Breast feeding and weaning

[LlamaAndOwl]

My baby is 21 weeks so will probably be starting to wean in about four or five weeks. She is EBF and I know that she should still be getting plenty of milk feeds even when she's on solids, but I am a bit confused about timings - do I breast feed and then offer solids afterwards or the other way round? Or do I try and fit meals in between milk feeds, so if she breast feeds at 6.30/7.00 am and again at around 9.00, give her breakfast at 8.00?

Any help appreciated!

Have a look at the Mumsnet section on weaning as it's very helpful.

But to answer your question, when starting weaning you should offer food about 1 hour after a milk feed. That way they are not too hungry but not too full either. In the early days, babies don't associate food with their hungry feelings and will want milk not solids. So food is best offered when they aren't super hungry. They will eventually connect the two together, but not usually for a good few weeks.

You don't have to start with breakfast, you could do lunch or dinner depending on what fits in best. You can also start with just one meal a day, working up to 3 meals by about 8 to 9 months. Also don't worry if you miss a meal if the day is not going to plan, in the early days it doesn't matter too much.

HTH