4 month check up w/ baby food questions!!!

minicheezburg

Dalaney is doing amazing. Our little girl how grown 2 inches and is now 2 feet tall! She has also now 12lbs 8.8 oz which is 3lbs 7.8oz gain in two months. She also now has a head circumference of 40.6 cm which is up 1.6 cm.

She did not like the visit at all, she cried the whole time and screamed during shots. She is such a Daddy's girl she only cheered up when he held her. Another 3 shots and the liquid. She is already napping. Poor kid.

We were told that we can start introducing her to baby foods and see how she does. This weekend I will start with avocado. We were told her growth is great. The only thing that bothers me is they compare her to babies that were full term so it seems like she is behind in percentiles. They did say that based on her previous measurements she is doing great though.

We tried Avocados yesterday, she does not seem to like them and spit most of it out. She did get some down so I see this as a success. I am sure she is just not used to eating this way and it will be a learning experience on both ends and I know she won't eat much in the beginning (I am counting the tiny bit she got as a success despite the tablespoon (total) amount I tried to feed her (Most of which was spit out)).  My question, Do you try to feed before the bottle or after?Before was a disaster. Are there any tips you can give that may make it easier on her? Any advice? Any. 

As always TIA ladies you are the best!

For your viewing pleasure D with Daddy after shots and D trying Avocados!

Mom2anAngel2

Poor baby!  At least they don't remember the shots.  (That's what I tell myself).

Most people will say you should offer food after a bottle.  I never offered food before or after a bottle.  Instead, I offered food when we were sitting down to eat (more of a social interaction thing). I BF, so DS would nurse on schedule and when we would sit down for dinner I would put him in his seat and offer him some food.  We also did avocado first.  DS loved it.  Because your LO was born early, she may not be ready.  You can still offer, but I wouldn't get too upset if she doesn't take it.  Just have fun with it. 

Missa_g

How early was she? I'm sorry I don't remember and I'm mobile. Essentially my advice is to look at her curve, not the percentile since that is what matters most. Our pedi gives us the actual and adjusted age percentiles but if she was a later term preemie the pedi likely feels that's unnecessary. What matters most is that she's following her own curve, which it sounds like she is.

Definitely offer food after a bottle, not before. Food before one is just for fun and formula or breast milk should be the majority of their nutrition. She's really young for food so if she shows no interest you might consider waiting until she does. But everyone has their own opinion on that so its up to you to research and figure out what you believe. But she absolutely does not NEED anything other that formula/breast milk.

Mmm79

I can't believe she is already 4 months!

We didn't introduce food until A was 6 months, but our first experience sounds like yours. We tried bananas mixed with breast milk and he seemed very uninterested. One week later he was loving the bananas.  

I have always heard/read, bottle/breast before food. So far, we have tried to do food about 45 minutes to an hour after the bottle.  This is also what happens at daycare- A gets a bottle at 11am and food at 12.  Then his last bottle at daycare is at around 4:45 and then I give him some food when we get home at around 5:30.  

Also, I hear you on comparing a baby born early to babies born at full term.  A was born small and a month early and he is still small- but growing at a good rate.  But I hate hearing that he is in the 1st percentile for weight (even though he has gained almost 10 pounds in 7 months).   

orangegoggles

I agree about waiting a bit, especially if your LO was born early. Most pedis are suggesting waiting until 6 months or later for a variety of reasons. Its exciting when they start eating, but you can tell if they are not ready. Besides, all of her nutrition should come from BM or formula at this point so its really just practice. I wouldn't rush it and try again in a few months. 

minicheezburg

Food should def be offered after a bottle....food before one is just for fun!  Most nutrition should come from BM or formula until after 1, with gradually increasing amounts of solids from 6mo-12mo. 

Honestly, at 4mo, your LO might not be ready for solid foods yet...many babies are not ready until closer to 6mo.  We started offering once a week at 4mo because DH was anxious to start, but DD was not actually interested at all until 5.5 mo, when we switched to offering once a day. 

I really like this site:
https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/readyforsolids.htm#.UkmbvbxjGo8
 https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/babyledweaning.htm

That is the exact site I have been using!! It is so helpful!

minicheezburg

It seems most of you ladies are on track with my thoughts on waiting. Her Pedi suggested it and I asked if he thought it was too soon especially with her being early but he said we could. She was not big on it, she did get some down though. Maybe I will try again next month and see where we sit. Also based on her reaction prior to her bottle I had assumed after was better but I had someone tell me before. Thank you so much ladies!

luvmyducks

Always after a bottle. The AAP says ideally, BM or formula should be the only food before 6m. But from 6m-1yr it should be the primary. Starting before 6m has been found to lead to childhood obesity and food allergies.