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!
sarit
Thursday 6th of July 2017
My 6 month son wakes up at 6:30 am, I breastfeed him from both sides, then at 8:30 eats a bowl of cereal (5 tbs with water). 10 am bottle of water. at 12 eats a bowl of veggies and chicken blended. at 3:30-4 pm 240-260 ml of similac milk. sometimes small amount of fruits around 2 depending on how much he slept... 6.3--7 pm another bowl of different veggies and chicken. 8:30 150 ml of formula milk again. He sleeps all night till 6:30 am. Is that enough milk for him or should I take the cereal out and give more milk? Thanks, Sarit
Christine
Friday 7th of July 2017
Sarit, the best person to give you specific advice regarding the quantity of milk your baby is consuming is your doctor - however, milk is still an important source of nutrition at 6 months and it seems that your baby goes from 6.30 am to 3.30 pm with no milk at all. I definitely feel it would be a good idea to offer milk during that period - the bottle of water at 10 am isn't realy necessary and whilst some doctors will suggest offering a little supplemental water once solids are introduced, it shouldn't replace milk (please see Giving Water to Baby. )
Please do discuss this with your doctor, who can check on your baby's progress and advise you appropriately :)
Atia Imam
Friday 9th of June 2017
Hey, I have the same problem, my baby prefers solid over breastmilk. She has been fed breastmilk via bottle (I am pumping for her). My question is, i found there is lots of recipesin this site which recommend to add breastmilk with ingredients in pot on stove to boil., so can I use frozen breastmilk to make these? I know, I can't refreeze previously frozen breastmilk, but if if I don't refreeze, just to make a fresh recipe, can I boil frozen breastmilk? I have lots of freezer stash, having herd time to feed her the milk, so I was looking for alternatives to keep her milk intake. Pls reply. Thanks
Christine
Saturday 10th of June 2017
You can certainly use breast milk in your recipes - I have done so many times - but do bear in mind that cooking with breast milk does destroy some of the nutrients so it can't be seen as a replacement for the milk she would usually drink. Have you tried putting the breast milk in a mesh feeder/teething feeder and letting her take it that way (like a breast milk popsicle)? Or even frozen from a spoon? My babies have loved it served frozen, especially in the hot summer months!
Christine
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
I apologize Sarah, I misread your final paragraph regarding the schedule being a worst case scenario - but it's good to hear that cutting back on the solids a little helped her take more milk. It sounds like you have a wonderful little eater on your hands! :)
Sarah
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
I am offering both sides each feeding, and like I said this example would be as wore as it gets. She probably takes both sides a couple times in 24 hrs on average. And she is definitely nursing enthusiastically and enjoys it still. I cut down her meals in size yesterday and that seemed to help a little so I'll stick with that for now. Thanks for the feedback!
Christine
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
She's still nursing fairly often and you are mixing breastmilk with her solid food, which is great - but it's very difficult to say that she's getting enough milk because - as you know - the actual amount is difficult to measure! If she is still nursing enthusiastically when she DOES nurse, then this should keep your milk supply abundant - but do you try nursing on both sides at each feed? This would help avoid that long period without stimulation and possibly increase the amount of milk she's consuming. Whilst the amount of solids she's receiving isn't particularly excessive, if it's preventing her from feeding on both sides at each feed, then I'd suggest cutting back a little for now. Her milk is still her most important source of nutrition at this point and for several months to come.