Mommas: Talk to me about introducing solids

Tayrusso

I forgot to ask our pedi about it last Friday, so I called during the week and they told me:

Start btw 4-6 mo (I think I'll wait til 5 mo) and to gradually add a little rice cereal to her bottles.  The first time we do it, we should only add the cereal to one bottle that week, and then two bottles the second week.  I'm not entirely sure what to do on the third week....

Do I ultimately add cereal to all of her bottles?  (she only gets 3 bottles/day while she's with my sister/Casey, and the boob the rest of the time)  Or do I switch to spoon feeding in the third week?

Any advice appreciated!  And I'd *love* a book or website rec for more info.  When the time comes I'd like to make all of her food that I can.  TIA chicas! 

sandipluschris

I never added cereal to Christian's bottles.  I started cereal around five months or so and just spoon fed him a tiny amount at breakfast time.  I started with rice and used that for a bit and then branched out from there.  At seven months or so we started baby food but continued to do the cereal at breakfast time. 

echeverri

heres a website that i saved to use later down the road

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

theres a whole section on introducing solids that might be helpful: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/solids.htm

kimberlykenya

I thought adding cereal to bottles was a choking hazard. We started with pureed squash mixed with a ton of breastmilk so it was super liquidy and fed it from a spoon.  Raedyn was about 5 months I think.  http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Tayrusso

Alrighty...well you girls are amongst many who have told me about this bottle thing being wrong.  The nurse who relayed the pedi's message was telling me how she introduced solids to her kids a hundred years ago.  So spoonfeed we shall! 

After thinking it over more and reading about it here, I think I want to wait until she's 6 months.  Thanks for all the help ladies!  My mom has been breathing down my neck about getting this Goose on solids...ay ay ay!

b15chik

there's no reason to add rice cereal to the bottle unless your baby has reflux, otherwise you're just filling them up with nothing instead of giving them the nutrition they need from bm/formula. starting solids is to get them used to actually eating food with a spoon. we started a few tlbs of rice (you can mix it with bm/formula or water) with dominic at 5 months, and at 6 we started with veggies. i made all of his food.

CTri17

I personally wouldn't add cereal to bottles, if they are ready for solids then they should be getting it from a bowl/spoon IMO.

Most research shows now that there is no reason to start before 6 mo (most parenting organizations recommend 6 mo now) and obesity chances go down 10-15% each month you wait up to 6 mo.

We started with avocado/sweet potato/other veggies

Lucy didn't get cereal until 8.5 mo or so because there isn't much nutrition there but at that point she needed the iron that it is fortified with which is why we introduced it then.

 

Wholesomebabyfood.com is a good website. 

I'm also not trying to be snarky at all I'm  just in a hurry because we are about to head out. FB message me if you have more questions! GL!

b15chik

yeah we will likely start later this time, and might even just skip that and do baby led and see how that goes

cnj050607

I am very much against cereal in a bottle (which I know you already said you werent going to do but i wanted to throw it out there). None of my kids started any form of solids until almost 7 months. Will actually didnt start until after 8 months or so and that was with just a little bit of  cereal. I felt no need to get him going earlier. He was happy and that was all that mattered to me. I know a lot of people will do cereal in a bottle early to try to get their babies to sleep longer at night but it's not really good for them to do that.

Have fun though. Feeding solids was so much fun for us all 4 times. I loved when they got old enough to get it.

LuvNCupcakes

echeverri:

heres a website that i saved to use later down the road

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

theres a whole section on introducing solids that might be helpful: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/solids.htm

I love this website! I thought the information was really helpful.  I can't believe it is already getting to be time to start Lulu on solids.... time flies!

enjoylife

echeverri:

heres a website that i saved to use later down the road

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

theres a whole section on introducing solids that might be helpful: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/solids.htm

We love this website for starting out. I was trying hard to wait until A was 6 months old, but he was super interested in what we were doing at meal times. Watching our movements to feeding ourselves, he would grab for our spoons or arms to see what we were eating, etc so we started a little early about 5 1/2 months. We did 2-3 days of rice cereal and then right into veggies. I had heard or read somewhere if babies tongue thrust out when given a spoon with food on it then they arent ready for solids and to try again later. We did the 4 day wait rule in the beginning, but dh and I have no food allergies and A has had no problems with digesting the different foods (gas/constipation/rash) that we loosened up on that approach and now are more along baby led weaning since he has gotten more adept at pincher grasp and feeding himself. Have fun! We really enjoy the new world of solids . Oh and the transition stage of poo is very insteresting.....do you have a diaper sprayer? We dunk and swish or scrape when we are at my moms, but at home our sprayer is a LIFESAVER!

irlndsumer

I planned on starting Deegan on solids at 6 months, but we ended up starting just shy of 5 months.  We couldn't eat anything in front of him without him trying to grab at it or throwing a fit.  So we started with rice cereal mixed with BM.  It was really slow going in the beginning, but he eventually got the hang of it and LOVED eating solids.  I did a combo of baby led weaning and purees- we let him play with solids and try to feed himself then we would give him a small amount of purees.  I also used the Wholesome baby food site to make all of his foods. He's now feeding himself 95% of the time and hates to be spoonfed.

I really didn't plan to do solids this way, but as with everything else in parenting, you have to go with the flow and know your child. 

Tayrusso

CTri17:

I personally wouldn't add cereal to bottles, if they are ready for solids then they should be getting it from a bowl/spoon IMO.

Most research shows now that there is no reason to start before 6 mo (most parenting organizations recommend 6 mo now) and obesity chances go down 10-15% each month you wait up to 6 mo.

We started with avocado/sweet potato/other veggies

Lucy didn't get cereal until 8.5 mo or so because there isn't much nutrition there but at that point she needed the iron that it is fortified with which is why we introduced it then.

 

Wholesomebabyfood.com is a good website. 

I'm also not trying to be snarky at all I'm  just in a hurry because we are about to head out. FB message me if you have more questions! GL!

Well you girls have officially sold me on waiting until she's six months!  I did some reading this weekend, and after seeing everyone's responses this morning, I am happy with our decision. 

Christina, that is such an interesting fact about the childhood obesity!  I am SO glad that I asked you ladies.  For the record...you were all so much more helpful than the 3-6 mo girls!!!

NewYorkerinAZ

CTri17:

I personally wouldn't add cereal to bottles, if they are ready for solids then they should be getting it from a bowl/spoon IMO.

Most research shows now that there is no reason to start before 6 mo (most parenting organizations recommend 6 mo now) and obesity chances go down 10-15% each month you wait up to 6 mo.

We started with avocado/sweet potato/other veggies

Lucy didn't get cereal until 8.5 mo or so because there isn't much nutrition there but at that point she needed the iron that it is fortified with which is why we introduced it then.

 

Wholesomebabyfood.com is a good website. 

I'm also not trying to be snarky at all I'm  just in a hurry because we are about to head out. FB message me if you have more questions! GL!

I also don't plan on giving P rice cereal because of the lack of nutrition. I've read many studies on it and some actually advise against it.

I also love that website as I plan to make P's food when we get to that point.

vflipo

We don't add cereal to DD's bottles. She doesn't eat cereal, or oatmeal. She hated both of them. We started doing purees at about 4.5 months. She usually has 2 solids a day, fruit in the morning and veggies at night. She doesn't always get 2 meals, but usually she does.