My bub is the same age and we are breaking all the rules. I gave him some food to play with too and he has picked it up, put it in his mouth, chewed swallowed and now is all about eating. So we are starting early cause he seems to want to - screaming at meals if he has no food, grabbing fistfuls and shoving them in his mouth. Anyhoo...I've also got a little sippy cup for him to play with. He can't use it yet, just tries to latch like on nipple..BUT loves cup feeding.

It is really messy at first though and it can go all down his chest at times cause he's pulling on the cup. So if you are going to use EBM you may find your jaw drop when it all ends up on the floor if you are not careful. I use a little water because of that - I want him to be okay with a bottle of EBM, or a cup or whatever because I'm a single mum and I *need* to have breaks for sanity so he has to able take a bottle/cup.