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Expert Q&A

	By Mary Kay Smith IBCLC, Lactation Consultant

My baby is 6 months old and is nursing five or six times a day and eating two meals of rice or pureed food. As he begins to eat more, how will I know if he is getting enough breastmilk nutritionally? How much breastmilk will he need to meet his nutritional needs as he gets older?

The main source of calories and nutrition that your baby receives should continue to be breastmilk. Breastmilk is nutritionally superior to the other foods you have added to the baby's diet so be sure that your baby continues to nurse as frequently as he indicates a need to.

At this age, a baby generally only takes 2-3 tablespoons of solid food; the usual recommendation is to begin solids around 6-8 months of age, when baby is sitting up, able to bring solid food to the back of the mouth to swallow and when the enzymes of teething assist with ""pre-digestion"" of foods as they are swallowed.

Be sure not to introduce too many foods within a short period of time, in order to delay any allergic reactions your baby may have. It is recommended to start with mashed banana or other easily digested food. Babies also enjoy ""finger foods"" to learn how to feed themselves and join in the family food fun. Cut-up fruit pieces, soft cheeses or cubes of toasted bread are fun for them to learn to eat. You can add vegetables and meats as they get a bit older, waiting till at least 9 months of age to introduce egg to reduce the risk of allergies. Wait until at least one year of age to add cow's milk to a baby's diet for the same reason.

You also asked how to be sure baby is getting enough breastmilk after solids are begun. One method that is used to determine how many ounces of breastmilk a baby needs per day is by taking the baby's current weight and multiplying it by 2.5 or 3. That number gives you a daily average intake and should be divided by the number of feedings per day. Don't get hung up on numbers -- it is much more important to follow your baby's lead and allow him to determine the number of feedings at the breast along with how long those feedings should last.

Remember that as soon as any other food besides breastmilk is included in a baby's diet, you can say that weaning is beginning. Good luck and enjoy these times together.

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