FAQS

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*The information contained here is not intended to substitute for the medical advice of your primary care physician, pediatrician, or certified lactation consultant.
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Starting Solids and Weaning
How will I know when my baby is ready to start solid foods?
Breast milk is a complete food, providing all the hydration and nutrition your baby needs for the first six months of life.  The WHO (World Health Organization) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommend  that infants should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life. There are a few things to look for that show your baby is ready for solid foods such as being able to sit up unsupported, reaching for your food, and his/her tongue thrust no longer pushing foods away.

How should I start introducing solid foods to my baby?
Beginning at six months, babies should be offered solids in the amount of about the size of a pencil eraser at first, then slowly building up to about two tablespoons at a meal.  This will provide sufficient and appropriate amounts of solid food. After the child reaches one year, then solids provide more of the total nutrition.  The WHO recommends starting with protein because it is a good source of iron for your baby. Good examples are meats, tofu, and egg yolks.  Iron-fortified rice cereal used to be the standard first meal, but it is constipating and the iron is not well absorbed. The cereal doesn’t offer as much nutritionally as other foods.  Start with well-pureed foods, either made in your blender or store-bought.  The size of baby food jars is not an indication of how much your baby should eat in one sitting!  Take out a small amount into a bowl and never dip your spoon back into the jar after your baby has been using it—you will contaminate the baby food with bacteria from the baby’s saliva.  Remember that meal times for your baby should be about socializing and enjoying. Babies should not be forced to try foods or to eat a certain amount.

My baby is starting to eat more solid foods.  I have noticed that I don’t seem to have as much milk as before.  How should I approach solid foods and breastfeeding so as to increase the likelihood of my baby continuing to nurse well into the future?
For the first year, the mother's milk should be the primary source of nutrition for optimal development - especially of the brain, so you are right to be concerned about solids displacing milk. Simply offering the breast before the solids does not handle the issue. Limiting the amount of solids that your baby gets is also important.
It is normal to not feel as full and to not hear him gulping as your milk supply goes down to meet his lower demand because he is getting more calories from the solids. Your body will make more milk if you limit the amount of solids so that milk is still the primary source of nutrition.

When should I wean my baby?
Weaning is a developmental process for each baby.  It is not a milestone to be achieved.  Do not feel pressure to wean based on the calendar or comments from friends or family. Weaning really begins with the first food given other than breast milk.  Ideally, the primary source of nutrition for a baby is only breast milk for the first six months, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding in addition to complementary solid foods for at least the first year of life, then breastfeeding for two years or beyond, as long as both mother and baby find acceptable.  If the baby is younger than one, the baby should nurse first and then be offered other food.  After the baby is one year old, you may start offering solids first and then nursing.   Extended breastfeeding, beyond a year, is beneficial to mothers and their babies.

How do I know my baby still needs breast milk if eating solid foods?
For the first year of life, your milk is the best nutrition for your baby, but there is the window around 6-9 months that is the right time to begin to teach eating solids skills. I suggest feeding him whenever you all eat and he is awake. Even if he is just banging with a spoon and eating two Cheerios, he is learning that we humans socialize and eat together. You can gradually increase solids until your baby eats some solids each day. The volume may only be a few teaspoons if he prefers pureed foods or a few nibbles if he is a self feeder, but he gets to practice. Your pediatrician checked his iron level at 6 months and would have told you if you needed to add more iron-rich foods. By around 1 year he will be getting more of his nutritional needs met by solids and progressively less from your milk, but he still benefits from the perfectly balanced nutrients
and the immunologic factors in your milk.