what to feed your baby after breast milk

^{Age: 8 to 12 months}

• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Soft pasteurized cheese, cottage cheese, and unsweetened yogurt
• Bite-size, soft-cooked vegetables (carrots, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes)
• Fruit mashed or cut into soft cubes or strips (bananas, peaches, pears, avocados)
• Finger foods (O-shaped cereal, small bits of scrambled eggs, well-cooked pieces of potato, well-cooked spiral pasta, teething crackers, small pieces of bagel)
• Protein-rich foods (small bits of meat, poultry, boneless fish, tofu, and well-cooked beans, like lentils, split peas, pintos, or black beans)
• Iron-fortified cereal and other grains (barley, wheat, oats, mixed cereals)

What should I Feed my Baby If I'm not breastfeeding?

Feeding non-breastfed babies If you're not breastfeeding your baby, she’ll need to eat more often. She'll also need to rely on other foods, including milk products, to get all the nutrition her body needs. Start to give your baby solid foods at 6 months of age, just as a breastfed baby would need.

Can I give my baby cereal with breast milk?

Mix 1 tablespoon of a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal with 4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) of breast milk or formula. Don't serve it from a bottle. Instead, help your baby sit upright and offer the cereal with a small spoon once or twice a day after a bottle- or breast-feeding.

When can I introduce cow’s milk after breastfeeding?

After 1, if you continue to breastfeed and serve a varied solid food diet, there is no need to introduce cow’s milk. If your baby was fed formula or you are weaning from breastfeeding, then you should transition to cow’s milk.

What can I do to increase my milk supply?

Use a breast pump regularly. Pumping may help stimulate the production of more breast milk. You can also save some time by pumping both breasts simultaneously with a double breast pump. Pumping can also come in handy if you need to return to work. Breastfeed often. The more you nurse your baby, the more milk you'll tend to produce.

How do you transition from breastmilk to food?

Start weaning by replacing one breast milk feeding a day with a bottle of infant formula (for your child younger than 12 months old) or with a cup of plain whole cow's milk or fortified unsweetened soy beverage (for your child 12 months or older). Continue to replace more breast milk feedings over time.

Should I breastfeed before or after solids?

At this stage, solids should be fed after a nursing session, not before. That way, your baby fills up on breast milk, which should be your baby's main source of nutrition until age 1. When your baby gets the hang of eating the first food, introduce others, such as puréed fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, or yogurt.

When should breastfed babies start eating solids?

Research indicates that the ideal time to start solid food in terms of oral-motor developmental readiness is between six and eight months. As with other developmental stages, babies learn to chew when they are ready, not because solid food has been introduced by six months.

Why is mixed feeding not recommended?

Regular mixed feeding might make it more difficult to keep breastfeeding because it can interfere with keeping up a good supply of breastmilk. So if you're thinking about supplementing with formula, it's important to talk about it first with your midwife, child and family health nurse, lactation consultant or GP.

What foods to avoid while breastfeeding?

Here are 5 foods to limit or avoid while breastfeeding, as well as tips for how to tell if your diet is affecting your baby.Fish high in mercury. ... Some herbal supplements. ... Alcohol. ... Caffeine. ... Highly processed foods.

How long should I breastfeed my baby each time?

A newborn should be put to the breast at least every 2 to 3 hours and nurse for 10 to 15 minutes on each side. A 20- to 30-minute feeding helps to ensure that the baby is getting enough breast milk. It is also enough time to stimulate your body to build up your milk supply.

What baby food should I introduce first?

Solid foods may be introduced in any order. However, puréed meats, poultry, beans and iron-fortified cereals are recommended as first foods, especially if your baby has been primarily breastfed, since they provide key nutrients. Only one new single-ingredient food should be introduced at a time.

Can drinking too much water affect breast milk?

Your lack of water intake is most likely not responsible for your decrease in breast milk and drinking too much water can actually harm your milk supply. When you drink too much water, your body tries to restore the electrolyte balance in your body by dumping the excess water in the urine.

Do babies drink less milk once they start solids?

As your baby starts eating solid foods, he or she will drink less. Slowly increase the amount of solid food you offer and decrease the amount of breast milk or formula. Remember, all foods should be offered by spoon and not in the bottle.

How do you balance solids and breastfeed?

Introduce your baby gradually to solid foods. Once she accepts them (it might take some time), continue breastfeeding as often as before and add solids as your baby's appetite increases. A few bites once a day is enough in the beginning, but gradually increase.

Does your milk supply decrease when baby starts solids?

It's absolutely normal for baby to drink less breast milk if she is eating a significant amount of solid foods. She's simply beginning to move toward a more “grown up” diet.

How much breastmilk does a baby need when eating solids?

When first introducing solids, aim to feed your little one about 1-2 tablespoons of food twice daily. Solid food shouldn't take the place of breast milk or formula as the primary source of nutrients. Indeed, babies should still drink about 4-6 ounces per feeding when they're 4 months old.

What foods should a baby eat?

Foods need to be rich in energy and nutrients. In addition to grains and potatoes, be sure your baby has vegetables and fruits, legumes and seeds, a little energy-rich oil or fat, and – especially – animal foods (dairy, eggs, meat, fish and poultry) every day. Eating a variety of foods every day gives your baby the best chance of getting all the nutrients he needs.

How to make baby food more nutritious?

To make it more nutritious, cook it until it’s thick enough not to run off the spoon. Feed your baby when you see her give signs that she's hungry – such as putting her hands to her mouth. After washing hands, start by giving your baby just two to three spoonfuls of soft food, twice a day.

What to do if your baby refuses to eat?

Eating a variety of foods every day gives your baby the best chance of getting all the nutrients he needs. If your baby refuses a new food or spits it out, don’t force it. Try again a few days later. You can also try mixing it with another food that your baby likes or squeezing a little breastmilk on top.

What should a 6 month old baby eat?

At 6 months of age, breastmilk continues to be ...

How much food should a 9-month-old eat?

From 9–11 months old, your baby can take half a cup of food three to four times a day, plus a healthy snack. Now you can start to chop up soft food into small pieces instead of mashing it. Your baby may even start to eat food herself with her fingers. Continue to breastfeed whenever your baby is hungry.

How old is a baby when it needs more energy?

Young children need enough nutritious food every day to grow healthy, strong and smart. At around 6 months old, your baby is growing quickly and needs more energy and nutrients than at any other time in her life.

What happens to a baby as it grows?

As your baby grows, her stomach also grows and she can eat more food with each meal.

How much food should a baby eat?

Within a few months, your baby will be ready for a variety of foods and one to two meals a day. By 8 to 12 months old, you may have an enthusiastic eater who enjoys plenty of soft finger foods ...

How many meals should a 8 month old eat?

By 8 months, it's typical for your baby to be eating one to two meals a day. Whenever you introduce a new food, start with a very small amount (a teaspoon or two) to allow your baby to get used to a new flavor and texture.

What are the toxic metals in baby food?

If she has an adverse reaction, a food log will make it easier to pinpoint the cause. Unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals – arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury – have been found in store-bought baby food (including in organic brands). Learn how to avoid heavy metals in baby food.

When should babies start eating?

By 8 months or so, babies often have three meals and start adding snacks. Continue to offer a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein-rich foods. As your baby's eating skills improve, gradually introduce more textures and soft finger foods.

Is solid food safe for babies?

Your baby's digestive tract is still developing, so solid food is off-limits for now.

Can you start with cereal?

And while cereal is a traditional first food in the United States, it's fine to start with pureed fruits, vegetables, or meat instead. In most cases, you don't even have to wait to introduce highly allergenic foods like eggs, fish, and peanuts. (Read more about food allergies and ask your doctor to be sure.) Also, see our new rules ...

What to feed a baby with arsenic?

Offer a variety of single-grain cereals such as rice, oatmeal or barley. Avoid feeding your baby only rice cereal due to possible exposure to arsenic. Add vegetables and fruits. Gradually introduce single-ingredient pureed vegetables and fruits that contain no sugar or salt.

When do babies start eating solid food?

But by ages 4 months to 6 months, most babies are ready to begin eating solid foods as a complement to breast-feeding or formula-feeding. During this time babies typically stop using their tongues to push food out of their mouths and begin to develop the coordination to move solid food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing.

Why does my baby refuse to eat pureed food?

Babies often reject their first servings of pureed foods because the taste and texture is new . If your baby refuses the feeding, don't force it. Try again in a week. If the problem continues, talk to your baby's doctor to make sure the resistance isn't a sign of a problem.

How to make baby cereal?

Baby cereal basics. Mix 1 tablespoon of a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal with 4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) of breast milk or formula. Don't serve it from a bottle. Instead, help your baby sit upright and offer the cereal with a small spoon once or twice a day after a bottle- or breast-feeding. Start by serving one or two teaspoons. Once your baby gets the hang of swallowing runny cereal, mix it with less liquid and gradually increase the serving sizes. Offer a variety of single-grain cereals such as rice, oatmeal or barley. Avoid feeding your baby only rice cereal due to possible exposure to arsenic.

How long can you keep baby food in a jar?

Instead, place servings in a dish. Opened jars of baby food can be safely refrigerated for two to three days.

How to help a baby sit without support?

Stay seated. As soon as your baby can sit easily without support, use a highchair with a broad, stable base. Buckle the safety straps.

When can babies eat finely chopped food?

Offer finely chopped finger foods. By ages 8 months to 10 months, most babies can handle small portions of finely chopped finger foods, such as soft fruits, vegetables, pasta, cheese, well-cooked meat, baby crackers and dry cereal.