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My LO (R) is 29 weeks, and we've been weaning onto solids since she was 23 weeks. She used to have 4 x 7oz bottles a day, at 6am, 10am, 2pm and 6am. For the past three weeks she's been on solids at 8am, 12pm and 5pm. Now, this feeding schedule means that she is eating every 2hrs and my gut feeling is telling me that this is too often - she never seems hungry, especially for milk. Its a struggle to get milk into her, and I can tell that she's full when she burps and it sounds like a burp from a full tummy IYKWIM. The thought of her being uncomfortable because I'm always trying to get her to eat makes me want to cry!

I need to change this feeding schedule but am struggling for ideas. I've got two options, as I see it:

1) Give all her milk feed an hour before solids (plus bottle in the evening)
OR
2) Give half milk feed, then solids, then rest of milk feed (plus bottle in the evening)

I'd be so grateful for any opinions on my suggestions (my HV likes to tell me where I need to be, not how I can get there)

Now onto reducing milk intake, which is also a concern for me.

How much milk your LO's milk intake reduce by and over what period did it happen? I know that no two babies are the same, I'm just floundering a bit as I don't know what to expect. She's only taken 3oz of her morning bottle for a few weeks so am wondering whether this is the start of her reducing her own milk feeds.

Just when I thought I'd cracked it, I find that starting solids is like establishing newborn feeding all over again!

Thanks Flic

Was the 6oz you gave O an hour before her meal much less than the amount you would give her when she was on milk only?

I've known exactly when to feed her for months now, however by trying to get her interested in food, she ends up hungry sometimes, and seems to go "past it". Plus she's really easily distracted, so it can be a battle. I don't think she has "got" the eating thing in the way that you mention, so I'll be patient.

And she seems to prefer shop bought packets of food, rather than my lovingly prepared dishes…but I'll get over that

Flic - I'm doing purees and introduced finger foods as soon as I started purees. I didn't have the guts to do full BLW but really want her to be independent with food. All snacks, breakfast toast and fruit are finger foods. I plan to introduce more finger foods, as she's taken to self-feeding well.

Breakfast in the high chair is fine, but lunch isn't that good. That's when the distraction problem becomes more troublesome. I'm probably expecting too much too soon though, as its only been a short time since we started using the high chair regularly - maybe a couple of weeks? Christmas and New Year was in the middle of that, which disrupted things.

FC79 - Yes, that's helped a lot. R is just a week or so younger than your LO - I think we were in the third tri thread at the same time

My routine over the past couple of days has been turning out similar to yours:

between 3am & 5am - 7oz bottle
8am - Breakfast (porridge made with 2oz milk)
12.30pm - Lunch + yogurt
3pm - 5oz bottle
5pm - Dinner
6.30pm - 6oz bottle

She was only on 28oz a day before weaning so I'm managing to get about 20oz into her now.

I could do with aiming for 4.30pm for dinner, as if I'm late with dinner and it ends up at 5.30pm instead of 5pm then this seems to have a knock on effect on the bedtime bottle. This is the second day I've dropped her mid morning bottle. I was a bit nervous too. I was expecting her to let me know that she was hungry but she lasted until 12.30pm for lunch.

Good idea about increasing the amount in other bottles. She's waking earlier for her first feed of the day. She'll drain the night-feed bottle and pull on it for more so I could probably give her 8oz instead of 7oz.

Thank you ladies. By the sounds of it, I should prepare myself for more changes as soon as I get things sorted

My previous posts make me sound fraught! Flic, I'll be following the "don't worry about it" advice myself. Funny, I learned that lesson when she was 3 months old and I was trying to work out a feeding/sleeping routine. Another three months down the line, a reminder is useful, thank you

Re: self feeding - It is great to see them handling food and getting better and better at it. LOL at picking up fluff from the floor! Mmmm!

Hi FC - blimey, that's a couple of pints of formula a day! I bet you always had a bottle on the go. And by the number of poo's you're getting, it sounds like its coming out as fast as its going in!

R has never had a massive appetite but what made me think she was taking an interest in food was that she'd watch intently when I ate. So I tried her on some tasters of food and started off slowly. I'm now thinking that her small-and-often appetite for milk is turning into a small-and-often appetite for food.

I tried an extra oz with her last night, upping her bottle to 8oz. That was plenty for her, she came off her bottle just before she'd drained it. She still woke at 2.30am for it though. Breakfast went well. Lunch was a few mouthfuls but I'm OK with that.

Being a mum is just fab. My DH is enjoying being a dad soooo much too. Time is going so fast and I'm in no rush for her to grow up. I swear it was just last week that I put away her 0-3 month clothes, I need to do the same with the 3-6 month clothes.

Was your first Christmas together lovely?

Car seats. Hmm, will read that one soon. DH thinks it might be nice for her to face forward and see where she's going...

FC - I thought that Christmas lights would be a big hit with R. DH spent ages buying hooks from B&Q, putting them up and hanging the lights tidily. Then she took one 10 sec glance at them LOL! She did find them gradually more interesting in the following days though.

Right, weaning. Well, no two days have been the same. No…I tell a lie, there has been one thing which has been rather consistent and that's R wanting a bottle in the mid afternoon.

At the start of the thread, I thought I had cracked breakfast but LO made a fibber out me. She slept through last night and because she didn't wake in the wee hours for a bottle, there was no way she would have 7oz bottle and a bowl of porridge for breakfast, even if we delayed porridge by an hour or so. So I went for porridge and a bit of milk for breakfast, then a few hours later, she wanted the rest of her milk. So, after me experimenting with dropping that mid-morning bottle, on that day, she needed a mid-morning bottle. At lunchtime, she wasn't all that hungry at so we had finger foods, pancakes and raisin bread with DH and I. It was lovely, all sat down eating together. And no-one got puree rubbed into their hair/clothes!

Just wondering Flic - do babies who are doing BLW eat much? I was just thinking that I try to measure what R eats in the numbers of ice cubes that she eats every day, but that's not possible if she's having finger foods. And I really can't see her eating, say, five "ice cubes worth" of finger foods at a meal. If I made all her finger foods the shape and size of an ice cube, my pancakes might be rather doughy!

You're right though, it is far less stressful thinking that milk will be OK. I'm coming round to that way of thinking now This last week, she's been letting me know that she wants a regular amount of milk. Nappies are the same as ever (not as many as FC gets though ), and there are plenty of wet ones. Previously, I was focusing on replacing milk with food, however, its milk that is the main source of nutrition. So I'll pay more attention to variety and tastes to food. She really pursed her lips when she ate a tart bit of plum today haha!

"She will even turn down chocolate if she's not hungry!"

Good grief!

I don't think R has learnt to chew and swallow yet, as she'll put the food in her mouth, bite off a piece and then do it again before she's chewed and swallowed the first bite. The excess either falls out her mouth or she gags on it and splutters it out. Is that the way it usually goes Flic? Its a bit scary! I wonder if me spoon feeding her is confusing for her though? Oooh booboo, you've got me thinking now.

I'd've thought that rice would be OK, as your L started off on rice herself. I'm no expert though!

Thanks Flic. And it sounds like your way worked just how you wanted it to. A few of my older relatives were dropping hints like "you'll be starting her on baby rice soon then" and the like when she was nearing 4 months.

I think I'll try meat soon, as I think R does better with sucking at food first. I bet DH didn't bargain on having to share his steak with the baby LOL!

The feeding routine has been steady these past few days. R is taking the same amount of milk each day and doesn't seem to be getting to the stage where she is famished. I've relaxed a bit now. I have noticed that finger foods are best after purees/mashed food, as she goes at them with gusto when she's hungry…but can't handle the amount she tears off.

Ooh there are lots to try. Baby led weaners give their LO's veg and fruit big enough to hold - cooked sweet potato, cooked parsnips, cooked carrots, broccoli florets, toast, melon, cucumber, big "chips", strips of meat, rice cakes, crackerbreads. There is a a good thread BLW/Favourite Finger Food Recipes & Ideas