starting solids-- tell me your process

bridesea

Hi everyone!

 DS is starting to act hungry between meals and less satisfied after them, so I am thinking it's time for solids maybe.  (He's giant, so that could be a reason.)  Any tips for how to start?  I have the books (about 4 of them) but my questions are more logistics:

-- high chair or bumbo to start?

-- as a supplement at regular family meal times, or with his bottle?

-- will a few teaspoons a day really help him not be hungry, or should i also be increasing his formula (now getting about 32 oz/day)?

Any thoughts would be appreciated on what you did when you started...

Boilergirl79

Good questions--we're in the same boat.  I was told that my boys were eating WAY too much during the 4 month appt--40 oz/day and to cut back to eventually 30 oz/day .  I started rice cereal a few weeks ago, and  oatmeal cereal Monday, (I'm trying to do this in the am), and we  also just started squash Monday.  In between their 1pm and 4pm feeding is when I do squash.  Are we supposed to feeding solids along with bottles at the same time?

 

 

bridesea

How did you do the rice cereal?  In bottle or separately?

Boilergirl79

with a spoon----started the day they turned 4 months.  We didn't see the point putting it in the bottle since they had to learn how to use and accept the spoon.  Although I put a tiny bit in bottles now only to thicken the formula due to spitting up. 

 

Ohh---and we feed them in a high chair.

LilSurferGirl

We started at about your babies age with rice cereal - just a teaspoon mixed very thinly with BM/formula.  We spoonfed it to them so they could get the hang of eating instead of drinking, and we started with once a day at suppertime.  We usually gave them about 1/2 their bottle so they wouldn't be starving and cranky - then the cereal - then let them finish the bottle if they wanted. 

As they got better at eating from the spoon, we very gradually increased the amount and thickness of the cereal.  At 5.5 months we added oatmeal, then started with veggies and fruits and added "breakfast" at 6 months.  HTH!

quickstepstar

here is what we did: we started rice cereal and after about a weak we added oatmeal. Our girls liked it thicker: I do about 1tbsp cereal to 1oz formula. Here is our schedule:

6:30 am - bottle

8am - oatmeal ("breakfast")

11:30 - bottle

2 - rice cereal + veggie ("lunch")

4pm - bottle

7pm - bottle

We feed them in high chairs and i think daycare feeds them in bouncies. Since we are doing bottles between feedings I tink it elps them to take the edge off, not necessarily eat a meal, i guess eventually as they start eating more they will get more out of those feedings, but if they are acting so hungry now, that means that by the time they are older they will be even hungrier!?

?

lutzcowgirlie

-- high chair or bumbo to start? Either one will work fine in the beginning. The high chair really starts to come in handy when they realize they can thrash around in the bumbo or start eating finger foods.

-- as a supplement at regular family meal times, or with his bottle? The best way to start is to try solids a little while after a bottle. They aren't eating to satiate hunger at this point, so trying to feed solids when they are really hungry will just make them angry. You should always start new foods in the morning so that they will be awake in case of any allergic reactions.

-- will a few teaspoons a day really help him not be hungry, or should i also be increasing his formula (now getting about 32 oz/day)? The first few weeks they won't be getting much down, so it won't really influence hunger. However, I'm not sure you want to give much more formula than he is already getting. Could he be teething or something else that is making him act out?

 

sweater

lutzcowgirlie:

-- high chair or bumbo to start? Either one will work fine in the beginning. The high chair really starts to come in handy when they realize they can thrash around in the bumbo or start eating finger foods.

-- as a supplement at regular family meal times, or with his bottle? The best way to start is to try solids a little while after a bottle. They aren't eating to satiate hunger at this point, so trying to feed solids when they are really hungry will just make them angry. You should always start new foods in the morning so that they will be awake in case of any allergic reactions.

-- will a few teaspoons a day really help him not be hungry, or should i also be increasing his formula (now getting about 32 oz/day)? The first few weeks they won't be getting much down, so it won't really influence hunger. However, I'm not sure you want to give much more formula than he is already getting. Could he be teething or something else that is making him act out?

?

totally agree! When you first start cereal it shouldn't be a meal, more than a snack to practice the spoon. 32 oz/day at this age is more than enough formula...it may be teething???