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Question about solids and nursing...

TheAnalyticalMommyTheAnalyticalMommy member
in Breastfeeding
My LO is 5 months old and has always been a REALLY hungry baby. he drinks 5 oz bottles and still cries for more at daycare. The first time I gave him solids, he ate it like a pro and has never had to use a bib because he won't let a single drop out of his mouth. 

How often should he be nursing/having a bottle at five months?

How did you introduce solids and still maintain your supply? 

Sometimes he will refuse to nurse by eat solids so he is showing a preference and I'm concerned he will start dropping feedings too quickly. I still want BM to be his primary source of nutrition but i don't want him to be hungry. (Note, I mix BM with the solids to sneak it in there but it's obviously not as much as if he were nursing).

TIA!
Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
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Re: Question about solids and nursing...

  • TheAnalyticalMommyTheAnalyticalMommy member
    Thanks! I'm mostly worried that he's going to back off the feeds and drink less and less. Sometimes i try to nurse him and he refuses but still acts hungry and wants solids. How often should a 5 month old nurse? He STTN so he generally nurses at 5, 9, 12, 4, 7, and 9 (which is usually a marathon nurse for an hour). Is that enough? That's been his schedule for a while but i'm worrying now that he's showing a clear preference and seems to be taking charge. Thanks!
    Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
    I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
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  • RDK24RDK24 member
    I've always nursed first, then waited at least 20 min before solids. Rule of thumb is: Food til 1 is just for fun. My LO has nursed 2-3x during the day (and 2 bottles with the nanny) from 6-11 months. We've added solids twice a day and give her as much as she wants. GL!
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  • RDK24RDK24 member
    edited July 2014
    OurBundleOfJoy said:
    Thanks! I'm mostly worried that he's going to back off the feeds and drink less and less. Sometimes i try to nurse him and he refuses but still acts hungry and wants solids. How often should a 5 month old nurse? He STTN so he generally nurses at 5, 9, 12, 4, 7, and 9 (which is usually a marathon nurse for an hour). Is that enough? That's been his schedule for a while but i'm worrying now that he's showing a clear preference and seems to be taking charge. Thanks!
    You're the boss -- do all you can to make sure he's nursing/drinking breastmilk from a bottle first. Your LO can't have a preference if he's not offered solids instead. ;) Make sure that's the routine -- breastmilk first, then a little break, THEN solids, and he will get the milk he needs. In my experience, babies this age aren't sophisticated enough to refuse nursing in order to hold out for solids. Also, around that age my LO became very distracted at the breast, so I would start bringing a little toy (or even a tag/blanket/whatever was interesting to my DD) so she had something to play with while nursing. Otherwise, I couldn't keep her on for more than a few minutes. It's been a game changer for us!
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  • TheAnalyticalMommyTheAnalyticalMommy member
    Oh that's a great idea! I have a nursing necklace but never use it... guess i'll start! Thakns
    Rachel (a.k.a. The Analytical Mommy.com and @analyticalmommy on IG)
    I'm just trying to make sense of things :-) 
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  • RDK24RDK24 member
    edited July 2014
    OurBundleOfJoy said:
    Oh that's a great idea! I have a nursing necklace but never use it... guess i'll start! Thakns
    That helped us a lot. And then when your LO gets tired of that, anything soft that you can put on your shoulder for playing/distracting/keeping little hands busy is helpful. I emphasize soft because sometimes you get hit in the face with it. :-x
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  • BootsOrHeartsBootsOrHearts member

    We started solids around 5 months too and he didn't drop his milk intake much until about 6.5 months. At almost 8 months, he's now down quite a bit on his milk because he's eating 3 meals a day like a pro.

    Always offer milk first and then solids. With spoon feeding, it's easy to overfeed so be careful and use his cues not to give too much.

    Yes your supply will drop as he starts replacing milk with solids over the coming months but that's ok because you don't need as much anymore. You should still be able to maintain your supply at a lower level.

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