8 Month Old Breastfeeding and Solids

It's perfectly normal for him to want to nurse less since he's eating food. My daughter is 7 months old and our schedule goes something like this

Cereal mixed with Stage 2 baby food fruit for breakfast
1/2 jar Stage 2 veg and 1/2 Stage 2 fruit for lunch
Same for dinner

She nursed before her breakfast, once between lunch and breakfast, two or three times between lunch and dinner, and a few times at night. She doesn't nurse for very long at a time though. BUT...my dd is a peanut compared to your guy. She was barely 13 lbs at her 6 mos checkup. Your guy could probably eat a full jar of fruit and veg at each sitting.

I wouldn't worry too much about what you're feeding him, unless there is a history of food allergies. All of your baby foods should be "safe." You can't give children under the age of 1 honey, Karo syrup, peanut butter or eggs, but other than that everything is fair game. If he has 7 teeth, you may even be able to start him on regular table foods as long as they are cut up itty bitty and very smushy.

Something I did was that we always nursed in his room, where the distractions were at a minimum. That seemed to really help him focus on the task at hand. Also, as babies get older they become very efficient at nursing. What use to take them 20 minutes, they can now get in 10. Also, if you've never given him a bottle, don't introduce one now. You can always try pumping and giving it to him in a sippy cup.

It sounds like you're taking cues from him and that's great. With solids, I would for sure keep it as simple as possible (in order of easy to digest: more veggies, less fruit, even less carbs) for his tiny tummy. But I would still try to encourage breastfeeding as much as possible :)

You could consider looking into something like the Super Baby Food book - it would have some ideas for appropriate foods, how to introduce them, and what is an appropriate amount for your kid at his age. By eight months many kids are getting a lot of their calories through a variety of solid foods, in addition to milk.

You might also ask your kids doctor for ideas and guidelines.

Your little one sounds very much like my one year old grandson - loves his food!

It also sounds like he is getting the nutrition he needs from both breast milk (even if it is less) and the solid foods.

When my grandson did what your son is doing, my daughter in law just made sure he was eating healthy solid foods: Cereal with some fruit.

Trust your instincts Mom :-) It sounds like you have a happy healthy baby. If he wants the solids give them to him. He probably isn't feeling full with breast milk alone. Some babies need the solids earlier than others. Keep nursing him, but don't try to force it. I would think that would just make him frustrated with the whole feeding process.

It sounds like he is making the transition to solid foods. It is ok to decrease nursing since he is getting calories through solids. Solids will fill him up differently than breastmilk. Breastmilk digests quickly which is why they often nurse every 3 hrs or so.
The exclusive breastmilk is for the first 6 months.

Its true that breastmilk or formula are supposed to be the primary food source for the first 12 months of life. If he's decreasing bursing just a little, there's nothing to worry about, but if he's cutting out full feedings you should probably scale back on the food.

When my son was that age, he would get his bottle, then an hour later get food, then there was 2-3 hrs before his next bottle.

My second son decided that solid food was great at 4 months old. since then he still nurses about 4 times a day and then during the night and eats solids whenever we are eating. Part of why it may seem like he isn't nursing as much is they get better at nursing as they get older and they can drink it faster than when they were infants. Keep following what your son is asking for and you wont go wrong.

Just adding my two cents. My son stop nursing and after many "whys" and "trys" I did figure it out. He was just too lazy to do all that hard work toward nursing, so I started pomping and offer him brest milk in a bottle. It worked great. May be you have the same case here. Good luck!

My 8 month old son is 20 lbs and loves to eat anything and everything. He started eating solids at 4 months and has never shown any adverse reactions to anything so I am pretty liberal about what he eats, as long as it's healthy. I still nurse him on demand several times a day and he still wakes about 3 times a night to nurse also. He only nurses for 10 minutes at a time, or less if he is distracted, but I just follow his cues. He eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner in his highchair with the rest of the family, and eats just about everything we eat (except peanut butter). He loves to feed himself, so I just cut everything in bite size pieces for him. His favorites are Cheerios, Kix, crackers, rice cakes, toast, bananas, and any steamed veggie or friut to get it too the appropriate texture. He loves to eat meat and gets chicken, turkey, and roast beef. I also give him bites of whatever snack I'm eating because he begs for food by smacking his lips when he sees someone eating and they aren't sharing. As long as the rest of your family eats healthy, your baby should be able to join in at this age and eat what you eat. Not only will you save money on baby food, but you'll know exactly what is in the food if you prepare it yourself. Remember to start slow and only add one new thing at a time. Also keep spices and extras to a minimum, or remove your baby's portion before you add those things for the rest of the family.

Hi, I have seven-month old twin boys, also about the same size as your son. I have been feeding them solids three times a day for about a month or so. Their schedule is roughly as follows:
7-7:30 a.m. 6 oz of formula each
8 a.m. baby cereal (roughly about two ounces each)
8:30-9 a.m. until 10 or 11 a.m. first nap
11-11:30 a.m. 4-6 oz of formula each
12:30-1 p.m. 1 stage 2 jar of baby food each (I think they are 4-oz jars?)
1:30-2 p.m. until 3 p.m. second nap
3-3:30 p.m. 6 oz of formula each
5:30-6 p.m. 1 stage 2 jar of baby food each
6:30-7 p.m. 4-6 oz of formula each
7 p.m. bed

I just read that I can start offering them finger foods, so I will try that this week as well - things like puffed cereal, cheerios, baby mum-mums, etc.
Hope that helps!

While Breastmilk should be his primary source of nutrition, he'll soon be transitioning over to solids being the primary source. I'm going to post a link from the American Academy of Pediatrics parenting website that has a sample menu for a child his age. You'll see it still recommends up to 42 oz of breast milk/day, but also has a lot of solids.

***About 2 years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed their policy on what foods can be introduced at which time. With our first child (now 3.5) we were told to wait on peanut butter, eggs, strawberries, etc. With our second (23. months), we were told there were no restrictions as long as there were no choking hazards and no known family food allergies. Of course, he expressed that new foods should be introduced in small quantities to assess if there is a reaction.

Listen to your baby. He's letting you know that he's becoming more interested in transitioning exclusively from the breast to more table food. It's also very likely that he's becoming more efficient with his nursing and is getting sufficient nutrition from less time on the breast.

Always double check with your pediatrician to be sure we're not giving you incorrect advice.

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/f...

I just got back from taking my daughter in for her 9 month appointment and she had gone from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile in weight in 3 months. I attribute this heavily to my reticence at feeding her solid foods because I had it stuck in my head "baby only needs breastmilk/formula for the first year". She was eating 32-40 oz of formula a day, and only snacking on solids occasionally.

After a long talk with my baby's pediatrician, I found out that at my baby's calorie requirements had lessened since she'd stopped growing as fast. She needs the solid foods to get the right balance of nutrition. That your baby is taking a liking to solid foods is great! Encourage that, and if he decides to wean himself, that's okay!

Food allergies are a big scare. The first time I gave my DD carrots, she ended up with a terrible diaper rash. But MOST foods are just fine for baby. Consider getting the book Super Baby Foods. It has great information on what to feed baby at what age, how to prepare it, and much MUCH more.

Good luck and have fun with your son!

i also have big boy. he is 10 months and 26 lbs and started to lose interest in the boob. as they get older and more aware of surroundings, some babies do not want to be breastfeeding- so, i have been pumping and giving more bottles and he is drinking enough bottles and able to look around and be a part of the world. i use a few ounces of breastmilk with his cereal so he is getting milk that way also.

Keep on keepin' on M.! He needs your milk even though it's also very appropriate for him to be getting solids now too. Nurse first, then offer him solids. There's a great book by Ruth Yaron called Super Baby Foods that has a great schedule in it.

If he's hungry, feed him. He needs your milk, but that doesn't mean he'll wean when he's getting more solids. Since he's bigger, he may need more solids than a similar aged child that's smaller. My daughter is nearly 7 months and hasn't started solids yet. She's not quite ready (still tongue thrusts) and is continuing to grow just fine. Each kid is different. :)

Many Health experts recommend using the appearance of teeth as an indicator for when a child is ready for solid foods (as long as they are at least 4 months old). If your child has 7 teeth he is most defenetly ready and probably needing the solid foods. It is normal for children to want baby food, they enjoy it and want to grow up and eat like you. Yes breastmilk should still be his main source of food, but especially with how big he is, he may really need the solids as well. As long as you are still nursing him 4-5 times a day (before offering baby food) then he should be fine. He may be ready for solid food 3 times a day (offered the same times you eat).

You are right - he is probably just a hungry boy and loving the solids! Be greatful! Just nurse him first and give him solids after for the 3 main meals of the day. He will continue to nurse but will also enjoy the solids. Sounds like you are right on track! That is what we did with my son and he is a great eater still now at 2! Boys just get hungry!!!

I know you will probably get a ton of mixed responses on this topic. many believe you should keep nursing eventhough he may not be interested, others may say let him decide when he isready to ween himself. I nursed my last till shewas 9 months old. It became a battle to get her to nurse and she would rip her head aound while latched. No matter what Idid she just wasnt interested. If you choose to stop and let your baby call the shots, make sure to get him on a good formula. Talk to his dr if you choose for their imput. All babies should either have breast milk and/or formula the first full year of their lives. Solids are very important and I always encouraged them to eat what they wanted then offer formula/breastmilk. Though mine usually wanted the milk in the morning but ate solids throughout the day. I would try offering more cereal if your little one still seems hungry after eating.
So many different ideas. I always followed my childrens ques to what they wanted/needed. Like I said drs are always the best bet if you are concerned or stumped.