Feeding FAQ: 6-9 months – Weaning/Solids

My 6.5-month-old son now wants milk more than solids at his meals

My son has recently begun to be difficult to feed at lunchtime. For three weeks now, he will not give up his milk at lunchtime. We are down to 5oz, but he refuses his solids and cries throughout lunch for his bottle. He is not content to just have some of it between spoonfuls. He does eat the solids, but is very unhappy throughout. I have tried feeding him earlier, and giving him a mid-morning snack in case he was just too hungry to wait for solids to fill him up; neither worked. Now, he is beginning to do the same at breakfast and tea time. My once good eater is now totally unhappy and stressed at mealtimes.
He feeds at 7am 8ozs and 3 tbsp oats with 2 cubes fruit puree, fruit or rusk as snack, 11.15am 5ozs and 5 cubes of various vegetables, 2.30pm 7ozs, 5.30pm 5tsps rice with 2 cubes of pear, 6.30pm 6ozs.
He has also started waking two or three times during the night, when previously he had slept through 7-7. He wakes screaming, but there is nothing I can see that is wrong. We have let him cry it out, and he does eventually settle after 30-45 minutes.

As your son was weaned at 5 months and is now over 6 months you will need to speed up his weaning a little and begin to introduce protein to him. The iron supplies laid down at birth will be running out and although formula is fortified with iron he needs to begin to obtain it from other vegetable and animal sources.
Some babies can be quite fussy over solids once they have seen their milk so there are two ways to overcome this. One is to offer his solids first followed by his milk at 11.30am. The other way is to feed him his milk at 11am when he may not be so hungry then wait 40 minutes before offering his solids. Both ways mean your son is not seeing his bottle and the solids at the same time and dictating his preference.
Once you have introduced protein at this time and it has been accepted by him he needs to drop having milk completely and be offered cool boiled water or well diluted juice from a beaker after he has had most of his solids. Begin to add 1- 2 cubes of chicken casserole made with vegetables he is used to, with 4 cubes of vegetables and gradually increase the meat cubes whilst decreasing the pure vegetable ones. Look in the weaning guide for ideas of what to offer him. There is a question and answer in this book [p65] which deals with a similar issue to yours.
Over 6 months the rice and fruit at 5.30pm can be replaced by a vegetarian tea. As your son’s main meal of the day will be his lunchtime protein one, this meal is more carbohydrate based and you can begin to introduce finger foods which should encourage him to self feed.

Again the weaning book has many good ideas of what to serve. Providing he is eating well at breakfast and lunchtime you can be a little more relaxed about this meal and it is important not to over-feed at this time so he begins to cut back on his bedtime milk which he still needs.
Some babies can become “milkaholics” around this age which is why it is important to begin to speed up his weaning a little so he is eating three proper solid meals a day and beginning to cut back with his milk needs. At breakfast continue to offer him his milk first and then his solids.
At his age, teething may have a part to play in this. Some babies find it more comforting to suck on a bottle than suck food off a hard spoon. Look in his mouth and see if there are any red patches or bumps which could indicate teeth about to arrive. Sometimes offering food and milk at a cooler temperature helps, so does rubbing on teething gel before mealtimes.
As to the night-time waking, if you are sure that there is nothing bothering him it is best to get him to settle himself back again; checking him after 15-20 minutes. Make sure he is not becoming tangled in any blankets or sheets which are best removed if he is becoming more mobile in the night. Make sure he is not too warm or cold which could be the reason for his waking. He may be coming into a light sleep and if he is not very active and mobile in the day yet, it could just take a while for him to settle back to sleep again.