Feeding solids at daycare

[@llli*momat37]

Ok, my baby just turned 6 months a few weeks ago. At home he has been showing interest when we all sit down and eat a meal together. My childcare provider says he has been doing the same thing with her. I told her that right now I want solids just to be for fun. At home I just put pureed foods on his tray and he mainly plays in it and he might suck it off his fingers. I told her that was what I wanted her to do as well because I don't want him to quit nursing. I hope that is what she has been doing. I normally go and nurse him on my lunch break and it seems like here lately he doesn't want to nurse when I go and I have to pump on my way back to work. How do other moms offer solids and still keep up a good nursing relationship. Things have been going so well I don't want to mess them up with solids. I even thought about not offering solids right now and waiting till he is about 9 months, but he honestly tries to grab our food.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Nurse before solids. At daycare, maybe say no solids until after you've nursed? Are they letting him self-feed at daycare? But, it sounds like baby is not eating that much solids, at least at home, so that may not be why he is not interested in nursing at your lunch break. Keep in mind older babies become very distractible and often can be hard to nurse during the day - too much other interesting stuff going on! If you aren't already, try going to a quiet, dark, boring place to nurse at daycare. Also, make sure baby isn't getting a bottle soon before the lunchtime nursing.

[@llli*still.here]

You're not going to mess things up with solids, especially if you're letting baby decide for himself how much he wants to actually take in and if you nurse before offering solids. There's no set number of times per day you have to offer solids though, so if you feel the day care might not be complying with what you've asked them to do, you could just tell them no solids for now and leave it as something you do at home. Or you could ask them to wait until after you've come in to nurse before they give him solids.

[@llli*momat37]

Thank you both for the advice. I've been told that they are letting him self feed by just playing in it and sucking it off his fingers. She says they are not spoon feeding him, so I asked if I can use another room and see if fewer distractions will help.