Author Topic: Am I giving too much solids?...  (Read 2799 times)

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Offline Maria14

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Am I giving too much solids?...
« on: July 23, 2013, 13:28:23 pm »
My DD is 6.5 months, we started weaning at 4.5 months and were quickly established on three meals, lately been having chicken and cheese containing purees as well as yogurt.
As DD is breastfed and we never had luck with bottle, I started training her to use a free flow sippy cup at around 4.5 months and she is doing well drinking from it although cant quite hold it with both hands yet.
I started substituting one feed with expressed milk from sippy, sometimes I mix it with formula depending on how much I can express, this is our 11am feed, several days ago I also gave sippy cup at 2.30-3 pm feed and she jus had breast morning and eve before bed.
This is what I am worried about and need any advice on- she is not interested in 11am feed-I know they cut down on it and especially that she eats quite a lot of solids, but I am still worried as she is quite young to cut that feed down/out. I can get max 90 mls into her with the second half of it I need to distract her as she turns her head away etc though she would happily take first 30 mls or so. I would not worry about it but what is happening also is that she is refusing lunch and again she will eat a couple if spoon fulls and if I want I get her to eat the rest I have to distract her which I know isn't good practice or let her play and try again in 30 mins, she will then eat more.
At 2.30 feedagain the max she would take is 90-100 mls..
I am wondering if I am giving her too much solids or whether she isn't keen on sippy cup and protests as wants the breast.
This is our schedule for eating:
5 am - breast
7 am- top up, up for the day
8 am - bfast about 90 mls of porridge or yogurt with fruit
11 am - milk from sippy, 90 mls max
12 pm- lunch
3 pm - milk from sippy, around 100 mls max
5 pm- tea ( will have around 90 mls of veg purée and fruit/yogurt altogether)
6.30 pm- breast before bed ( if had lots for tea than she doesn't feed for long)

Are these amounts of solids too much for 6 months old? I don't force her, bfast particularly she loves and eats loads and tea as well, it's only lunch that she started fighting lately. I tried altering the timing and letting her have a nap first and feed lunch at 1 pm but it didn't make much difference..
So really between bfast and tea she doesn't take too much milk or solids.
Please tell me where I am going wrong as I am worried her milk intake particularly is very low ( I try to give yogurt to make up..she generally quite likes yogurt)
I don't think she is refusing sippy cup altogether and happily drinks water and small amounts if milk from it and occasionally can down 100 mls of milk from it but not other times..
Any ideas what I am doing wrong?..am I giving too much solids for bfast?..

Offline Maria14

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2013, 13:33:55 pm »
I forgot to mention that I think she might be teething but there is nothing obvious in her mouth at the moment.
At lunch sometimes she starts crying as soon as the spoon lands in her mouth as if it hurts her but she doesn't do that at other meals..
She did go through a fussy phase recently (ww) but seems to be in better mood last couple if days and is smiley happy again but the lunch problem persists..

Offline Buntybear

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2013, 22:07:49 pm »
Hi there,

My first thoughts are that 3 meals is a lot at 6 months. I know a lot of babies wean early and are happy with that but I think that the clue is the milk intake. Milk is nutritionally complete at that age and has more calories than solids so is more important than food.

I would be looking to cut the about at each solid meal back a bit and see how that helps.

x

Offline Shiv52

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #3 on: July 25, 2013, 22:10:49 pm »
This is quite a young age to be on 3 meals so if you are finding milk intake is down then I'd cut back.

Can I ask are you doing milk in a sippy instead of a BF or as well as?  Im thinking instead of?  Is there a reason you aren't just BFing as she'd definately get more milk that way.  There is no way either of mine would have been capable of taking a full feed from a sippy at this age.





Offline Shiv52

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2013, 22:15:22 pm »
Milk is nutritionally complete at that age and has more calories than solids so is more important than food.
This ^^^. Yogurt won't make up for milk. It may help with calcium uptake but not replace the same balance of nutrients/calories that BM provides even along with other solids. 






Offline Maria14

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2013, 08:48:38 am »
Thank you for your replies.
We have been doing three meals for a while,obviously to start with it was only 30 mls per meal but is now more.
Sounds like I need to cut down!
With regards to sippy cup-I am anxious to wean her off the breast as am going back to work when she is 10 months,I decided not to persevere with the bottle at this age and go straight to sippy cup-it's a free flow one.i still feed her two times a day from the breast-morning and evening and once at night.
Am I being unrealistic about her drinking all her milk from sippy cup at say the age of 9 months?..
I might cut out lunch altogether then and keep giving breakfast and tea.

Offline Shiv52

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2013, 09:12:19 am »
I think by 9/10 months it is a realistic expectation but I think at this age it is really important she is getting proper milk feeds.  They really should be having 4-5 full BFs at this age.  Honestly if it were me I'd go back to offering a BF at either 11 or 3. 

Try and remember 3.5 months is a LONG time in terms of how they change and develop and milk needs at 10 months are so much different than at 6/7 months.   She is taking a good amount now so I see no reason she won't get her milk needs covered via a cup by 10 months.

are you intending on weaning BFing completely before you are back to work?





Offline Maria14

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2013, 10:10:11 am »
Thank you
Yes I need to wean completely as I am a doctor and will be working all sorts if shifts,so it's a necessity really :( otherwise I wouldn't be doing all this ..
I think I will just cut down on solids but will carry on with three meals a day since we ve hot it going already,and will go back to breast feeding at 3 pm,its just nice to be able to know that she doesn't have to rely on me for 11 am feed and I can have half a day should I need to go somewhere etc.
Nowhere does it say obviously how much solids they should be eating at this stage and the HV keep saying follow your baby's lead..

Offline weaver

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2013, 10:18:43 am »
the HV keep saying follow your baby's lead..
Yes, that is easy to say but can be pretty misleading.  To me, the BW philosophy is to 'be the parent', respect the child's wishes within parameters that you determine.

I think if she's getting practice with the cup now, she's doing really well.  Enjoy feeding her while you're still at home.  Plan for the changeover at 10 months but don't stress about getting everything sorted already.  As Shiv said, weeks are like years in developmental terms. 
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline Shiv52

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2013, 11:11:47 am »
I agree.  I think she's doing amazing with the cup so I wouldn't stress too much.  My first DD ate huge amounts of solids.  Like breakfast would have been a bowl of porridge with 2 cubes of apple puree and then a slice of toast (at 8-9 months). But she didnt cut back her milk.  My DD2 cut her milk in favour of solids so i did cut back. 

So I'd keep offering the milk in a sippy for a feed to keep up the practice but dont worry too much.  By 8-9 months my DD2 loved a straw cup and she got a lot more fluids into her that way. 






Offline Maria14

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #10 on: July 26, 2013, 11:24:36 am »
Thank you all for your replies.
It's stressful at times..
When she has sippy,for example this morning,she really went for it and was gulping it down like she was very thirsty/hungry,but that's only the first 30 mls or so,she properly drinks from it,from then on its a slow process.
When would it be reasonable to cut down her 11 am feed?not that I am in a rush to do so but just wondering.
For example,Gina Ford says to eliminate that feed altogether when baby starts having protein for lunch but she doesn't say how much of a lunch they have to eat in order to cut the feed..
Other books say to give half the feed in order to make them interested in lunch,so it's all a bit confusing.
If I wait for her to drop or reduce the feed then is she likely to do it in favour of lunch?..
Thank you again for all the advice!

Offline Shiv52

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Re: Am I giving too much solids?...
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2013, 12:53:27 pm »
I personally think 6 months is for too young to be cutting out a milk feed. With DD1 I cut a feed at 8 months and just did the 3. With DD2 the recommendations had changed and the WHO recommended 4 feeds a day until 1yo so I kept 4 feeds per day for the most part, 3 when I needed to be out and about without her.