Feeding Schedule for 5 Month Old

[PaulaP]

Hi there,

Was wondering if you could give me some information.  I started weaning my lo at 17 weeks as he was a big baby and was showing all the signs of wanting food.  He is now 4 days off 5 months and loves his food a lot, but has lost interest in some of his bottles.  My HV has said that I cannot force bottles on him and that as long as he is taking 21oz a day that he is getting enough milk.  I have tried a schedule which seems to work, but wanted to check with you that DS in not eating too much now.  Yesterday was the first day on this schedule and DS slept soundly last night without even a stir - he usually sleeps through the night, but on the old schedule he was very restless. 

Our new schedule is as follows:-

7:00am - 8oz Bottle, 4tsps of cereal and 2 tsps of Fruit
11:30 - 3-4oz Bottle with 6 tsps of vegetable puree
2:30pm - 6oz Bottle
5pm - 6tsp Vegetable pure' with 2 tsps of Fruit puree
7:00pm - 8oz bottle

Hope to hear your views soon.

Thanks
Paula - Mum to Thomas

[PaulaP]

Right, now I am confused, a routine which worked so well yesterday seemed to be so different today.

Everything was fine until 5:00 when DS did not want any food.  I offered him 3 oz of milk which he usually refuses, he took that and then had his food.

Now I am thinking am I not feeding him enough.

Can anyone give me some advice?.......

[tylersmommy]

Well, you're right...just when you think you've got it, everything changes! That's usually the case where eating is concerned, so try to go with the flow as best you can. Over here, the general guidelines for formula for a 5 mo old baby are 26-32 oz per day, but I've heard that the guidelines are more like 20 oz in the UK (if I'm wrong, someone please correct me!). So it looks like your DS is pretty close either way. If he's losing interest in his bottles, odds are that he's filling up on solids and just isn't hungry. To keep his formula intake up, you can cut back slightly on the amount of solids you offer and see if that makes a difference. It looks like he's putting away a pretty decent amount of food, as portion sizes for that age are more like 1-2 tsp. It looks like you're both doing great!

[PaulaP]

Hi Melissa,

Thank you so much for your reply.  Yes you are right in the UK the guidelines are 20oz of formula a day.

I know what you are saying that the portions of food do sound quite a lot, but even when I was only offering him 2 tsps twice a day he would not drink his milk - he would drink 4 oz or so and then start fighting with me and not finishing them.  I also found that after his milk and food he was getting sick quite a bit.  Hence the reason for the change. 

On this schedule he has not gotten sick at all but am confused now as day one went so smoothly and now day two has gone all wonky.

Are there any suggestions that you could give me - I am a first time mom and do panick quite a bit.

Thanks for your time and help.

Paula

[tylersmommy]

Paula, it really does sound like things are going great! I know how you feel, though, I've done MORE than my share of panicking! Just keep in mind that every day might well be different, and that's okay. Appetite and preferences can change from day to day, so if he changes things up every so often, there's usually nothing to worry about. You're doing fine, just keep an eye on his formula intake (an off day from time to time is okay) and respect his appetite. If you offer solids and he isn't interested, no biggie. Since formula should be his main source of nutrition for a few more months, skipping a solids meal every so often is perfectly fine. The routine may not be identical from day to day, so try to stay flexible and enjoy it!

[PaulaP]

Hi Melissa,

Thank you so much for your input - it is really appreciated.

Today I have gone back to our old routine and am just going to let him lead m and see how it goes.

Thanks again for your support.

Paula

[kyemickaj]

Hi there!

Just thought I'd let you know that my 5mth old was doing exactly the same thing...  I had him on a very similar schedule with only 2 feeds of solids and four bottles.  He starting refusing his afternoon and dinnertime bottle until I realised that I was giving him too much of his solids.  I have since cut him back to about 2-3 tsp and he now happily drinks his milk (as this was my main concern being that it should be his main source of food for his age).

I also have noticed that some days he just does not feel all that hungry so I will skip his afternoon meal and just give him his bottle instead.  I too panicked that he was not eating enough, but I have now realised that he has an off day every now and then like us adults do.  I will be more diligent with his meals when he turns 6 months old, but until then we are happy playing around with different tastes and learning to eat from a spoon.

Hope this helps!
Kylie