Changing order of milk and solids

Hi all,
When are you changing the order of feeds to solids before milk, and how did you know when to do this?
Plunket (Health nurses) in NZ say to switch the order at 8 months - but I don't really understand why, or if this should vary with BLS. I have read the Gill Rapley book so many times, and I can't find any reference to switching - other than letting your baby guide you with reducing their milk feeds.
My son is 8.5mths and loves his morning bottle, I can't imagine him having breakfast first (its been almost 13 hours since his last bottle). I just changed his routine to one where we have dinner before bedtime bottle, but to be honest it feels a bit weird - and it means he has dinner way before ours so he can get to bed about 7 / 7:30pm.

Any advice or thoughts appreciated.
Thanks!
Kelly

Hi Kelly, I can't answer your question as I haven't done this myself yet, but I'm suscribing coz I'd like to know this too. Hopefully someone who has done it will be along shortly :)

Lately if DD wakes early in the morning (like 3 or 4am) and has a bottle then, then I'll give her breakfast first once we are up for the day.
I would probably leave it until at least a year old, as they say 'food is fun until they're one' so I would be inclined to give milk first, at least you know they are getting the nutrition they need rather than pottering around with solids and maybe not drinking as much milk as they should. but that's just me...

I really don't think that it's important. If your bub is trying a range of foods and drinking a reasonable amount of milk, and weeing and poohing and growing then just relax!

I think it's something they come to on their own... Pie has started to refuse her morning bottle in favour of breakfast. I still offer it, but she just has a few sucks, like for thirst & then pushes it away.
I offer again before her morning sleep, before her afternoon sleep, after her afternoon sleep & before bed. What she has will vary hugely from day to day, I pretty much let her decide what she wants.
She almost always has a bigger bottle at around 9 - 10pm, and she still has an overnight or early morning bottle, between 1am & 5am.

It's one of those things where they are all different.
Kmn is right :) if everything else is well, I wouldn't stress too much about it.

The answer is that it depends who you ask. In dietician and child health circles there are two schools of thought on this. The most common answer is that about 8 - 9 months the food should come first, but there is also good information around to support 12 months being a better age. Truly I think the right answer is whatever works best for you and your LO. Follow the lead of your DS and your instinct and you can't go too wrong!

Thanks everyone - its good to know others are waiting until 1 year to swap feeds. We will continue with bottle first until DS decides otherwise :) In the meantime I am still giving him dinner first then a bottle at 6:30, and it seems to be working ok...