Some questions about breastfed babies??? Preferably from breastfeeding moms or ones who have breastfed.?

Question

My 5 month old is strictly breastfed. We have tried rice cereal mixed with breastmilk 3 times and I think we are going to wait until 6 months to start a food ritual. His doctor told me at 4 months I could start him on solids but I don't feel as if it is time yet.
When is a good time to introduce a sippy cup?
What to put in the sippy cup?
When should I give him water?
First foods other than cereal?
Right now all he gets is my milk and the occasional "milkshake"......(I just shake my chest before he nurses)
I plan on nursing past a year. Hopefully if all goes well.

Yeah I am serious about the "milkshake".
It just came to me one day so it is a household joke now!

Answer 1

A good time to introduce a sippy cup is when your child can sit up, unassisted, and grip a toy and bring it to his mouth.

You can put expressed breast milk in the cup at first because it is familiar to him. I wouldn't give him water until he's eating more solid foods. Until then, he doesn't NEED water. Watch out for the juices - they can cause diarrhea and then a diaper rash if your son is sensitive to the sugar and acid. Most of my kids weren't able to tolerate juice until they were potty-trained. They just ate fruit instead.

Other than cereal, you can feed your baby anything that is the right consistency. My kids all ate bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, potatoes... anything you can either throw in the blender raw or cooked. After they got used to those single foods, I started introducing mixtures.

LOVE the comment about the milkshake. Once, my older kids were putting on a theater production for me in the living-room to amuse me while I was nursing the baby, and I was laughing SO hard at my little dramatists that the baby lost her latch and started crying. My son (9 years old at the time) told me "MOM! NO FAIR! SHE DIDN'T ORDER A MILKSHAKE!"

Answer 2

I have a 7 month old who is strictly breastfed. I started trying solids at 5 months, and have been totally unsuccessful until just a couple of days ago. I tried mixing rice cereal with formula, breastmilk, and water. I tried veggies, fruit, etc. The only things that have worked so far have been YoBaby and now Gerber's banana mixed berry (stage 2) mixed with baby oatmeal. She doesn't seem to like true "baby" food, so whatever, I'm skipping it. I've tried the Nuby sippy cup, it has a soft spout, but she didn't take it. She doesn't like a bottle, so I'm not surprised. You can put formula or breast milk in a sippy at this age. I wouldn't do water yet, I think I'm going to wait until she's a year old. Well, unless I think she's going to be extra super hot outside, then maybe I'd do water. But she won't take a bottle anyways, so maybe not!!! For first foods, start with the rice cereal. Basically his tummy isn't well developed, so they recommend starting with something that won't mess him up too much. Then they recommend only introducing one new food each week, so that you can monitor if your baby might be allergic. Once your baby is okay with a bunch of foods, you can start mixing those foods together! After rice cereal, you can try the baby oatmeal (single grain), or barley. By the way, loved the "milkshake" comment, made me giggle! Good luck

Answer 3

When is a good time to introduce a sippy cup? i started sippy cup around 6 months
What to put in the sippy cup? juice water breast milk
When should I give him water?now can at birth but go ahead and do it now
First foods other than cereal?gerber has a lot of things you can try they even suppoily have organic
i nursed my son for around 1 year i didn't really give him anything but breast milk and he is doing just great now so don't feel pressured into giving him food or anything from the table

Answer 4

Haha- love the milkshake bit.

Well, you are right on about waiting a bit for solids, the AAP recommends waiting until 6 months before introducing any solids. This reduces the risk of childhood & adult obesity, allergies, and diabetes.

Sometime after 6 months, when you feel it's time, try the rice cereal again, and/or some veggies. It's said that if you get them used to veggies first, they won't be hooked on the sweetness of fruits. It didn't matter, my daughter never liked baby veggies, and only liked the fruits. Now that she eats more table food, luckily she eats veggies just fine. You can try mixing the veggies with rice cereal if he likes the cereal.

I would give your son a sippy cup anytime around 6 or 7 months with either expressed breastmilk in it, or just a bit of water. He doesn't need any more water than your milk has, but he can practice with the cup. Don't put juice in it, juice (even made for babies) is liquid sugar and doesn't offer anything nutritional that your son needs, and can fill him up when he needs to be drinking your milk and not some junk. And your breastmilk is ALL that your baby needs for the entire first year of life. Any solids you give him are just for practice, and to introduce him to textures. Any solids you give him before that should not make up more than 25% of his diet. (Leaving 75% breastmilk.)

I'm so glad to hear you plan on nursing past a year. That's awesome. Good luck & keep it up~

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/readyforsolids.htm


Here's kellymom.com's (a great breastfeeding resource) page on solids:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Answer 5

Way to go! Most babies don't need more than Mom's milk before six months.
I have nursed all of my four children for about a year each and I have always started sippy cups with just water at seven or eight months. Before that age, my kids just never seemed to need any extra water. Water needs will rise when solid food (more work to digest) starts to replace some of the milk.
If the weather is really hot, watch him for signs of dehydration (not wetting as much as usual) and certainly give him water if that happens. If he doesn't want the water, try sweetening it just barely with a little fruit juice.
Some of my babies hated baby cereal, so they started on pureed fruits and veggies.
Good Luck and God Bless!

Answer 6

kudos for sticking to the breast for so long!! 6 months is a great age to intorduce a sippy, you cna give him water or watered down juice. He may take to it right off, but don't be surprised if he rejects it at first. its a new sensation, and some babies don't like change.

Rice cereal is always the best first food, its easy to digest and has the least allergies. After that, try fruit. Its sweet, which entices the baby to eat. Introduce one new food at a time, and wait a few days to see if any allergies develop. Then move on to the next new food. By 8-9 months you should have a baby who eats 2-3 meals a day, as well as breastfeeding. You may get you period back then, since the baby is relying less on you for sustinanace.

I breast fed for 2 yrs with my son, and loved it. We started cows milk around 1 as well, so he would be able to transition off the breast easier. he is now 5, an healthy as a horse!!!

Answer 7

LOL @ the "milkshake". I breastfed all three of my girls. They each were interested in solid foods at their own time.

You can introduce the sippy cup anytime you thing he's ready for one. In the beginning you will need to do most of the holding and tipping up to his lips until he gets the hang of it.

He can have water anytime, also. As for other first foods, after the cereal, it is usually recommended to give veggies before fruits. Fruits are so naturally sweet that you don't want them to get used to that & not want any other flavors.

Sounds like you're a great Mom. Keep it up. :o)

Answer 8

You can start with a cup anytime now - as long as your baby can hold his head up and sit with support. Just put a little expressed breast milk in the cup and hold it for him. I actually started my boys on open cups at around five months, they took to a sippy cup easily when they were able to hold it.

Rice cereal is a good starter food (I used an organic brown rice cereal) just to get him used to eating from a spoon. I then introduced fruit and vegetables slowly, about one per week. (I started with organic sweet potato and pears) I'd cook it until it was soft, then mash it and thin it with a little breast milk. You can buy little plastic containers that hold a small amount and freeze whats leftover - I rarely bought baby food and found it just as easy to make it. It thaws quickly in a cup of hot water.

I started giving them water when they were thirsty between meals after about a year. Their juice is still always diluted at least 1/2 and 1/2 with water.

I breastfed my first son until 14 months (when I got pregnant with baby 2 baby 1 weaned himself - apparently the taste changes and he didn't care for it). Baby 2 nursed until he was almost a year and a half, then pretty much weaned himself.

You're giving your son the best possible start - I wouldn't give up having nursed my boys for anything.

Good luck

Answer 9

If the baby is happy and gaining weight why introduce food?
Start a sippy cup when the baby is not breastfeed or they sit up in a high chair.
If you are breastfeeding exclusively, the baby doesn't need water right now. Breast milk is loaded with water.
I wouldn't start solid foods for at least 6 months, you'll know when it's time. Baby will have teeth and start reaching for what you put in your mouth.

Good luck.

Answer 10

I gave my daughter her first sippy cur at 6 months..she took to it really well. I started giving her juice at 4 months so that and whatever else you choose(such as breastmilk) can go in your childs sippy cup...I gave her water when I gave her juice so about 4 months. and I didn't introduce baby food until she was 5 months. I did give her cereal at 4 months because I thought it would better prepare her for baby food but that was just my opinion I couldn't tell you if a professional would say that...I stopped breastfeeding my 1st daughter at 3-4 months(not by choice my mild dried up due to the depo shot) so she got formula and juice in her sippys. I am currently breastfeeding my 1 month old daughter and hope to breastfeed her longer.
Good Luck with the breastfeeding and baby food...it can be a bumpy ride from time to time