exclusively breast feed for how long???
My son is 6mth old today. I am not introducing solids at this point. He isn’t ready. I liked Robyn’s take on nursing till 18mth old and was glad to have the knowledge about babies not having the proper enzymes to digest cooked food till their canine teeth come in… which is around 18mth. I am a bit confused however with….
Do you mean breastmilk ONLY for 18mth. Can i start home-made, organic, raw babyfood earlier if he’s hungry?
Robyn, i’m interested to know how long you exclusively breastfed your infants. My dr. said he has no problem in me not introducing solids till beyond 1 year, but he wants me to give an Iron supplement. Do you recommend this?
I don’t routinely recommend iron supplements in your situation.
http://permissiontomother.blogspot.com/2008/09/responsibly-starting-solids.html
I weaned my oldest son (turning 16) when he was 7 months old. Please note that I consider this one of the biggest mistakes in my parenting life. I believe it (and his subsequent dependence on cow-milk formula) contributed massively to his terrible asthma, five rounds of steroids, and sickliness for over a year after that.
That said, it was also the catalyst for me learning everything I learned . . . that led to two books and this web site and hopefully helping people (and my whole family).
I nursed the next one till she was over a year, almost exclusively except for bananas. I weaned her only because I really had to leave her home to fly to my best friend’s wedding on the East Coast.
The third one I did my darndest. I was under a terrible amount of stress when she was 6-18 months old (invested in a business with my brother that lost $200K that year). I lost so much weight that size 6 jeans wouldn’t even stay up over my hips, and I am over 5’8″. Needless to say, my milk dried up.
I finally made it to 18 months with my fourth child, who is the healthiest of them all. Exclusively till almost 18 months (plus raw plant food and a little goat milk/yogurt), weaned him at 21 months. (It was getting embarrassing when he’d walk up to me at a soccer game, poke my breast, and yell, “Nurse you!”)
If you do supplement, stash breast milk in the freezer if you can, and feed your baby raw food like bananas, avocadoes, green smoothies, and raw goat milk if you can get it and homemade kefir made from it. Because remember, raw food is rich in enzymes and don’t draw on the pancreas.
Feeding anyone an iron supplement is a bad idea. The kind the doctors prescribe are derived from sources your body cannot use. They will turn your baby’s poop black and constipate the poor little thing. (Ditto pregnant women. Get iron from FOOD.)
way to go! as long as your child is growing enough–then stay exclusive! –I wouldn’t give an iron supplement–and I wouldn’t give the iron fortified cereals–I kind of think those cereals mess with the nature of things and can THEN cause low iron–I’d just get your baby’s iron levels checked and only do something if it’s low (and even then you can do whole food sources)–
as for raw foods–I was so torn as that my kids have allergies and raw foods are more allergenic and harder to digest (when we are already having digestive issues) so?! I cook their food–however if you don’t have allergies do raw–for me–since I can’t!
I started my DD on solids around 10-12 months–since she’s dropped off the weight charts completely–apparently my milk wasn’t enough (probably my stress too)-I’m still nursing and she’s 13 1/2 months–but she does have other food. (trying to fatten her up–in a healthy way)
Thanks everyone! I like the idea of getting his iron checked. I think i’ll plan to do that in 6-8weeks and if all is well i’ll continue to EBF. I would love him to sleep through the night but then i’d be forcing solids for selfish reasons and he just isn’t ready.
i think i’ll try whole, raw foods when we do start. Banana’s and Avocado’s are my plan for first foods. I am inspired with how long you ladies nursed. Even with supplementing with whole foods it is a great thing to continue. My dd self-weaned after i introduced a bottle at 6mth of age. It wasn’t even formula, it was pumped/frozen milk from the early months of post-partum. My hubby would feed her while i got a break caues she was colicky for 9mth. After 2 weeks she refused me and would only take the bottle. Then i tried pumping but i only had a hand-pump and with a colicky baby you dont’ have hours to pump. So i did have to use formula. It made me sad and i attribute her ezcema and skin rashes to that very decision.
Thanks Lala, Robyn and Denise!
So i am NOT introducing a bottle with this baby.
My 2 year old now drinks green smoothies and eats greens and loves all healthy foods so i am hoping to reverse some of the health issues we’ve dealt with.
Thank
After my first child had milk allergies, I breastfed my younger two EXCLUSIVELY for 12 months, per Dr. Lendon Smith’s recommendations (How to Raise A Healthy Child), and continued to nurse them for 3 1/2 and 4 yrs each. I was inspired at a La Leche League meeting by a mom who related how her family had moved to Germany when she was 18 months old and for the several months they were there, she was unable to eat ANY solid food there. Since she was still breastfeeding, her mother went back to sole breastfeeding until they returned home to the U.S. She was healthy and happy and had no adverse affects from the experience. That story helped me be confident that I was doing the right thing.
There is no advantage to exclusive breastfeeding beyond a year, except in very rare and extreme circumstances, but there are many benefits to delaying solids for the first year to avoid allergies, and long-term breastfeeding.
Regarding iron supplements, Dr.s will tell you that breastmilk is very low in iron. Yes, but it is almost completely absorbable. The iron in supplements and cereals is almost completely INabsorbable, so your baby actually gets more total iron from your breastmilk than any other source.
Attending La Leche League meetings can be very helpful with these issues.
I second the rec about LLL meetings.
My son is currently weaning at 23 months due to pregnancy drying my milk up. I’m open to nursing him again when the next baby arrives. He is sensitive to dairy, soy & wheat, so long-term breastfeeding was necessary for him. Now he drinks raw pumpkin seed milk that I make
just wanted to mention my 10 month old son is eating solids along with BF and is not sleeping through the night….. so i would say it is not a reason to start solids
Follow-up… thanks for all the comments. My son got weighed at 6mths old. 13lbs, 13 oz. Not quite doubled birth weight, but close. I gave him a taste of banana/blueberry/spinach green-smoothie this week and he loved it. But i am just sticking with ‘tastes’ for now. I’ll work on amounts in a few months. I want him to still get full on breast-milk. But he is reaching for the food like crazy, so i know he wants it!
That’s really great, samaranoelle! Remember, reaching for food doesn’t always mean they’re “ready” for solids, it can mean they’re curious. I liken it to a baby reaching for the clothes you’re folding. It doesn’t mean they’re ready to do the laundry.
I just attended one of your classes today and thoroughly enjoyed it! I learned so much. So I have an important question for you. I have a three year old and also an almost six month old baby who I have supplemented with formula for the past two months because my milk started drying up and my baby was starving. My milk is almost completely gone now and so I have resorted to commercial formula. I hate commercial formula!!! There has got to be some other way. What can I give my baby instead of formula? What do you recommend for a baby 6 to 12 months to consume who isn’t able to have breastmilk? What do you recommend as a main source of nutrition for a baby 12 months+? I would love any and all info you are willing to share. I want to give my baby the best start that I can . Thanks for your thoughts.