When did you start cereal/ purees? And why?

GuitaristsGirl · July 2010

I've read reasons for *not* starting - immature digestive system, hoping to avoid allergies, etc. But I've never read reasons *to* start.

At his pedi appt his doctor said to start sometime in the next few months. When I tried to ask "why", he didn't really say anything except "it's time." DS is a healthy weight, seems happy, etc., so . . . I know I must sound dense, but I don't get it! I mean, I know he can't live on bottles forever , but I'd like a reason to change from the status quo, kwim?

When did you first move on from only BM/ formula? Why?

marcuej · July 2010

Stella started around 5 months. We knew it was time because she'd intently watch us eating and would move her mouth up and down when we'd eat. She seemed very interested in food! We gave it a try and she instantly gobbled it down. She never had tongue thrusting issues or anything. I think you'll know when to start cause your LO will start giving you signs he's ready.

oct11bride03 · July 2010

Everything I read said not to start before 4 months, but not to wait until 6 months so I compromised and started at 5 months. K really loves solids. Before we started her on them she'd watch us and mimic the motion of eating. We started slow, but once she got the hang of it we'll give her anything (except honey, PB and shellfish at this point).

brideinOC · July 2010

Our pedi is actually suggesting no cereal these days and just starting with purees at 6 months. Claire is way past that but it came up in a discussion a few months back. He says that there are studies regarding obesity in children and what role cereal plays in it. I'm sure there are certain cases in which he suggests cereal, but overall--no cereal. We started cereal at 5 months (back before he changed his recommendations). Claire seemed to show an interest in eating and would reach for food.

GuitaristsGirl · July 2010

marcuej:
Stella started around 5 months. We knew it was time because she'd intently watch us eating and would move her mouth up and down when we'd eat. She seemed very interested in food! We gave it a try and she instantly gobbled it down. She never had tongue thrusting issues or anything. I think you'll know when to start cause your LO will start giving you signs he's ready.

Yeah, he's definitely starting to act interested! So funny But still, if he's content with his bottles. . . Is the point just to get them used to it, or what?

JGirl2005 · July 2010

I think we started right before 5m, but it might have been 4.5. We started out sOOOOOOOO slowly. one meal a day, just a few teaspoons of oatmeal or rice cereal. Starting a first is for practice really and it is messy and it really isn't a bottle/meal replacement.

I think some ppl have a lot of problems when they start later due to the baby going through teething, etc (babies older than 6m). But that is my opinion and not a reason to start early...eventually they need to be on table food (starting at 8-9m usually) and this is practice for that.

It's more work so that's why ppl push it off. Plus, my pedi said to start off with the cheap stuff. If you start with jars you will spend/waste a lot of money as they really can't eat that much.

Cajun_gal · July 2010

We started at 4 months. Dylan was interested in us eating, our pedi told us we could go ahead and start giving him solids, so we figured we'd try it out and could stop if it seemed to upset his tummy. He's done great and loves almost everything we've fed him. He started sleeping through the night consistently when we started solids. He's now starting to try finger foods and doing great with them too. Every baby is different, but it just seemed like the right time for Dylan, and it worked out really well. I'll probably start at 4 months with #2 too.

emiannie · July 2010

GuitaristsGirl:
marcuej:
Stella started around 5 months. We knew it was time because she'd intently watch us eating and would move her mouth up and down when we'd eat. She seemed very interested in food! We gave it a try and she instantly gobbled it down. She never had tongue thrusting issues or anything. I think you'll know when to start cause your LO will start giving you signs he's ready.

Yeah, he's definitely starting to act interested! So funny But still, if he's content with his bottles. . . Is the point just to get them used to it, or what?

Miles was the same as Stella. I think the idea is to get them used to it and to get started so you have time to figure things out. It takes time to introduce all the foods slowly to watch for allergies and stuff. They still get their primary nutrition from their formula or BM. It's just a learning thing for the most part. :-) We started at 4.5 months with cereal just to get him used to the spoon...then we started veggies at 5 months.

qtpa2t · July 2010

We just started this morning! - the day after Gabrielle's six month birthday. The WHO and Mayo Clinic recommendations are for EBF for the first six months, and that was our pedi's rec as well. They did say, though, that if we thought she seemed dissatisfied, that we could start rice cereal if we wanted.

jamalynn · July 2010

We didn't start cereal until after DD was 6 months. I was EBF and our ped said BM is the best thing for them, so keep her on that until at least 6 months. Around 6.5 months, we did cereal. Then we moved onto veggies. We did it slowly, I wasn't in a hurry. I think people who formula feed start earlier because it's cheaper to add in those others than to do just formula.

skoorbnibor · July 2010

6 months. No reason for us to start sooner, he was interested in food, but he didnt need it.

Marc's Mrs. · July 2010

The pedi recommended starting rice cereal at DD's 4 mo appt. She was ready. She'd been watching us eat intently and mimicking our chewing, etc. Our pedi is very pro-BFing but this is her intro. to real solids. I still BF for her other meal and even after her evening cereal she gets to BF. That helps my supply and I think it's made for a good adjustment.

Pedi suggested doing an evening meal of cereal each night for 3 or 4 wks, then introducing veggies. I'm glad we started when we did. She's a champ at cereal and now she's grabbing for our spoons and forks when DH and I are eating.

RoxBride · July 2010

For us, she was showing all the signs of wanting to eat real food, and she loved it. We feel it was better to introduce food earlier rather than later.

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2009-0813v1

GreenEyedGal · July 2010

marcuej:
Stella started around 5 months. We knew it was time because she'd intently watch us eating and would move her mouth up and down when we'd eat. She seemed very interested in food! We gave it a try and she instantly gobbled it down. She never had tongue thrusting issues or anything. I think you'll know when to start cause your LO will start giving you signs he's ready.

This, except we started about week after he turned 4 months.

emmyloustu · July 2010

We waiting until 6 months and even then I don't think she was 100% ready. She was really disinterested at first and was still pushing everything out. I started with Whole Grain Rice cereal and mashed up bananas.

Our pedi told us at our 4mo that we could start anytime, but she was fine with us waiting until 6mo. Eliza wasn't really showing readiness signs until 6mo - she wasn't sitting without support, she hadn't lost tongue thrust, hadn't doubled her birth weight, she really wasn't grabbing for food etc... I really cannot imagine starting any sooner than we did.

Now, we are about a month in and she is a little pro! She hasn't met a fruit or veg that she hasn't liked and she has tried about 6 as well as rice and oatmeal. I am anxious to try some finger foods and chunkier foods soon.

epphd · July 2010

We are still "starting." We waited until 6 months because that's what the AAP recommends and because there was no reason TO start eariler. Why add in the hassle, extra "gear" and stinkier diapers any earlier than necessary?

We got the all clear to start after Sam's 6 month checkup. And despite every single sign of him being BEYOND ready to try solids, he still is just not in to them. He has a strong gag reflex and frequently vomits what he swallows. We have just recently discovered that baby yogurt is something he loves, so we are letting him practice with that and will start adding in other things. And even if he was a great eater, 99% of his nutrition would come from breast milk - that's just what the first 6 months of solids are like - practice.

Start when you are ready - but there is no advantage to starting before 6 months, IMO. Just the added process, dishes, laundry, diapers etc that go with a kid learning to eat!

clojel · July 2010

For us, it was very obvious that it was time to start. We introduced rice cereal at 4 mionths and then added fruits and veggies at around 5 1/2 months. Here were some of the reasons why we started (and pedi suggested):

1. Demonstrated interest in food - watching us eat, opening mouth when we ate, reaching for our food, etc...

2. Sitting Up - when a LO is able to sit up - either completely unassisted or with minimal support

3. Good tone - (this one kind of ties in w/ sitting up) basically if your baby has good body control/posture.

4. No (or little) tongue thrust - when you go to put a spoon in LO's mouth w/ food, does his/her tongue "thrust" it back..or can you get the spoon in and LO swallows the food?

Hope that helps!! As for going from cereal to purees - it worked REALLY well for us to add a little veggie/fruit mixed in w/ the rice cereal and then slowly increase the amt of veggie/fruit and decrease the amt of rice cereal so my LO got accustomed to the new taste. Not sure if that is why - but she eats anything we give her now!!

Good luck!!

elliek05 · July 2010

She had her first "solids" at 6m exactly (the day). We did BLW. Some people seem to do it earlier to help baby sleep longer, but everything I read led me to wait (and I had a big baby who really liked her milk and food!)

If you don't feel like he needs it, trust yourself.

LucyPevensie · July 2010

We started at 6 months. Didn't see any reason to start before.

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