I was wondering whether it's normal for a baby to nurse less once solid foods are introduced...my daughter is five and a half months old...we are now giving her vegetables twice a day and cereal three times a day at the advice of our pediatrician. But she nurses only five minutes (if that) on each side after she eats her solids...she used to nurse about 10 minutes each side. She is very distractable now and keeps looking away and babbling during those five minutes so I don't think she gets much milk. She nurses well first thing in the morning and drinks a 5+ bottle of breastmilk before bed. I pump in the evenings and I get almost 6+ ounces at a time, so my supply is ok. Her weight is FINE (95th percentile)...I just don't know if this is normal. I want to make sure she gets enough fluids in warm weather. I may be taking her disinterest a little personally...any feedback is appreciated!
It's very normal to cut down on milk at first. Once they get used to eating solids they should up their milk a little. I always bottle fed by the time they started solids so I was able to follow the guidelines of how many oz. they were supposed to get each day. I would also give them milk before the solids. And they had milk for so called snack times.
I agree with Andrea. You really should feed Breast milk first before solids. She isn't taking in much milk b/c she is full of other foods.
Milk is the primary nutrution for the 1st yr. Fruits/ veggies/ meats are secondary. It is true that they will taper off in nursing (not eat as much while eating solids- how muchcan their little bellies hold?)
This is totally normal. As she takes in more solids, she will take less breastmilk as she replaces it with regular food. When she eats her veggies, she is half full and then finishes it up with the little bit of milk.
Now that you are giving her solids during the day, she might not need breastmilk as often. I pump also I read somewhere that breast milk digests in 2 hours. so my daughter (she is 21/2 months right now) eats every two hours during the day.
I have a six year old and I 13 mos. old baby. Plus, I have an extensive background with work with kids...(a little background:)I am 36 and work as well.
Babies will nurse less and as solids are introduces because the solids break down the same nutrients that the milk provides so, the babies fill up sooner. What I did, was feed solid first then milk (still do). My one year old eats dinner then has a cup with Vitamin D milk-she will do this untill she is three (had ner on a cup by one year because when I instroduce the whole milk I did the cup at the same time). There is good research out their on bottle feed past one year and child obesity. Even if you nurse past one year, attempt to put some in a sippy cup. I find that going with the flow with kids is best. Even though lots books and doctors say most infants eat only a few ounces the first few months my kids were eating 6-8 ounces by two months (they also slept through night by one month and developed in many other areas early as well because they were well fed and content:)-blessings
Normal, is what keeps your child happy and healthy. My kids were not "book" babies so, I did why I felt was satisfying their needs. The guidelines the doctors and the books proved are based on general developmental guidelines by researhcers (average children). Howerver, my kids did not follow that in most areas of their growth so, I went along with how they prompted me. Even now, they don't over eat:)The eat until full.
A 5 1/2 m old should still be getting the majority of her nutrition from breastmilk. Although she will take less as she gets older and more solids....that is the natural weaning process. However, you really should nurse first, then give solids since you are really just at the beginning of that process. The solids are just practice at this point. As babies get older they also get better at nursing so it maybe that they get faster at it, but if you feed her solids first and she fills up on that she's probably not going to nurse for very long.
** Also don't be concerned about bottle past one year and obesity from the PP. Breastmilk is totally different and continues to benefit your child no matter what their age.
You should always nurse BEFORE you give solids. Your breastmilk is the most important nutrition for her right now and through her first year. Solid food is just a learning thing for babies and not too much about the nutrition until after the first year.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html
Also the being distracted thing is TOTALLY normal at this age. I think every baby goes through this phase. The best thing to do is nurse in a quite dark room by yourselves so that your baby doesn't have much to keep her attention away from the breast.
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/distractible-baby.html
And once you start nursing BEFORE offering solids she will be hungrier!
I agree with the previous posts that breastmilk should be her main source of nutrition til she is 1. At 5.5 months, she should not need to eat solids 3x a day. Start slowly with giving her a bit of solids 1x a day and then increase as time goes on. By the time she is 12 months, she will be ready for 3 meals a day. She really only needs 2 tablespoons of solids each time she tries it. Cereal is not necessary and is empty calories. I did use a bit of oatmeal and mixed it in with the veggies and fruits to thicken it a bit, here and there. Also, it is important to remember to nurse her before you offer any solids. Breastmilk is higher in calories and fat. It's important for good brain development. At this stage, 3 meals of solids will not give her enough of the calories and fat that she needs to gain weight and grow.
