For volume i'd let her lead. If you let her feed herself she won't take more than she wants. If you spoon feed the urge is to encourage them to take another spoonful which might lead to hear eating more than she wanted to, to please you. The great thing about the way Ryn does it and you do it, letting bubs choose how much to eat, is that if she's had lots of BM and isn't interested she needn't eat and if she's peckish for some solids she can fill her tummy up again. She isn't going to be starving an hour after a boobie feed! She'll only eat what she wants.

For a 5 month old that's actually a very varied diet, so i'd probably keep her on that until she's 6 months - you can mix and match too don't forget (DD LOVED apple, pumpkin and potato mash ). If you're making purees use breastmilk rather than water to make it runnier, that way she's still getting the BM with her tastes of food too.

It is so hard to know how much one's breasts are making so it's hard to know how much milk she is getting just now. She might very well be getting the 900mls of milk an average baby her age would need in 4 feeds rather than 5 or 6. How are her nappies? How is her weight gain? Does she seem satisfied and settled or irritable and lethargic?

Development stages are approximate. The WHO guidelines say that bubs should be BF for the first 6 months, by the end of that time all but a very few babies will have a gut mature enough to handle solids. My DD was grabbing at food at 3 months, but apart from a few accidental sneaky tastes she managed to get i didn't begin her on solids until she was a week shy of six months. I'll never know when exactly her gut was mature enough to cope with food - she was born 11 days after her EDD, maybe she was 11 days ahead, maybe she was a slow developer and was 11 days behind and that's why she cooked a little longer - how can we tell.

As a mother there has to come a time when you trust your gut. If you feel your DD is healthy and happy with your routine and is settled, having 6-8 wet nappies a day, pooping regularly without pain or hassle and is gaining weight and developing appropriately physically and mentally, you have to ask if there is a compelling reason to alter what you've been doing up until now. If you are worrying and think, looking at HER, that she'd benefit from another feed in the evening you should go with your gut and do it. We, us here, your pead, your HV, we can only offer the general guidelines, we don't know your bub. NO ONE knows her like you do hun. Have confidence.

Bx