I have a little girl who is about 8 weeks old. She LOVES to eat-she is already 12lbs, 9oz. I am nursing her, probably about every 1 to 1 1/2 hours, and it seems as though she wants more than just the milk. I started my son (who is now 4) on cereal pretty early, but I can't seem to remember for the life of me how young he really was. I guess I'm just looking for any suggestions as to whether I should go ahead and try adding a small amount of food for her, or if I should still wait a bit longer.
Thanks in advance!!
~J.~
Same as others, 4 months would be absolute earliest to start other foods, 6 months or later would be better. In addition to tongue thrust reflex issues, babies do not have the ability to digest other foods at this age.
I think thats very early to even think about it. I would wait as long as possible.
J.,
I think it's at 4-6 months that you start cereal and other foods with a baby. There's a good article about it at the link below.
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyfeeding/113.html
T.
I agree with the previous posters- this could really be bad if your baby has allergies as well as the choking hazards!
Nursing so often is REALLY common. If you need support, please try to find a La Leche League close to you
or try http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php
- they are sooo great!
I bet, at 8 weeks, she is having another growth spurt. Things will probably settle down and pick back up depending on her needs.
It is WONDERFUL that you are nursing- I know you can feel chained to your baby, but it really does fly by and you're giving her the best stuff on Earth! It's a big investment, but it's really worth it. Look at how she's growing! That means you are doing the right thing!
The way I judged that my daughter was ready to even start cereal was the she was interested in my food and started reaching for it. She was almost 5 months old, and though you always hear "6 months" I felt that I could start very slowly and introduce one thing at a time. I breastfed too, so she never ever had cereal in a bottle, but had thinned cereal in a bowl with a spoon. Bananas I hear are a good one to start at that time, and avacados too.
Hang in there!!! If you need to whine or anything don't hesitate to contact me. I'm pregnant and often awake at 2am anyway- prime nursing hours! ;) I actually nursed my dd til she was 3.5 yrs! Whew!
'M.
Hello,
My daughter is 5 months old and am down to nursing her if she wakes up at night. It's easier than making a bottle. I was giving her Enfamil Lipil until this week. Other Mamasource mom's recommended the Kirkland (Costco) brand. It's cheaper and 'almost' indentical.
I returned to work when she just 10 weeks old. I found, like the person below, the more water I drank, the more milk I produced. Also, the more you feed/pump, the more you will produce. I pumped alot as well. I introduced my daughter to a bottle at four weeks. I had to make sure that my breastmilk supply was high for when I returned work. I froze it. It seems like you are feeding them all the time. I felt that when I pumped and gave her a bottle, I knew how much she was getting. It's hard to figure out how much they have had. My ped. always said 7 minutes on each side and your breast should be empty. I always do it for 10 minutes to be sure she was done.
It's wonderful to breastfeed. Especially at night. Cherish those moments when it is just the two of you and everyone is asleep. It goes by so fast. This is part of the reason why I still breastfeed. I'm afraid to lose that quiet time.
Eight weeks is wayyyy too early. Please wait. She will grow fast too soon anyway. Take this time to bond with your baby. Don't start her too soon. It may end up doing more harm than good.
I too am nursing and experienced feeding my baby every 1 to 1 1/2 hrs when she was 2 months old and it drove me crazy cuz I couldn't do anything around the house. I didn't think I was producing enough so what I did was eat a little more and drank alot of water so I could produce more milk. I know it is easier said than done but us nursing moms have to be very very very patient. Giving her baby food at 8 wks is way too soon. I started my daughter on baby food at 5 months. I only fed her 1/2 a bottle so her tummy could get use to it. My daughter is now 6 months old and eats the entire bottle. she luvs banana.
What you can also do is give her formula closest to breast milk like Enfamil Lipil. Only give her one feeding of formula a day. I believe baby cereal is fine too. It will help fill her up more. Just hang in there things will turn out fine. : )
The rule I've heard and read about adding cereal is that the baby needs to be able to sit well supported (so as not to choke) and also have lost a lot of the natural tongue thrust so that they actually eat the cereal rather than just pushing it back out from a spoon. 8 weeks seems like it would be really early to start spoon feeding, given that the likelihood of those 2 developmental milestones being reached is very very minute. 4 months, or perhaps a week or so shy of it, is about the earliest I've heard of anyone starting cereal from a spoon. You could ask your pediatrician, but it sounds like your daughter is getting plenty of nutrition from nursing, given her weight.
J.:
AAP ( American Academy of Pedicatrics) and WHO (World Health Organization) both recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and introducing other foods at that point. Prior to that time your child does not have the enzymes to digest other foods.
There is no reason, at the 6 month mark, not to start with fruits and vegtables.
P.,RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com
From the American Academy of Pediatrics book "Caring for Your Baby and Your Child", by four to six months you can begin adding solid foods.
Prior to that, the child may still have the 'tongue-thrust' reflex and just push his or her tongue against a spoon or anything placed in the mouth (as opposed to swallowing). Also, the digestive system is not yet properly developed to process food other than breastmilk or formula.
Keep feeding her the good stuff of your breastmilk - I'm sure she's just fine!
I would really wait until she's at least 5 months old, especially if you're breastfeeding. Her digestive system cannot handle anything else right now, so it won't do her any good anyway. Plus, she needs all of the breastmilk she can get, and any real "food" will make her feel full and she'll cut down on how much she nurses - NOT what you want right now. Enjoy your baby and enjoy feeding her - she'll be too busy to eat soon enough!
BTW, baby's weight at this point in her life has NOTHING to do with how big she'll be later.
I think between 4-5 months is a much better idea. She sounds normal as far as her weight at 2 months old. Most doctors (if not all) will caution against starting solids too early.
Good luck!
I agree to wait until AT LEAST 4 months to introduce food to make sure she gets those nutrients she needs. I exclusively breastfed until just over 6 months with my first and just under or right at 6 months with my second before introducing rice cereal and then jar food. They did great with it! Like the last post said, that is the ideal as recommended by the leading experts in the field. So if you can exclusively breastfeed until 6 months, or at least 4, that would be great. With nursing her so often, sounds like she is a snacker...does she not eat for very long at a time? You may want to prolong it (time between like every 3 hours and then along with it eating longer at a time) if she is a snacker, as it will help with a healthier sleep pattern. My kids napped for 1.5 hours at a time at 8 weeks, so 1-1.5 hour eating increments would not have worked with those naps. Also eating for a longer period of time, like 20-30 minutes total, allows for that very nutritious hind milk to be taken by the baby. Just some thoughts as you decide what is best for your family.
