From EBF to adding solids to weaning

[piratecat]

Can we talk about transitioning from breastmilk (or formula) to solids? I know that BM/formula is supposed to be their primary source of nutrition until 1 year but you're also supposed to "work towards" 3 meals + 2 snacks by 1 year so what does that transition period really look like? At home and at daycare?

We started BLW around 6 months which is going pretty well. We waited until almost 8 months to introduce solids at daycare and at 8.5 months J is eating two meals plus a snack at daycare (he only goes 2-3 days/week). Just this past week, he only drank half the milk I sent. At home he is eating 2-3 meals/day but not breastfeeding any noticeably less. I always nurse before offering meals at home but I know that they are not as diligent at daycare, so I imagine that contributes to him taking less milk. He also has been fussier with bottles for some time now even before starting solids so I think that's part of the issue as well.

What are you noticing with your kids? If you have older ones, what did it look like for them?

I am not eager to stop breastfeeding at home and plan to continue beyond 1 year. But it takes a lot of effort for me to keep up with pumping enough to send to daycare, so him drinking less does take some pressure off. On the other hand, he is on the smaller side so I want to make sure that he is getting enough calories, and I want to get a sense of what is "normal". I plan on discussing this with the pediatrician at his 9 month appt but wanted to hear other people's experiences. 

[vvvvvfee]

it's totally normal for them to cut back gradually on milk at daycare as they're getting more established on solids. neither of my kids was less enthusiastic about nursing at home at that age, but they both began showing less interest in bottles of BM. i cut back to pumping 2x a day somewhere between the 7-8 month mark, and a little bit after that i started sending in more food and just 2, 4-oz bottles of BM. then closer to a year i went down to 1x a day and just sent 1 bottle and more food, then when i stopped pumping just after a year, i sent WCM for a while and then they eventually just switched over to water. all the while, both kids continued to nurse at home. both my kids were always desperate to nurse at wakeup and when i got home from work, so there was never any question that they weren't getting enough BM. you might want to consider giving your LO an iron supplement at this age to prevent anemia if they're not eating a tremendous amount. anyway, don't overthink it too much. i would definitely cut back to pumping 2x a day if you're not already, and just send in what you pump along with a selection of food.

[piratecat]

vvvvvfee that’s really helpful, thank you, and it makes a lot of sense.

I’ll have to ask about iron supplement at his next appt. He’s pretty enthusiastic about eating and does consume a fair amount, I think, and also judging by his poop.

They provide all foods so I don’t have to worry about that part. Dropping to pumping only twice a day would be so great.

[grumpycat]

We had switched to formula by then with my first. But he was fighting bottles probably from 9 months on when we really did BLW. He loved and still loves food. His teachers at daycare did BLW with the lunches at school too. After his 1 year appt, we got the ok to switch him to WCM (if I was still BFing, I would have kept it up as long as it was working for both of us).