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Hawaii Babies
Introducing Solids?
I'm starting to think about introducing solids in about a month or so.
Do any of you have a plan for what you're going to introduce first etc.
I have heard from friends that rice cereal is very consipating, so I'm debating skipping it. Do you know of any reasons that I have to start with it.
I haven't gotten very far into researching it, any websites or tips would be much appreciated!!
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Re: Introducing Solids?
we just barely started w/rice cereal last week...our pedi said it was mostly to get the baby used to a different texture from the milk more than anything else (since i think it still tastes pretty much like the milk or formula you mix it with) before trying other solids...
i keep meaning to read more about baby led weaning but haven't gotten around to it
i know the main thing is to give them "yucky" stuff first (i.e. peas) before introducing them to the better, sweet stuff (i.e. bananas, sweet potatoes, etc) otherwise they'll never eat the green veggies
Jaime & Brent
Oahu, Hawaii | Sept. 9, 2005
My Food Blog - Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats
We did rice cereal fist and had no problems... Then on to carrots, sweet potato, peas... Pedi said to do veggies first. So when we got to fruit, we did pears first because that helps keep them regular. Also, you can do prunes too and that helps with regularity.
If you choose to skip rice cereal, you should do oatmeal or barley because they are iron fortified. That is the importance of any of these, to make sure your baby is getting enough iron. (If you do formula, then you don't need to worry but bfed babies really need the iron.) Rice cereal is usually a baby's 1st food b/c it's not allergenic.
Also, I would note that while Alexa ate rice cereal at first, once she tried other things, she didn't want it anymore. So we mixed it with fruit and stuff so she'll eat it.
HTH!
Malia & Dave & Alexa
Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
Baby Blog
Married Bio
obviously don't have experrience with this but the book I am reading is this one:
baby led weaning b/c it was available on kindle, I think you could get much of the same info by reading the links on kellymom. (I also read the articles recomended on the kellymom website one is a UK one and then one from the WHO).
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html also has some good comentary about iron fortified foods.
I know that baby led weaning is right for us and our real/whole food philosophies. I know it's not for everyone but I think the topic is a pretty facinating read anyways. There are some really well done youtube videos of baby led children discovering their first foods if you want a more visual idea of what goes on.
for your specific question, I would not hesitate to skip rice cereal for a healthy full term baby that is now over 6mo, I think that recomendation is totally outdated if you read the history behind it - here is a pretty good article about it that I found linked from wholesomebabyfoods . com:
https://www.pediatricnews.com/article/S0031-398X(09)70296-6/fulltext
I guess this is when I should say talk to your ped for advice specific to your child though
We're going with Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)...no spoon feeding purees or mushy cereal. Basically, if you're going with the AAP-recommendation on not introducing solids until baby is 6 months old, then you can let baby self-feed with age-appropriate finger foods.
By waiting until baby hits the milestones of sitting unassisted and losing his/her tongue thrust as well as showing interest in food, baby is physiologically and psychologically ready to self-feed solids. Since we plan to wait until Libby is 6 months old to introduce solids and she is already EBF, it seems like the right thing for us as BLW is a natural extension for BF babies.
Here's some information on it, if you're curious about it:
https://babyledweaning.com/
https://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babyledweaning.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Baby-led-Weaning-Helping-Your-Baby/dp/0091923808
https://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babyledweaning.htm
https://nourishedkitchen.com/baby-led-weaning/
https://babyledweaning.blogware.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning
Here's all sorts of videos of BLW on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVBdMDl4RXo
My BFF did this with our godson...she never fed him "baby food" or purees, etc. Just appropriate items from their family meals and at 18 months old he is a fantastic eater. Not picky at all and loves the spicy Mexican meals that his mom and grandmother cook (she is Mexican-American). He tries everything and doesn't only want chicken nuggets, fish sticks and macaroni and cheese like so many North American toddlers.
That said, come this summer, I plan to start Libby on things we eat... avocado, banana, cooked sweet potato sticks, carrots, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green beans, and summer fruit like peaches and plums. I'll also offer her pasta...we eat brown rice, quinoa and whole wheat pasta once or twice a week and that will be easy for her to pick up on her own. And then we'll move into bits of chicken, turkey, etc. Right now we're working on going all-organic (we've not been able to get back to it since moving our here from CA) so that when she's ready for solids we have organic food for her little body.
I am taking an infant CPR class (for free) in late June to brush up my skills, but I am not worried about her choking or anything since we will wait until she's ready to do this. If I were starting her now (at 4 months) we'd be spoon-feeding purees, although if there is still a strong tongue-thrust, babies can choke on purees. BLW works because babies have a strong gag reflex and instinctively will not put food in their own mouth that is bigger than they can handle (that's why it's important for caregivers not to put the food in baby's mouth for him or her). It's quite fascinating, actually.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
MauiWedding and Lori, those are fantastic links! Thanks so much.
This is exactly what I was looking for.
One of the mommy friends I've met is married to a fireman so he's going to teach us an infant first aid course for free. I'm looking forward to it.
I'm also going to buy a highchair today. The bumbo is just to tippy with my wiggle worm. I want sitting at the table to be a habit by the time we introduce foods.
Married Bio
You're quite welcome! I'd love to know how it goes with Elyse. I've been looking at high chairs lately too, since I want her to be used to sitting at the table with us before we start solids and we have such limited space that I am considering this:
or this:
I need to do a little more research, but so far I leaning towards the hook-on on because it can travel easily, which would be great for when we're out of town...at least meal times will feel consistent for Libby if she can be in the same chair, etc. I dunno...have to look into it more before making a purchase.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
I don't have much time and I'll answer more later but I did want to say, next time we will NOT do rice cereal! Bella has BAD constipation issues since starting solids and the rice cereal makes it SO much worse! Her constipation started as soon as we started rice cereal. the dietician at my work ( a children's hospital) suggested we move to oatmeal cereal instead. We did and it's been much better. Now that she's on all kinds of food she also gets plums or pears for breakfast to combat the constipation.
I don't have much time and I'll answer more later but I did want to say, next time we will NOT do rice cereal! Bella has BAD constipation issues since starting solids and the rice cereal makes it SO much worse! Her constipation started as soon as we started rice cereal. the dietician at my work ( a children's hospital) suggested we move to oatmeal cereal instead. We did and it's been much better. Now that she's on all kinds of food she also gets plums or pears for breakfast to combat the constipation.