Is it normal for EBF baby to take fewer milk feeds once starting solids?

[Flingmoo]

5mo DS has been starting solids this week as he has all the readiness signs and eagerly munched his first spoonfuls. 4 days in and he happily ate a whole freezer pot of homemade carrot and rice puree - about 40ml.

Trouble is I can already tell that he's going down from 6 breastfeeds to 5, skipping the one around lunchtime when he has his solids. When he's on 2 and eventually 3 meals a day, maybe he'll drop even more... Isn't this a bit early to be dropping feeds?

I saw a similar post further down the weaning board and notice some others are experiencing this further down the line. My worry stems from all the guidance that says milk is the main source of nutrition until 12 months! I guess I'm looking for reassurance mostly but also some tips on keeping up the milk feeds as much as possible.

I would give him a smaller amount of solids especially given his be and that will help him maintain his milk intake

His age

Are you offering solids after milk?

Okay, so I definitely won't increase the portion size of the puree I'm giving him then... He seems hungry for it - leans toward the spoon with an open mouth, uses his hands to try and grab the spoon himself to shovel it in.

Yeah, I've been giving him a milk feed some time around 11-11.30, whenever he wakes from his morning nap, and then giving the solids at about 12-12.30, before he gets too tired and cranky for another nap (he can only last about 1.5 hours of wake time before getting tired!)

I think as a guide it helps to think about solids being in addition to bf, rather than replacing them at this stage. Be careful to keep your supply up too. I've had friends who've dropped feeds too quickly by accident and had to move to ff sooner than they intended.

They don't get as much nutrition from food at this age (I think I read it passes through too quickly) so you do have to be careful not to overdo the solids and drop too much milk, as you're right, milk is still the main source of nutrition.

I know it's tough though. Dd has just turned one and I remember well the time when I spent all day on a bf/solids/nap cycle, with a large chunk of highchair cleaning inbetween. It's hard going at first but keep the volume of food light. It's more about variety and eating skills for now.

I think we dropped the mid morning feed at 8 months and mid afternoon feed at 10.5 months (could've been sooner but kept it going because of a holiday).

I would say be led by your baby, as long as he's happy and growing. I'm weaning dd who has just tturned 6 months and she is loving food, which is such a contrast to her big brother. We've been going for a few weeks now and she's on 2-3 meals a day already and will happily go 9-3 without a feed. She can't get enough it seems! I'm keeping an eye on her weight gain for other reasons, but as long as there are 3-4 good feeds in 24 hours I wouldn't worry until you have cause to.

Of course I'm not remotely qualified to say that so always get things checked out with your doctor etc if you're worried :)

Also, any illness, teething or growth spurt and feeds will increase again as necessary :)