Introducing solids to breastfeeding - scheduling?

[TensmumT]

Hiya,

I want to start giving my LO solids, but I'm slightly unsure about how to structure the feeding schedule. Any chance to share your schedules? Ta

I didn’t breastfeed but I always offered solids an hour after a milk feed so she wasn’t too hungry (so didn’t get angry) but was willing to try.

@Vicky1989x good idea, thanks!

Hummmm never really thought much about it (I'm on kid no3)

The way I did was to take it slow. I did "self weaning" (don't like the name.... self feeding is better). So I started offering boiled broccoli (very soft. None of that al dente crap) and if they take it good! If they don't take it, I try again after a few days! DD2 and 3 only started eating at about 8 months.

After that I start introducing other vegetables and fruits and bread. And then pasta. Meat after 10 months, fish after 12, honey after 18 months

Some people do 4 meals a day straight away I go much slower......

Some people say to give the food first and then BF. Other say to do in between. I feed them when I eat, regardless. If they're crying to be BF then I just have to pause the whole circus

I started offering LO a bit of boiled broccoli when I was having lunch, and a bit of some other vegetable each time I ate a meal. Soon a bit of porridge or banana at breakfast. Bit of yoghurt here and there. No need to overthink it, just offer them a bit of something whenever you have a meal.

@grey12 @Cosybelles thank you for your responses, I was definitely over thinking this!! I'm starting tomorrow, oooh exciting times ahead! Xx

Forgot: egg white after 12 months. Yolk is fine and apparently very good (DD3 refuses she's not much into this eating this......)

So I'm doing 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner, I'm worried about my milk supply if I do 3 meals a day. They're small meals anyways, and I mostly breastfeed, so it should be OK. Any thoughts?

@TensmumT your milk supply depends on how it is being used. It can increase and decrease as needed

If you're at 6 months your supply is well established and will simply taper up and down to need. It's only in the early weeks that it's vulnerable to dwindling. But if you start giving multiple solid meals straight away you'll probably constipate your baby.

I just started putting a few bits of toast or fruit or vegetable on the high chair tray at lunchtime and continued feeding on demand. Or rather, at 5mo my secondborn simply started filching bits of food from his older brother and eating them.

DD3 (10 mo) isn't taking to food very well. Until 1 year food is more a complimentary thing.

I tend to put food in front of her when I'm eating. It can be a little bit of banana, soft vegetables, some bread, she also likes those baby cheetos (they're good for when we're out or very busy )

Your child's milk feeds should stay the exact same. The food is just in addition to breast milk. They will probably take very small amounts of food at first

Thank you all, I really appreciate!! I think what I realise is that, initially solids are meant to supplement breast milk, not substitute!

I worried about this a lot with my first. With my second, he ate if he was awake when we were eating and he ate what everyone else was having 😅

It took 6-8 weeks before it had any impact on breastfeeding and he ate quite well. So I wouldn't worry about it impacting supply x