Baby led weaning

[Crabbyboot]

My seven month old is still breastfeeding and has also started taking solids. I haven't really cut down on her milk feeds and at meal times I just sit her down with us to eat and she usually has a few bits to pick on or purée. The problem is sometimes she doesn't eat much if it all as she has just had milk before the meal. However, if I don't feed her with us she gets upset. I don't know if I should be dropping a milk feed as I am reading conflicting advice online. If I drop the milk feed she is also upset! My gut tells me to keep doing this and eventually her appetite for solids will pick up. Has anyone any advice or experience with this?

No doubt someone more expert will come along but I think it’s great that she’s interested in food and wanting to join in meals. If my two DC are anything to go by, it’s totally normal that at 7 months she’s only sometimes picking a bit. My DS is same at 9 months. I remember DD not tea eating much or dropping breast milk feeds until she was c. 1 year old. A lot will change with baby in those few months!

The trouble with giving milk so close to mealtime is that iron isn’t absorbed and babies can only get that from their food. I bf on demand so wouldn’t have not given milk but would try to have the baby eat earlier, before she asks for milk. You can still let her sit with you later and investigate the food if you don’t want to eat earlier yourself.

Thanks both for your feedback I feel reassured and will try to squeeze in another feeding time between milk feeds!

My babies who were BLW didn't drop milk feeds until about 8.5mo or later. Babies can get all the nutrition they need from breast milk until at least 12m, so no need to worry if not much is being eaten at meals - it's just as important to taste things, practise eating, experience textures etc as it is to actually ingest any food.

Keep BF on demand. Food before they're 1 is about tasting, texture and learning to chew and not about nutrition. She's getting everything she needs from you. Sounds like you're doing perfectly m. Well done

Actually they don’t get iron from breast milk or formula, so can’t get everything they need. They are born with enough iron for the first 6 months and after that they need to eat food containing iron. Anaemia reduces appetite so it becomes a viscous circle.

They do so get iron from breast and formula milk. They just need more of it and need other sources of iron as they get older.

I split milk and solid feeds e.g. gave food an hour or more after a milk feed

Thank you everyone! She seems to have more of an appetite the last few days after a ginormous poo so I think that could have contributed to the lack of appetite as well...