Is it a must to start solids?

[kujiramama]

Can continue to let bb drink milk all the way till 12mths if she is still growing well? Any mummies doing this?

My DD drank very little milk since starting solids. She drinks very little even when she is hungry and before I give her solids. But milk is the main source of nutrients for a baby so I am worried about the lesser milk intake. I have since stopped her solids intake and hopefully she will pick up on the milk intake.

 

[mamapenguin]

Goodness No! After 6mths milk alone is not enough for baby to get her nutrients. Don't you read baby books or baby websites??

 

[kujiramama]

Hi mamapenguin,

In my case, my girl likes the solid more than milk. She can finish a small bowl of porridge but can't even finish 4 oz BM. I read from websites that at this stage solids are just a supplement. Want to know what to do if bb just want solid and not milk?

 

[candy_ian]

How about including the milk in the solids? Diet is supplementary as their main nutritional intake before 1 yr old still comes mainly from milk.

 

[kujiramama]

Hi candy_ian

Sometimes DD takes a long time to finish her food, was afraid that the BM in the food will turn bad? And she doesn't like to drink water yet, so sometimes her stools is a bit solid and that is hurting her buttocks. That's why I thought maybe can let her drink milk 1st to get more liquids into her. But generally do you disagree that I should stop solids(for the time being)?

 

[candy_ian]

I think shldnt stop solids completely. Though supplementing but it shld also b given, mayb cut down on amt? Introduce fruits for her hard stools? They take some time to get used to water. How old is she?

 

[kujiramama]

She is 7 mths old. Can I give her prune juice? Need to dilute? Is there prune juice for babies or she can take the ordinary one? Is it a big deal to give bb bottled fruit juice since they usually contain more sugar? Haha sorry for the many questions~:embarrassed:

 

[apollo]

i also feel that u shdnt stop her solid food. i feel that just becos she dont take more milk, the more u shd intro her solid food, let her get more nutrients from solid food. i gave ds those concentrated prune juice but dilute with water and also Gerber prune puree when he was having hard stool. papaya helps too =)

 

[candy_ian]

U can get the prune juice with no sugar added n dilute it or just offer steam prunes mashed..

 

[kujiramama]

Oh ok thanks mummies! Maybe I should let her drink milk 1st, then half an hour later let her eat solids. I hope the prune juice will work. In fact DD has bowel movement everyday since starting solids, just that the stools keep getting harder and she will cry. Heartpain:bsad:

 

[ast0212]

You're doing well You are right - Milk is the main source of nutrients for babies until 12 months, especially breastmilk because it's packed full of goodies. Solid food gives them new tastes and textures so it's more for learning about food rather than meeting their nutritional requirements. I've heard of many babies who don't start solid until 9-12 months as they are thriving on milk and are not at all interested in solid food...it's normal

It's also normal for them to take less milk once solids are introduced (hence the weaning process starts with the introduction of solids) so there's no need to stop solids intake

As for formed poo, after starting solids it's normal for poos to be formed. My son is the same - no matter how many breastfeeds, how much water, prune juice, diluted orange juice, his poos are still solid. I even put him on high fibre foods and it's the same result, though easier to pass. The community health nurse said this is fine if they poo every day. It's ok for them to strain a little or wimper. It's a problem if they cry in pain or pass out blood as well then it's best to see a doctor or paed.

All the best

 

[kujiramama]

Hi ast0212, thanks for the assurance

If I knew that we can start solids as late as 9 mths I would have probably done so. But dear daughter kept ogling at our food and I thought she must be interested to try solids. I started her at 6 mths and one week with brown rice cereal. She enjoyed it at first, but I found she had a bit of redness around her mouth after eating the cereal. Then I stopped and waited when she is about to turn 7 mths before giving her solids again. This time porridge instead of cereal.

It is so much easier to continue to give breast milk, hahaha :001_302:

 

[ast0212]

Yeah definitely! Breastmilk is just so convenient!! I started my son on solids at 6.5 months after coming back from a holiday and he was getting interested in food (you can imagine how easy it was not stressing about what foods to bring because I only had to bring my boobs!)

I started my son on brown rice cereal too and he also broke out with red patches all over his body, so I switched him to a bit of baby-led weaning (aka baby-led solids) where I gave him florets of steamed broccoli, sticks of steamed carrots and the like, and he did better. It allowed him to explore food on his own - touching, feeling, tasting and at that point not necessarily eating it.

If solids are interfering with milk feeds, as in she drops some milk feeds, you can probably cut down the amount she is taking without stopping solids altogether. I read somewhere that babies starting solids still need at least 6 breastfeeds a day.

Some info: Australian Breastfeeding Association - Introducing Solids
Hope it helps

 

[kujiramama]

Oh no. If need at least 6 breast feeds then I don't know if DD is having enough.

I usually start the day at 7am with latch on(sometimes she doesn't want to though), then 3 EBMs(about 120ml or less each feed) till 5pm or 6pm, then latch on at about 7pm or 7.30pm before DD goes to sleep. Because I was afraid that she is not getting enough milk, I will still nurse her in the middle of the night for 2 or 3 times. Tiring and I know this is definitely not going to help if I were to wean her off night feeds. :wong7:

 

[STmummy]

hi, since your gal likes solid and is taking lesser breastmilk, prob you can try to be more creative when preparing food for her (by adding in breastmilk into her food).

e.g banana, avocado, sweet potato, potato, bread (etc) + BM. when she can really chew food, you can start making french toast or pasta + replace fresh milk w BM based on the recipe.

all these BM that you include in her solids also adds up to the daily intake of BM needed by her.

You can borrow some recipe books for babies/toddlers from NLB. It's really useful.

 

[kujiramama]

Hi STmummy, thanks for your suggestion~

DD likes to eat slightly thicker texture so if I were to put BM in the food it would be quite limited? But of course it beats having no milk at all lah. :001_302:

 

[ast0212]

Oopsies sorry, I meant at least 6 feeds in a 24 hour period... Sounds like you and your girl are doing really well

 

[meiteoh]

Can continue to let bb drink milk all the way till 12mths if she is still growing well? Any mummies doing this?

My DD drank very little milk since starting solids. She drinks very little even when she is hungry and before I give her solids. But milk is the main source of nutrients for a baby so I am worried about the lesser milk intake. I have since stopped her solids intake and hopefully she will pick up on the milk intake.

Studies have shown that if you wait till much later like around 12 mths to introduce solids, it can lead to development issues especially with chewing, swallowing and self-feeding. The purpose of introducing solids after 6 mths is because 1) breastmilk composition changes and has less iron, 2) baby's body iron supply will start to deplete and milk, even BM, is NOT a good source of iron and finally 3) (which many parents miss out on) to get babies to develop eating skills like spoon feeding, chewing, swallowing, etc. In fact, too much milk can lead to iron deficiency IF you do not supplement with solids.

If you're concerned with bulking up her milk quantity - I'm curious, HOW MUCH milk is she drinking now? - you can introduce dairy-rich foods like yogurt and cheese. Eva too was cutting back on her milk quantity when she started on solids - she was latching on every three to four hours except at night - sleeping through - and she was drinking less than 20 oz of milk a day. Was I worried? NO. Because she was already eating yogurt at 6 mths and other dairy-rich foods subsequently. As babies reach 12 mths, they SHOULD be eating chunky foods and solids should be the main already. This cannot be achieved overnight as milk is a liquid - the skills babies need to drink milk is different from eating.

 

[kujiramama]

Studies have shown that if you wait till much later like around 12 mths to introduce solids, it can lead to development issues especially with chewing, swallowing and self-feeding. The purpose of introducing solids after 6 mths is because 1) breastmilk composition changes and has less iron, 2) baby's body iron supply will start to deplete and milk, even BM, is NOT a good source of iron and finally 3) (which many parents miss out on) to get babies to develop eating skills like spoon feeding, chewing, swallowing, etc. In fact, too much milk can lead to iron deficiency IF you do not supplement with solids.

If you're concerned with bulking up her milk quantity - I'm curious, HOW MUCH milk is she drinking now? - you can introduce dairy-rich foods like yogurt and cheese. Eva too was cutting back on her milk quantity when she started on solids - she was latching on every three to four hours except at night - sleeping through - and she was drinking less than 20 oz of milk a day. Was I worried? NO. Because she was already eating yogurt at 6 mths and other dairy-rich foods subsequently. As babies reach 12 mths, they SHOULD be eating chunky foods and solids should be the main already. This cannot be achieved overnight as milk is a liquid - the skills babies need to drink milk is different from eating.

Hi meiteoh

My girl is 7mths old and now she drinks less than 150ml for the daytime from about 10am to 6pm (3 feeds, sometimes 2, with 2 solids). And latched on at night cos I feel she is not drinking enough in the day. I am now wondering is it due to the bottle? Cos she is ravenous when I nurse her and she emptied both breasts before I put her to bed.

So she is old enough to consume cheese and yogurt? Based on the recommendations and suggestions of the mummies here, I have resumed her solids intake. How much cheese or yogurt is recommended for her age now?

 

[meiteoh]

Hi meiteoh

My girl is 7mths old and now she drinks less than 150ml for the daytime from about 10am to 6pm (3 feeds, sometimes 2, with 2 solids). And latched on at night cos I feel she is not drinking enough in the day. I am now wondering is it due to the bottle? Cos she is ravenous when I nurse her and she emptied both breasts before I put her to bed.

So she is old enough to consume cheese and yogurt? Based on the recommendations and suggestions of the mummies here, I have resumed her solids intake. How much cheese or yogurt is recommended for her age now?

You can start with yogurt at 6 mths and you can give like 2 oz or same quantity as you would with other solids. Can give with veg or fruit puree and/or with cereal. I'd suggest that you start with cheese later - around 8-9 mths. You can also start to offer finger food as snacks - in the afternoon - if you like.

Continue the latch on at night if you feel that the quantity of milk isn't enough. I did that all the way up till 10-11 months. Eva then dropped the night and morning feeds (she was taking 12-15 oz of EBM at the babysitter on top of three solids and two snacks).