Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

James started sweet potatoes this week and since he started, his bottle schedule went to sh!t.

He was drinking 8 oz at like 8, 11, 2:30, 6 and 10:30 (sometimes waking up at 3:30 to eat again)

Now he's eating about a half-container of food between his 8 and 11 bottle and not wanting his 11 bottle. This throws off not only his bottle schedule, but his nap schedule as well. He usually naps for an hour or so in the morning and 25. hours in the afternoon - between 3 and 5:30. Yesterday he ate only 4 oz of his "lunch" bottle, slept for 15 minutes and was up and cranky from 3:30 until 7:30. I gave him a bottle at 4 and he ate the full 8 oz, but then he was totally thrown off for the evening. I was up at midnight and then again at 5:30 feeding him.

I can't seem to figure out how to make this work with the food AND the bottles.

Am I just not doing this right?

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

From what our ped told us, bottle is always the most important. So what I did was give DS his bottle and then his "meal" 1/2 hour to one hour later. That way I knew he was getting all the nutrients from his formula.

It's also okay to give one fewer bottle if he's getting the right # of oz. per day. By 8, 9 months DS was down to 3 bottles and that coincided nicely with his meals.

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

i noticed when ds started solids he drank less formula.

my ped said this was going to happen when he started solids bc his belly is fuller.

ds now been on solids for 2 weeks and hes in a routine again

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

once you start with foods, the bottles will always get messed up. He may just be full from the food and not want the bottle. You may even be able to get rid of that 11 bottle. I know once JAZ started eating more HE eliminated a bottle completely.

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

I guess it will just have to be trial and error until we get back on a routine, right?

I have off next week, so I'll have more time to play around with the feedings and see what works...

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

what my pedi told me was that once you start solids they are going to be drinking less and that is totally normal and to follow their lead. he will get back into a routine dont worry. how many times are you feeding him food? if its three times a day then i would do the bottles in between. with my dd and ds in the morning the still like to have their milk so i give them their milk first then about an hour later is when i give them food n then go from thier. there is no science its whatever they want.

Re: Help! Solids are messing up his bottle schedule!

My ped said that formula was still more important than solids but as long as he was getting at least 24oz a day that was good.