Hello!

So Baby is 5.5 mths old and we have been trialing a few solids here and there which she is getting the hang of. When do we need to feed him 3 meals a day? He is BF.


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  • Milk is still their main food til 12 months. I know that for me whether he got 2 or 3 meals depended on me more than him! It was whether i was prepared or could be bothered. There is no set thing that says once he starts to have 3 meals, then he will always have 3 meals.


  • The first foods i introduced to my kids was rice cereal, then apples, pears, pumpkin, zucchini,carrots. When you introduce a new food give it at lunch time in case of a reaction to the food and dont give any other new food for 3 days so you can pin point allergy if it happens.
    I follow Tizzie Halls advice on introducing solids.Its on all of her books but the feeding book is great & focuses more on the starting solids side. Its excellent! She explains which foods to introduce each month and even has recipes.
    Always give breastmilk first and then solids as breastmilk is most important until 9-12 months.


  • I started my daughter on rice cereal when she was about 5 months. We started with breakfast and after a week or so we moved to adding another meal and then after a few more weeks we added another meal. At that early stage she was breastfed first, then fed solids.

    I was told by the Child Health Nurse that around 9 months old we should feed her solids first and then give her a breastfeed. At this stage they predominantly get their calories and vitamins/ minerals from solids.

    Now that my girl is 16 months old, walking and going to daycare, she gets some small snacks during her awake times as well.


  • thanks! makes sense. bub not eating much. likes to fed himself and preferes bf at 6.5m


  • We also may have to take into consideration that although you are breastfeeding your milk may not have as much nourishment as you think. I know 2 Mums who had this situation and it is nothing to feel guilty about. Also your baby may be going through a growth spurt and prefer your milk then rather than solids. Your baby may find it harder to swallow solids than milk if on the verge of teething. Babies have flavour preferences the same as we do. You may be giving something that your baby girl does not like what you are giving her. While it sounds wierd a relative of mine gave her baby girl cereal for one night feed and the baby slept a lot longer during the night, sometimes right through the night. During the hot weather your baby may need fluids as much as a feed. That was another method they used, perhaps a little later. I can’t remember the age they started that. If one of you do shift work and come home about mignight and your baby stirs that is one time that a bottle of boiled water was given. They prepared one which they left at room temperature covered up with a clean cloth to prevent any dust or other foreign “bodies” from making contact with it.


  • My daughter has 3-4 solid meals a day and she’s 7months old. I give her solid snacks as well during the day but I find she gets really hungry between breakfast and lunch. I give her water during the day but I also give her milk 1-2 times a day as well mostly just to get her to sleep at night.


  • he isn’t really interested yet at 5.5 months, prefers bf 2 hrly


  • I’ve got 4 and it honestly depends – by about 8 months all 4 were on 3 square meals but it varied from 6 months (hungriest kid in the world STILL at 6 now :P ), to 8 months on the dot. Baby will let you know if you’re overfeeding, so a bite here or then while you’re eating your three meals is a good intro to set meal times =)


  • It’s a whole new experience so take it slow. If they don’t like something give it 3+ days and give it another try and keep repeating if you really want them to eat it. Pumpkins, sweet potato, bananas, cooked pear or apple are great to start with. Odd combinations may not work for us, but sometimes works for bubs. Good luck and have fun.


  • I have found that my children have decided when they need more then one solid feed a day. It has varied even between my twins. By 7-9 months they are having 3 meals, I always made the mid day main as this was a good time as they were not so tired and I had more time with them. Later on this was changed, as they started to eat a softer version of what we ate.


  • At about 7 to 8 months its good to have bubs on about 3 solid meals and then a few pieces of fruit all depends on how much milk they are still having.


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