Feeding solids ?

[elle86]

So my mum and mil have been hinting at me to start LO on solids .. .He is 5 months old and I have given him infant cereal which he seemed to enjoy- my question is do you replace a feed for a solid meal or give both??
Also when and how often did you start the solids ?
How do you combine bf and solid feeds without knowing if he is getting to much of one or not enough?

 

[elle86]

Also when do I start offering water? It has been very hot here and my mum keeps telling me he might need just a little boiled cooled water ??

 

[chezababy]

Most bf babies don't require water until solid foods are more established. Sometimes babies can get constipated when solids are started andwwater can be helpful in that situation but if your lo is having plenty of wet nappies and isn't constipated I wouldn't start offering it just yet. Maybe around 6 months start offering it when they are eating solids so they can start to get use to it but I wouldn't worry about them having much of it.

Don't replace breast milk with solids. Take your lo's lead and they will start to cut down the bf on their own as they take more solids but allow them to do it at their own pace. Many babies don't cut their milk intake for a good few months.

How to start solids is a personal decision as it depends what's the easiest way for your family. Personally I started with breakfast then added dinner once she was established with that and then I added lunch. Most people decide to give a milk feed then solids roughly an hour later to make sure lo is still getting enough milk.

There is a section weaning that would probably be very useful to you.

 

[Noo]

Milk is the main source of nutrition till 1. Offer normal milk first (whether breast or formula) then offer the solids. Initially you'd only be expecting bubba to take 1oz cereal (made with their normal milk).

 

[Fallacy]

For us (please no judging!), we started solids at around 5 and a half months. We tried the cereal, which went nowhere as he absolutely hated it even with breast milk. So I started him on some veggies and he looooved it. So as of now (2 days before 6 months), he eats half a jar of veg for lunch and half for dinner. Sometimes he'll want a little more for dinner, which is fine. He always has a milk feed an hour before solids so I know he's getting his proper nutrition first. Oh, and you'll know if they are done - LO will turn their head away or stop opening their mouth for the solids. Don't worry about getting "too much" breast milk. That should be the main thing for now.