Babies and Eating
Kathrynne is beginning to gradually eat more and more solid foods and I'd love to hear any suggestions or recommendations you have on how you make the transition from nursing to solid foods. When did you start feeding your baby solid foods? Did you let your baby wean themselves or did you purposefully wean them? I know everyone does it differently and there's no one "right way" to do it, but I still thought it would be insightful to hear what you have done and found to work best. For those of you with more than one child, was each child completely different?
posted by Crystal Paine at 3:32 PM
22 Comments:
George started eating solid food when he was 6 mos old. I just started with rice cereal and worked my way up from there. If you do veggies. Use a variety or the baby's digestive system might surprise you. I gave George a whole jar of squash and boy was I sorry...
Wow Crystal! You are sure to get flooded with responses on this one! I am not not certain about Kathrynne's age, but my children (we have 4) got to a point where it just wasn't interesting to nurse during the day. There were much more exciting things going on in the world of siblings. So I would encourage to let her try a cup during the day (one meal at a time for your own physical comfort!) and hang on to those early morning and night nursings as long as you can- they are great snuggle times!!
Between 4-6 months, we started in this order:
rice cereal
oat cereal
barley cereal
green veggies in jars
orange veggies in jars
fruit in jars
After that, it was level 2 baby foods and/or table foods smushed up.
I also offered water in a cup or formula in a cup for 'practice'.
Nolan is 5 months and he eats anything. He even feeds himself graham crackers. It helps (??) if older brother sneaks Baby cheerios when Mommy isn't looking. Baby Nolan became very interested then.
I've got 5 children, so I'll share what happened with each of them.
#1 was not nursed, and at that time the recommendation was to start solids between 4-6 months. So at 4 months to the day I started him on rice cereal. I followed all the rules - rice, then oatmeal, then yellow veggies, then green ones, then fruits, then meats, etc.
#2 - he was exclusively breastfed until 6.5 months, when he just started to act like breastmilk wasn't cutting it anymore. So I followed the same "procedure" I did with #1, just at an older age (since by that time the recommendation had changed to no solids before 6 months).
#3 - she was exclusively breastfed until 6.5 months as well. She was not ready for solids yet, but she also wasn't gaining weight, so solids were one of the many things we tried. Since I was concerned about weight gain, I could not start with the typical beginner foods, which are low-cal and low-fat. I didn't want her to fill up on those things instead of the high fat breastmilk. So I tried avocado, which she hated, but eventually tolerated if I mixed in some banana. I also made whole milk yogurt for her, and she enjoyed that. Gradually I was able to move onto other things. (The solids didn't help her weight at all, BTW.)
#4 - he seemed to need more at 8 months, but he wasn't very interested. So I managed to get about 1 Tbsp. of cereal in him per day. That seemed to help. Finally around 10 months he began to eat baby food willingly.
#5 - around 7.5 months I started to find her under the 3yo's chair often, munching away on who knows what. So I figured she must want to eat something other than breastmilk. LOL! She ate baby food for about a month (never any cereal) and then started eating only table food. She wanted what we had - especially meats. Go figure!
The introduction of solid foods hasn't really replaced nursing in our family. The babies who nursed continued to do so just as much. #2 weaned at 14 months - I thought I might be able to be one of those moms who can nurse twice a day...not so. He lost interest because my supply dropped. (But he was never really into it anyway.)
#3 weaned at 15 months because I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and essentially single-momming it, so I needed every ounce of energy I could get.
#4 weaned days shy of 2 years. I was about 4.5 months pregnant and not wanting to tandem nurse with him. He wasn't showing any signs of self-weaning (and "don't offer, don't refuse" was NOT working with him), so I cut him back to 3 nursings a day and then went on a week-long house-hunting trip with my dh. After that he was weaned LOL.
#5 is 15 months old and still nursing about 8ish times a day.
Crystal, I haven't forgot about you regarding the articles we talked about....but I would suggest that you go to the library and get the latest Le Leche book on breastfeeding. It should be the 2004 or 2005 edition. I know they have it....I checked out the 2004 one for weeks!!!!! :-)
It will give you a very thorough lesson on breastfeeding and moving into foods. There are so many misconceptions out there as to why children "wean" or aren't interested anymore. It was VERY helpful to me (an old mom :-) and even my friend who was a lactation consulstant learned a few new things.
There is no real right or wrong way to stop nursing, but I am sad to see so many women "think" they know what is going on, when all it might be is a temporary issue (teeth, growing spurt, developmental spurt, etc..)and quit.
I nursed Samuel until he was 25 months old.....I knew he was getting close to weaning himself (which is what my goal was) when he started only nursing at naps and bedtime, then only at bedtime. He nursed his last night, the last night we were in our house before we moved. sob. But he was happy and content.
Now at nap times and bedtime we just rock for a while....he is a happy boy. :-)
This is a subject so many women can get excited about! Anyhow, I have sort of a different way of doing things and it has worked well for me, but I am careful to tell others that is the only way to go as I know people are different!
The earlist I have started any solids was my youngest son who was 11 months old. Otherwise it was exclusivly breastfed until a year and even after that they did not show too much interest. I had to force my oldest son to eat food at 15 months as I was pregnant and could not keep nursing all night long and all day long. He was the youngest I weaned around 15-16 months and then my 2nd was 20 months and the third was almost 2 and my 4th is still nursing about 3 times a day and maybe 2 or 3 times at night. (Once before bed and once in early morning and sometimes one in the middle of the night, but not usually if I feed him good before bed) He is 18 months old.
I have let the younger ones self wean basically,I was pregnant and my milk started to taste strange and we both would just gradually cut back. When they wanted to nurse, I would offer food on one of the feedings and eventually would just nurse at night for the last while.
All three of my daughters started solids around 5 or 6 months of age. I did best with my first child. I made almost all of her baby food. I would cook brown rice and puree it, then freeze in ice cube trays. One cube was a meal. I did the same with carrots and squash and green beans. My freezer was a sea of different colored cubes.
I let mine wean on their own. My first nursed until she was 18 months. My middle daughter weaned at 15 months and there were some neck problems with my third and by the time we realized what was happening my milk was all but dried up. She went to formula at 6 months. I'm still sad about that - 3 years later.
I can't remember if I told you about what we did with Yehoshua, so I'll summarize again :)
We started giving him solid foods (we started with vegetables, mashed up from our plates) at 11 months, and for about 3 months I was doing good to get him to eat more than 2 bites of anything at mealtimes, so he was pretty much still just nursing.
By then I was pregnant, and I think my milk supply went down when I was 3 months pregnant or so, because suddenly I wasn't getting engorged every night, and Yehoshua was starting to eat more table food. In about a month's time, he went from mostly-milk to mostly-solids, and a month after that was weaned completely.
I didn't plan to wean him so young, and would have loved to continue nursing, but the milk just didn't seem to be there at that point and he wasn't interested in boosting my supply ;). Now it's been about 4 months since he nursed last. Weaning was really easy, because Yehoshua was doing it himself, and I didn't have over-supply issues because of pregnancy. :D
Martha A made me remember something that might have to do with Samuel weaning....I was (am) pregnant and at about 4 months along......I think my milk too, changed....at least that is what I read probably would happen by doing some research. Duh. See, I am so forgetful!!!!!!!
Also too, Samuel didn't like food until he was over a year old.....he did eat a little bit, but mostly wanted to nurse. He was big into Yo Baby yogurt and sometimes would eat toast or other crunchy things as he got better with his teeth.....I do agree that starting foods later rather than earlier is best - but it is up to every mother to discern what her child needs. :-)
Just hang in there Crystal.....you are doing a great job.
We have six and it seems each baby is different and our home environment and circumstances were different. I used to do baby food, but I have since backed off using any baby food and just use our own food when they show signs when they are ready. We eat pretty pure food so it is easy to convert. We just mash it in a grinder or something like that.
My first was weaned at six months I was a working mom. Did everything by the book
My second was weaned nursing at six months still working. Did everything by the book, but allowed him to eat chocolate before a year. Bad, I know.
The third a girl didn't show interest in solids for nine months. I was at home and she nursed for 22 months. No matter what I tried weaning didn't work. I finally got firm and weaned her finally. It was hard.
The fourth and fifth twins, weaned themselves at 10 months. We were more regimented because there were two. They showed much interest if food.
I gave up baby food by my third and waited till they could tolerate our food.
The sixth..still nursing at 18 months. Loves to nurse, not near as intense as my other daughter but still hangs in there. She started table food early too. I just go with their interest level. She was wanting peas at four months.
I don't know how we will wean, everytime I try I get mastitis. I may be a little to flexible, but I found with all six the more I asserted my will the more miserable it was for all of us. When I finally quit trying so hard they resolve the issue...wean themselves.
Oh forgot to add we are pregnant again and I have never nursed while pregnant. I will just play it by ear to see how it goes. The youngest seems to nurse twice daily now.
I was not going to do solids until 12 mo, but my first baby thought otherwise. He was literally *begging* for table food at 5 months, so I just started mashing up what was on our plates and giving him little bites. One time, we had hot jambalaya, and even after one taste, he was beggin for more. His little eyes were watering but he wouldn't be happy unless he was gobbling that jambalaya along with dh and myself.
My second baby has been wanting "bites" since about 5 mo old too, but he seems to be more satisfied with nursing. He's 8 mo now, and occasionally gets some oat cereal, but not on a regular basis. What he really likes is for me to give him peas to play with. :D
ksmilkmaid, I didn't know you were expecting again! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Crystal, I have two boys so far. My oldest wasn't really interested in food until about 6 months old. Even then he didn't really like "store bought" baby food. When he was about 9-10 months old we started him on table food. He was much happier! I nursed him until he was almost 15 months old. I was about 4.5 months pregnant with #2 at that point. It was a mutual thing. He didn't really ask and I didn't really offer.
Our youngest son was about the same. He didn't really like "store bought" baby food. At about 6 months we tried but he wasn't that interested. He wanted REAL food! At about 9 months we started feeding him table food. He is now 22 months old and still nursing! He just loves his nursie times. I don't see him weaning before his 3nd birthday. He only nurses about 2 times a day now, at naptime and bedtime.
We're patiently waiting to be blesed with #3. It just hasn't happened yet(that I know of). I plan to hold off on starting solid foods until about 9 months at which point we will start right out with table food.
Every baby is definitely different! I think the best thing to do is just go with the flow! Kathrynne will let you know what she wants and when! I would encourage every mother to nurse for at least a year, preferably longer. It is so good in so many ways for both mama and baby!
May I ask a few questions to you all?....Now this is NOT TO OFFEND ANYONE AT ALL...this is purely questions that I have. This forum seems so open and willing to share, so I thought that it would be a good place to ask a few hard questions (for me that is).
1. What are the medical benefits of nursing past a year. I know all of them that go up to year, but after that?
2. (I PROMISE, NOT TRYING TO OFFEND ANYONE...) Is nursing an older baby/toddler more for comfort for mom AND child and for special cuddle time/time together than anything else? (Again, I would love to know...not trying to hurt/offend anyone...I promise!)
3.(Again, not trying to offend, just asking a question)....Has anyone noticed a difference in their children's behavior that have nursed a shorter period of time and then one until they were two or older?
Was either one more "needy", clingy, demanding, etc. (No offense meant...please let me know the truth!!! I have observed some things in the past as an outsider and would like to know the truth!)
Thanks!
lisat,
KellyMom.com has tons of info on the benefits of extended nursing . (I don't endorse everything on that site, but it does have tons of great info)
Googling "history of breastfeeding" or something similar will bring up lots of info on breastfeeding in Biblical times, and depending on which one you read, babies were breastfed anywhere from 2-6 years.
I could go on and on but my dirty house is calling :) Hope that helps!
LisaT: There are many, many, many benefits to nursing longer than a year. In our culture, it is sad to say, most women DON'T breastfeed, therefore, there is a lot of mis-information/or not enough information given or passed down.
Nursing for over a year helps the mouth form (the inside part) and that helps with aligning the teeth as they come in. Most dentists will tell you (if they are worth their salt) that nursing beyond a year is excellent for your baby in regards to dental health. :-)
Also too, your breastmilk has many protiens in it and therefore, continues to develope the brain in babies. There are many anitbodies that are still being passed on to your baby and that in turn keeps on maturing and boosting the immune system.
Emotionally, babies that are nursed for over a year and are fed on demand (they are in control basically) and are left to wean themselves, tend to be very emotionally content and mature. They don't tend to be clingy, or over-demanding. They are quite secure in themselves and their mothers. They know where to go if they have a need and it will be met.
The benefits go both ways. Mothers (like myself) enjoy the time alone nursing their child and the child enjoys the one-on-one time with the mother. I think it is one of God's most finest gifts to mothers....being able to nurse your baby and meet all their needs for the first period in their lives. It bonds them together. Whoever suffered from being hugged too much or loved too much????? :-)
If you would like more information, I would suggest you look at the Le Leche League web site, or get their book from your local library. I would also encourage you to read "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" too. Perhaps you aren't a mother?? or even pregnant, but you would gain a great deal of information that will hopefully someday come in handy. :-)
OH yes!! Did you know that if your child comes down with an illness, that if you are still nursing, your body starts to produce antibodies to help fight off the illness?? How cool is that???????!!!!!!!!
Crystal,
Although neither of my babies were breast-fed (I'm not physically able to), they were not fully weaned from the bottle until after their 1st birthday.
Rice cereal is the easiest to introduce first, but keep in mind that it also can be binding. Also, wait at least 3-4 days when introducing new foods, before adding another to your baby's repetoir. This will help to pinpoint any allergic reactions.
I basically made all my own babyfood, like Rene did, by cooking a lot, pureeing, and freezing it in ice cube trays.
A book I highly recommend is "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. If you don't want to rely on commercial anything, this is the book to get. It's got a great chapter on making homemade yogurt too. ;-)
I have not noticed that my boys were more clingy. When they quit nursing they don't act strange or anything. I think that it is very healthful for them, like some of my boys have had a hard time tolerating cows milk. This way I could just skip having milk in their diet until they were old enough to handle it. They nursed for their milk and ate other things.
My boys did go through a hard phase where with me they will fuss more, because they think they should nurse and make it all better, instead of calming down like they do with some other people, but I have seen that happen with bottle fed babies too...so I do not know that that is a difference or not.
My son is 18 months and I still have quite a bit of milk, even from not nursing much, so I know he gets a good bit of nutrition still from it.
Thank you, everyone, for your input and encouragement! It was greatly appreciated.
Congratulations, KSMilkMaid! There are a lot of pregnant women who read my blog. I'm hoping that I join you before too long -- in God's time!
LisaT: Kathrynne is still nursing almost exclusively at 11-months. I plan to nurse her for at least another 6 months to a year, depending upon what my husband and I feel will be best for her. I know there are many mixed feelings on this, and I'm not meaning to cause a stir but here are a few of my thoughts (Probably more than you ever wanted to know!):
-I don't nurse on demand. Kathrynne nurses regularly about every three hours, with the exception of now sometimes missing one feeding to eat a meal. I usually try to still nurse her before I feed her solids, so that she is mostly getting the nourishment from nursing, since it was only recently that she actually "caught on" to eating solid foods. She usually sleeps for a solid 6-8 hour block at night without waking for a feeding. I know there are people on both sides of the fence on this issue and you have to do what works best for you. We also had to do what is best for us and this is what we have chosen. I'm not a strict scheduler, but I do like to have a parent-directed schedule. I want to gradually ease into feeding her solid foods and not rush it so that she has time to adjust properly.
-I do not nurse for my own personal satisfaction. I know that nursing has helped to create a special bond between Kathrynne and I and it has also helped me to be more selfless, but I am not doing it for me. If I were doing it for me, I would probably have given it up awhile ago since it takes some effort and sacrifice to always have your baby with you and to be available to nurse your child every few hours.
-I am also not nursing Kathrynne as a sort of "natural birth control." I believe that God designed a mother's body to heal and be rejuvenated through nursing and I definitely know that nursing has helped me to regain me pre-pregnancy weight and stamina. But, I am not doing it to naturally space my children.
-I am nursing Kathrynne because my husband and I feel that is what is best for her. She is growing and very healthy and happy and contented. My husband feels that this is the route that God has for us and I am delighting in honor him through this!
Okay, so that was a long dissertation!
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