Author Topic: Feeding Schedule for an 8.5 month old?  (Read 2231 times)

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Offline mtemte

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Feeding Schedule for an 8.5 month old?
« on: August 11, 2013, 07:00:47 am »
I seem to be finding it hard to get 600mls of milk AND 3 meals a day into my 8.5 month old. Plus the solids she is eating are very small quantities. Is it my timing? We are currently on a rough schedule as follows:

6.30/7am bottle 120mls
9am Weetabix / toast
11am 120mls
2pm lunch - veg puree with dairy and / or chicken / fish (small amount)
5pm 120mls
Will not eat before bedtime
7pm 120mls - 150mls

She is not hungry enough to take any more although she will take a bottle in the night. She suffers from reflux so its very clear when she is full and doesnt want any more of either solids or milk. These milk amounts given are max amounts and that is what she drinks for a good bottle. I could try reducing her solids but then she would be taking hardly anything! She drank more before weaning started...

Any suggestions or could you please share your approx schedule around this age?
Tnx so much!

Offline BeeAnn

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Re: Feeding Schedule for an 8.5 month old?
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2013, 18:30:48 pm »
Hi

Can't really offer any advice but thought I would share my feeding routine for my 8 month old.  We dropped the dream feed about a week and a half ago (after reducing it slowly) and then lost the afternoon bottle a couple of days ago (she reduced it to half herself) - so far so good.

7am bottle 200mls
8.30am Breakfast (porridge/toast/weetabix with fruit puree or banana finger food)
11.30am 220mls (this was a bit less but after dropping the 4pm bottle it has increased)
1pm lunch - puree (includes some form of beef / chicken / fish) and one pot of fromage frays
4pm snack - biscuit (since we dropped the milk, but don't know if she really needs this and it takes FOREVER for her to eat!)
5.15pm dinner - veg puree with some kind of veg finger food
6.45pm 230mls

Don't know if that is of any help to you.  She has always been quite greedy though - prior to weaning at around 5.5months she drank about 1000mls across the day.

Offline creations

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Re: Feeding Schedule for an 8.5 month old?
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2013, 21:13:33 pm »
Hi. I would drop the night feed and see where you end up after that.  It can be painless if you do it slowly and plan to take a couple of weeks, chances are it will be done before the end of the 2 wks.  There are a few ways you can drop the night feed, I would reduce the night feed by 30ml or 1 oz and take a bottle of water with you. If the milk is drained and she goes off to sleep ok then don't offer the water. If the milk is drained and she fusses for more offer her water.  After 3 days reduce by 1 oz again and repeat.  In addition if the milk is not drained see how much she has taken, on the following night this is the maximum you offer even if you were not yet ready to reduce by an oz, plus offer water as before if there is a fuss.  It should be pain free.  Chances are she will stop waking for the feed before you finish weaning, if not then finally offer water only for a few days.
You may see an immediate increase in her day time milk or solids intake, you may not. Sometimes it takes a few days for the day intake to increase , that's fine, so long as you are offering her food and milk she will not starve herself.

You could move breakfast earlier, to an hour after her WU milk, but perhaps you have tried that and she isn't hungry enough.  It's worth thinking about for after the night feed wean if not before.  Also many babies don't like to take solids in the evening. If I started solids any later than 5.15 pm nothing would be eaten (for a 6.45 to 7pm BT).  Most babies eat much more for breakfast and lunch and not so much for dinner.

You might also find it comforting to know my silent refluxer was always on the low end of milk intake, I worried so much, he took about half the guidance amount but he gained weight consistently and maintained his centile.  He is just a petite boy who didn't need more than he took.  Of course if you are concerned about weight gain then it must be taken seriously.

Hope this helps some