Still confused on transition to solids....

[melbrad]

My dd is 6 months old and has been doing a little rice cereal for about 2 weeks.  I would like to get her on a schedule with solids.  On page 96 in The baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems I noticed a schedule.  I'm still confused as to why solids are offered an hour and a half after liquids.  For ex, if she wakes and BF at 7, then has solids at 830, she is due for liquids at 11.  This is when she normally has her second BF, however I'm concerned she won't drink as much if its only been 2 1/2 hrs since she has had solids.  I wouldn't be that concerned if she was bottled fed because I could keep up with her intake, but it's hard with a BF baby.  Why doesn't she recommend to feed liquid, then solids and maintain a feeding schedule of every 4 hrs?  Also, at the times when I give solids, do I also offer more liquid?  It seems she needs to have some liquid to help with feeding?  How much?  Is water okay at this age?  Thanks for all your help!

[tylersmommy]

The main reason why Tracy recommends this type of schedule is because breastmilk and/or formula should be your baby's main source or nutrition for several more months. Solids are just for practice and experimentation and shouldn't replace nursings yet. In your example, you'd nurse your baby as usual at 7, offer solids 1-1.5 hrs later, and nurse again at 11. This way, your baby has a little bit of an appetite for solids, but you can limit how much you offer so she'll still be hungry for her next nursing. Most babies have tiny tummies, and that's another reason why the feedings are split up like that. Some babies can do both at once with no trouble, and that may well work for you and your LO.

Lots of parents start offering a sippy cup with water at solids mealtimes just for practice, but that's up to you. It's not necessary unless you notice she's getting dehydrated or constipated. Just a sip (maybe an ounce?) is usually enough. And if you keep an eye on her nursing habits, you can ensure she keeps her intake up. If she loses interest or her nursing sessions get shorter, that's often a cue that you might need to limit how much solids you offer. Good luck!

[toriaum]

I have a similar question in regards to solids and bm. 
My LO has just started cereal for about a weeka nd I'm having trouble finding the right amount of time to seperate the feeds. I tried to wait an hour and a half from the morning feed, but it runs really close to her first nap and she seems to get really fussy and not be interested int he cereal as she's tired.  ( wakes at 7am and bf)  I've tried to give her cereal at 8am ( an hour after bf) but she doesn't seem too hungry for it.  Should I limit her first feed by a coupld minutes to increase her appetite for the cereal? If I do this, I'm concerned that she won't get enough bm to last 4 hours as the cereal isn't really going down much.

Also, on a side note, when should I switch the cereal to the evening meal? 

[Mom to M&M]

Tori, at only 20 weeks, it's still really early for your LO to be on solids - most doctors know don't recommend starting until 6 months. If you are doing cereal early, it should only be for practice and not really as a meal - I certainly wouldnt' cut down on BF in order to increase cereal intake - the BM is much more important at this age. If she's not interested/too tired for the cereal, she may be telling you that she's not ready and perhaps she will be more ready in another month or so (when she can also stay awake longer).