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Breastfeeding and starting solids
I'm starting to feel like me and B are doing really well with breastfeeding. Did you breastfeed and do solids/weaning whatever it's called? How did you do this? What was your experience?
He has spurts often so some days feeds every hour and its very hard but he's still catching up. He feeds on average 20 mins 8-10 days a day on a normal day. He's started teething and bites my nipple a lot so don't think starting solids is a million miles away and would appreciate any help.
thanks ladies
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Replies
It's recommended that you should start solids somewhere in the middle of the child's first year - so around 6 months old. There are signs that a child is ready for solids - sitting unaided, showing an interest in your food, being able to lift things from the floor/table and put them to their mouth.
Have you heard it Baby Led Weaning (blw) if not have a google and lots of people on here have done it so will be able to answer questions.
I thi I most people find the longer they leave it to start weaning the easier they find it.
Also because your lo was 4 weeks early you may want to leave weaning a bit longer, go with his adjusted age. I'd ask his doctor about this.
Breast milk will still be his main source of nutrition until he is at least a year old so you would still bf as normal and then offer him some food in between.
What LR said really. I'd def ask your consultant/hv advice on when to wean B but around 6 months is the usual advice. They get a lot more nutrients and calories from breastmilk than from their first weaning foods.
As the above posters have said, around the middle of the first year is the recommended time, and certainly not before 4 months (that's 4 calendar months, not 16w).
I *think* it's still 6 months actual age for prem babies, but I'd check with your consultant.
Honestly, weaning is such a faff I'd hold off as long as you can. They eat so food in the first few months of weaning (really, how many calories are in a carrot compared to milk?!) that it won't make any difference to how much milk he has for a while.
Teething is not a sign of being ready to wean, some babies are born with teeth, some don't get their first teeth until over a year - all of those babies should be weaned about 6months of age.
To warn you, there is a growth spurt around 16w which is a bit of a killer, don't mistake it as a sign to wean him, it'll be over in a week max.
I'd recommend the BLW cookbook to read up on BLW, the full version of the BLW book is a bit heavy.
As above but also, dont expect him to cut down on the breastfeeding once you start feeding solids - the main source of nutrition & calories is milk (not many calories in a carrot stick!). The phrase "food is for fun until they are 1" is often used....... in fact expect a lot of mess .... get your camera ready!
We BLW and carried on breastfeeding until LO was 19months. Well done on the feeding BTW
E wasn't prem, but she shares the same birthday as B (but a year before). We started in November when she was six months. Another vote for the blw book here. I think most libraries have it. E was ff, but didn't cut down on any milk until around 10 months old.
I defo don't want to start him early but thought I'd start looking into things, the consultant he's under said he can start at normal time even though he's age corrected so that's fine, I'll defo get the BLW book
thanks ladies!