Author Topic: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes  (Read 3391 times)

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Offline tamlev

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Hi,

We started tastes at 4.5 months, it went well and closer to 6 months we increased the amounts. She liked the food from the beginning which was great.
Currently her meals are as follows:
7:00- Nurse
~8:30- Solids (apple/pear sauce)
~11:30- Solids (as specified below)
~15:00- Nurse
~18:30- Nurse and go to bed
22:00- Dream feed (bottle with pumped breast milk)

Lately, in the middle of a solids meal she has screaming/crying episodes. I usually start with something small like Tahini mixed with avocado/egg yolk (hard boiled)/ tomato. which she likes. Then when I switch to pureed soup (orange, pea, chicken, turkey) she eats a bit and starts fussing. I give her an extra spoon which she likes playing with and her sippy cup which she is learning to use. So she plays a while with these but won't eat. Suddenly she will stop the playing and just be unhappy (crying/screaming).
When we were at the tasting stage she liked the pureed vegetables (sweet potato, carrot, potato etc.). So I am not sure what is going on here.
I feel like part/most of the solids meal she is unhappy and maybe I am forcing her to eat?!
BTW, I am very aware of the amount she eats during the day since she has night wakings and we think it is hunger so we are very much trying to up the amount of calories a day.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!!
Tammy

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2014, 08:15:20 am »
Maybe she doesn't like the switch of tastes half way through a meal?  My LO took to solids in a big way but he liked his meals to be limited to one or two flavours only so I balanced his diet (all food groups) across the day or week rather than at each meal and this is quite a normal approach. One meal might be very carbsy another all veg for instance.  What happens if you don't switch the flavour mid meal?
It may also be that she's had enough solids at that meal and is fussing to get down, or has wind, needs a poo...
I would just take it that the meal is over as soon as she starts to fuss and let her down to play (which might also give her the movement needed to release trapped wind or to poo) rather than try to make her eat more. If you feel you're forcing her then just take a step back from the whole thing, you don't really want either of you getting upset or stressed at meal times, long term you want her to have a happy relationship with food so that means relaxed meal times now. Her most important food now is milk and if she is waking at night due to hunger I'd ensure her milk intake is up rather than trying to get her to eat more solids. Solids can fill her litle tummy but not hold as many calories as milk so it's really milk that's going to see her through the night.
Do you think she might be having a growth spurt and needing a bit more milk day and night?


Offline tamlev

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2014, 11:12:26 am »
Hi!

Thanks for your reply!
You have an interesting point not to switch tastes in the middle of a meal. I will try that.
Just yesterday we thought that she might be going through a growth spurt since she slept a bit more during the day and ate a lot of solids...
I am trying very hard to have her nurse well and as much as possible but some times she stops after 10 min. or less and really doesn't want more, maybe a couple of more sucks. So that's a problem if most of the calories are in the milk rather then the solids...

I will indeed take a step back so not to make meal time a burden to the both of us  :)

Thanks!


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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2014, 11:57:07 am »
I really can't help wrt breast feeding as I had to stop early on but I *think* that shorter feeds can be quite normal as they become more efficient feeders.  If you are concerned there will be experience and support on the breast feeding board. Otherwise to ensure good milk feeds you would cut back on solids a bit (although I know my DS wouldn’t have been at all happy with reduced solids, he made it very clear what he wanted to eat).  I though though if you stop the solids meal when she fusses the chances are there will be a decent level of self regulation, babies are really good at knowing when they've had enough and often even which food groups they need, especially if they are offered a range of healthy choices.

Try to enjoy the weaning journey :)


Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2014, 12:24:31 pm »
Creations is right - they become very efficient feeders! My DD3 is nearly 6 months and bf in 15 min or so. Is there not a bf a any time between 7 & 3? That seems a bit long as milk should be their main nutrition at this age - I would offer a bf at 11:30/12 and then solids later.
Heidi




Offline tamlev

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2014, 14:19:50 pm »
Hi,

Just recently I stopped the bf of 11:00 and completely switched that meal to solids.
The older they get the more meals of solid food they eat (instead of milk). So I figured that I should slowly move from bf meals to solid meals and by 9/12 months have bf in the morning and evening.
This is what I see lots of moms do... especially since my DD will be starting day care at 9.5 months so she will get solids during the day.

BTW, where I live, lots of moms go back to work at 3 or 6 months so by then (6 especially) they hardly bf...

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2014, 14:33:03 pm »
Regardless of whether you bf or not a baby needs bm or formula as their main source of nutrition until they are a year old. There is a saying "until one, food for fun" because solids at this age are about exploring tastes and textures.
Heidi




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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2014, 23:30:51 pm »
Just recently I stopped the bf of 11:00 and completely switched that meal to solids.
It seems ever so early to switch a milk feed to a solids feed.
Usually this would be led by baby maybe around 8, 9 or 10 months where there is a milk feed which they appear less interested in, usually mid morning or mid afternoon, or both and at that time switching one to solids increases the milk intake on the other.  I agree weaning is a gradual process but as Heidi has said milk is their primary food until 12 months.  There is a danger that your LO may be hungry, not having enough calories to get through the night can lead to NW and greater need to night feed.
There is also a big difference between a 6 months old and a 9.5 month old. At 9.5 months your baby might manage 2 bfs with solids meals during the day plus dairy solids to keep the milk intake up.  I would consider reinstating the 11am milk and switching in a few months just before day care begins. Solids just do not compare to the nutritional and calorific content of breast milk or formula.


Offline tamlev

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2014, 15:59:57 pm »
Hi,

I will indeed rethink the solids at 11:30 instead of bf. Thanks.
In the book there is the: "Feeding 101" table. here there is a suggested routine for 6-9 months:
7:00- liquid
8:30- solids "breakfast"
11:00- liquid
12:30- solids "lunch"
15:00- liquid
17:30- solids "dinner"
19:30- liquid before bed

I actually tried this routine for two days (not a lot... I know...) and it felt like I was constantly feeding her. In addition, it didn't really go well since she was very tired at the solids time since they were around nap time.
BTW, my DD goes to sleep earlier. she is in bed at about 19:00...


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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2014, 19:14:42 pm »
AT 6 months you don't need to go full on with solids, so no need to do 3 full meals per day if your LO isn't all that interested (mine loved solids so wanted 3 meals very soon after beginning but some will be happy on 1 or 2 little solids experiences per day), by 9 months you would likely see a need for 3 meals and perhaps between 9-12 months switching 1 or 2 of the day feeds to a snack and drink.  I totally agree that you will feel like you are feeding all day long in the early days, it does get better though.  In the early days they take a long time to eat (45 mins to an hour here) and spend time playing with the food which gives them valuable positive experiences too.  I also worried about the amount of time spent feeding at that age until a fellow BW reassured me. There is huge educational and developmental experience with touching, smelling, squeezing, tasting, dropping (although I prevented that part as much as possible!) food so really it is a valuable activity just like playing with toys.
Also you don't need to leave 1.5hr between, I think most leave 1hr, so milk first and solids meal 1 hr later, this allows them to fill up on milk (best source of nutrition and calories) then build just a little hunger interest an hour later, tastes rather than 'meals'.  Milk needs may still increase, that's fine, and gradually over time milk needs will level out and the additional hunger from being older and bigger will be met by increasing solids intake.  Chances are baby will lead the way with this which is really helpful :)
At this age you can introduce finger foods so even if you like to give a puree/mashed meal at one sitting you might also offer a steamed vegetable baton or piece of fish or meat from your own meal at another sitting, this way you are not cooking a separate meal, LO learns to sit at the dining table with you as a family and learns about eating from watching you, this also helps as LO learns the tastes of your family meals which is different from household to household.  Only thing to watch is to chop pieces into adult finger size pieces (ie not small pieces) and not to cook with salt, sugar or honey. I adapted my cooking and added soy sauce or salt etc after removing a portion for DS.  Or with spicy foods i kept it quite mild took a portion out for DS then added more curry paste etc for the adult meal.

Hope this helps.


Offline tamlev

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2014, 09:33:58 am »
Hi,

It did indeed help. After reading all what you wrote and discussing with my mother I will "reprogram"... I will go back to only milk for a couple of days so that she might even "miss" the food and then add a bit of simple solids as snacks (things I know she likes- apple sauce, pureed sweet potato etc.). I guess I was expecting more from her then her actual ability and needs... And I think I was trying to get her closer to the day care schedule and she is just not ready for that. I guess 6 months is a bit early for a full solids meal for my DD. I will indeed let her lead the way regarding amounts and interest.
I hope this will help with night wakings too.

Thank you very much!!!
Tammy

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Re: My 6.5 month old eats solids well but suddenly has screaming episodes
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2014, 18:11:11 pm »
No problem
:)