Solids are stressing me out!

djtippietoes

I have enough trouble trying to get A to drink enough when we were just talking formula.  Now that solids have been semi-introduced into the mix, I feel so confused.  Not so much on what he's supposed to be eating, but when, how much and how often and when will he stop drinking as much formula?  Just curious to see how others are introducing solids.

MamaAllison

You've probably got a month before anything really changes! The first couple of weeks are just getting them used to the process of eating table food, and the calories they are taking in are most likely minimal.

Just try to have fun with it at first. Then follow your LOs cues from there.

Codypup

We've noticed a slight drop in formula intake that coincided with W finally ingesting the solids. When she was mainly just playing with her food (and flinging it into my hair), her formula stayed the same. 

I guess the biggest noticeable difference is that she's dropped a night feeding. She went from taking 8-10oz overnight to only taking 3-4oz! 

I was kind of worried (because weight) but according to the scale she's continuing to gain. She gets 3 "meals" per day, and then bottles as needed. 

TessyMessy

We started with dinner which was timed in between normal feedings. LOs usually are not very patient when they are hungry so trying to start solids then is not a good idea. I always follow up with a regular feeding. We combo-fed DS1 so I would make the a normal size bottle of formula in the beginning because most of the food wound up on his face, clothes, floor and high chair tray. After a week or so we would introduce lunch, again in between normal feeding times. When LO becomes better at actually eating solids you will notice he may or may not finish a normal sized bottle of formula. We also dropped an evening feeding so LO goes from dinner to nursing at bedtime. TBH its all trial and error!

RedSoxGirl10

I'm totally with you on this- you can see my rant on the BF check in haha. We only started solids a few weeks ago, but LO is eating pretty well. I know he is getting some based on change in his poop (which is so fun ha ha). But now I don't know what to do about nursing him- I'm trying to just offer it at the same time I did before but it seems like he often doesn't want it. I'm hoping in the next few weeks I'll have it figured out... maybe?

SuzyQq02

In the same boat! I was just talking about this yesterday with a friend, I feel completely stupid about this.

ShePersisted

I am in the same boat as you. I think as @mamaallison mentioned, just get him uses to it for a few weeks. At least that's what I'm doing now.

I also asked my pedi about formula intake when starting solids he said not to worry too much. Offer just as much you did before but if LO wants to go down an oz or two after eating something solid don't force it and let him naturally balance things out. As time goes on and you start doing solids more regularly e.g. Twice a day instead of once you will gradually see a decline in formula intake.

AKAP2010

It is definately a big change for us as parents to figure out. Your going to always question yourself! Is LO getting enough food? Too much food? Not enough bottles?!? It will all figure itself out

We started with breakfast at 4 months. Now at 5 months LO is getting dinner too. I don't know how much oatmeal cause I just make it. But she eats a whole jar of food for dinner. She is still drinking her normal 26-30 a day of formula. Once in a while she might only drink 24 oz. I'm nervous to introduce lunch cause the one day I gave her lunch she didn't drink her nap time bottle and slept horrible! Lol

I also started giving her 1/2 a puff at a time and she loves them! DS was around 5 months when he started eating them also. So I do give her a couple of those while we eat lunch since she wants our good so bad!

djtippietoes

When exactly am I supposed to give him the solids? He eats 5 oz of formula (on a good day) every 3 hours.  Do I give him solids an hour and half after he's had the formula?  Right after?  

ShePersisted

djtippietoes said:

When exactly am I supposed to give him the solids? He eats 5 oz of formula (on a good day) every 3 hours.  Do I give him solids an hour and half after he's had the formula?  Right after?  

As a start I give it to him mud day after his first nap. He usually is not super hungry but hungry enough to explore food ( like 30 mins before his next feeding). I'll give him about a spoon or two of any solid like banana, mushed rice etc. Then wait for that to settle and then offer him formula. He will typically take in one oz less than his usual depending on what kind of solid he has eaten.

Codypup

djtippietoes said:

When exactly am I supposed to give him the solids? He eats 5 oz of formula (on a good day) every 3 hours.  Do I give him solids an hour and half after he's had the formula?  Right after?  

Sure!! Remember that in the beginning he's not eating for nutrition -- it's to get him used to the idea/taste/texture. W spit most of it out for awhile before she got the hang of it.

BxMama4

djtippietoes said:

When exactly am I supposed to give him the solids? He eats 5 oz of formula (on a good day) every 3 hours.  Do I give him solids an hour and half after he's had the formula?  Right after?  

We shot for about mid-way between bottles. Like others said, it was pretty much just for fun to begin with but for my DS it's changed rapidly. After about two weeks he started getting really mad any time a meal time did not include him getting to eat so we started feeding him a small amount at each meal time.

Honestly, once you get started things seem to just work themselves out. As a FTM I was nervous about it, but E pretty much dictated how things went. He has dropped one nursing session a day but he's nursing longer at the sessions he is doing so in guessing his actual milk intake hasn't changed much if at all.

p2k2c4bk2p2

Up to a year just keep offering formula first and don't stress about how much solids get in the belly. Good under one is just for fun, so don't worry!! There's a broad range of what's normal.

MrsL32

We time solids in between regular BF times.  Right now, like others have said, it's just for practice/fun with eating.  I still offer BM at the same times, he seems to be drinking just as much.  I can't really remember when food started to 'replace' milk for nourishment for DS1, maybe around 8 months?

MissDemeanor

Reece naps at 10, and when he wakes up I BF him, and then give him some cereal. He only eats what he feels like. In the evening I either give him something right before we eat, or just feed him off my plate, depending on what we're eating.

I got one of those mess feeders yesterday, and put some banana in it and he loved it! I agree with pp who say have fun feeding him, and keep up regular milk (formula or BM) intake. I also think Reece is a bit thirsty after. I gave him milk in a cup, and he LOVED it (caps to express how very excited he was)

Dexter&11

I always give Em her first feed of the day as a BF as she sleeps through every night and is ravenous by morning. She'll usually then go back to bed for a couple of hours, then we have breakfast together...usually dry toast for her but this morning she got treated to dry crumpet! I BF in between my normal meal times, but she gets offered dry bread, lettuce leaves, pepper chunks etc at lunch and dinner with some cool boiled water, then a BF. Tonight I'm trying her on potato and sweet potato wedgies (no oil, seasoning or spices) as that's what we're having

JackieP1023

We do oatmeal in the evenings. Usually about 2 hours before bed. It's the easiest time of day for us: oatmeal, bath, then bedtime routine. I have been feeding about 1T of dry mix (mixed with BM). She has been upset the last few nights when it's gone!