Tuesday, 27 November 2012
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4 Months Old and On SOLIDS!
Well ladies, my little man is growing up so fast! I thought I would try to wait until he turns 5 months to start him on solids, but since I've been giving him rice cereal mixed with fruit it seems like the formula isn't doing the trick anymore. How old were your little ones when you started them on solids? And did you give them fruits or veggies first?
The reason I'm asking is because I've been told by some to start him on veggies first then fruits, and by others I've been told to start fruits first since they are easier on the tummy and not as rough on his colon, and don't start the veggies 'til he is a bit older. I do plan on doing some more research on what is best to start him off on. I also need to get him on a better feeding schedule, but this is what his schedule looks like now.David's feeding schedule:
- Wake up: Bottle
- Breakfast is around 11am or 12pm: Rice Cereal mixed with a fruit, and a bottle
- Lunch is usually late around 2 or 3pm: A thing of fruits, and a bottle
- Before Naptime: Bottle
- After Nap: Bottle
- Dinner is usually around 6 or 7pm: A thing of fruit (but I have tried carrots)
- Before bed: Cereal and a bottle
- Bedtime : Bottle
Do you ladies think I need to get him on a better feeding schedule, maybe offering cereal when he first wakes up? Usually when he wakes up in the morning he just wants a bottle, then goes back to sleep for a couple of hours, and after that (when he wakes up for the day) is when I give him cereal.
I'm new at this, but in my years of professional experience with children, schedules were a wonderful thing for parents - it made things a lot easier. Now that I have my own I would like to get him on a good feeding schedule. If you ladies can help me out that would be GREAT! Just give me some ideas on how I can get him on a better schedule. He usually goes down for a nap around 2:30 or 3pm, and will sleep for a good 45 minutes to an hour. He has also been taking a nap in the evenings for an hour or two.I just wanted to share this with you ladies, and see if I can get some advice or tips on how I can get him on a better feeding schedule.
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About the Author
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- From: Journeysofmommyhood@xanga
- About Me: I'm 29 yrs old, My DH is 31, and we have a DS who was born on July 13th, 2012. We have been married for 6 yrs, and we prayed for our little miracle who has changed our lives for the better. We are both Christians, and even though we have been married for 6 yrs we fall in love with each other, and our little blessing more, and more each day. I'm looking to make friends with other mommies, and mommies to be. I'm also willing to be a good support to those of you who have been trying, and are looking for someone to talk to, and to support, and pray with you for your bundle of JOY! <3
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Comments (9)
im a big believer that (in most cases) you and your baby know what is best and what will work for YOU. i think you are going to get some flack from other moms about your little one starting solids so early, the doctors recommend waiting until they are at least 6 months old, but i started both of mine early as well because they seemed sooo hungry even after finishing a large bottle. at just over 4 months both of mine had their first thanksgivings, they got thinned out mashed potatoes :) and after that we started on stage one foods. neither of mine liked the cereals. (clarification, mine are not twins, they are 5 years apart, but both born in the first 11 days of august)
so if solids are working for you, take it slow but go for it. and just like if you were starting them later watch for adverse reactions that could indicate food allergies, but as long as your little one isnt pushing the food out ( the tongue thrust reflex) and is swallowing it with out problems go for it :)
I did veges first, at about 4 1/2 months. Wow he eats a lot! You just have to go with what works for you and him :) I would just offer him food when he needs it, so if he doesn't seem overly hungry in the morning then I don't think you have to worry about offering it to him when he first wakes up. Your schedule looks fine to me. I'm sure you're doing a great job!
We started at 4 months. My daughter never really liked solids that much. She would have rather pick things up and eat on her own. I think next time I may do baby led weaning. I mean she was eating 100% solids (puffs, crackers, etc) so why puree everything? Her pediatrician said it doesn't matter whether you do fruits or veggies first.
My son is only 3 months and not ready for solids yet, but everybody I talk to tells me to do veggies first because they say baby won't want to eat them if we do fruits first, due to the sweetness of the fruits. I haven't done any research on that yet, but oh well. How many ounces are your bottles? I'm just curious because you have 2 bottles inbetween meals at 2 and 7.
I'm a firm believer in NOT starting solids until at least 6 months old. That being said, my 15 month old still is not eating very much in the way of solids. I also breastfeed on demand, rather than give formula or cows milk.
I would honestly skip right over the rice cereal. It's nothing but a filler, and actually has arsenic in it. Give him oatmeal or barley instead. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=7930723 ""The difference between white rice and brown rice is huge. White rice is basically 94 percent starch. Brown rice is 25 percent other stuff, protein, essential fats, minerals, and vitamins and antioxidants," he says."
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For the record, my older 2 were started on rice cereal, and were formula fed. They were also given solids earlier than 6 months. "When we know better, we do better."
IMO no, he is not too young, but I would skip the rice cereal and go with barley. also I would be doing veggies first.. Ive been a fostermum to 11 babies, and all but 2 started veggies first.. and the ones that started fruits first had a hard time liking any sorts of veggies.
As others have said, you know your baby best.
We did rice cereal at 4 months for my grandson who had acid reflux, and it did help. As far as the other foods, for some babies it can be wonderful, but there is a plethora of scientific evidence out there concerning the gastrointestinal system of infants, and mothers who are in a hurry to feed the baby sooner than necessary. I do remember feeding my son fruits at 3 months because he was lactose intolerant, but nobody suggested that to me 34 years ago, and I kept breast feeding, and he was always constipated. So the fruits actually helped. But for most babies, there are valid reasons for waiting until 5 or 6 months, and it has to do with the baby's intestinal development rather than the mother's joy at feeding her child. We also have to look at how fast a child gains weight, and ask ourselves if we are going to feed our young children proportionately more than they need because it makes us feel like good moms. They don't have to gain weight as fast as most moms I talk to about their babies. It just seems to be a thing of pride, to tell me how fast the baby is gaining weight.
I would NOT bother with rice cereal. It's just junk food marketed for moms. Rice is an environmentally damaging cash crop, and high on list of foods that are GMOs. It really has no nutritional value---the minerals and vitamins they add are added because they're not in the food naturally, and thus aren't easily absorbed. And it can lead to too much iron with formula fed babies. And early carb sensitivity which leads to insulin resistance. Just stick with real foods. However, the three servings of fruit you're giving is a LOT of sugar, esp. fructose which is really hard for the body to deal with. Try sticking with berries only, purreeing your own. Still high in sugar, but not as bad as other fruits like pears and apples.
There is so much debate...foods early trigger allergies and obesity (so say some). Foods later trigger allergies and pickiness (so say others). You can't win :) LOL.
It's all so individual... each baby is different.
I know that in most cases, 4 months old is a bit too young to be introducing solids. It's recommended to wait until 6 months - when the digestive system is working better - but my son started at 5 months because he was showing all the signs of being ready and he had already nearly tripled his birth weight.
Personally, that feeding schedule includes a bit too many solids for my liking. That doesn't mean it's wrong, it just means it is more solids than I did with my son at 4 months old. He use to only eat a lunch solid until he was around 7 months... then we started two meals a day. By 9 months he was eating 3 meals a day and now at 1 year old he eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner + 3-4 little snacks during the day.