Starting solids-need your techniques!

Jengle77

My 4 month old daughter had her check up yesterday and the doctor was a little concerned that she only weighed 13 pounds.  I think the bigger issue is that she slowed down on how fast she was gaining weight.  He expected her to be arounnd 15 based on how she was gaining leading up to then.  She is a finicky eater...sometimes she eats 6 ox, other times she eats 2.  Also, my husband is super tall and skinny, so she could just be taking after him. Long story short, he wants us to start solids now even though it is a little early.  He thinks she is developmentally ready to start. 

So, this morning I followed the 1st foods direction on the back of the rice cereal...1 tbs rice to 4 tbs formula.  And all she did was spit it out.  She was not having it.

My questions are:

1) How long does it take your LO to know how to swallow regular food? a few days?  A few weeks?

2) Did you ever give it to them in a bottle?  If so, what nipple size? And what consistency?

3) Did you offer food at every feeding or just morning?  Night?

4) Did you stay on the rice cereal until they had that mastered before you moved onto other foods?

5) Did you use a spoon or a dropper thingy?

TIA!

amyu1977

1.  It took Nate a few days to figure out how to swallow without sucking first.

2.  Our doctor said we should not put cereal into the bottle.  The goal is to move the baby away from the bottle to solid foods.  It's also a choking hazard.

3.  We started with just doing cereal at night, but after a week or so offered it in the morning, too.  

4. Yes.  I still mix other foods into the cereal most of the time.

5.  Spoon.  Again, the goal is for the baby to learn to eat solids with a spoon.  

Try to remember, there is a learning curve there for your daughter.  She'll get it!  

simplyatomic

I'm firm believer in not forcing solids on a baby but if you really feel like she needs it I would mix it in her formula. And then try every few days to feed her with the spoon until she accepts it.

 

nealbl

1) a couple of days

2) and 5) My pedi said never to give it to them in a bottle or dropper.

3)and 4) Morning she gets 2.5 tsp rice with 1oz formula and I mix in a little no sugar added applesauce for taste(the applesauce really helped) Then she takes a 4 oz bottle. Throughout the day she takes 5oz every three hours. Her second to last feeding at night she gets 2 tbs of sweet potatos with a little formula mixed in.

 

Hope this helps. i think everyone is different and they key is to find the best way for you and your baby.

Purplehayzes

Thanks for posting this.  I just started solids last Saturday and have been wondering about the same sorts of things.

I've been feeding my LO in the morning (he BFs as soon as he's up, and then by the time I dress him, make coffee & feed the dog, it's about a half an hour later that he gets his cereal.), and in the evening (just before or after our dinner, usually around 5 or 6 pm).  I feed him with a spoon.

I've been following the directions on the cereal box....1 tablespoon of cereal with 2 table spoons of breast milk, warmed up.  The cereal is really liquidy, and my little one seems to drool a lot of it back out.  I was wondering if I should add more cereal to thicken it up....would that make it easier for him to keep in his mouth & swallow?

 

amyu1977

Purplehayzes:

I was wondering if I should add more cereal to thicken it up....would that make it easier for him to keep in his mouth & swallow?

We started out with the cereal runny like this, but gradually added more to thicken it up.  They need it runny at first so their system can adjust, but you can thicken it a little over time.  I just eyeball the cereal to formula ratio, I don't measure.  And we're on oat cereal now because the rice cereal was a little bit constipating for my son.  But do whatever is comfortable for you.

Purplehayzes

amyu1977:

Purplehayzes:

I was wondering if I should add more cereal to thicken it up....would that make it easier for him to keep in his mouth & swallow?

We started out with the cereal runny like this, but gradually added more to thicken it up.  They need it runny at first so their system can adjust, but you can thicken it a little over time.  I just eyeball the cereal to formula ratio, I don't measure.  And we're on oat cereal now because the rice cereal was a little bit constipating for my son.  But do whatever is comfortable for you.

Thanks.  I was thinking of just doing the whole "eyeballing" it thing to thicken it up.

sarahsteve

If I were you, I'd do more research before starting solids early for that reason.  Check out this kellymom link:

https://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-gain_increase.html

amoureux

If she still has the tongue thrust relex she is not ready.  Try again in a couple weeks.

 

Piranha54

Also, consider oatmeal.  DD really didn't care for the gerber oatmeal but loves Earth's Best (it's really pretty good, I've tried it).  We skipped rice altogether.