EXCLUSIVE breastfeeders how long

[numptellie13]

Hi Peoples,

I am happily and successfully breastfeeding my 7 month old and am quite lazy with weaning. I want it to be child led and I know how to go about it etc. however I'm not sure it's that necessary to even introduce foods yet to be honest. Anthropological studies show that the self-weaning age is anywhere between 2 and 7 years old...that's a pretty huge age range. Although my culturally conformist ways won't allow me to breastfeed past um...3 shall we say (I won't know until the time comes)? I think exclusive breastfeeding can probably continue long past what western 'experts' say.

I reckon I won't bother introducing foods for a while until she can clearly indicate (not just by shoving anything in her mouth) that wants some food. I'm not saying I won't give her anything (the odd banana/carrot etc.); but thought I would pretty much exclusively breastfeed for at least a year. Any thoughts or experience?

[jacie87]

I exclusively breastfed DD until she was about 14 months old. I'd occasionally offered food to her before then but she wasn't very interested. Then suddenly she was VERY interested and started eating a jar of baby food a day + snacks. I had been using EBF as my "birth control" and basically the week she started wanting food instead I got pregnant...lol.

[listipton]

My little man is going to be one in about a week and a half. He has shown zero interest in food until about 2 weeks ago and now he is downright insistent that he try EVERYTHING I'm eating . It's too funny. With dd, we did the whole baby food spectrum and I have to say, it's been much easier and more fun this time around.

[Katie T]

Up until around 10m dd would refuse almost everything we gave her then one day she decided she really wanted people food. We didnt do baby food (never have) but offered soft finger foods.

[mamazee]

#1 wasn't interested in solids until around 11 to 12 months, so I waited that long. But #2 was interested at 4 months. I waited till 6. She doesn't have a lot of solids yet at 8, but she has some at this point. Just tastes here and there. She would get upset if I wouldn't let her have any.

[prothyraia]

Googleing "baby led weaning" or "baby led feeding" might give you some helpful info.

I 'introduced' foods to my babies pretty early, as they showed interest (5-7 months or so), but it wasn't terribly uncommon for them to go a whole day without eating any solid food when they were a year old, if we got busy or were out and about.

I considered solid food before a year to be more for practice and exploration than for nutrition, honestly.

[Dahlea]

We're at 12 months and my kiddo only eats up to 1 T. of soilds a day.

[Chloe'sMama]

DD was about 9 months old when she started eating foods. We tried a few times before that, but she did not digest it well, so we held off until a little after 9 months.

Next time I don't think I will bother with solids until at least 9 months.

[LianneM]

1st uninterested until 10 months, started slowly, about 2-3 Tbsp per week of whatever we were eating

2nd definitely interested, grabbed food at 7 months and hasn't stopped never fed purees, just soft chunks and whatever we were eating

[alegna]

Dd wasn't interested in solids until 11 months. Ds grabbed handfuls off my plate at 6 months- and knew what to do with them.

-Angela

[HappyFox05]

At about 6 & 1/2 months, DD decided that she wanted my spaghetti, not my boobs. But she still didn't do much of significance with solids for a while. We'd offer them, she'd take a little, then nurse a lot. Still nurses a lot, at 22 months.

[Heba]

With both children I introduced complementary foods at less than 6 months *because I didn't know any better.* With my first child I was totally clueless, and had received the "4-6 months" duff information. With my second I knew a wee bit more and really wanted to wait until 6 months, but I thought he was "hungry" and needed more than breastmilk at around 5 months so we began him on more food. Knowing what I know now, I don't think he was actually displaying reliable signs of readiness for food, but I simply didn't know what those were. Which is why I think it's so important that reliable information on infant feeding is got out to all parents.

[GardenStream]

Originally Posted by prothyraia

Googleing "baby led weaning" or "baby led feeding" might give you some helpful info.

I 'introduced' foods to my babies pretty early, as they showed interest (5-7 months or so), but it wasn't terribly uncommon for them to go a whole day without eating any solid food when they were a year old, if we got busy or were out and about.

I considered solid food before a year to be more for practice and exploration than for nutrition, honestly.

This is my thought as well.

DS1 loved food from about 7 months on.
DS2 decided 2 weeks ago that food was worth eating and he is 18 months old.

[itsajenism]

I delayed solids until 1 year.

[thepeach80]

I gave Olivia some white potato on Sunday, the day before she turned 8 mos. She's had solids twice now and I'm going to let her have some squash today. I just give her soft chunks of food, most of it made it to her lap and on the floor, lol.

[ShadowMoon]

DS EBF'd until 8 months.

[YayJennie]

I give my 7 month old tastes of fruits here and there, but we're still pretty much exclusively BFing. I'm not rushing things, but he is pretty interested in eating. I'm thinking if he goes at the rate he appears to be going, we'll probably stay on exclusive BM (with the occasional fruit/vege here and there) until around 10 months. But if he isn't interested, he isn't interested, and I'm happy to exclusively BF him for as long as he needs

[isabchi]

Mines starting eating solids around 6 mo. and also CLW. DD still nursing at least twice a day at 4 1/2 yo and DS is 14 mo. and nursing and eats solids as a champion.LOL

[PlayaMama]

my ds was about 6 months and dd was barely 5 months.

he wasn't really ready until about 7 months and she was TOTALLY ready at 5 months.

[pumpkin]

We started offering solids a little after 6 months. We only give her whole pieces, not purees. She enjoys eating. Her favorite food is steak. Her second favorite is chicken. I think if she can feed herself then she is ready to experiment with food. She loves breastfeeding now more than ever. I don't think a slow introduction of solids is going to make her wean anytime soon.