question re milk feeds/solids/cutting back etc.

[AliG]

Hi there,
I'm a bit confused about at what point I'm supposed to start cutting milk slightly to increase appeite for solids/dropping a milk feed... Especially as different books say different things.

My LO is 8mths 1 week and 96th centile; I'm doing a mix of BLW and spoon feeding. At the moment he is on 4 milk feeds - one first thing, one mid morning after first nap, one mid/late avo and one before bed. All 210ml feeds. I then do solids at least 1hr after each bottle. It's hit and miss how much he eats.

BUT, it feels like all I do is feed! At some point, especially for the first bottle, is it not an idea to give half the bottle, then solids, then remaining half? At what point/by what age do they wake up and have a solids breakfast? Do most people drop the mid morning milk feed and have three feeds - wake up, avo and bedtime? Is the aim to have two milk feeds only by 1yr old?

Sorry for all the questions. Any help/advice much appreciated. Thank you...

[Texomamama]

AliG,

I am at a very similar point to you now.  DD2 will be 8 mo tomorrow.  She currently also gets 4 bottles (8 am, 2 pm, 7 pm and a DF at 10:30) with almost the same exact amounts as your LO.  She also eats solids 3x a day and I give her a mix of purees and finger foods at her discretion.  I usually offer her solids an hour or so before or after a bottle, depending on the meal and time of day.

Here is what I am working towards:

- recognizing the fact that some days she will be hungrier than others.  Until I see a pattern of her leaving a lot of formula in her bottle, I don't worry that she is getting too much solids.
- ensuring that she have at least 22-23 oz of formula a day.
- working towards 3 bottles by about 10 months, then 2 bottles around 12 months and then dropping those bottles to sippy cups with milk twice a day.

I am making sure the bottle stays #1 in priority right now, but I feel like after about 8-9 months, solids kind of take the lead b/c (as long as she continues to get the min 20 oz).  That way, the transition off the bottle around 12 mo is all the easier.

[oe]

I am in the same boat. DS2 is 8 months also. Currently we are also on 4milk feeds. I am noticing that some days he isn't interested in the midmorning feed but some days he is. Until he seems not interested in it all consistently I will keep offereing it. It is my plan to merge the 2 daytime feeds around 9-10months to make sure he is ready for the transition to 2 milk feeds at 12 months. I would keep offering the bottles for now.

[AliG]

Thanks for the responses. I was about to add a p.s before I saw your posts..... As he is able to do a long A time in the morning (around 3.5hrs), it means that second bottle is often hours after the first. Today he had first feed at 8.15am and then because he did a HUGE 2.5hr sleep (again, I'm trying to do long am, short pm CN) he then didn't have milk again until 2pm!

Do you think, given the A times, I could drop that mid morning bottle and give lunch as soon as he wakes with an avo milk feed still? Or maybe do a half milk feed 30mins before his am nap and then solids lunch as soon as he's awake with a half milk feed before or after it? (and then later avo one and BT stay as is)

As today, there is almost not enough time to actually fit in 4 milk feeds.

Argh!

[oe]

if that is what works for your schedule and his sleeping, you could always try it. If he doesn't respond then you know you need to fix something.

[Texomamama]

Mine regularly does a bottle at 8 am, then not again until 2 pm and is fine.  Between those two bottles, she eats solids twice (breakfast around 09:15 and lunch around 12:30 pm).  I think if you want to change something, you just need to do some trial and error.  That is, assuming you want to change anything at all.  I think it is important to remember that for babies, the eating (and sleeping) cycle really does last 24 hours long.  That is hard for us to really 'get' as adults because our bodies are so conditioned to thinking along the breakfast/lunch/dinner schedule.

Whatever works for you and your LO, works By the time he is 12 months old, he will have 4 more months of practice observing you, your family and others at mealtimes and the importance of solids will surpass the bottle because that is how our bodies are designed. 

[AliG]

Wise words! I hope at some point he does start showing signs of wanting more solids. For the time being now, I need to work out these milk feeds...

[RachelC]

FWIW, it is widely suggested to stay with 4 milk feeds until at least 10 months.

[AliG]

Ok, thanks for letting me know. So, 4 milk feeds but they can be any amount, as long as they're getting at least the minimum recommended?

[RachelC]

Ideally they are spread out evenly throughout the day, but that doesn't happen that way for each baby.  And if you were breastfeeding you would have no idea how much lo was taking at each feed.

[hellybobs]

My LO has always dropped milk feeds easily and a little early than recommended. Hv said as long as getting daily requirement throughout the day and she has foods containing milk cheese her daily needs will be meet. LO is 10 month and only has 2 milk feeds (14oz in total) but has milk and cheese in meals x

[AliG]

Thanks hellybobs, that's interesting to know. What with sleep timings and solids etc., there doesn't sometimes even seem to be time to fit four milk feeds in! And with the four, he's having about 250ml more than the minimum needed. And then, as you say, there's the milk, cheese, yoghurt etc. with meals. So I think I could safely drop one and he'd still be getting more than the min daily requirement

[shinysarah]

Hi,
i too am in the 'feed all the time' bubble...All i seem to do is feed my lo either milk or solids..he is drinking around 24oz of milk and I feel I may be feeding him up too much with milk and not leaving enough room for solids??!!! Confused!!??!!! Do i cut back?? Do i relax?? Do I drop a feed??? Help!!!

[AliG]

Hi there,
I say go with your instincts. Does he regularly leave some of any of the feeds? Does he seem to eat better at solids time if there has been more time since milk, or if he's left some of the previous milk feed?

[shinysarah]

HI,
Yep he may leave 1 oz or so from his feeds....He eats much better when he hasn't drank as much milk...I feel like I'm trying to leave it as long as possible so he'll eat more!