Weaning and formula
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https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/weaning/what-to-feed-your-baby/from-around-6-months/
My 7 month old has 3 meals, 2 snacks, 1 dessert and 100ml of water. He dropped to 3 bottles at 6.5 months old and has 24oz a day. He was having 3 meals, 1 dessert and 100ml of water at 6 months but 32oz of milk.
Are you offering a milk feed before you give her solids? You want to make sure the solids aren’t filling her up, I don’t think she should be dropping any formula this early. I give my baby two meals and a snack and he still breastfeeds the same amount he always has, I make sure to offer him milk first and he can have however much of the food he wants after.
@Elena oh I would love to know what type of dessert you are doing? That sounds very like my little one when she started weaning. She kept up the bottles but now they have completed dropped. She is still sleeping through at least!
@Levi yes we offer bottles 30-60 minutes before a meal. She has no interest currently. She is 6.5 months now which I do tend to forget. when she started weaning she didn’t drop any bottles and now suddenly she has halved her formula intake. She feeds herself during meals so I know she isn’t having too much either. She is so into her food which is great I’m just worried about her formula. Could the teething and chesty cough be the reason it has dropped? I am going to try a larger teat tomorrow too and see if this helps.
@Lauren we did start weaning early with doctor recommendation and increase meals with recommendations too so they are aware of how much she is being offered. We try to offer milk at least 30-60 minutes before the solids too because I don’t want her to miss out on this nutrition but she is so keen on food. I can’t even eat in the same room as her or she’ll cry that I’m not giving her any. It’s so hard to gauge
For desserts I do yoghurt with fruit puree, fruit puree on its own, I’ve introduced some whole fruits now too like holding a banana or some orange/pineapple/melon. I also make fruit loaf bars or muffins for him (without sugar) x
15oz isn't enough formula for a 6 month old. It is normal for them to decrease a little but the majority of their nutrition should still come from their milk so they need at least 18oz. If she won't take it during the day have you tried giving her more during the night? No matter how balanced the food you're giving her is you're risking not giving her correct nutrients if her formula decrease that much and that could affect her growth and health.
@incog maybe go back to your doctor as my understanding is that’s too little formula at this age. I’ve read you need to give vitamins when it drops below 500ml. All the NHS advice is that formula or breastmilk should be the primary source of nutrition until 1 and not some of the advice given above. I definitely wouldn’t be looking at adding dessert if you’re already struggling to get enough formula in.
@Hattie yeah I am very worried about the amount of formula. For the first couple of weeks of weaning she maintained her formula intake around the 20-25oz range but it’s just the last few days that there has been issues. I am wondering if this is due to the cough or maybe teething and I’m hoping it’ll go back up when the tooth emerges or when the cough goes away. I am in with the doctor today to check in about this concern
Yeah it could just be cough or teething but I'm glad you're seeing doctor, as @Lauren said I think if it stays that low you'd need vitamins. I also have a baby who hates milk and never drinks enough, struggled with weight gain, so I sympathise! X
@Hattie it’s so hard isn’t it! The doctors aren’t concerned but we go to them monthly still for weight checks to make sure she isn’t falling too low! That’s why they suggested early weaning because she was very interested in food and was sitting nearly independently. She is very little but very happy in herself but we’ll see today! I am keen to give her vitamins if she needs them
I don’t formula feed but I’d say you’re probably giving her too many solids for this stage. Start with one meal a day and then introduce another one around 7 months. I wouldn’t be looking to introduce snacks until 11/12ish months. It should be a gradual process. Milk should still be her main source of nutrition until 1 and water is just sips with a meal for now. But she could also be feeding less due to the cold or teething, you just don’t want to be filling her up with solids just yet.