Starting solids w/o decreasing BM intake?

chikinyellow

We are going to be starting solids within a month or so.  We also have the go ahead from the pedi to delay further b/c he is growing fine on EBF alone.

However, we want to get him used to textures and eating for developmental reasons (so it isn't so hard when he is 9 months old) so we are starting now.

One thing that we don't want to do is to give too much or start too fast so that he starts replacing BM with food and his consumption goes down.  I realize when he is almost a year his consumption may decrease, but I still want to make sure he is taking about 30-32 ounces a day.  Is that realisitc and any advise on how to keep it going that way?

charlatti

The way my pedi explained it was that BM intake does stay the same once you start solids and the solid food will increase as their food needs increase, so that very gradually (by 12 months+) the solids intake will be greater than BM. DD has never accepted a bottle, so I have no idea how much she gets, but her nursing times and frequencies have not changed since we've been doing solids.

I don't know if that answered your question, but I think if you start slowly (say, one small solids meal a day, gradually working up to more) you should be fine.

susiederkins

We started solids about a month ago, and DS' BM intake has not gone down at all.

little__bit

We're new to solids also... just started 2 weeks ago.

It's very slow-going.  We offer a couple tablespoons in the evening.  He actually swallows about 2/3 of what we offer; the rest ends up in his bib or on his face.  He's not consuming nearly enough to replace any nursing sessions.  (Though he really likes pears.  He would have eaten a 1/2 cup if we let him.)

I imagine it will be like this for a few months.  He'll continue to get 18 oz of EBM in his daycare bottles, plus nursing on demand at home.

ab&jim

susiederkins:

We started solids about a month ago, and DS' BM intake has not gone down at all.

^ Ditto. My DD is taking exactly the same in her bottles for daycare and hasn't reduced her nursing sessions frequency or duration since starting solids. Some days she eats her solids fine and others she will not have it. It's still just so experimental at this point.