[axiomae]

DD is 6 months old and has been on solids for about a month now. She has two meals a day, breakfast and dinner (will introduce lunch soon) and lately has been rejecting milk before bed. We do solids, bath, boob/bottle, book then bed. Lately she's been suckling for about 30 seconds each side and rejecting any of the bottle (I comp feed for supply issues) whereas usually she has between 60 and 100mls. She has increased how much she eats - she eats about 1 sachet of the Rafferty's Garden puree and then some finger foods we give her to play with, but that's not much.

She is then fussy on the breast, turns away and won't have any milk. She's been generally fussy while having milk this whole last week, turning away and not taking much. She has a breastfeed when she wakes up in the morning (which is her best milk feed of the day), then about one jar of baby rice and pear, followed by three more breastfeeds which are topped up with formula as the day goes on before dinner and more milk then bed. She also has a dream feed at 9.30pm. I'm wondering if that is too much? Am I overfeeding her? Does she need less food and more milk, or do you think she would be getting enough? She is about 6 kilos but hasn't been weighed for a few weeks because the clinic is closed.

Not really sure what is more important - a good dinner then not much milk, or a smaller dinner and more milk. Any advice?

This post has been edited by axiomae: 01/01/2013, 07:09 PM

[Lokum]

I think at 6 months, milk is very important and solids less so. I would be aiming for more milk and smaller solids dinner.

I think I would be offering her evening milk feed first, and solids second. I think I wouldn't do solids before milk until about 8-9 months old?

Interested to read other replies.

[lucky 2]

I agree with Lokum, if you are concerned the volume of food intake is decreasing milk intake then make sure milk it prioritised at this stage. Your baby is still very young, the WHO recommendations for introduction of solids to a bfed baby is to build from 0 to 2-3 meals btn 6-8 months of age.
So 2 meals a day is pretty fast in relation to these guidelines although I know that many people are building up solids even quicker than you have.
Milk is a complete food and it would be unlikely that the foods given at this stage are complete, food should probably be "complementary" to milk rather than replacing milk at this early age.
Could you talk with your chn to get some advice/support?
All the best.

[axiomae]

Thanks, I am going to be chatting with the CHN but they're shut over the holidays and it's only been the last few nights she really hasn't taken any milk. When I asked the CHN for advice about introducing solids and how much, they told me to offer her as much as she would eat, so that's what I've been doing. I do think she needs to be having more milk in the evenings though. Cheers.