When is a BF replaced by a solid meal?

[del]

Hello,

When reading the routine for 6-9 months old, I noticed that the 4 BF are still there despite the introduction of solid. Friends and family living in Europe have already replaced the afternoon BF with a solid meal of either cereals, fruits or vegetable by 5 MO. And by 6-7 months, on recommendation of their pediatrician, have slowly eliminated the BF lunch with solid as well. Their babies are healthy and don't have any special concern (weight, reflux, etc).

Now, my LO is about to be 6MO and has been on cereal for the pas 2 weeks (bad reflux) at 5isch, keeping the 4 BF. He sleeps through the night.
My concern is if I keep the 4 BF + add snacks of solid food, won't he get used to eat every couple of hours? I would be ready to give up the afternoon feed for more solids and test if he is still hungry by offering him the breast after, what do you think? Shall I start to introduce solid at another time of the day as well? He usually has 2 naps and wakes up around 6:30am

Thank you for your suggestions!

[Freya'sMum]

Well, I'm English, and my dd still has 5 bfs per day and is 9 months old! Yup, she eats about every 2 hours, little and often, here's our routine:

07:30 bf
09:00 mashed fruit & yogurt
11:00 EBM (if I'm at work) or bf
12:30 finger foods, mashed fruit & yogurt
15:00 EBM or bf
16:45 finger foods, mashed fruit & yogurt
18:30 bf
23:00 - 02:00 bf

At 6 months, when we started her on solids, it was just mashed fruit and rice cakes at lunch time, gradually this routine emerged at her pace. Dd#1 (2 years 10 months) still eats every 2 hours, virtually the same as her little sister, only she has a snack rather than a milk feed at 11:00 and 15:00 hours!

HTH?

Ax

[Samuel's mum]

I don't know why it's different but folks in the UK wouldn't do less than 4 milk feeds a day at such a young age. Milk is absolutely the primary source of nutrition at that age and is crucial up until 12 months. I can't see how the required amount of oz will be taken if you go down to less feeds and increase solids.

As for feeding regularly - is that a bad thing? It keeps blood sugar levels constant, aids digestion, gives opportunities for fine motor development. Plenty of adults have a cup of coffee, glass of water, snack every couple of hours and their stomachs are a heck of a lot bigger. I'm not aware that as a nation our babies sleep less well or take longer to sleep through.

I would carry on putting the breast first personally.

[del]

Thank you for your thoughts. I will certainly keep all the bf (first) for the next month and then go from there.

[RachelC]

Just popping in to say I agree.  At this age solids are only experimental and not meant to take over for the nutrients and calories in breastmilk.

[¤ Efka ¤]

Just checking in to say I agree with PPs , but also I know what are you talking about. I live in Europe,Estonia and here its very common for babies not to get so much BF after 6 months.On good side they get formula or get cut off from it at all.  So sometimes they looked me as crazy

[weatherlyn]

hi del i live in italy and i was told to always replace  a BF with a meal when introducing solids. thank goodness i never listened and did as outlined by the fellow BW's above and Tracys book. at this age, solids is an addition, not a replacement. My DS is now eight months old and has three solid meals a day as well as four BFs and he is happy and healthy. my italian friends who have replaced milk with solids at the 6mth mark have all had probs with their babies refusing solids at some point and when i suggested to not drop the milk feed but to give solids an hour after their babies ate the solids. so in my ltd experience i think the italian way of doing it, is  not the way to go at the very beginning.