Typical Feeding Schedule for Breastfed Baby on Solids, How Much and How Often?

Updated on October 22, 2010
J.W. asks from Havertown, PA
8 answers

I just started my daughter on a solids a couple weeks ago when she turned 6 months. We have been exclusively breastfeeding up until that point. I do have a 4-year old, but I completely forget how much and how often he ate solids. Right now, I started with cereal in the morning and have been putting some fruit in it and then I give her a veggie at night, i'm still introducing a different food every 3 days. My question is should she be getting more solids, should we do cereal and a veggie at night, and does she need something in the afternoon? I'm just looking for a typical feeding schedule, how often and how much for a baby between 6-9 months, especially if they're being breastfed. I keep hearing that she should still be getting most of her calories from breastmilk and formula (which I know she is) and giving too many solids, will reduce how much she drinks and may result in her weaning earlier which I don't want. My son nursed until he was 17 months old and I'd like to breastfeed at least a year and then we'll see what happens. I'm just trying to balance giving enough solids, while still having breastfeeding and supplemental formula as her primary nutrition. Thanx for any advice!

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N.O.

answers from Philadelphia on

Always nurse BEFORE any solids, and then offer the solid food. Let her eat what she wants. Before 1 solids are only for practice, and not techinaclly necessary.
If you nurse first, and then offer solids you will not jeporidize your nursing relationship, she will get the practice, and you will make sure that she is gettting the necessary nutrition she needs.
Kellymom.com is also a good source of info for a nursing mom. I have no clue how many times I referrenced it.

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D.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Sounds like a lot of us have similar advice...

My little one is almost 9 months old. I have always kept the same nursing schedule, and added in some solid foods in between nursing. For me, this means I give some cereal at breakfast time (4 oz), a vegetable at lunch (3 oz), something to pick at from the table at dinner (he likes rice, small bits of bread, very soft small bits of carrot, etc), and cereal again before bed (3 oz). The amounts are how much I make, sometimes he finishes that much, sometimes he doesn't and I never push once he loses interest. My son is showing NO hint of slowing down with nursing, despite the solid food he's getting (which is fine withe me).

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

I kept my breastfeeding schedule and then would add a solid about 30 minutes after, as it is just practice right now. I started with cereal at night because I work, and that was the best schedule for me. Once he was really taking it and seemed to like it and want more, I added some during the day at daycare.

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V.N.

answers from Harrisburg on

My son is now 9 mo and we started solids around 6, then stopped and restarted around 7-8 m. I tried starting with rice cereal for dinner a little after 6 m but he would spit up so much that I stopped for a week and then retried, getting the same results I just switched over to feeding him a veggie for dinner (I started with homemade sweet pots) over the last two weeks we have started to give him a fruit for lunch and then a veggie for dinner-I always nurse him first so he is still getting all he can from me. He also gets a bit of whatever we are eating so he can 'play' while we eat. Solids at this point are just practice-let her have fun! :)
Oh and he eats about 2oz per meal (if that much gets in his mouth!)
We still get about 7 or more nursing sessions in throughout a 24 hour period.

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A.G.

answers from Norfolk on

Breastfeed first then solids 30 minutes to an hour afterwards. Start with one meal a day, then gradually increase until she has 3 meals which she should have by or at 9 months and 3 meals and 1-2 snacks which she should have around 12 months. Give her however much food she is interested in eating. You will know when she is not hungry anymore by her turning her head or spitting out food, playing etc. Usually babies don't really decrease how MUCH they drink but may decrease how often. Instead the solid food gives them the calories for thier increasing needs while the breastmilk amount remains the same for the next 6 months instead of gradually increasing like her milk drinking did the first 6 months.

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M.D.

answers from Jacksonville on

I breastfeed my baby too, and she is now 9 months old and started eating at 6 months. She hasn't decreased much in breastfeeding either but this is the schedule I used - it's from my WIC office- it might help. They gave me a little poster guide that has a sample meal plan that has seemed to work well for her. This is for babies 6-8 months old. They recommend breastfeeding in the early morning, then mid morning feed cereal and maybe fruit - up to 4 tablespoons of each. When my daughter was 6 months I only did like 2 tablespoons total because like you I didn't want her to stop breastfeeding but turns out she still wants breast milk often. And eventually she wanted more food. Then you can feed her at lunch with cereal and a veggie and once you introduce meat you can add that in too - up to 4 tablespoons again (she won't eat that much so I would just start with 2 tablespoons). Breastfeed right after she is done eating lunch and then again in the mid afternoon like a snack. For dinner you can do veggies and a meat and/ or cereal. Then it says to give them a little more cereal before bed or breastfeed - which I never feed her cereal right before bed because it's really inconvenient and it's much easier to breast feed before bed. The guide I have says to breastfeed four to six times a day and to go ahead and start with three meals. When I introduced my daughter, like I said, she only ate like 2 tablespoons at a time and then gradually increased. I also would mix her cereal with the fruit or veggie so that it wouldn't be too soupy. I also have to mix the meat with a veggie because she hates the texture of the meat by itself. And now at 9 months old she still breastfeeds 6 times a day. I think as long as you still make the breastfeeding available your daughter won't wean too soon. My daughter likes to breastfeed right when she gets up and before and after naps. Part of it is to get the milk but I think part of it also is a comfort type thing. I hope this helps - you might check into your local health department and see if they have any posters like the one I got from the WIC office.

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J.A.

answers from Spartanburg on

What you are doing sounds good to me :) Both of mine nursed to about 20 months. They didn't eat regularly and substainally until 8-9 months. Cereal and friut at breakfast and vege at dinner sounds sensible. If you serve yr 4 a snack in the afternoon, and the baby seems to want one too, then give her something. At this age it is more about the activity than the actual eating. I would feed mine until they didn't want to eat anymore...it was more of a I'm bored with this than I'm full at this age. I never noticed a decrease in nursing until closer to the year mark with mine, and then all of a sudden I noticed they weren't nursing after dinner anymore until it was time for bed.

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K.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My daughter is now 18 months and I b-fed her for a full year. My older son is 3 and somehow, between the two kids I felt like I'd forgotten everything too. :-) For us, we started with cereal at 5 months. At 6-7 months, we introduced fruit first, since my daughter hated her cereal and we introduced a new food every 3 days, like you said. By 6-7 months, we were doing cereal for breakfast (with fruit) and cereal plus a veggie for dinner. At around 9-10 months, I introduced that disgusting meat baby food and lunch. Our schedule became cereal + fruit for breakfast, cereal + veggie for lunch, meat + veggie + fruit for dinner. From my recollection, the ped wanted us to get two servings of cereal a day until the first birthday. As long as you do it all gradually and as long as you keep the meals separate from nursing, your daughter should adapt quite well. The comforting thing is that if she misses meals, it's not a huge deal because, as you said, the bulk of her nutrition should come from nursing right now. At this point, I always tried to look at mealtime as introducing her to flavors and textures more than anything else. Once she gets into different foods, she'll also be able to do more physically and it's true - she might want to nurse a little bit less frequently. Just remember that she'll also probably nurse more during those sessions. It all works out in the end. Good luck!

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