What is your feeding routine?

[PinkBinkie]

Hi all

Hoping you guys can help me out. Went to the doctors today for bub's 6 mth needles (ouch) and bub was weighed and has really fallen behind in her weight gain! She's a whopping 5.8kg (a bit of sacrasm!) and I constantly get comments on how small she is. She was a healthy 3.1kg when born and her length and head circumference is average. She's very active and is crawling now.

The doctor said to feed her solids 3 times a day now and increase the amounts. Lucy's been having solids for a month now, about 2 teaspoons, and is just starting to get into it. But now she shows little interest in her bottles, leaving 20-40ml from 210ml for 2 or 3 out of 4 bottles. The doctor said the milk isn't as important now as the solids. Does this sound right? And what feeding routine do you have your baby in? Bottle first and then food? Or offer solids halfway through a bottle? I'm a bit confused! Bubs is very healthy and happy so I don't think she's starving!

Thanks
Jodi :confused:

[drewid]

Hi there Jodi :)

It sounds like Lucy is doing well. She might just be one of those 'small' babies. As long as she is gaining weight, albeit slowly, I think she would be fine, as you say, she's very active and developmentally doing really well to be crawling at 6 months!

If she is only happy having her 2tsps of solids a day, then keep going with that. Theres no need to push her to eat more solids if she isn't interested.

I think that leaving 20-40ml after a bottle feed isn't anything to worry about. The recommended mls are just that - recommended. It isn't a rule that you strictly have to stick to. It sounds like she is having as much as she needs.

I have to STRONGLY disagree with what your doctor said about solids being more important than milk. For the first 12 months, milk is the most important part of a baby's diet nutritionally. Solids are in addition to milk, not the other way around.

I would offer milk first still at this stage. I think its recommended that once your bub is having about 1/2 cup of solids 3 times a day, that you can start to offer the solids before the milk.

I would say stick with what you are doing - it seems to be working just fine. Just keep an eye on her weight, make sure she is gaining steadily and get her checked out if you feel concerned. Trust your instincts!!

You're doing a great job! :D

[JanetF]

What Nicole said! :D Doctors are really crap at babies LOL.

[PinkBinkie]

hi
Thanks Nicole. You have made me feel much better. I guess you do have to trust your own instincts and take on 'useful' advice. What the doctor said didn't really ring true with me. And Lucy is gaining weight, though slowly. It seems you can't win, your baby is either too little or too big! And thanks to Janet. From my pregnancy I know doctors don't know everything.
Cheers
Jodi and little but happy Lucy :)

[Baby Girl]

As long as your bub is active and healthy I would not be too concerned about how much she weighs. I have never weighed either of my girls.

DD1 was a tiny baby and was a tiny eater. I used to give her a bottle before solids and she was eating about the same amount of solids as your little one at about the same age. DD2 is a big eater and is definitely chubbier than her sister was at the same age. DD1 was very active, alert and happy so i was not too concerned about her size, she was growing but only slowly. She is now (nearly) 3 and is still small for her age but she is a little pocket rocket.

You would know if your bub was lacking in anything but like you said she is active and happy so ignore the doctors advice and keep doing it your way!! Growth charts are so old and outdated that I have ignored them since day one (lucky for me so does my dr.)!!

[tickle]

Same as everyone else.
I wouldn't worry about it at all. As long as she is happy, healthy and is developing away she will be fine. My DS is off the bottom of the chart in both weight and height and he is still kicking on as well as he ever did!
I also agree milk is the most important. Doctors, what do they know. ;)

[pickles]

my niece happily sits at the 10 percentage on the scale in the baby book since she was born ( she is now 4). I tended to do things a bit differently than in 'the books'. I gave the morning feed and then solids inbetween the next feed - so that they are hungry enough to take increasing solids but still taking milk as the main food. what you will find is that as the solids intake increases the milk will decrease. I think at around 7-8 months they only need 600 mls of milk per 24 hours so long as they are taking good amounts of solids. Also remember that breastfeed babies probably take much less than the recommended amount because you dont have measures on your breast to know how much is taken. Your baby is developmentally way in front ( my 81/2 month old is no where near crawling) so she is expending all her energy on moving - so long as she is not losing wieght try not to worry.
Good luck

[3cherubs]

Hi, my daughter(not the one in photo) is 6 months old and had her needles the other day and was only 6.1 kg's. She has always been in the 5 - 10 percentile too, she is now in the 50 percentile for her length. The peadiatrician was not worried at all, and i have only just started solids this week.

PLease do not worry all babies are different.

[BlessedWithBlue]

ods was a big boy, he weighed 11.5kg at 8 months :eek:
He had 3 solids a day and 3 bottles of formula. Yds is 10kg at 11 months and a huge eater, but he will only drink one 150ml bottle of formula and that is at night time. I try to get him to drink formula throughout the day but he refuses it, he will eat his solids though. When yds was 6 months and starting solids my cyhn gave me a feeding schedule to help me figure his feeding out.

8am bottle
10am cereal
12pm bottle
2pm solids
4pm bottle
6pm solids
8pm bottle
9pm rollover bottle

that is the schedule she gave me and i just adjusted it to suit the times my ds woke up in the morning etc.
It worked for us but every bub is different and has different needs, and as long as your little one is active and happy continue doing what you're doing:)

[Refresh]

Yup, what Nicole said:D

If it makes you feel any better, Millar is just over 9kg (maybe almost 10 by now) at 18 months. Some bubbas are just smaller than others or have later growth spurts. We;re not all the same size so babies shouldnt be expected to be either:rolleyes: As long as you feel everything is OK, weight is pretty insignificant. Keep doing what you're doing.

I like what Janet said, doctors are crap at babies lol:D