Starting solids

lgleyze

DD will be 6 months in a few weeks and she is ready to start solids but I'm feeling a little lost. I want to make sure I'm not feeding her too much of the solids so that she takes less BM and makes my supply decrease. I guess I need to offer the breast first before offering a solid at each feeding? Can you explain the process, what you started with and how much you gave? We bought some rice cereal and plan to start out with that. TIA

rjeller32

I skipped cereals because they really have no nutritional value, and can contain levels of arsenic. Not for us.

I have gone purees with DD1 and BLW with DD2. With both, I only start out with once a day, with maybe 1-2 tablespoons of food, an hour after a BF session, so they are a little hungry, but will not fill up on solids. It's all about exploration of food more than a main source of nutrients to start off.

With DD1, we started with pureed carrots, went a few days with that, then would switch to another veggie. After about 5/6 different veggie options, we introduced some fruits and yogurts. By 8 months we introduced pretty much everything to her.

With DD2, I started with bits of green beans, and now she has pretty much tried everything I eat. Last night she had some spaghetti with us.

this decaf life

We skipped cereal and so far DD has has avocado, banana, pear, carrot and sweet potato [in that order]

squash will be next, then either peas or apple. I'm going to do oatmeal but wanted to try fruits & vegetables first.

I give her about one ounce of something in the morning [usually whatever new food item she's trying] and about an ounce of something else in the evening. She would eat more if I offered but I really want breast milk to be her main source of food so I'm limiting her intake of solids. 

Jackiemxoxo

We started with oatmeal first because I wanted to make sure she was getting enough iron. I mixed it with BM and slowly thickened it each day to see how she was taking it in. We did it once a day at dinner time (cause thats the most convenient for us), about an hour after BF her. Next, I moved to purees and I only started with about 1-2 tablespoon to see how she reacted. Now, we still BF and then give purees about an hour after and I let her have about as much as she wants and she will usually eat 1/2 jar to 1 jar. I also give her some water to try it out. She is still having the same amount of nursing sessions. 

brookemcalland

The most important thing when starting solids is to be aware of your baby's signs of readiness. Here you'll find the info you need https://blog.earlystart.me/?p=95 and you'll be able to know if your baby is ready or not.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

vettymama

I would suggest reading up on solids. Either Baby Led Weaning or Wholesome Baby Food Guide are both great books.

We do BLW. His first meal was green beans and toast. We did not do cereal.