getting solids into the routine

[gleek]

hi all!

my DD started solids at 5mo1wk. for the first week we did rice cereal and since then i have introduced a new food every four days (peaches, avocado, sweet potato, plums). i'm following a lot of the ideas in the "super baby food" book and so far she LOVES "solid" food. really leans into it and says "mmmm". it's very cute.

our routine looks like this (approx.. sometimes it slips a half an hour in either direction):

6:30AM/7AM - wake and BF
9AM - sleep
10:30AM - wake, BF one side, solids, BF other side
12:30/12:45PM - sleep
2PM - wake and BF
4PM - cat nap in stroller (usually 20 to 30 min)
6PM - bath
6:30PM - last BF
7PM - bed

she's dropped a night feeding after being on solids for about 1.5 weeks and then started sleeping through the night! happiness! i'm wondering when i should start two meals a day? everything is going fine right now. she's still eating a lot at each feeding. she hasn't decreased her breast milk intake except for dropping the night feed. what's the next step? i've been looking at everyone's schedule and it seems that many people at 6 months have two meals per day.

[Freya'sMum]

There's no rush to introduce solid foods, and the fact that dd is continuing to take her pre-solid foods quantity of milk is brilliant, just what she needs!

Baby milk (breast or formula) is the most essential part of a baby's diet until a year old, and yes, the quantity does decrease as she eats more solid food, but you don't want it to until at least 9 months! For now try to think of solid food as a top up (for hunger and for nutrients), rather than the main part of her diet, the risk with introducing extra meals or larger portions is that milk intake decreases too soon!

Other than that, it sounds like dd is doing really well, and introducing new things the way you are is spot on. You could try introducing another meal, but don't be afraid to withdraw it, or reduce the quantity offered, if her milk intake decreases at all.

HTH?

Ax

[gleek]

thanks alison! i forgot to say that i cluster feed her after her cat nap in the stroller. i suspect that little nip will eventually go away when she drops the cat nap and all the milk will just roll into the before-bed feed. maybe at that time i can introduce a second meal? i've heard that the cat nap is dropped sometime between 6 and 8 months. my LO is just such a stickler for her routine! thankfully. i want to make these changes as easy as possible for her. i'm more worried about her being comfortable in the newness of it than about her getting more food into her.