Feeding Schedule for 6 Month Old - Arvada,CO

Don't stress about not giving enough "solid food" to your 6 month old. Her system is still getting used to the new additions and isn't prepared to have too much too soon. As time goes by, she'll indicate that she's hungry and that the breast milk isn't enough. Watch for those cues and introduce a little at a time. Nursing when she wakes up is a great idea, and then attempting solids perhaps mid-morning before nursing is also great. What worked for my kids was introducing more solids slowly during the evening around our meal-time so that our kids were at the table with us, and then nursing right before bedtime. This helped to keep their bellies full the older they got and we found that they slept more comfortably, and for longer. Good luck!

At a recent La Leche League meeting, a leader stated that feeding food then nursing can be a good way to start weaning. I am not ready to start this yet, so we usually nurse first - except dinner which is just too busy right now.

I started cereal at 5 1/2 months once a day for a week. I then rotated between rice cereal and oatmeal for a week. I nursed first, then gave the food - I feel it is more for tasting then for filling tummies at this point.

I then continued the cereal/oatmeal and added a vegetable at dinner time. My daughter had a milk allergy (outgrew at one - yea!!!), so with both kids I was VERY slow with new foods.

I tried one food at a time for 5 days before adding a new one. In the last week or so (he is 7 months 3 weeks), I have added fruit, so I do a veggie and fruit at the same sitting.

Here's our feeding schedule now - I nurse on demand, so he nurses throughout the day. Wake up, nurse. 20 minutes or so later, eat cereal. Nurse midmorning. Lunch - nurse, veggie, cheerios, nurse. Midafternoon - nurse. Dinner - veggie, fruit, cheerios, nurse. Bedtime - nurse.

The Gerber's website has suggestions, too, but I feel like if I followed it, my kid would be in the highchair all day and I would spend more money on baby food then on groceries for the rest of the family!!!

With my kids, I always gave solids close to traditional meal times and then breast and bottle fed for the rest of the day. So three "meals" of solids at 8, 12 and 6 (or there abouts) and the rest of the day was breast/bottle. I did this until they were about 10-months old when I could add a few snacks like Cherrios, fruit/veggie puffs, zweiback toast, biter biscuits, etc. Those I'd through in between meals.

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to go about it, just whatever you think is right and will work for you and your daughter.

Be careful of introducing to many foods at this point. With her having a milk allergy it is possible for her to develop other food allergies if you give food to soon. With our last son I started cereal and other baby food between three and six months and we had real trouble with him and it wasn't right away. Our ped said to wait until nine months to start him on anything solid and just waiting that extra time was well worth it and I am so glad that we did and avoided him having life long struggle with allergies.