Nikki Reed Opens Up About When She Plans to Stop Breastfeeding Her 20-Month-Old Daughter
Nikki Reed is doing motherhood on her own terms.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday, the actress opened up about breastfeeding her 20-month-old Bodhi Soleil, whom she shares with her husband and former Vampire Diaries actor Ian Somerhalder.
While explaining her approach to feeding her daughter, Reed shared that Bodhi was just now becoming interested in eating after she surprisingly skipped the “blended baby food” stage for finger foods. However, the actress wrote even with this new stage, she did not know when she would stop breastfeeding.
“I often get asked how long I plan on breastfeeding. To be honest, I have no idea how long her and I will be on this journey together,” Reed began her post, which featured a photo of her breastfeeding Bodhi. “I follow her lead, and she tells me exactly what she needs.”
Though skipping the blended food stage may not be common for some children, the mom of one reassured her followers that each baby’s journey is different and there is no right way to approach parenting.
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“At 20 months she is only just becoming interested in food,” she continued. “I discovered after a year of blending and smooshing and mashing, that my daughter doesn’t like mushy baby food. Wild right?”
“It wasn’t until someone suggested I skip puréed food and go straight to finger foods that she became intrigued by what was on her plate,” she added. “Who knew some kids just don’t ever go for blended baby food.”
Reed explained that Bodhi tried bananas, avocados, and other semi-soft foods that babies typically enjoy but Bodhi “rejected everything.”
“Never in a million years did I think to skip that step when she only had two teeth,” she wrote. “Also, I thought all babies loved avocado!”
Speaking to her fellow mom followers, Reed suggested that those who were struggling to feed their little ones try over-steamed diced-up vegetables or skip puréed solids altogether and “go straight for the big people food.”
The Twilight actress also reassured her followers that each parent’s journey with their child is unique and right for them.
“In case you need to hear it again because I definitely did, whatever you’re doing you are doing it right!” she wrote. “Every baby is on their own path doing things when and how they need to, and our job is to trust our gut, talk to other mamas and just go with the flow!”
Reed’s candid post comes one month after she last opened up about the challenges of raising a daughter while also juggling her life as a working mother.
“As we transition from four feedings a day down to two, I am remembering how important it is to stop what I am doing and enjoy every second of this bonding time,” she wrote. “I am remding [sic] myself that my hormones are shifting, and that it’s normal to feel weepy as your body regulates through the transition. It goes so fast.”
Reed, who is notoriously private about sharing photos of Bodhi on social media, then revealed that she often breastfeeds Bodhi while she’s working.
“I’ve got just a few minutes to approve imagery or go through CADs so lets [sic] do it all at the same time … right? Multitasking is the key to being a working mom … right?” she went on. “Today I am reminding myself to slow down and separate the two. Today working and bonding are going to have their own time, so I can try my hardest to soak up every moment, and smile at every detail.”
“Even if it’s just the nighttime feeding, people can wait and emails will be answered … when she’s finished,” Reed finished. “The sounds, the swallows, where she puts her hand, watching her daydream, because before I know it we will have turned the page … “
The actress has previously been candid about the ups and downs of new motherhood — for example, the work in juggling breastfeeding with making career-related appearances.
“On my way to present at @variety‘s #powerofwomen luncheon and this is my hot date,” Reed captioned a snap from Oct. 13, 2017, in which she’s holding up a breast pump from her seat in the back of the car. She added, “Kidding. I have another hot date. But this thing is definitely our third wheel.”
That same month, she also got sentimental when taking her placenta pills finally came to an end. “Last day of placenta pills. Not ready to say goodbye!!!!!” Reed, 29, captioned the post showing an almost-empty jar of capsules Reed looked on in mock horror.
And it’s not just Reed who parenthood has affected. This past December, the Twilight alum opened up about how she and Somerhalder, 40, changed their lifestyle once their daughter arrived.
Before Bodhi was born, Reed said, she and her husband would typically be on planes every month or so, flying back and forth to visit each other. But now that they’re a family, they all travel together.
“We live such crazy nomadic lifestyles all over the place, on planes, and [we’ve had] to uproot and move,” Reed told PEOPLE. “Now that we’re a family, the whole family goes together so that Mom and Dad can both be there at every second to witness every milestone and everything that’s happening.”
