Can someone talk me through introducing solids and breast feeding

[Superchop]

I'm trying to plan ahead for weaning on to solids when my ds is 6mo - currently 5mo.

I was wondering how's best to maintain breast feeding whilst introducing solids, will my milk dry up with the decrease in use?

I really don't want to lose bf especially at night, currently going through a terrible sleep regression and can't deal with formula at night.

Also, when I start weaning on to solids, should I start using contraception?

Thankyou.

[Superchop]

Ds doesn't seem to have a clear routine with feeds- short snacks rather than long ones- he also feeds on demand.

Do you think I should start implementing more of a routine with this?

[HumphreyCobbler]

I would be using contraception already - you never know when your periods will start. Mine came back at three months and I was exclusively breastfeeding.

I am just starting to give my six month old solids and he isn't taking in enough to impact on breastfeeding - I don't expect that will happen for a while. Your baby will still want to feed, don't worry. Judging by my older two, they will feed just as much in the night!

[JoinTheDots]

Yes to contraception - breast feeding and not having periods does not mean you can't get pregnant.

Offer food when you eat. Breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack and diner, but do not be surprised if nothing is eaten, just let them play with it and taste different things and textures.

Breast ilk will reduce naturally, but if you still feed at night there will still be milk, it won't disappear quickly or anything

[Indith]

start contraception now!

As already said just offer food at normal meal times and continue to feed on demand. if baby wants to feed at a meal time give milk first then the solid, don't think that the solid needs to come first.

Your milk supply is well established and won't vanish so long as toy are still feeding. heck I still feed my 2 year old and he is well and truly on solids .

[babybythesea]

DD2 is 11 months. I weaned at 5 months. I offer her food at breakfast, lunch and tea time. Mid morning, mid afternoon, evening and overnight she has milk. Since I returned to work, her daytime feeds are formula. I still breast feed overnight with no problem. Sometimes she sleeps through and doesn't wake for a night feed, so I can go more than 24 hours without breast feeding. Doesn't seem to be a problem even then, as the next night she'll feed happily.
In your position, I'd probably start by offering some food during one meal a day, say lunchtime. He probably won't eat much at all. Everything else stays the same. It probably won't affect anything at all. As a friend of mine says, boobs are bloody wonderful things with what they can adapt to!

[Superchop]

Ah wow, thanks for the quick and very helpful replies, much better than my hv!

Is the big panic about milk dissappearing to do with it not truly being established in the early stages? Why do people (me included) get so worried it may dry up?

[TheScience]

I don't know why people get worried. If you don't feed enough in the early days or add lots of formula then it will impact supply, but after a few months once your supply is established then it's pretty robust. Humans are designed to breastfeed into the toddler years so well after food is introduced.

[NiceOneCenturion]

I worried about it stopping before I was ready too, but ds ended up feeding until he was two, despite taking in loads of solid food at the same time. Once breastfeeding is well established it is pretty resilient I think, and naturally reduces in proportion to their requirements.

I offered milk before meals at first as he always ate better when he was happy, and although he was enthusiastic about solids, I don't think he made the link between them and hunger until a good few weeks in.

Just be relaxed about how much food he takes, he'll still be getting a lot of what he needs from the milk.

At around nine months I could offer a snack rather than a breastfeed when out and about, but he still fed loads in the evenings and at night, that didn't start to drop Off until he was well over a year.

[daluze]

Just keep breastfeeding on demand alongside solids. Every baby is different, and he/she can take solids very enthusiastically and decrease milk feeds or you may hardly notice any change. I was very worried when my DS got enthusiastic about solids very quickly, while all theory was saying that his main nutrition should have been from milk. Trying to decrease amounts of solids and offering more breastfeeding was counterproductive, he wouldn't take more milk, but be hungry and grumpy. So, I just went with a flow, and both he and my body adjusted. He still breastfeeds twice now at 15 months, although at 8 months I was worried that he is going to stop altogether. Now he seems to enjoy it more!
So, just look at your baby, and offer solids and breastfeeds - and he will let you know what is the best for him.

[NomDeClavier]

After around 3months supply is fairly established, at 6 it will be fine. Also remember that with BF it's frequency not duration that counts so you will probably find you're still feeding as often but just shorter feeds, and then in a few months you can replace BF with full on meals.

[Trixybelle]

I have a 10 month old and she's now on three meals a day plus at least four bm feeds, we live in the Middle East so needs water as well, I still spray milk everywhere if she pops off unexpectedly. Also gets formula when required and supply just seems to adjust.

[Sunflower1985]

One thing I found that I hadn't expected was that ds (now 2 months into having solids) started treating my nipples like finger food - when he's about to feed he grabs them and attempts to bring them to his mouth. So we're keeping his nails short!
I offer water with meals, but just for learning.
Not much food goes in necessarily, but that's fine.
Nappies changed instantly with just small additions of solids.

[Dildals]

I think we all keep worrying about supply because in the beginning they seem continuously hungry and you worry about feeding your baby! Feeding is such an emotive issue!

One of the mums I know told me that she still had a bit of milk in her breasts after DS had weaned off for years! Maybe they keep a little milk operation going on the side, just in case!

[Spindelina]

I was reluctantly mixed feeding (after poor weight gain and poor advice). I was absolutely terrified that it would be the bf that would be replaced by food first and the ff would carry on.

We were bf on demand and ff a few times a day, in a rough routine. What we did is gradually started to reduce the amount in each of the formula bottles. By 12 months, DD was on food + bf when I was there, food + ebm when she was in the care of my DH, and food + formula when at nursery.

She was weaned at 18 months.

If we can do it, so can you!