Questions about starting solids
We were given the green light from our pedi to start rice cereal 2x a day, so yesterday was the first try. The morning attempt he accepted probably 7 spoonfulls before getting frustrated, but the evening attempt he wasn't having it at all and pitched a fit from the first spoonfull. My pedi said to not put it in a bottle, since the point is to get him used to spoons, but since i mixed the cereal with my BM, and my freezer stash is super low, I put the remaining mixture in a bottle so the BM wouldn't go to waste. So my questions are:
Should I nurse him a little bit before trying to get him to eat cereal so he's not super hungry and fussy?
If he's fussing, how long should I try to get him to accept the cereal before I surrender and put it in a bottle to feed him?
Since my freezer stash is so low, should I just mix the cereal with formula?
Do I ask my DCP to start trying to give him rice cereal once during the day? Since I only get 2-3 feeding sessions with him during the work week, I'd prefer to nurse in the early morning to allow for the bonding time, since the post-work feeding will be at least partially cereal/highchair time.
Thanks ladies!
Re: Questions about starting solids
I believe the "mixing with BM/formula" is to make rice cereal a bit more palatable. You could certainly mix with water, which is what I would probably do if he hasn't had formula yet.
I would nurse before trying to feed solids so he's not FAMISHED when you're trying something new & if he's in a daycare situation where other kids are eating, I would ask if the DCP could try feeding him too. Sometimes the "peer pressure" helps, ya know?
But, it can take awhile for babies to come around to solids. if he's really not a fan, then maybe set it aside for a few days/a week & try again.
mix with water; once he's on solids, he needs water too, which will help w/ constipation; the rule is he should take in as much water as he does solids, so if he is eating 1oz of rice cereal, you should give him 1oz of water
give it to him b/w feedings/nursings, i.e.: if you nurse at 7am and give a bottle at 10am, then give the cereal with a spoon at 8:30
A few things, there is no rule you need to start with rice cereal. You can definitely start with fruit and veggies, neither of which would need BM. Avocado, sweet potato, squash, carrots, apples, prunes, bananas, etc. are all good first foods. For both of my kids, we started with cereal. DD didn't really like rice, she preferred oatmeal and barley, DS liked rice well enough, but it constipates him, so he now gets oatmeal and barley. At first, it really is just practice with the spoon. We knew DS was ready because he would get so mad when we were eating and he wasn't. You can definitely make cereal with water, I've done that when we were out and about and I didn't have an expressed BM.
It's really messy for a good month or more before they fully get the hang of eating and in our case, being patient enough to let me get the spoon in DSs mouth. I always nurse before feeding when they are this young. Only as they get older and meals are replacing BM do I reverse the order.
DS is always give one meal a day at daycare - I like this because if its a crazy evening, I don't worry about feeding him solids. I would see if they can do one meal a day there. I let my DCP know each week what is safe for DS to eat. I think your feeding schedule depends on your preferences. Mornings are rushed, so I usually feed lunch and dinner to DS. I don't think we transitioned to 3 meals a day till 9-10 months.
Good luck, trying new foods is a fun time. They definitely have their preferences. It's fun to see what they like and dislike. (This changes a lot too as time goes on).
Ditto pp - you can mix cereal with water or formula. If you're mixing it with fresh BM, you can put the extra back in the fridge and offer it at the next feeding. It should stay good for a while in the fridge.
almost all of this!
we started T with oatmeal around 7 months and A with apples and avocado around 8 months, then oatmeal. like Hey Jellisy, we waited until each baby showed signs of being ready for solids (tongue no longer pushes out, demonstrated interest in our food) before offering any. T took to the spoon immediately. A, a month into solids, still has her days when she is not interested in eating anything off of a spoon!
i grind regular oatmeal in the food processor until it's powdery, then cook it with water. after it cools and right before serving, i mix with a little hand expressed BM (i literally stand over the bowl and express directly into the bowl...you don't need much).
our DCP give one meal/day. A is only up to 2 solid meals a day (with a couple snacks) - lunch and dinner. i always mix BM with her solids so that her meals retain the flavor of BM.
i make foods for her on the weekend, then freeze in ice cube trays (each cube is 1oz). when it's frozen, i pop out the cubes and put enough for one lunch in bags so that i can easily take her lunches to DC each day.
Make sure that you're feeding him solids sometime after he has already BFed. I typically give a solids meal 30-60 minutes after a bottle. That way, he isn't completely full, but isn't starving either.
Go ahead and mix the cereal with water, or even skip the cereal altogether. DD started with squash and DS started with avocado. Rice cereal is constipating and flavorless. :-) He might not like it.