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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

Can anyone help with breastfeeding and weaning?

13 replies

beartime · 20/04/2006 23:09

How do I do it without having to express? I haven't expressed yet and I don't really want to. But I keep hearing abt people mixing food with milk - so wot do I do for that?
Also what about introducing other drinks like juices and stuff - would that be bad for breastfeeding or is it good? I only ask because so far I have been told don't give anything else, like water, - does that all change when weaning starts?
And how many feeds a day do I need to keep going in order to maintain my supply? ATM I am on four feeds a day - he is just coming up to 6 months and not weaned yet.
Thank you - I would appreciate any help

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fishie · 20/04/2006 23:14

i didn't epxress either, fine to use cows milk for food, even porridge etc. he prob won't eat anything much for a while, more getting the taste. i'm still doing 4 feeds a day at 12 months and ds eats loads. water always alongside food and more often when he starts eating more. basic tommee tippee cup is good i found, anyway up thingies encourage biting which is not a good idea.

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starlover · 20/04/2006 23:14

you don't have to express... you could mix with formula, but it's probably easier, and cheaper, to use breastmilk!

you can introduce water, your baby may like it if he is having solids, or you can just give him extra breastfeeds instead.

Keep feeding how you are... if he doesn't want it he'll cut down himself

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VeniVidiVickiQV · 20/04/2006 23:15

Just mix with water instead. Dont bother with juices etc. Just yet anyway - not need imo.

Carry on with same number of feeds. Introduce foods at end of a milk feed or inbetween milk feeds.

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VeniVidiVickiQV · 20/04/2006 23:16

And just relax about it. Milk feeds are more important for the first year - foods are secondary up until then.

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hunkermunker · 20/04/2006 23:20

You don't have to express if you don't want to - you can mix food with cows milk from six months (just can't be given as a main drink till 12mo as it doesn't contain the right balance of nutrients). Or you can use formula to mix food with if you prefer.

I would say don't bother with juice, but offer a beaker with water in so he gets used to having it - don't make it a huge issue or get into the mindset that he NEEDS to drink water - he doesn't if you bfeed him regularly (he might need some thirst-quenching sucks as well as his feeds if he's not drinking much water though).

I'd say stick to the four feeds you're doing now and just try him with some tastes of solid food. Don't get too hung up on the "one new taste every few days" thing unless you're worried about allergies.

You can either spoon-feed purees (homemade or jars), or you can give finger foods (sticks of steamed veg - carrot batons and broc florets good starters), or you can do a mixture - whatever works best for you. Steer clear of added sugar, don't put salt in it - and enjoy watching him learn about food.

Don't get hung up on him having to eat a certain amount each meal - milk should be his primary source of nutrition for his first year - what you're doing is giving him the opportunity to sample different tastes and textures - you're introducing him to a whole new way of nourishing his body - and it should be a pleasurable experience for him, not one of battling and struggling.

(Oh, and be prepared for a bit of mess )

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beartime · 21/04/2006 07:22

I'm still a bit confused - if I carried on with four feeds a day I wouldn't have to give any other drinks then? But if I went to 3 I would?

And hunker you say that food is just a taste - what about the iron, don't they need that after 6 mths. And if its just to taste it, can Ileave it till later?? I know la leche say you can., but I keep thinking they're probably biased!

What's the best thing to do for the baby?

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FrannyandZooey · 21/04/2006 08:11

There is plenty of iron in breastmilk - your baby should have enough to last until a year or more. \link{http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html\Have a read here} - most health visitors talk utter bolleaux on this topic.

LOL @ La Leche League being biased - yes, they are the world's best respected breastfeeding advisory group, but breastmilk isn't quite as good as they think it should be, so they just make stuff up

You can trust what LLL say. They often lead the way in research and advice.

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threebob · 21/04/2006 08:22

You can mix food with water to give it the right consistency. babies are clever and will take the right amount of milk to offset that their food was made with water.

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suzi2 · 21/04/2006 08:57

I was so confused about all this when DS was 6 months too! You can leave it until a bit later if you prefer. Although your baby may decide that they're not into it yet anyway - my DS took a wee while to get into the idea.

What I did was offered one meal a day and if he didn't take it then so be it. I offered finger foods and purees from the start. DS finally got going when he discovered he liked apple baby rice cakes. He's not very happy about taking things off a spoon.

Perhaps try offering one meal a day but don't push it. As hunker says, there is no need for solids in a nutrient sense at this age. I always offer a cup of water with meals. DS uses an open cup so I don't put it on his tray as he spills it but I just offer it to him a few times during his meal. He drinks quite a lot actually. Breastfeed wise I just feed on demand. If he isn't demanding it I offer about every 4 hours. I've never mixed his food with breastmilk as we really started on finger foods and mashed solids and never needed to water down purees for him. If your DS is 6 months then you might find that he can handle thick stuff with lumps too. When he has cereal I either make it up with milk or with water.

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beartime · 21/04/2006 09:05

Thanks for that link franny

So does anyone think its preferable to wait until after 6 months to wean, other than if you have a family history of allergies?

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hunkermunker · 21/04/2006 09:08

Not sure about preferable, but if your baby doesn't seem ready, there's definitely no point forcing the issue.

Too much panic made over depleting iron sources IMO. Iron in breastmilk not there in huge quantities, but is all digested by the baby.

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suzi2 · 21/04/2006 09:09

Personally my DS wasn't ready until a couple of weeks after he was 6 months. But I didn't know that until I tried. We have a huge history of allergies so I just introduced potential triggers slowly.

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beartime · 21/04/2006 09:27

Well I had a good look at introducing solids on kellymom and I may now return my annabel karmel and gina ford weaning books, as she seems to say that most books are aimed at replacing breastmilk with solids, whereas for the first year it should stay the same amount. So I might go with that and do what hunker says.