Breastfeeding Resources

by Sue Petracek, IBCLC

So you’ve happily breastfed your baby for close to six months and you are beginning to think about giving your baby other foods. How can you make this transition as smoothly as possible? First, remember that breastmilk will continue to be your baby’s main source of calories for the rest of his first year of life. The additional foods you will be adding are experimentaion for your baby, gradually getting used to new tastes and textures in his mouth. Don’t replace a feeding at the breast with the new foods; add the new foods in very small quantities after your baby has nursed. When is he really ready for solid food? Six months is an arbitrary milestone. Watch for these cues from your baby that he is ready:

• he is holding his head up well and if not sitting alone, is sitting comfortably with a little help from you.
• he is showing interest in the the foods you are eating (or drinking). You’ll see him follow your fork from plate to mouth with great interest.
• this may be a little harder for you to know without trying a spoonful of soft food, but another indicator of readiness for solid food is that babies start using their tongue differently. To compress and massage your breast to extract milk and swallow, your baby uses a movement which would tend to push anything else back out of his mouth. You put a spoonful in and his tongue pushes it back out. About midway through his first year, he begins to be able to take a small amount of something more solid and actually move it toward the back of his mouth so he can swallow it. Don’t think just because he pushes some of his food back out that he’s not ready at all. There is a learning process. But I remember feeding my 6-week old god-daughter cereal (we didn’t know any better then!) and it took eight or ten attempts of putting a spoonful in, scraping what came back out off her mouth and chin and putting it back in again before she managed to swallow the contents of that one small spoonful.

Take it slow. There is no hurry or specific amount your baby must consume. This should be a fun time complete with lots of smiles and encouragement.

After the first few weeks of experimentation, not everything has to be pureed. Even without teeth babies learn to chew small pieces of soft foods. Once they start picking things up with thumb and forefinger, small pieces of soft food are great practice for this new skill.

Make the foods you give as nutrient-dense as possible. In the US, we tend to start babies first on iron-fortified rice cereal, primarily because rice has a low incidence of provoking allergies. The iron fortification is because your baby's birth stores of iron begin to run out about then and your baby can use the extra iron. But there is nothing sacred about rice cereal. Gradually try a variety of vegetables and fruits to add vitamins and minerals to your baby’s diet. Even small, softened pieces of meat. Try mashing well cooked meat with a fork and thinning it with breastmilk. Avoid sugary drinks (breastmilk and water are adequate for hydration). If your baby gets a cold or otherwise doesn’t feel well, he may not be interested in solid food at all for a few days. Don’t worry; breastfeed extra to make sure he stays hydrated and he will appreciate the extra cuddling when he’s not feeling well too.

You don’t have to buy commercial baby food to make this transition to solid food. Preparing your own using small amounts of the food your family is eating anyway makes the transition to regular table food easy. Your baby is getting used to your own family’s preferred foods. What? You say you aren’t eating that wide a variety of foods? Maybe this is a good time to examine your own diet too. But that’s another topic...

Breastfeeding and working: Tip of the month

Running late in the morning?

Instead of a two-sided morning feed, feed on one side while pumping the other. Your baby can have the second half of breakfast at day care.

Next month...

Bottle to breast

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