The transition to solid food can be challenging for babies and confusing for their parents, particularly given the long list of foods that young children shouldn't eat. Breast milk, however, is always a healthy choice for babies and both the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics advise continuing to breast-feed even after babies begin eating solid food. In the first months after the switch to solids, breast milk should still constitute the primary source of a baby's nutrition, according to pediatrician William Sears in his book "The Portable Pediatrician."
Baby Nutrition Basics
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should be exclusively breast-fed during their first 6 months. Children who aren't breast-fed should get their nutrition from formula. Until a child's first birthday, the majority of her nutrition still comes from breast milk or formula, even if she is eating solids. Thereafter, breast milk serves as a healthy supplemental food and nursing is comforting to babies.
Switching to Solids
The switch to solids should be a gradual one. Parents can begin by giving their babies small quantities of pureed foods and build up to larger pieces of food that babies must mash with their gums or chew. Children are generally ready for foods that they must chew when they can sit up and crawl and when they move food around in their mouth rather than just swallowing it. At 6 months old, most babies don't have the necessary skills to switch entirely to solid foods, and even if they do, solid foods provide less nutrition than breast milk or formula for the first year of life, according to the textbook "Child Psychology."
Benefits of Breast Milk
Thousands of studies have demonstrated the benefits of breast-feeding. Breast milk increases immunity, encourages proper brain and physical development and is a powerful source of comfort for babies. Children who are breast-fed for at least a year have, on average, higher IQ scores, lower instances of mental illness and learning disabilities, and fewer behavioral problems, according to the textbook "Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology." Breast-feeding is also correlated with a lower risk of developing food allergies.
When to Wean
There's no "right" time to wean your child, and most pediatricians advise allowing children to continue to nurse for as long as they're interested in doing so. The World Health Organization advises continuing to breast-feed at least until a child's second birthday and for "as long as is mutually desirable" thereafter, according to Sears. If you must wean your child because of other obligations, do so slowly and wait until she's competently and happily eating a wide variety of solid foods. Children shouldn't be weaned before their first birthday, but if you must stop breast-feeding before this time, switch to formula.
References
- Caring for Your Baby and Young Child; American Academy of Pediatrics
- The Portable Pediatrician; William Sears
- Child Psychology; Robin Harwood et al.
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