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Success after IF
Beginning solids...a couple of questions
At our 2-month well baby check-up, our pediatrician said that we will discuss the possibility of beginning rice cereal at their 4-month well baby check-up.
Well, that time is upon us (holy heck, how are we already at 4 months?!) and I have a couple of questions before our appointment the week after next.
1. What age did your LO's start eating solids?
2. How did you know your LO's were ready to begin eating solids?
3. Did you start with rice cereal? If so, what kind? If not, what did you start with?
4. Were your LO's in highchairs when you began feeding them solids?
5. I know we will continue giving them their bottles with breastmilk and supplemented formula, but where and when do the solids fit into the schedule?
Right now, our LO's eat 5 bottles per day at 7 ounces (5 ounces breastmilk - 2 ounces formula) every 3 hours (sometimes they only make it 2.5 hours before they start doing the "give me my bottle" routine). Not sure if this matters, but they are STTN as well. They wake up at about 7:00 a.m. and have their last bottle around 7:45 p.m.
I'm sorry that I have so many questions...I just feel so overwhelmed at the thought of beginning solids. I'm worried about them not getting enough nutrients, etc. I am planning on making our own baby food and I've been researching that like crazy, but I'm just so nervous to begin.
I just know you ladies have the best advice, so I figured I'd bombard you with all my crazy questions 
Thanks!
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Re: Beginning solids...a couple of questions
1. What age did your LO's start eating solids?
We tried again at 5.5 months and she did GREAT!
We got the go-ahead at 4 months. We tried about 1.5 weeks later. She was NOT ready. She was still dealing with a major tongue thrust reflex and I just chased all the rice cereal down her chin.
2. How did you know your LO's were ready to begin eating solids?
We didn't "know". We tried once (see above) and then tried again a bit later.
3. Did you start with rice cereal? If so, what kind? If not, what did you start with?
Yes, it's what our pedi recommended. We got Earth's Best Organic. Some disagree with rice because it is constipating (it was a little...she grunted more, but her poo was still liquidy/breastmilk poo, she just had to work harder to get it out), but it's good because it has iron that they need. We don't use it much anymore, I prefer oatmeal.....it looks more nutritious.
You can also try avocado or banana as a first. I still follow the "veggies first, fruits later" idea. That way C is sure to like veggies (she has liked EVERYTHING we have given her so far - squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, but NOT avocado, but we will try that again later.
)
4. Were your LO's in highchairs when you began feeding them solids?
Yes, ours reclines, so we reclined it a bit that first time, but now she has good head control (as sign of being ready), so we don't need to.
5. I know we will continue giving them their bottles with breastmilk and supplemented formula, but where and when do the solids fit into the schedule?
We added hers in between her late afternoon, evening bottles. (I know most recommend adding new solids during the day, but with our work schedules, nighttime feeding worked the best). She is doing really well with solids, so I have recently added a morning feeding in (which I will give her, or DC will, between her first and second bottles). Everything I read recommended giving them a bottle, waiting .5-1.5 hours and then trying solids, that way they still get most of their calories from BM/formula, because that is most important until they are 1.
Sorry info overload!
TTC Since Dec 2006
*IVF #1 cancelled at ET*
*IVF #2 OHSS, transfer cancelled*
*FET #1 2 frosties, c/p*
*Lap April 2010, removed endometrioma/endo implants*
*Surprise BFP June 2010*
*Beautiful daughter born 2/14/11!!*
Thoughts from an Overwrought Mind
SAIFW
Just want to say that if you don't feel ready, do not feel rushed. Many like to wait until after six months to introduce solids, and that is FINE.
Do what feels right for you and your little ones!
1. What age did your LO's start eating solids? We started Ava on solids around 5 months, mostly because I was so excited to move on to the next milestone. With the twins, I was in no hurry, and we waited until maybe 6 1/2 months.
2. How did you know your LO's were ready to begin eating solids? At first, Ava would thrust her tongue out, so we knew she wasn't really ready. We gave her another week or two, and she did ok.
3. Did you start with rice cereal? If so, what kind? If not, what did you start with? I think we started with rice cereal, then oatmeal. First food after that was avocado for Ava, bananas for the twins. I think we then moved on to carrot and other vegetables, then we started on more fruits.
4. Were your LO's in highchairs when you began feeding them solids? Yup, in highchairs, reclined a bit.
5. I know we will continue giving them their bottles with breastmilk and supplemented formula, but where and when do the solids fit into the schedule? Solids at first are mostly just for practice from what I remember, so just start with one meal. I liked to fit it into the morning, so that I knew the pedi would be open if we did have a food allergy or I had a question. At first, I just fit it in as an extra thing (like an activity) and did not really change the feeding schedule much.
I really loved wholesomebabyfood.com when I made my own food!Our Thanksgiving Day baby 11/22/07
Pregnant with #2 with LPD, uterine polyp/hysteroscopy, DOR (AMH = 0.17), 2 c/ps
Our early Christmas present 12/9/10
We didn't even think about doing it until 6 months. By that time she was sitting up independently and I felt comfortable sitting her upright in her chair. We tried and she was ready!
We started with Rice cereal. We're in Canada so we have different brands than you. She loved it! Her first 'real' food was sweet potato and she was not a fan! She still isn't! We didn't have any issue with constipation. She was EBF before and so there was a change in her bowels once she started eating a decent amount but nothing painful or worrisome for her.
I made the majority of her food and it really was easy.
We started just with once a day, and slowly moved to twice a day. I would always make sure she nursed before a meal, maybe like an hour or so beforehand since that was how she was getting her main source of nutrition. Solids really didn't effect her intake at nursing sessions for several months.
Good luck!
also, buy these spoons--our baby takes them MUCH better than other baby spoons:
https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Graduates-Infant-Spoon-Colors/dp/B0018OHCLC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314551073&sr=8-2
2. 6 months was the latest my pedi suggested starting.
3. We started with easy veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots. We eventually added oatmeal cereal and multigrain (to avoid constipation issues with the rice cereal), but usually mixed in with another puree as a thickener. We wanted the iron from it while I was still BFing, but didn't see mich of a purpose for it otherwise.
4. We started in her bumbo, then moved to the highchair in a reclined position.
5. We always offered solids about an hour after BFing/a bottle. We started with something around dinner time, then added a breakfast time meal, and added lunch last at 9 months.
Because we're fancy like that.