Question about solids and EASY

[shira1206]

Hi!
My LO has started tasting solids 2.5 weeks ago (she will be 6 months next week)
I feel introducing solids has been making it just a bit harder with Bottle time during the day.
Our current routine is:

E 7:15AM (bottle)
A
S
E fruit around 10:30AM
E bottle around 11-11:30AM depends how much fruit she ate
A
S
E veggies around 14:30 - 15:00PM (depends when she wakes up)
E bottle around 15:30 - 16:00PM
A
S (CN)
A
E no later than 19:00PM since she goes to bed around 19:15-19:30

So I read Tracy recommends giving solids before a bottle, which makes sense to me, but since bottles are still the most important for nutrition at this age, and they are getting pushed aside, I am worried.
also last bottle of the day is after around 3 hours and not 4, and my little one loves her bottle before bed time so she eats a full one - so i feel i am shoving food into her.

I saw routine below in another thread and it confuses me - it looks like the bottle is before the solids, if my LO eats 180ml at 7:00AM there's no way she will eat a good amount of fruit at 8 or 8:30AM
and last question - Tracy says to reduce 30ml from the bottle if you give 30g of solids - from which bottle? the one before or after? sorry if this is a silly question, I am new to this 

7am - Milk
8am - Solids
11am - Milk
12pm - Solids
3pm - Milk
4/4.30pm - Solids
6.30pm - Milk
10.30pm - D/F if still doing one

any advice please?
thank you

[creations]

So I read Tracy recommends giving solids before a bottle

I'm not sure where you read this. If you direct me to a FAQ or page number and title of the BW book I'll be able to look it up.

Tracy's weaning routine actually increases the number of milk feeds offered to baby with milk continuing to take priority for nutritional purposes as baby's primary source of food until 1yo (or close to).  Tracy's 6 week starter plan is simply a guide, not set in stone, she gave an example of introducing 1 small meal at 6 months and moving up to 3 small meals at 6.5 months, however it is important to note the 'meals' are just 4 tea spoons of solids which is not much more than a taste really and is not about getting baby to "eat a good amount of" food, the experience is about tastes and introducing baby to the family meal time so she learns about solid foods rather than eating a lot.  The general routine Tracy sets out is to continued milk feeds at the E times and to introduce a solids meal between the milk E, followed by an *additional* milk offering finishing off the solids meal with milk.

Most babies would not be taking 3 meals until closer to 8 months old, I would suggest that as your baby is not yet 6 months old, at this stage just one solids meal per day would be plenty.  If you are keen to bring baby to the table to include her to the social aspect of family meals then you might continue with 2 meals but ensure they are very small, just tastes. You don't want her to be batting her milk away and may need to cut right back on solids to encourage her to take her milk.

The common routine for milk and solids times is that which you have posted above.
Once a LO is on the 4 hr EASY milk times are (generally and allowing for individual routines, nap times etc) 7, 11, 3, 7.  Milk feeds continue as full milk feeds at these times.  Solids are introduced (one meal at 6 months, moving towards 3 meals at around 8 months) 1hr after the milk feed so that LO has time to build a little appetite for solids but not so much that it impacts on the following milk feed.
Over several months the milk feeds will continue to remain at the same times and solids meals between, increasing in size without any drop in milk intake (as a guidance baby increases solids by being bigger and more hungry rather than by reducing milk feeds).

I would not reduce any bottle size at this point.  Milk should be offered at regular times and to baby's need. I would ensure there is 1oz or so remaining the bottle after baby has taken to her fill.  If you are giving a DF or NF you might consider dropping this in a couple of weeks or a month.

Does this clear things up for you? Please feel free to ask whatever questions you have - no one here will think the questions are at all silly

[shira1206]

thanks for your post creations,
about my comment -  i read the chapter on solids again, and i must have confused it with a baby recipe book I have, sorry about that.
To be honest, It's confusing when it says different things, in different places.

I will try moving her solids as suggested above and see how this works for her.
today for example, she ate some fruit (she ate a pretty big amount, around 100g) and I gave her a bottle 1h and 20min after that and she ate a full 150ml.
does this sound OK? so I am not supposed to reduce any amount she eats for solids from her next bottle?
anyway, I will try switching bottle and solids and see how it goes.

about DF, yes we plan to start dropping it soon. I do have a question though.
she eats 150ml during DF at 11PM.
Is it OK if what we do is this:
first 3 days give 120ml (add 30 to mornings of course) at 10PM
after that 90 at 9PM
after that 60 at 8PM
after that 30 at 7:30PM

I read Tracy recommended to drop it in 30 minute changes, but we won't get close to her last feed at 7PM this way. or is my idea of 1 hour difference too much?
and for the last amount of 30 ml at 7:30PM - she just goes to bed at this time, so feed her at 7PM and then also at 7:30PM and only then put her in bed?

sometimes changes are scary with these little ones to be honest... you never know what surprise will come with them 

thank you,
Shira

[creations]

To be honest, It's confusing when it says different things, in different places.

Yes everyone has their own ideas on introducing solids. Some from personal ideas or experience, some are national guide lines but even these vary from country to country (and recommendations within the same country can be vastly varied too).  The main things really are to keep the milk intake going, offer healthy foods, avoid the short list of foods to be avoided and try to enjoy the journey

No don't reduce any milk from her bottle now.  Further along the line (maybe around 10 months but it can be different for each LO) you might see less interest in one or more of the bottles, switching one bottle for a snack at that time might help to keep the milk intake up overall (ie more interest in the remaining bottles), but you are a long way off this yet.
It's ok if she enjoys her solids, you can follow her lead on amounts but if milk drops too much or too rapidly I would pull back on the solids, she is still very little and the milk is her primary food.

The DF can be dropped in a number of ways, you can reduce oz or move the time earlier, or do both.  It's really what you find the most comfortable.  I kept our DF at the same time (actually mine woke for his so it wasn't a true DF) but reduced the oz each night. My plan was to go down to 1oz then water only but he stopped waking for the feed before I got there.
From your plan, I wouldn't give a feed at 7pm and again at 7.30pm, it feels rather too close to when she's just going to sleep.  How about stopping at 8 or 9pm and just reducing the oz?  When you reach 1oz then zero, she should get through the night fine but if there are problems it's ok to reinstate and try again another time.

I usually found I was more scared of the changes than was necessary. I needed to kind of brace myself for it and then my DS would be totally fine with it and I'd wonder what I'd made all the fuss about. When you have a settled routine it can be a bit worrying to make changes but these gentle weans really are gentle. I doubt you will have any problems.
What I would say is that the morning feed might not increase straight away or at all. It might take her a week to increase her day milk and it may be the morning bottle but could well be an increase somewhere else in the day. If any bottles are drained just start making more at the next feed.  Each feed she'd leave approx 1oz in the bottle so you know she's had her fill.

[shira1206]

thanks creations - I wish I could give you a big hug - sending you one instead.
I really needed to read your words.
I know we will get through everything and that I am always a bit too worried than I should be - but since my little one is happy and healthy, I guess I need to remind myself I am doing things right for her

thanks for the DF advice, maybe we will just do it your way, not changing the time, I think it'll be more convenient for us.

[creations]

Thanks for the hug Hugs are always welcome

Here to hold your hand if you need it.