Someone Help with This Whole Solid Food Thing!

I have a 7 mnt old, and we are reading a book to help with getting him on a good scheduel, and for feeding, they actually have it where you feed solid food and then breast feed, or bottle feed. It has been working great for us, and then I pump throughout the day.

Good luck and just introduce different foods slowly, you will be amazed how quickly they eat more and more, and a greater variety.

Good for you for working so hard to give your baby the best of everything!
The logic behind nursing first and the offering solids is to reduce frustration if baby is reluctant to try something new, and also because solid food at this age is merely an introduction, an opportunity to sample textures and experiment with eating. Ideally, your milk is his primary source of nutrition for the entire first year. Think of solids more as amusement than hearty nutrition--especially since most of baby's first foods are relatively low in fat, and your milk is wonderfully creamy and full of things to help him grow.
Still, if he will put up with it, no harm done by offering him lunch foods before a lunch nursing so you can get home to him and reduce your headaches and the mental gymnastics of timing pumpings and nursings.
To reduce pumping sessions, you could consider "stretching" your stored milk by mixing your milk with single-grain cereal so he could have some of your milk with a sample of solid foods.
You might appreciate the books "Working Mother, Nursing Mother," "Hirkani's Daughters," and "Whole Foods for the Whole Family," and "Whole Foods for Babies and Toddlers." They are all published by La Leche League and contain information that is hard to find elsewhere. The first two, in particular, are gems. The legend of Hirkani is about a woman from an ancient village in India who climbed an enormous gate and scaled down a cliff so she could return to her home and nurse her baby. The king honored her bravery in mothering and there's a village named for her today. The book is a collection of essays from moms in all sorts of employment,from factory workers to brain surgeons, who combine working and breastfeeding. It's very cool and uplifting. You could find any of those books pretty cheap online from Amazon, buy them directly from LLL (www.llli.org) or borrow them for free from your local LLL group.
The fact that you only work part-time means you can often be available to nurse your son on other days, which is great for your milk supply.
I agree actually feeding a baby is a big pain compared to nursing. . . I'm a big fan of anything I can do laying down or with my eyes closed and without dirtying a dish I'll have to wash later! I have introduced solid food very slowly to my three boys and it's nice to keep it simple and slow so they can eventually have bits and pieces from my plate and not need too many spcially-prepared foods.
Best wishes!

Suggesting milk before solids is just because a very hungry baby is usually less willing to learn something new (like learning to eat solid foods), because he's so focused on feeling hungry. But it really isn't absolutely necessary, especially if you don't wait to feed him until he's frantically hungry. So if you need to switch it so it all fits, then there shouldn't be a problem. Do what works for your schedule.

As for the sweet potatoes, when I started giving my daughter solids, she would throw up every time we gave her acorn squash. So we just avoided it for a while. It wasn't something we ate all that often as a family anyway, so that wasn't really a problem. We recently let her have some again, and she's fine now. I would suggest just avoiding it for a few months, then try again and see how he does.

Well I must have read different books than you because I did it totally different. With my first two kids (and I plan on doing it the same way with my 3rd unless for some reason it doesn't work well for her), I fed the baby a solid at a time close to when the rest of the family ate a meal, then breastfed afterward as much as the baby wanted so he'd have something to "wash it down with". As the baby got older, I added in a second and third solid feeding time in the day, still followed by the breastfeeding.

One son we did nursing and then food together, one we did food then nursing. This time around we do nursing at set times and then food with the family. I think it's more about what works for your family if you understand the thoughts involved. Our kids have all done fine as related to food. (One had weight issues unrelated to food intake.) As far as sweet potatoes go, I had two who react, both with nasty diapers and rash to follow. My oldest also was sensitive to tomato paste for several years, so you might be careful of that. My youngest also reacts to sweet potatoes, but does okay if I bake them and then mash them rather than doing baby food. Canned foods have caused issues for all three of my kids on certain foods. I usually make food, which helps. I think if you wanted to let your son eat food and then nurse when you get home, that would be fine. It doesn't sound like it would really be delayed. I have found with my two who nursed food, they sometimes wouldn't eat if they hadn't nursed, or they would fuss through the whole meal, so you might be prepared for that. GL! Welcome to the world of food! This is the hardest stage. Once they can feed themselves, it's much easier. Hang in there. Theses days will be over soon.

Check out the book Super Baby Food, it's extremely detailed in approaching solid food. I didn't use the complete method described in there, but it was helpful to know what foods to introduce at what ages, and told how to make them yourself. It truly took very little time and paid off financially as well. I think we used to do solids, play, then bottle and nap. I don't think order matters.

I dont think it makes much difference if your baby is happy. I never keep w/ a set way of doing it. Especially with my 5th one now, it just depends on when I can squeeze it in between the rest of the kids needs. If you have an easy going kid, just go with the flow and of course wait til you get home from work. If he is frantic, then keep doing what you do. Good luck!

Hi H.,
Maybe I am remembering wrong, but I swear my pediatrician told me to give them food first. I'm know I used to give my kids a predetermined amount of food, and then let them finish off with milk. It wouldn't hurt either way, he will still be getting the nutrition and calories he needs. My kids have always been at healthy weights, even when go through periods of not eating much.
Enjoy your baby!
S.

the suggestion to nurse first is because little ones are generally unwilling to try new things if they are starving, so by nursing first, you fill up his tummy enough to put him in a place where he'd be willing to try new foods. at this age he shouldn't really be replacing a nursing sessio with food, as really on teaspoons or tastes should be expected of him, maybe even until a year old. you may be able to just push back his schedule a little at this point, if he's liking solids, then you're probably fine to nurse after he eats. congrats on your desire to continue breastfeeding and on your little guy. ..good luck. this stage is always a little tricky, as is ever stage it seems, so just roll with it and listen to your own body and your baby boy's.

I have a very similar situation. I am breastfeeding and introducing my son to more solid foods. My son is 9 mos old and we're moving on towards table food. I too read those books that said nurse first then feed solids. Honestly, I've pretty much always fed first then nursed to finish filling him up if he didn't fill up already. I think he's adapted much easier to solids than if I had done as the books said because he's hungry when he starts eating the solids. And as in your situation, he is in Day Care during the morning. They feed him lunch, I pick him up around 12:30 and we head home where I then nurse him. It seems to be working very well and I haven't noticed any problems. Hope that helps!

While it's best to breastfeed first, it is not a big deal to reverse it for one meal a day. The point of breastfeeding first is just to make sure that the child is getting enough of the nutrients from the breastmilk first, since that is still the primary source of most of the child's nutrition at that age. That being said, I think you can strike a good balance without doing it that way. With my first, I just breastfed at the times I was already breastfeeding & added some meals in between - so meal times were completely separate from breastfeeding times. There is no one way to do it, just make sure that he is not replacing the breastmilk calories with the solid food too quickly. Good luck!

Hi H.,
I think doctors just want to make sure that babies get enough breastmilk/formula per day at this age, so that's why they say to give them their milk first. Solids are less important at 6 1/2 months than their milk.

Maybe if you're only doing it for that one meal, it might be ok to reverse.

I don't think that nursing first is going to make or break your sons health...and it would be lovely for you to get that extra feed in. Just make sure to limit the amount that he gets of solids so that he gets a full serving of breast milk. Later down the line you can give him more solids first but I think the benifit for both of you should the first priority.
Wholesomebabyfood.com was my favorite website at this time and it is free...no book to buy.
My kids are sensitive to peas...so sweet potatoes are not unheard of. Just pay attention to the signs and follow his cues. My kids all eat peas now and love them...eventually he will be able to eat the sweet potatoes if that is important for you.
Good luck

Hi,
I always gave my kids their food first and then their milk. I would not worry about changing that up at all. Congratulations on your beautiful baby and good luck :)

When starting solids it is always okay to feed the solids first, then breast milk/formula after. That way the are hungry and more eager to try new flavors. I always mixed cereal in with the fruits and or veggies I gave my kids so it was more substantial and they ate more. The runny solid foods starting out wasn't very appealing to either of them.
Make sure you start with veggies first, they get a sweet tooth very easy. It isn't uncommon for sweet potatoes to cause gas, which mylicon can help with.
Make sure you burp well after the liquid feedings too.
I always did solids first, then bottle afterwards when mine started. Then they had bottles during meals and at night.