My Baby Prefers Solid Foods to Milk
Jun 16th, 2009 by Christine
We received a message this week from Monica in Sussex, South England. Her daughter, Lauren, is 6 months old and started solids nearly a week ago.
I know people usually have a problem getting their babies to eat real food, but I have the opposite problem! Lauren loves solids and grabs the spoon when I’m feeding her to eat even faster. She seems to want solids more than milk and I’m thinking of cutting back on the milk feeds (she is breastfeeding) and giving her solids instead. Is there any harm in doing this?
Well, Monica, it’s wonderful to hear that Lauren has taken such a shine to solid food – but you are right to be cautious about replacing milk with solids at this point.
We recommend taking things slowly, increasing the amount of foods you offer very gradually and continuing to rely upon milk as Lauren’s main source of nutrition.
There are several reasons for this.
Milk contains the nutrients that your little one needs for healthy growth and development for much of her first year. Increasing the amount of solids too rapidly at this point will, of course, lead to Lauren taking far less milk.
As you are breastfeeding, this can have a ‘knock on’ effect – as she takes less milk, your supply will reduce accordingly, potentially resulting in her weaning from the breast far earlier than you’d intended.
Make a point of offering Lauren her milk BEFORE solids. Some Mums like to offer one side – then solids – then the other side… but it might be a good idea to offer Lauren BOTH sides before solids, as she likes her ‘big people’ food so much!
Another point to consider is that making the switch from milk (whether breastmilk or formula) to solids is a big change for her digestive system. Dramatically increasing the amount of solids so soon may well lead to digestive issues – and if you’re offering a lot of rice-based foods as opposed to fruits, then you may encounter problems with constipation. A slow and gradual introduction to solids will be far kinder on her digestive system!
Do take into consideration that Lauren’s ’spoon-grabbing’ may not necessarily be an indication that she wants her food more quickly or in larger quantities – grabbing objects and bringing them to the mouth is typical behaviour at this stage in her development, whether those objects are carrying food or not!
If you notice a continuing lack of interest in milk and an increasing desire in solids, then try expressing milk to incorporate into Lauren’s food, which will ensure she’s still receiving plenty of the important nutrients it contains.
Milk can be blended into most foods – including fruit and veggie purees – and particularly well with cereal. You can even freeze breastmilk to make popsicles to put in a mesh feeding bag or serve crushed in a bowl – thereby killing two birds with one stone!
We have more information about introducing solids to your breastfed baby here – and we’d love to hear your comments if you’ve ever found yourself in the situation where your baby likes his homemade baby food more than his milk!
