Hi everyone we are going to start feeding our GGG solids
before their bottles and I was wondering if anyone had any
advice on how they did it when they made the transition. They
nap twice a day and have been eating on a four hour schedule.
Do I offer a bottle after solids? Now they have been taking
four bottles a day at 7 ounces. Will it drop to a bottle in
the morning afternoon and evening? 

I'm just not sure how to approach this so any advice would be
awesome!!! 

Also Happy Mothers Day to everyone!!!! :) 

Bottles do not drop at all when you start solids.  They still
need the same or slightly less formula or BM.  Do not drop
any bottles.  Solids are just for practice eating. 
Formula/BM is their primary nutrition until they turn 1. I
fed bottles immediately followed by solids up until 9 months
and then switched up the order at 9 months.  At 9 months the
formula requirement drops and food starts to take on an
increasing importance as they transition to finger/table
foods.  By 12 months most kids are on all or almost all table
food and able to switch to whole milk.  Other people prefer to
fit solids feedings in between bottles.  You can do whatever
fits in best with your schedule.

If you start solids and your kids formula/BM intake drops
significantly then you know you are feeding too many solids. 
If it stays the same or only drops a little bit then you are
ok.

Lori

http://yesidohavemyhandsfull.blogspot.com/

Hi Lori, thanks for your response! 

Our girls have actually been eating solids since 5 months,
always bottle first then solids. But they are turning 9
months so our doctor wants us to offer solids before bottle.
So I was wondering how other people went about that
transition. Right now they are intaking about 32 ounces of
milk, that's four bottles a day plus one before bed. So I
assumed they would drop a bottle with the transition into
eating solids before their bottles. 

Thanks! 

OK.  You didn't say how old they were.  Keep offering bottles
with solids.  In fact, at first I wouldn't even decrease the
amount in the bottles.  Just offer the bottle after and see
how much they drink.  If you are offering 5 bottles a day you
might want to drop to 4 just to get to a 4 hour feeding
schedule.  I would give them breakfast, lunch and dinner
followed by a bottle plus the bedtime bottle.  I would offer
a full 8 ounce bottle after solids at first just to see what
they do.  They may want the whole thing at first since they
are used to drinking 32 ounces. If they don't, after a few
days you will know how much to decrease each bottle by.  As
they eat more solids the bottles will likely drop which is
normal as long as they are still getting 20-24 ounces a day.

Lori

http://yesidohavemyhandsfull.blogspot.com/

Sorry I just re-read my original post and it didn't make
sense! Lol 

If I kept it with a four hour schedule that would put them
eating dinner at 2. They wake at 6 and go to bed at 6. Did
you ever offer snacks in between? 2 just seems early to be
eating dinner but I guess I don't go to bed at 6! 

Thanks for your help! :) 

Natalie 

2 does seem super early, doesn't it?  However, we were on an
8-8 schedule and they ate dinner at 4 so I guess it is really
the same basic schedule.  I didn't do snacks in between but a
lot of people do.

Lori

http://yesidohavemyhandsfull.blogspot.com/

With my singleton at that age we did solids at typical meal
times and BF/bottles were offset.  It's been awhile but I
think we did a really early morning BF, breakfast around
8-8:30, mid morning bottle, lunch around noon, early
afternoon bottle before nap, dinner around 5 and BF at
bedtime around 7:30-8:00.  Because of my work schedule I
would BF at 5:30 before work and then put her back to sleep. 
That was our special time together.  I don't know if that
makes sense at all, but I hope it does!

~Jennifer~
Madelynn - 2.5 years old
ID Boys - 6/5/12 (35 weeks)
Daniel - 5 lbs 7 oz
Ryder - 4 lbs 8 oz
Garrett - 5 lbs 8 oz

I agree with the other pp don't stop offering bottles. I
always gave my kids snacks and still do. They get feed 5
times a day including snacks. I kept my orginal schedule of
feeds 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 nap 3:30 and 5:30. I guess we eat
every 2 hours. When they were on bottles it was just bottles.
When I started solids they got solids at 5:30 followed by BF.
Then I added solids to the 11:30 feed. Then I started
offering solids at 7:30. This is how I changed them over to
solids. Oh and allowing them to eat at 2 and go to bed at 6
is ok. We go to bed at 5:30. If they seem hungry you can give
them a another bottle.