Product spotlight: formula and food

runwmusic

Advice and questions? 

runwmusic

We did Kirkland formula (Costco) which is like 1/3 off Similac prices. Dr said to try the least specialized first to see if there were issues before spending extra money on gentle ease or something pricier. Never had an issue.

We did slowly move from breastmilk, 7oz bm 1oz formula for a couple days, then to 6-2 etc. 

Food we started rice cereal at 4 months, he got the hang of pushing it back with his tongue to swallow quickly so we moved to purees soon after. 

chaos-and-coffee

We went through several formulas before finding DS tolerated Enfamil Gentlease best. Around 6-7 months we switched to the Kroger version of it - before then, we had to use the name brand. 

We started oatmeal at 4 months. If you have an instant pot, it’s super easy to make your own purées and freeze them in ice cube trays. I did that until he started eating too much for me to keep up with. 

ReneeJ2011

Didn't use formula so no advice there other than start with the cheapest, least specialized first and see how that works first.  All formulas are required to have the same minimal nutrition level so it doesn't hurt to try the cheap ones first.  

For food we did baby led weaning for the most part with some purees added in at first and we used beechnut baby food.  We did try rice cereal for like 2 seconds to get my mom off my back about my child not sleeping through the night at 4 months old but it didnt help so after 2 days we quit that.  If you haven't looked into it I highly recommend looking into baby led weaning it was soooooooo much cheaper than buying baby food and I have a really cute picture of DS double fisting chicken legs at like 9 mo old.

kjack86

I started supplementing with formula around 8 months and got Similac Pro-advance because it said “closest to breast milk” on the the package...total gimmick I’m sure, but mom guilt is real y’all! I did like that that there was an option to buy in single-serve sleeves (think Crystal Light). While it is certainly not cost-effective to do that, it was great to keep some on hand to throw in the diaper bag for longer outings. 

For food, we introduced Gerber oatmeal around 5.5 months and our son loved it. The video of his first bite will always be one of my favorites. We did spoon-fed purées for a while and then started using the pouches once he started wanting to feed himself. We still let him have a pouch every day while we’re getting dinner ready. We did a combo of purées and baby-led weaning, so don’t think you can only do one or the other. Just figure out what works for your family. 

alli392

Exclusively breastfed so no help with formula. 

For foods, we started with baby oatmeal mixed with breast milk and did baby led weaning. Check out the Instagram account babyledweanteam for great resources and a list of 100 foods baby can try before 1. DD never has been a picky eater and she eats whatever we do-and we’re pretty adventurous! I 100% credit their method with that success. 

hayhay2501

My diva baby would never take formula- we tried when I went back to work at 7 months but she would only ever drink breast milk until we started whole milk. It also took us WEEKS to get her to take a bottle.

Food wise I bought a steamer/ blender and started with potato’s at 6 months then moved through various fruits and vegetables. Would definitely recommend one if you want to make your own food! We also did some porridge. I love the idea of baby led but it took me a while to feel comfortable giving her “adult” food

kyrwyn

I had supply issues from the start so we started on formula early. We tried the silver-lidded Similac, but had to move to the gold-lidded one due to DS's stomach issues. Once he got acclimated and started gaining weight, we were too hesitant to swap him. This time around I'll try to Costco brand! 

DS1 showed interest in solids starting around 3 months. We talked to our pediatrician about it and she was really pro-solids and said to start him when he showed consistent interest. DH and I felt it was super early, but DS set us straight when he leaned across me and took a gummy bite out of strawberry I was holding around 3.5 months. We started him on some homemade purees at just under 4 months (I made them. Instant pot plus food mill = magic) He ate a lot of sweet potato, kitcheree (rice & lentil porridge), and fruit purees mixed with Greek yogurt. We moved on to a lazy combo of baby led weaning and purees around 5 months. We've done some pouches, mostly when he was sick, but generally all his foods were homemade because it's cheaper, we had all the tools, and I was cooking for me and DH anyway. 

kerco925

Also had supply issues, probably because DD never latched and I pumped.  So we supplemented with Similac right away.  We had to use the ready made stuff for the first few months, because when we tried the powder, she got sick.  We eventually switched to the powder version from BJs. 

pourmeanothermocktail

Team baby led weaning here. I'm too lazy to make or feed purees and too broke to buy them. I like kids to eat next to me, at same time, so we do BLW. 

I love silicone plates, the EZPZ mini plate with mat fits on our high chair tray once kids are slightly older and doesn't want to get pulled off or flipped over. Mesh feeders for fruit with seeds or difficult pulp, silicone bibs to wipe or rinse off!

ReneeJ2011

@pourmeanothermocktail I'm with you 1000%  I'm too lazy to make purees and they are expensive. Enter BLW for the save although when we put him in daycare at 8mo they looked at me like I had 3heads when I told them to please give him a plate of regular food for breakfast, lunch, and snacks along with his breast milk and went through their menu and circled all the things I was ok with him having. 

runwmusic

Feeding littles is also great. I recommend following them on Instagram