I don't know if I need to change his day routine.Please,help!

[lena]

I had some serious complications with my health after having a baby,so my little one is bottlefed since he was three months old.He's almost 7 now.And that's his day schedule:
           7-7.30-wakes up
           8-bottle,7 ounces
           activity time,then
           9.30-10-nap,anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2hour
           12-vegetables or fruit,ab.2 ounces,formula
           1-1.30-nap,anywhere from 45 min.to 1 1/2
           activity time,then
           4-vegetables or fruit,cereal,juice,some formula
           plays,then has a catnap around 6.
           7-bottle,
           some quiet time,bath,massage,story
           8-8.30-bed
           ab.10-dream feeding(though he only takes 2.5-3 ounces)
I see everywhere that everyone gives solid food at different times with the bottle or bf.Do I need to change my schedule and do the same?He usually takes about 32 ounces a day.

[Freya'sMum]

I'll start as I always do by saying that I'm not a specialist or expert, but feel fairly confident in this bit of baby whispering...

Milk is more important than solids at 7 months in terms of nutrition, solid food, whole or pureed, is a chance for your lo to get used to the idea of biting, chewing, moving food about in his mouth and eventually swallowing some of it!

When you offer solid food is kinda up to you and you can adapt it to your family's routine. Some common sense ideas are not to offer new foods later in the day (in case of a reaction that you don't spot while they're sleeping), and to give milk before solids (so they don't get full on solids and then not want the milk which is more important), but otherwise it doesn't really matter!

My dd has never had purees, straight onto finger foods (baby-led weaning approach) and we stagger milk and solids about 2-hourly because this works for her and us, and she's gaining weight so that's all that matters really!

Trust your instincts, if your current routine doesn't feel right, or if ds is struggling with it, tweak it a bit until it does, but don't follow someone elses routine 'coz they're not him or you!

HTH?

Ax

[lena]

Thank you so much
I personlly got used to give him solids first.But 'cause he's bottlefed,I just know how much he takes a day,both solids and formula.My another problem is that he never eats more than he wants.He's not that kind of a baby who will suck just for sucking.I'm thinking about weaning him from the dream feeding but I don't know how to make him eat a little bit more during the day,if he doesn't eat more than he wants to.Can you give me any advice on this?I want to get rid of this DF because I have to wake him up to feed all the time because he usually sleeps on his tummy since he learnt how to roll over.And if I'm a little late with the DF,he usually wakes up crying at the time of the feeding.So,I think,it becomes a habit for him.He usually takes no more than three ounces for the DF

[Freya'sMum]

Dunno about weaning from the df, I could never get either dd to have one, so I just demand fed them thru the night until they stopped themselves! I guess I was confident that they were waking for a feed, not for comfort, so didn't mind (I sorted out the bags under my eyes with lots of concealer!!!).

Dd#2 is transitioning herself off nightfeeds at present, sometimes she wakes for a feed, usually between 11pm and 2am, sometimes she doesn't, if she does I do feed her, but if she wakes after 2am I just give her cooled boiled water 'coz otherwise she won't have a good breakfast feed. It does mean that I am currently having some seriously disturbed sleep, but I'm sure it'll pass as she realises that she has to eat enough in the day 'coz she can't top-up on milk at night! She is older than your lo tho', so perhaps just go with his lead again?! Or offer him the water if he wakes at df time, leave it if he doesn't?

Sorry if this is a bit vague, one thing I've learned by having 2 los is that altho' they need boundaries to keep on track, they're generally pretty good at knowing what's right for them! I've taken dd#2's lead a lot more than I did with dd#1, and it seems to have helped keep everything more relaxed.

Best of luck, let me know how it goes,

Ax