Help please! Wisdom needed re feeding solids to 6 mth old (first bub)

[Amber4]

DD (6 mths) and I have been struggling with solids this past week ): I introduced solids 3 wks ago (just small amounts of rice cereal, pureed fruits and vegies) offered in amounts of about 2 - 3 tablespoons before her bottle feeds. We started on 2 solid "meals" a day and then added a third after 2 weeks. All was going really well with this and she seemed to have the beginnings of a 'good eater'. Up until last week she was in a beautiful feeding routine of 4 x bottles of formula (we had been doing this for months), 4 hourly during the day and she would sleep 11 - 12 hours straight through the night. She was a really happy bub, slept well, rarely cried, etc. Last week we saw the clinic nurse who said DD had gained a lot of weight in the past month since we introduced solids (double what she should have) and recommended I drop one bottle a day and stretch her out to 3 meals a day, increase the solids a bit, and offer rusks or fruit in between meals. That's when everything went pear shaped. Since we've tried this DD has become very unsettled, has trouble sleeping in the day, is now waking every night at 3am upset and won't go back to sleep without a feed, and has now begun refusing some of the solid meals. I'm sure the dropping of the 4th bottle has caused it and I'm feeling really lost as I want to do the right thing by her and not overfeed her or cause her to gain too much weight, but on the other hand I'm really upset that our very happy, settled daughter is obviously struggling and missing her 4th bottle! I've trawled the internet and my baby books and have found lots of info re introducing solids, which we did successfully, but no real advice on what to do when you get to the point of balancing milk and solid meals, how much is the "right" amount, when to feed, how often, etc. Also, DD isn't really ready for rusks or straight fruit. She doesn't really seem interested and drops the rusk in frustration after a minute in her hand. I'd really appreciate any advice here. She's continually upset and I'm feeling guilty, out of my depth, and desperately wishing I could fix this ASAP. Thanks hugely.

[krisp]

Hi Amber4. When I introduced solids with both my munchkins I offered it after their milk as at 6 months milk is still the ore important source of "food" and nutrition. Perhaps try going back to the 4 bottles a day but offer smaller amounts of solids. Both my children loved sweet potato, cauliflower and apple pureed together. Just a couple of teaspoons and always after their feed. The big increase in weight may just be your little one getting used to the increase in calories from the solids and should stabilise. Perhaps go back in a month and have her weighed her again.

Is your bub teething or just started sitting, crawling? Often big growth milestones or teething can make little ones unsettled.

Good luck.

[Amber4]

Thanks Kris. No, no teeth or sitting, etc. She's still fairly immobile (loves to squirm around on the floor and sit in her play seat but nothing new in terms of movement). The unsettled period started the very day we dropped the bottles down, so did the night waking etc. Thanks for your advice though, I've been thinking as you say that it might be worth going back to the 4 bottles. Did you offer food straight after the feeds with your bubs or wait for half an hour etc? At what point did you then increase the solids and did you decrease the amount of milk as you went along or did it stay the same?

[expression]

I agree with the others. You need to go back to 4 bottles a day. My little guy is only days older than your DD and he's on 4 bottles a day as well as 3 solid meals. IMO, I think milk is more important than solids at this stage.

We have a routine of - 7am bottle, 9am breakfast, 11am bottle, 1pm lunch, 3pm bottle, 5pm dinner, 7pm bottle and bed. That's a rough routine. If he isnt drinking his bottles I usually skip lunch and offer him his bottle again.

[Miss E]

I agree with the others, go back to the four bottles a day. I always offered solids about an hour after DS's milk feed. The at about 8 or 9 months I swapped it around. In the first few months we would have a week or two where he ate really well and then seem to go backwards for awhile. Like the others have said until they're 12 months milk is the most important source of nutrition. The 6 months beforehand are about gradually transitioning them to getting used to a solids diet. Personally I wouldn't start reducing her milk feeds until around 8 or 9 months and then gradually cutting back as you offer more and more solids iykwim. If at that point you go back to giving her solids first then the milk you'll probably find that she gradually reduces the amount she takes at each feed too before she starts dropping a bottle all together.

[Miss.September]

Trust your instincts hon. Sounds like you were going just fine before you dropped the bottle. My DD let us know when she wanted to drop a feed but she kept up the solids.

FWIW - My DD has never eaten rusks. Offered them from 6 months at the advice of MCHN and she's hated them from day dot!

[Arimeh]

Go back to having 4 bottles, DD2 is 8 months and is still on 4 bottles a day. Milk is still their primary food until they are one, so don't get talked into dropping bottles on her, she'll drop them in her own time.