My goal was to make it to 6 months breastfeeding and we successfully surpassed that by a long shot! I told myself I would go as long as Maddox wanted to, but I would start weaning him around 12 months if he hadn't on his own by then. So this worked out smoothly for us that he has chosen to wean on his own in the last week or so.
What do I mean by "wean on his own"? He isn't rooting or showing any interested in my breast except for twice a day now. He typically wakes in the morning around 5am and I breastfeed him right back to sleep. Then he doesn't breastfeed again until around 5 or 6pm right before he sits down for dinner with us. He goes to bed around 7 - 7:30 without feeding. I've talked to his pediatrician and she says this is completely fine nutritionally since he is eating well rounded meals (protein, fruit, veggies), but she mentioned adding whole milk to his diet now to fill in for the lack of breast-milk.
I have shared what a day in meals looks like below, but if you are interested in HOW I transitioned him to solids, I really don't have a good answer for you. He started showing interest at 4 months at what was on my plate. Reaching out and grabbing my food and putting it to his own mouth. That's when I started giving him purees. When he started being more mobile (sitting up on his own, crawling, pulling up) is when I started giving him things like puffs and small pieces of what I was eating. He did so well and has always shown great interested in eating that it just sort of happened. I stopped giving him purees around 7 months because he just didn't care anymore and was doing well with solids.
BREAKFAST:
When Maddox wakes up for the day we play for just a bit in his nursery and then head right downstairs for breakfast.
- 1 silver dollar pancake. (I buy the frozen kind you can heat up in the microwave for 30 seconds
- a handful of fruit I have on hand (he loves blueberries, strawberries and bananas)
- 2-3 oz of water or fruit smoothie (he drinks this at his own will. Sometimes he doesn't touch it.)
AM SNACK:
He typically takes this snack after lots of playtime and when I know nap time is just around the corner.
- 4 ounce smoothie ( I either make one myself or give him the pre-made Bolthouse Farm drinks)
- puffs (sometimes I'll give him a handful of puffs too)
- Nutrigrain bar
LUNCH:
He eats whatever I'm having typically which is usually leftovers from the night before. It's always a protein, fruit, veggie and occasional carb. My child loves bread! This is what is usually in rotation:
- chicken, ham or salmon
- banana, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, mango (I typically pick two)
- broccoli, green beans, black beans ( I pick one )
- quinoa, rice, sweet potato or tortilla (sometimes I give him half of a tortilla (the soft wrap) because I'm telling you, he loves bread)
- 5 ounces of whole milk (he doesn't always drink it all)
PM SNACK:
I pick one or two of these.
- a handful of fruit
- a handful of puffs
- 3 ounce smoothie
DINNER:
This varies so much, but just like his lunch, it always consists of a protein, carb, fruit and veggie. Here are a few examples of things we keep on rotation:
- salmon, rice, veggie
- chicken, quinoa, sweet potato
- spaghetti and meatballs
- Some type of soup or stew
- 5 ounces of whole milk
Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any more questions!
