Hey
Sounds like your LO is doing brilliantly!
I am still BFing Freya (have decided to carry on until she is one now since it's only a few weeks away) and I have always taken my cues from her. She has three meals a day and a couple of snacks now - she's just over ten months - and is down to roughly three/four BFs a day. I generally offer her milk when she wakes up in the morning and at 12pm, 4pm and at bed time. Sometimes she wants it, sometimes she doesn't, she will soon yell if she does! I've never given it at the same time as a main meal as I can't imagine she would have the room for both. In the morning I try and give her at least half an hour after milk before we have breakfast and just try and space the rest throughout the day.
She's quite little too, on the 50th percentile still, and I've spent a lot of time worrying about her size, but she is happy and healthy and into everything so I've just got to let her get on with things and be guided by her. Some days she eats more than others but over all I think she is doing OK.
As for water,I don't think you need to bother boiling it after six months - or am I being a terrible mother for not doing so?!?! Freya has got a sippy cup with a valve on it, I think it's a Tommee Tippee one, it really doesn't leak and she's really starting to get the hang of it now. I tend to offer her water with her meals and then just have the cup within her reach during the day. It's taken a while but she goes and helps herself now and I've just realised she's pretty much drunk the lot today now - I think it holds a couple of hundred mls. To start with she would just play with the cup a bit, hence why the fact that it REALLY doesn't leak is so great.
If you are still BFing your LO is probably getting enough fluid from that and food itself probably has quite a lot of water in it. If you are getting plenty of poos and wees then I wouldn't worry too much. Ha, listen to me, I am the world's biggest worrier when it comes to this food lark, I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about here!!!!
I would say just go with your instinct and that of your LO, she will soon let you know what she wants. I have to say I do sometimes wonder about HV's advice, I'm afraid, I'm not very impressed with the ones I've dealt with so I have to admit I tend to steer clear.
Hope this helps a bit!
Love Gracie
xxxxx