Introducing solids and breastfeeding...

[Oscar's mum]

I have read previously that by introducing solids early it can have an impact on how long your child breastfeeds for. So, I was wanting to know bubhubbers experiences with this.

What age did you introduce solids?
What age did your baby wean?
Did you wean bub or was it self weaning?

[Benji]

Hi Oscar's Mum. My silly MIL decided that she would feed my son solids at 5.5 months (against my wishes) and I don't believe he was ready at all. He wasn't really ready until around 8 months (I offered 3 meals a day after 6 months but didn't persist or beg or force).

I'm lucky enough to be breastfeeding him now at 20 months. I always gave bf first before meals until around 12 months.

[Fuchsia!]

What age did you introduce solids? both 1 week before they turned 4 mths :eek: Believe me next bub
will be starting solids until at least 6mths

What age did your baby wean? Jaxon was about 8mths but he was half FF and half B/F from 7mths, Cooper is 9mths and still B/F exclusively

Did you wean bub or was it self weaning? Kinda a both cause he started to prefer formula, but really i guess it was my fault for introducing formula in the 1st place! Cooper i am hoping to let him self wean :)

[ikis84]

I think other factors play a big role too - such as co-sleeping, how the breast is used (ie as a comfort, if feeds are unrestricted), the nature of the child and if a dummy is used...

[Oblena]

I introduced solids at 6 months and bub is still BF at 13. She does have less BM feeds, but still takes the breast when offered and sometimes comes and tries to self serve :laughing:.

[punkbaby]

What age did you introduce solids? dd9 (BF) was 9months didnt like it so tried again 11 months, ds (FF) was 5 months DD2 (BF) was 9months not interested tried again around 11 months
What age did your baby wean? dd9 18 months, ds 4 months, dd2 14 months
Did you wean bub or was it self weaning? ALl self weaned, ds was terrible on the breast and after 4 months of bubs hanging off me by the hour i couldnt do it anymore :( thankfully his new little sister loves her booby but doesnt hang off me like he did :)

[Areca]

What age did you introduce solids?

Tried at 6 months but she wasn't ready for them until 9 1/2 months (I didn't force her to have solids)

What age did your baby wean?

14 months

Did you wean bub or was it self weaning?

Bit of both....I started to cut back on the amount of feeds when she was about 11 months and then was pregnant when she was 12 months and totally done at 14 months but she never asked for the feeds I cut out and I only stopped bf'ing altogether when I realised she wasn't even asking, it just got to that time of day and she took it when I offered but had stopped asking.

I think the fact that I cut out comfort feeds at 11 months and then falling pregnant was what did it for us. I wouldn't have cut out any feeds if she was distressed by it but she wasn't. If I wasn't pregnant I think she would've kept going for a bit longer I just don't think she was getting much at all in the end.

[mumofKieran]

To my understanding, part of the reason why the recommendation is to wait until 6 months is because until then, BM is all they need and if you introduce solids earlier, then you are replacing a perfect food with less-than-perfect foods as they really don't need any nutrients that solids have to offer before 6 months. And yes, obviously when they start eating foods then they will be drinking less milk overall even if they still have free unrestricted access. Food fills the gap that BM could have in their stomachs. I waited until 6 months and then always offered milk first, even when the CHNs told me it was time to offer milk after food. I let him drink his fill before each solid meal was offered. There are things I would change with feeding of solids but that's not one of them.

[Oscar's mum]

To my understanding, part of the reason why the recommendation is to wait until 6 months is because until then, BM is all they need and if you introduce solids earlier, then you are replacing a perfect food with less-than-perfect foods as they really don't need any nutrients that solids have to offer before 6 months. And yes, obviously when they start eating foods then they will be drinking less milk overall even if they still have free unrestricted access. Food fills the gap that BM could have in their stomachs. I waited until 6 months and then always offered milk first, even when the CHNs told me it was time to offer milk after food. I let him drink his fill before each solid meal was offered. There are things I would change with feeding of solids but that's not one of them.

Oh I understand all that;) I am just curious too see what age ppl stopped/weaned in comparison to when they introduced solids.

[Bearskin]

DD started solids at around 8 months. We tried a little lightly mashed veges for a couple of weeks then moved to finger foods.

I always BF first up to 13 months or so. DD was still feeding every 2.5 hours until around 12 months as well. DD was only having 1 meal per day up to 12 months then moved to 2 meals as she started childcare 2 mornings a week and needed extra food since boobie wasn't on tap :) At 13 months DD was pretty much eating what we ate for dinner and breakfast was introduced then too.

We are still BFing around 6 times a day/night, DD has 2-3 meals a day and a couple of snacks and she turned 2 last month.

[♥Heaven Sent♥]

What age did you introduce solids?
Sasha was about 5 months when i started him on solids
What age did your baby wean?
Sasha is 17 months and is still bf,he likes boo more than solids
Did you wean bub or was it self weaning?
Haven't weaned yet!

[neostudded]

Thanks for the thread Oscar's mum, this is something ive been really curious about.I understand you didnt really rush soilds with your daughter & I want to do the same and take it very slow.:)

[bel_aiden]

with ds1 didnt start solids til 6 months, he wasnt all that interested either. took months b4 he ate 3 meals a day.
hes 23 months and still bf

ds2 is 5 months and i will not start solids with him until atleast 6 months too.

[zenifa]

I have read previously that by introducing solids early it can have an impact on how long your child breastfeeds for. So, I was wanting to know bubhubbers experiences with this.

What age did you introduce solids?
What age did your baby wean?
Did you wean bub or was it self weaning?

I introduced solids at 6mths, but did it very slowly ie very small amounts of rice cereal and introduced new foods very slowly too. DD1 was interested but being a new mum I was in no rush with solids, as she loved her boobie and was thriving.

DD1 self weaned just before 20mths, mainly (imo) due to the fact that I was 12 weeks pregnant, possibly due to increase in hormones or change in taste, but she self weaned rather quickly, which I was sad about.

I am now bf my 10 week old and won't introduce solids before 6 mths and may even wait longer.

[pookiesossige]

What age did you introduce solids?
8 months
What age did your baby wean?
12 months
Did you wean bub or was it self weaning?
I weaned her :(
Solids didn't have much impact on bf. She had unrestricted access to the breast, no dummy, no other fluids, and still wasn't really interested in food until about 10 months old.

[twitch]

What age did you introduce solids?

Tried at 6 months as she kept trying to eat our food. She got tummy aches from Farex so I stopped and re-introduced at 6 1/2 months. She still only has about 1 tablespoon of vegies for lunch and dinner

I am still bf'ing DD but wanted to reply to this thread as I reckon intoroducing solids is the reason I got mastitis and AF back. It's just what I feel, not asking for opinions or anything. But I think that cutting down that tiny bit on her breastfeeds had a huge impact on my body. I'm surer it was all meant to be, but next bub I will be trying to keep up the breastfeeds when I start the solids alot more than I have this time.