Feeding FAQ: 6-9 months – Weaning/Solids

Should I speed up the weaning process now my son is 6 months old?

I started weaning my son at 4.5 months according to the guidelines in Gina’s weaning book, and he took to all the solids I introduced (the “first foods” as stated) very well. However, I took him on holiday to America for 3 weeks (we have just returned) and while I did continue feeding him solids to keep him interested, after making sure he had had a full breast feed before each “meal” , I didn’t venture beyond the “first foods” which are baby rice, pear, apple, carrot, sweet potato, green bean and courgette. He has been sleeping very well on the CLBB routines, although I have only recently dropped the 10:30pm feed, because I was too afraid to have him waking up with all the changes to his routine brought about by the holiday.
Now that he is 6 months old I’m not sure how to up his solid intake. I have started him on a little baby oat porridge in the morning, which he takes well, just as he does everything. There is no history of food allergies in my family that I know of, although because I occasionally suffer from hay fever I have been staying away from peanuts while I am breastfeeding. He is large for his age so I was wondering whether I need to go through the whole 5-6 month routine, or whether it would be safe to get a little more adventurous now.
At present my son is breast fed at 7.15am, 11am, 2.30pm and 6pm. He takes 2-3 tsp oat porridge mixed with breast milk at breakfast, 2 cubes carrot puree and 1 cube green bean (or similar combination) at lunch and 1 tbsp baby rice with 2 cubes of apple/pear mixed with breast milk at 6pm. He weighs about 20lbs.

Now that your son is six months old you need to begin to introduce protein into his diet as the supplies laid down at birth will be running low. Since he is totally breast fed you must begin to do this soon. Look at the tastes which are introduced at five and six months and begin to introduce these every couple of days. As he already accepts carrot, sweet potato and green beans you could make up a simple chicken casserole-type dish using these vegetables to help him become used to the stronger flavour of chicken. Offer 2 cubes of this to introduce protein into his diet. You could mix it with 2-3 cubes of vegetable puree at first and then gradually replace these cubes with ones containing protein until he is having a whole protein meal. As the absorption of iron from protein is reduced by up to 50% if given with milk, once he is taking protein dishes well he needs to drop the 11am feed and be offered cool, boiled water from a beaker with his meal.
At 11am begin to use the “tier” method of feeding so he begins to cut back on the amount of milk he takes at this time and increases his solids. To do this offer him half a breast feed before his solids. Begin to increase the amount of solids you give him as stated above. Offer him the breast again when he has taken them but he will begin to cut down on this feed once he is taking a bigger meal. Once he has dropped this feed you may notice an increase in the amount he takes at 2.30pm.
The other change you can begin to make as you widen the tastes and flavours in his diet, is to offer a vegetarian tea at 5pm replacing the baby rice and fruit given at 6pm. Use the weaning book for ideas of what to offer at this time. At your son’s age, offering him a wider range and amount of solids will provide him with a healthy and varied diet. Offering new flavours at lunchtime will allow you to see if he does have any reaction but once accepted they can be incorporated into his 5pm meal if you like. Getting him used to a wider variety of food now should help prevent any fussiness in the coming months.