Monday, 05 January 2009
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Solid Foods- When Should You Transition Your Baby?
Guest post submitted by IamKelleyK
My baby is 4 1/2 months old. She has been eating rice cereal since she was 12 weeks. She was holding her head up well, didn't seem to ever be full enough, was still up every 2 hours at night, and was watching everything my husband and I seemed to eating. We made the decision to go ahead and start her on rice cereal even though everything we read said 4 months. She took to it very well, and since then we've added pears, green beans, peas, squash, peaches, apple sauce and a few others. She eats great. At this point, I'm not sure where to go next. I spoke with the pediatrician a little, and he said to hold off on the meats and stuff until at least 6 months.
Right now, she has a bottle first thing in the morning, eats rice cereal with fruit midmorning, eats rice cereal with veggies in the early afternoon, takes a bottle mid afternoon and eats a little cereal and fruit in the early evening. She drinks 6 oz of formula before bed and sleeps for 8-10 hours. She still gets bottles through the day when she acts hungry also. She's doing good, but I can't help but to wonder if I should have waited longer, like the pediatrician said - if I had, she'd just now be starting on something other than rice cereal.
When your little one started eating solids, how did you progress? Did you listen to the pediatrician, or to other parents and friends? Do you think it's OK to not follow what the pediatrician says word for word?
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- From: IamKelleyK@xanga
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Comments (21)
I waited til my daughter was 4 months for rice cereal. Then 6 months for the baby food. I was going to wait longer for the baby food but her pediatrician told me to start her on it. Now she eats mashed potatoes and stuff like that, too.
I'm not at that point of babyhood yet. But when I get there, I'd listen to the pediatrician over well-meaning, but misinformed family and friends. As long as the baby is thriving, I wouldn't be concerned.
On some things, I follow my own instincts but I also take into consideration studies that have been made. The AAP has stated that early introduction to solid foods was not as harmful as previously believed. In case that is what you are worried about. I look at the science behind things, not just one person, doctor or family, says.
But I still feel that extended breastfeeding and delayed solids is better for the child. Depending on the pediatrician, they would tell me not to do that (mine didn't say much on the matter) but I still waited until 6 months to introduce any solid food to my youngest and even then he wasn't getting much besides breastmilk until he was 9 months old and could chew softer table food. At just over a year old, he eats small portions of what we eat.
My daughter never had the cereal, and didn't start solid food until she was 8 or 9 months. The only reason she started baby food at 5 months was because all the other babies in her day care were eating it and she wanted to try it as well.
I personally will take the advice of my pediatrician, family and friends, but I prefer to do my own research before doing what is best for my child.
I have a funny story about the whole weaning thing... My parents don't speak english very well (especially not 20 yrs ago when I was a baby) --when the doctor told them they should start weaning me and getting me to eat rice cereal, they went out and bought...Rice Krispies! They honestly thought that was what he meant.
I think it's ok to not follow the doctor word-for-word, the most important thing is to observe the baby and see if she/he is doing well. My cousins are raising their baby by the book, adhering scrupulously to all the "rules", and the poor girl's weight is only in the 5th percentile for her age! If your baby is thriving, showing no signs of distress, having normal bowel movements/diaper changing and normal activity, I think she'll be fine. You don't have to feel guilty about it, it sounds like you're doing a good job.
We started my daughter on rice cereal at 4 months (she didn't care for it much) and other pureed veggies and fruits at 5 months. (She never really cared for the meats, so she mainly was a vegetarian for her first year.
) I would have waited longer, but my breastmilk was drying up and she was hungry all the time. If I fed her solid foods first I could get her to nurse a bit longer afterwards. It still didn't help my milk supply, but oh well. Since then she's always LOVED solid foods and prefers them over formula and now milk. She eats like a pig!
Honestly, trust your instincts. It's good to follow general guidelines from your pedi, but don't worry if you end up doing things a bit differently. Just make sure she's getting plenty of formula or breastmilk...that stuff is chock full of vitamins and other good stuff and is much better than anything pureed.
I started my daughter on rice cereal at 6 months. She was fine with it, but preferred nursing, which I did for 13 months. Slowly we added pureed veggies, fruits, meats, combo foods. She ate stuff like Cheerios at 10 months I think?? And by 1 year she was trying some of the foods that we eat...like plain spaghetti noodles, cut up soft veggies, etc.
My son started rice cereal at 6 months and is now eating more of a variety of solid foods. We were pretty lax with the "eating solids" thing at first. We gave my son food whenever we felt like it and even started him on cheese a little early. I figured that if neither my husband and I have allergies then my son is less likely to have them as well. So far so good...
Well, with my first, the doctor (and older man) told me to start putting cereal in his bottle at a month old. I wouldn't do that again. At 4 months we started doing cereal with a spoon and moved on gradually to fruits and veggies and meats by the time he was 7 months.
With my second, I didn't start her on cereal at all until about 5 months and even then she didn't like it. She was probably 7 months before she would really even eat a couple of bites of baby food at a time.
Each baby is different and while I realize that doctors have the children's best interest at heart - the doctors are all different, too! They are all going to say something slightly different. I always take what my pediatrician tells me and then go home and do what I think is best for my child (not with medicines, of course, b/c I know nothing about those... :))
Every thing I've read says 6 months is the age to start solids with babies whether they are breast fed or bottle fed. Early feeding can increase the risk of food allergies. Also, certain digestive enzymes needed to break down anything other than formula or breastmilk are not fully mature until 6-7 months of age, which is why it is recommended to wait until then. I'm not sure why so many Dr.'s push starting solids at 4 months. There is no evidence to back up that being a good age to start. Sure, some babies may be ready earlier than 6 months, but rarely are babies truly ready at 4 months. Babies go through several growth spurts before that time, and they will want to eat more. But giving them solids, which is not as nutritious as formula or breastmilk, shouldn't be given to them that early to hold them over for longer. Yes, many babies are fine and have no ill effects from starting solids early, but as a pediatric nurse, I always warn people to do their research beforehand before they start their babies on solids at or before 4 months old.
As far as progressing with foods, the way you are doing it is just fine. I followed my Dr.'s feeding suggestion schedule (which is similar to what you're doing, except not starting anything until 6 months old) that she gave me and it's worked out great. I would also wait on starting meats until 6 months old (or later). I think it's OK to not follow the pediatrician's suggestions, but I think it's a good idea to do your homework so you know what you're doing and can make the best decisions for your child.
My first baby loved rice cereal which I don't think I gave him till 5 months, he was getting 2 oz apple juice mixed with 2 oz. water at 3 months, this baby however is 6 months and has no intrest in the cereal, doesn't even like the juice (which I find odd) shes still all about the milk!
My daughter was 5 months old and we first started her about a month before on rice cereal and then added banannas, and then for Easter we ended up just giving her mashed potatoes. After that night, she wanted NO more of the baby food...wouldn't touch it..spit it out. Only cause she got to taste whatever we were eating and realized how much more it taste like real food compared to the "baby food". I listened to my doctor when I had my son and went by the guidelines for him cause was my first, but I went by my instincts with my daughter more and she's my little chunker now who won't turn down anything I offer her to eat. My son is the pickiest child I know and I think it's because we waited so long to get him to the food that we were eating. I'd follow your instincts, and as long as she's/he's not having an allergic reaction to anything that your feeding them or they're not having any issue with bowel movements and puking. I would go by what you think within reason to feeding them. Best advice is not to substitute a lot of human food for milk though, cause it's important that they have that more so within the first atleast 7 months. Thanks, and good luck.
My daughter was breastfed and actually still nurses 2-3 times a day at 16 months. (yes, I'm one of those mamas.) I started my daughter on rice cereal and soft cooked veggies at 6 months. The only 'baby food' she ever received was her cereal mixed with applesauce. She has 'eaten' table foods from 6 months of age. I started with veggies and then as she got older began introducing more and more foods. I paid attention to foods that were high allergens and made sure to hold those off until later.
Did she actually eat a lot at first? No, but then again, that wasn't the point for me. I knew that the majority of her calories needed to come from milk until her first birthday. We gradually added things in and by her 1st birthday she was eating just about everything and anything. Now, at 16 months, she nurses typically twice a day (at bedtime and first thing in the morning) and eats whatever we eat during the day. She ALWAYS will try new things... a few times even, before she decides she doesn't like it. I've only found one thing she doesn't like, and that is squash. She's tried it several times and just doesn't like it right now. I waited with meat until she had a molar or two to help with chewing. But I have to say, we are blessed. She eats very well ... quiche, chili, soup, chicken, beef, egg, parsnip, broccolli, celery, carrot, apple, beans, tons of stuff.
I tried to give her actual baby food once when she was cutting 3 molars at once and her mouth was so sore she didn't want to eat. That was the one thing she wouldn't try. She just looked at me as if to say 'THAT is not food'.
I never follow word for word what anyone says...doctor or not. Doctors are limited by their own experiences and studies. They do NOT know everything. In addition, they do not intimately know me our my child. Neither does anyone else. I seek advice from several different sources and then look at my daughter and our circumstances and make decisions that fit us. I know my daughter better then anyone. I make informed decisions that I believe are best for her.
I agree with some of the other commenters saying that you should go with your insticts with the pediatrician guiding you in some ways. If you feel she may be ready, then introduce it slowly. But do it very slowly.
We also gave our little boy cereal way before it was advised, I think he was two months old. I got many people riduculing me for that, but I just ignored them. My son is doing great and I think I did good for doing what I did because he is a huge boy. He is growing everyday and never ceases to amaze me.
My son is two-years-old and probably 40 pounds, but he is not overweight. He is also pushing three-feet tall. Hehe. I had the ladies telling me at his well-baby appointments before he turned two that I should NOT be feeding him grapes and chips -- which he loved BOTH. I still fed them to him but watched him very closely when he did. He seems much older than he is, so I just go with what I feel is right.
My daughter just turned 5 month Sunday and still hasn't had rice cereal. I might start her on it next time i go to babies r us and can get a couple spoon for her. I need to get a high chair pretty soon. She already weighs about 17+ pounds
My 9 month old eats waffles in the morning. he loves them he just skipped baby food and rice cereal all together. He also loves the graduate finger foods like the wagon wheels. But then again my son has teeth. so when his teeth started coming in is when i switched over.
I can't imagine feeding like that. My daughter wouldn't consider solids till she was 14 months old.
That aside, more breast milk would be better nutrition and easier for her to digest since she's still so young. You might try measures to increase your supply such as pumping after she's done nursing, mother's milk tea, or fenugreek. Let her cluster feed some days, that's every 1-2 hours. All thouse things will increase your milk supply so she can have a higher volume of that ideal nutrition.
I waited til both my 3rd and 4th child were a year before giving solids. Breastmilk is better for them, and easier for me. I'd give a few cheerios here and there just to pacify if we were eating and they wanted to be involved in the meal as well... but nothing that would replace a regular feeding. I went straight to table foods at a year, which is when I began decreasing breastmilk feedings.
I STARTED MY SON ON CERAEL AT 6WEEKS, AND HE TOOK TO IT GREAT. HE HAD ACID REFLUX SO THE DOCTOR TOLD ME TO START IT. HE IS NOW EATING SOLID FOOD AND HE IS STILL TAKING TO IT GREAT. HE IS NOW 6MONTHS AND I WANT TO START HIM ON MEATS AND EVERYTHING BUT IM NOT SURE ABOUT IT. MY QUESTION TO U ALL NOW IS SHOULD I STOP PUTTING HIS CEREAL INTO HISBOTTLE AND JUS PUT IT INTO HIS FOOD???
first solid food at the age of six months was rather hard but with consistency the baby will learn at last. I use instant baby food for the first time but after the baby can eat much I made my own food.
My son is going to be 3 months on the 19th. He was having very loose bowel movements from like 4 weeks old. I just started him on cereal like 1 or 2 week ago, and now his bowel movements are fine, and he eats cereal great.
I just started on applesauce and bananas 3 days ago, he didnt really seem to care for applesauce by itself so i mix it with cereal but he ate the bananas fine so im gonna try the applesauce again tomorrow.