she's full she stops eating and I don't force her to keep eating. 

Like pp's said follow your mummy instinct.  You're doing a great job 

[fireredjewel]

I have never, EVER heard of a HV saying that to a mum. I have a friend who's LO was in the 99th percentile for everything (seriously, the child is massive) as a baby, and is still huge, but would think it is ONLY a problem if you a feeding the baby mcdonald's every day ;-) My DD is a 75th percentile for height, and her weight has fluctuated b/w 75th, 80th, and is now holding steady at the 50th (and has been there for quite a few months now)....I was never told that i was overfeeding her, and she started solids at 4 months (due to reflux), and was having 3 'meals' by 6 months. My sis who is a dietician told me that they go through that many fluctuations in weight/height in the first year that you can't have an 'obese' baby (apparently that classification comes in later).
 She needs her head checked! as everyone else has said, follow your instinct!

[clairebear79]

Thanks for the comments ladies.

Think the trouble is, I KNOW he's a little on the large side - he's already filling his size 6-9 month clothes & he's getting really heavy to carry!   I worry so much about him overeating because I've always had issues with my weight too & I guess I dont want him to end up like me.  I'm a curvy UK size 14-16 & my family are all similar build, so I guess he may take after me rather than his slim daddy.

I'm making all his purees myself so I know what he's having is good healthy nutritious food, its just disheartening being told to cut out certain foods at a point when I should be expanding his diet.  

Martina - I did try restricting his bottles last wk to 8oz each (total 32oz), thinking 9oz was maybe a little too much but he drained each & every one & cried when it was empty.  Before starting solids he was taking 5x 8oz feeds so 40oz/day so it has reduced a little already.  He has reflux & sometimes I do wonder if he keeps going at his bottle beyond the point of fullness for comfort sucking, as he does tend to get a bit fidgety towards the end of it, but then he does usually pull off & stop eventually (unless like this week he finishes the bottle!).  Could that fidgeting be a sign that he is actually full already?

Also if I restrict to 32oz per day (which to my mind SHOULD be perfectly adequate) & he then wakes at 5am wanting to be fed, should I follow the HV's advice to give only water as if I feed here then his milk intake goes up even more???

At what point is it acceptable to increase his solids & when can I expect his milk intake to reduce?

Sorry for all the questions I just want to put my mind at rest that what we're doing is ok.

thanks.xxx

[clazzat]

Weight as a baby is not particularly closely related to weight as an adult - many chunky babies grow up to be slim adults.  And as far as worrying about him taking after you (although size 14-16 is entirely normal and not fat!), there is plenty of time to educate him about healthy choices and an active lifestyle as he grows up and understands.  At this stage you are giving him healthy nutritious food so you are already laying the groundwork for that.

It sounds to me like you know in your gut what you think you should do, and it is very simple: feed him when he's hungry, stop when he's not!   You really sound like you are tuned in to what he needs, so listen to him and listen to yourself.  If you are sure that his 5am waking is hunger then I would go back to giving him the feeds he was having when he was not waking - you really shouldn't restrict food when he is hungry.

As for when the balance shifts from milk to solids, that is much nearer to 1yr, and it should change fairly gradually.

[Lolly]

I agree with pps - go back and do what you were doing before you saw the HV. I have learnt through experience to listen to the HVs then carry on doing what my instinct tells me is best for my babies .

Yes you do have a reasonably big boy - but both mine were 18lbs+ at 6 months so it's not that unusual really. My DS was born on the 50th centile, went up to the 75th and now at 4 yo is just below the 9th, my DD was born on the 91st and has stuck to it like glue! I don't think the clothes sizes are anything to worry about - DD was in 3-6 month clothes by the time she was 9 weeks and at 20 months is wearing some 2-3yo stuff!

In my experience they tend not to overeat, providing you are following their cues and offering healthy choices. I also think you are right in that the extra milk will have more calories than the extra food and if he's hungry you need to feed him! Can you see your normal HV again and see what she says? To be honest though, I think what you were doing before was fine, bigger babies do need more calories than smaller babies and yes it is growth spurt time.

Trust your intincts and follow your babies cues (which sounds like you were doing a fab job of by the way) and all will be fine!

Laura

[~inbalance~]

Could that fidgeting be a sign that he is actually full already?

Could be.  I'm not too sure with bottle feeding, but I know at least with BFing if DS2 gets fidgety it usually means he is done.

When he wakes at 5am do you know for sure that he is hungry, or do you just assume he is?  Given how much he is eating and that he is drinking enough milk during the day, I don't think he needs a bottle then.  You could try water, or another way to settle him.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in the coming months he will start to be more active, rolling, crawling, cruising, and eventually walking.  Most babies will start to slim down when they start moving around more.

You can expect milk intake to start to decrease probably around 9mos as solids increases.  With bottle feeding most moms will drop from 4-3 bottles around that time.  You can also post on the bottle feeding forum when the time comes.

Increasing solids really depends on you and your LO.  You'll probably notice when he is ready for some more.  He might seem hungry even after having all his milk and solids, or maybe he'll start waking more.  He will probably have an increase in appetite too when he starts becoming more mobile.

I think it's very hard to have an overweight baby, so as long as he is eating healthy food which he is by the sounds of it, then I don't think you should worry. 

[Nevette]

Thought I would jump in here and reassure you.  I had the same worries, my DS was 25th - 50th centile at birth and since starting solids at 5.5 months jumped up to 91st.  He weighed 20lb at 6 months and at 8 months now weighs 23lbs.  He was eating and drinking very similar quantities to your LO.  (7-8oz 5 times per day plus 3 good meals).  When I expressed concern to my HV she asked if he was eating chocolate cake and burgers (of course not) so told me not to worry as he  wont get obese on healthy food.  She also said that he would lose weight once he became more mobile.  Think of it as extra padding when they tumble over! My DS has now started to lose interest in food so i am concerned about that now!

[clairebear79]

thanks to all you ladies for all your support & reassurance! 

nevette - it does sound like our LOs are similar.  Lets hope my DS slows down too!

Martina - I dont assume hunger at 5am waking - he generally wakes happy & wants to play (sigh!).  We leave him to see if he will resettle & if he starts to get upset we will resettle with dummy. Occasionally, like the other day, he starts to cry full on & nothing will stop it - that day I was sure he was hungry so I fed him.  This morning he woke at 4.30 - chatted for an hour then back to sleep til 6.40am. I'll be glad to see the back of NFs once & for all - I am sure he's eating enough already!!!

This morning he drank 7.5oz & then I gave him his smaller portion of solids & he ate all of it & wanted more.  & then wanted what I was eating too - sat with his mouth open waiting.  So I am going to trust my mummy instincts & go back to giving him what I was doing before I saw that darn HV!  He's hungry!   xx

[~inbalance~]

LOL, I love the image of him sitting with his mouth open waiting - FEED ME MUMMY!  It's great that he loves food.  I think you're doing great. 

[charmie]

Too cute   I would feed him too.  From personal experience they do not over eat.  When they are full they clamp their mouths shut.  Keep it up xx

[clazzat]

So I am going to trust my mummy instincts & go back to giving him what I was doing before I saw that darn HV!  He's hungry!   xx

I knew you knew what to do!  Make the most of him enjoying his food - you'll hit the picky phase before you know it, and then you will be longing for the days when you were worried about him eating too much!