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

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. :pray:

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.

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.

:)

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?

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.

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.

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!

Just joining the chorus. I'd concentrate on milk at this point too. You can cut back the solids and add them in later and see if that helps also.
she's still very young - they get much more nutrition from milk at this age as their digestive systems are still getting used to the solids.

Gah! How frustrating. Why fix something that isn't broken? I'm annoyed for you that the MCHN suggested something that hasn't worked. I am of the belief that you can't overfeed a baby unless you are forcing food down their throat. But I'm sure that comment will get lots of disagreement. I didn't have my DD2 weighed after 8 weeks. I could tell she was putting on weight and I didn't care if she was a bit chubby to be honest. I think like everyone else has said, introduce the bottle back in and do solids between bottles. If that means she only gets solids twice a day, then that's fine. She'll tell you if she doesn't want to eat them. Likewise, she'll tell you if she doesn't want her bottle. We did bottle, then two hours later morning tea was solids, then two hours later a bottle for lunch, then arvo tea was solids, then solids for dinner and a bottle before bed. Just giving you an indication of what our DD2 did at that age. She had a bottle at 3am too from 6 months for some weird reason.....At about 8 months, we changed things up a bit but that's ages away for you in the big scheme of things ;) Maybe get her weighed every couple of months or something. She may have been going through a growth spurt last month, hence the big weight gain. And like you said, she's a good eater so why wouldn't she be putting on a good amount of weight! Go with your instincts hun. You're made to be her mother. If she doesn't want the food, she'll let you know xx

Thanks so much to all of you for your advice and support. Isn't it weird how 1 MCHN can have you filled with anxiety and concerned that you've done the wrong thing?? (And yet seeing my little girl instantly struggle once we implemented what really seemed like a "diet"... my instincts just screamed that I shouldn't have followed her advice or changed anything to begin with). I couldn't help but feel that, had I been able to BF DD that no one would be suggesting I restrict her milk intake or number of feeds at this age. Anyway. After reading all your replies I felt greatly reassured and went back to 4 bottles yesterday. We didn't get her sleeping her usual 11+ hours but she managed to last until 5am which was a big improvement on all other nights this past week! She also seemed a lot happier today (I don't think I'm imagining that) and I got my little baby bird back at meal times!!! (mouth wide open excitedly waiting for the next spoonful of vegie puree). Thanks again... bellybelly members are awesome. :grouphug:

Fantastic news! Good to hear that your mummy instincts were right...as they always are. She's lucky to have you as her mummy x