example of a schedule that would work for 3hr A time but 4hr feeds?

[Honeymonster]

My 5.5 month old LO has been rapidly extending her A time unbelievably quickly over the past couple of weeks, on a previous post two weeks ago I was debating trying to push her to 2.5hrs from 2, now suddenly we are at 2hrs 45 for first A time and I'm suddenly getting a 2hr nap in the morning.. Which I've always struggled with! It's great and I'm pretty sure if we can get two longer naps she's ready to drop the catnap as with one longer and two short naps she's UT by bed and we've been getting chatty night wakenings a lot, but now I'm struggling to work out how her feeds will work as she was quite happily on a 4hr eating schedule but with close to 3 hrs awake then a 2 hr nap.. That wouldn't work.  We havnt weaned yet although she's had some little tastes, I'm going to start BLW at 6months so how much will end up in her belly to fill her up I don't know :-) today I topped her up before both naps.. I've had a look through the example schedules but most on close to 3hrs and dropping the catnap are older and weaned so maybe just having three big milk feeds. Any suggestions welcome. .. So our naps are looking like this:

A.7.15-10
S.10-12
A.12-2.45
S.2.45-4.45
A.4.45-7.15

I should say she's not really be en hungry for her first feed so this is sometimes at 8 which works well for the first nap.

[jessmum46]

At this age I actually found LO didn't particularly wake from naps due to hunger, so we just had feeds at WU, after each nap (not CN) and at BT.  So something like 7/11.30/3.30-4ish and 6.30/7.  Feeds were further apart at the start of the day and closer together at the end.  You may be surprised and find LO can manage that quite easily, even without solids (I breastfed exclusively until 6mo).  But if not - and many babies, especially EBF can't - then I'd do what you suggested and just offer a top-up before naps, maybe 30 mins or so to avoid feeding to sleep

[Adelheid]

My LO is doing the exact same thing! Also 5.5 mo old. His A time is 2.5 hours and has thankfully turned into a better napper. His first one is now 1.5-2hrs. YAAAY! However, I just transitioned him to a 3.5 EAS which is waaaaay better than the 3 hr EAS. I think he could actually go for the 4hr since in the morning he will give me 2.5h A time, then a 1.5-2 hr nap.
Are you planning on weaning completely or just doing solids consistently?
My LO fusses if he isn't given something at mealtimes and loves, loves, loves any baby food I've put in his mouth. Its hard to wait until the 6mo point, so I let him have a tiny bit here and there.
Does your baby SttN? I just weaned off NF but he is waking 3+ times all the same.

[Honeymonster]

Hi Adel, we've been doing 4 hours between feeds for a while now although the last feed of the day tends to be more of a split feed 3-3.5 hrs after th afternoon one. She still usually has one feed during the night but don't think she really needs it as if she has it she's never very hungry in the morning.. But it's still kind of easier doing that that weaning her off it as she's a nightmare to get back to sleep otherwise. She usually just wakes once in the night around 3/4am so that's not too bad. We've been giving her little tastes of things for a while but just let her feed herself (we just dip her spoon in stuff and she picks it up and munches on it) but have also given her some finger food like chunks of cucumber and avacado.. She much prefers this to the spoons so I think we are going to do baby led weaning once she's 6 months or maybe a mixture of this and purees.  I'm still going to breastfeed although she's quite a fussy feeder.. Just too nosey and wants to see the world. We've been managing a 1.5-2hr morning nap most days which is great but I've not consistently been getting the afternoon one longer so have given up just now and i sometimes go out in the afternoons and she catnaps in the buggy I've been having to squeeze in another nap or give her a super early bedtime.. Both aren't ideal but she's been better than she had been so I'm just going to keep going then on days I'm at home aim for two longer naps. So currently our day has been looking something kind of like this:

Up:7
E:7.30
Breakfast: 8.30 a bit of porridge and fruit
S:9.45-10.15

E:11.30
Lunch somewhere in this a time something like avacado chunks then usually a bf top up
S:1-1.30 in buggy

E:3.30
S:4.-4.45

5.30 Dinner.. Some puréed veg and baby rice or sweet potato
E 6.30 - only time she takes both sides
S 7

The food is just tiny tastes for fun really but she's deg starting to actually eat more of it and if it's something she likes she gets quite a bit in I think. Breakfast seems to be her fav meal cos by bedtime if she's tired she just plays with her dinner. Trying not to rush it though and just let her go at her own pace!

[Adelheid]

Oh interesting! So you let her eat 3x a day? For some reason I was thinking that I should only do once. But, as my little man will pull away mid BF and open his mouth and reach for my coffee or whatever I'm snacking on while feeding, I'm wondering about upping the solids experience to more than once a day. Plus, its good entertainment.
Do you put food on the tray and then just hand her a spoon, or do you dip the spoon your self each time?

[Honeymonster]

Yeah we started with once a day then twice but we've stepped it up a gear the past week or so as she just gets annoyed if she doesn't have something when we do- but to be honest I'd say the amount she actually gets in her in a whole day is maybe a tablespoons worth! Its more for a bit of fun just now! Sometimes she doesn't eat any of it and just plays and other times she seems really keen. When using purees  I usually have two spoons and dip them in and let her pick them up and when one is finished or chucked in the floor I dip the second in for her to grab then go wash the first.. Sometimes I just start with. 4 and keep filling them, I can usually tell pretty quickly if it's a in the mouth job or a lets play job! To be honest she's kind of lost interest in the purees this week and only wants real stuff. She loves when I take a bite out of a nectarine or pear then give it too her and she holds the whole thing with two hands and sucks on it teally hard and gets the juice off. Obviously have to be really carefull with these for stones etc but I watch it like a hawk and when it's getting too small I take it off her. Also she loves big chunks of cucumber and half bananas with the skin still on so she can hold it.

[Adelheid]

Does she have any teeth? I tried letting my LO suck on my apple but found that his little teeth were actually biting bits off. Not sure if thats ok or not.

[jessmum46]

Hi ladies if you've got any questions about weaning feel free to post them here: Feeding Solid Food