Hey T....I am going to agree with all those moms who are saying to KEEP ON BREASTFEEDING!! It is the absolute #1 best thing you can do/provide for your baby. Baby's primary nutritional source should be breastmik until age 1, says the AAP & the World Health Org (and Dr Sears, and Dr Newman etc). Solids at this point are only to get baby used to difft textures and tastes. Even the "tastes" thing isnt a big deal b/c baby has been getting difft tastes all along thru your milk. Early solids introduction (and the weight charts, and the immunization sched.s etc etc!!!) was designed for formula babies, b/c formula does not provide anything close to what breastmilk does. Bmilk is crazy stuff...iron absorption is 50-70% from bmilk, versus 4-10% from the fortified cereals, just for example. My little boy is 9 1/2 months old, and i had to go with my gut on this one, and keep the feeds that some people said were "too often"!!
(approx times!!!...)
7am wake up
7:15 nurse
8 breakfast
9:15 nurse (then nap)
11 nurse
11:30 offer small amount of solids (little avocado cubes)
1:45 nurse (then nap)
4 nurse
5 dinner
6:45 nurse
7 dinner
(**bfast & dinner are blueberry 1/2's, boiled yam cubes, avocado cubes for him to feed himself [or wear! lol!] and 1Tbsp organic oatmeal with a couple spoons of mashed yam & peach...i do not care if he eats all the oatmeal!!)
With this routine, I know in my gut that I have "offered" my baby breastmilk b4 the solids. I had been expressing into the oatmeal, but then i thought, "ok i have to cram all this stuff into his mouth for him to get the breastmilk, even if he isnt hungry!" and that is just NOT the blueprint I wanted to make for my son's digestive system. "Stuffing" does not do baby any favours, as it leans towards obesity in later life. I wanted to help my baby be lean, and as Dr Sears says: "lean means having the right % of body fat for your individual body type"(..not to be confused with skinny!) as obesity has now reached epidemic proportions!!! Every step with solids is a step towards weaning, and we all know that baby's who are breastfed until age 2 (also recommended by WHO) are at a huge advantage across the board. Mentally they are getting a head start, and physically they are at a ridiculous advantage. It is a time for our babies to cuddle and bond with their absolute favourite person in the whole world...how crazy is that?!! I, for one, have decided to stop stressing about solids and the eternal question 'is he getting enuf' until my little boy is 1. He is happy, healthy, hitting all the developmental milestones, has strong attachments to "his people" and is totally content. Also I will say that i have read in a bunch of places that children will "cycle" thru foods...ie, like something one week and hate it the next. Please dont worry about your boy being picky at this point...he is just finding his feet. And please give yourself a GIGANTIC pat on the back for what you are giving your son!! Way to go!!!