What's your advice on solids?

bigbear · July 2012

Happy Friday mamas!

So my DD is definitely ready for solids. She can sit up on her own and she is most definitely interested in our food! She's practically doing the cheweing motion with you LOL

So I tried giving her some oatmeal mixed with the formula. This is what she gets for bedtime just in a bottle. But she hates it thicker and gags and cries so I obviously don't force it. I tried it twice but she just won't have it....

Do I try the oatmeal with just water or some kind of a juice? Or should I maybe go for something completely different like a sweet potato etc.

What is your rec on what to start her off with for the first time??

Also did you try giving your LO some before regular feeding and how much and then just gave him/her the bottle to finish off?

TIA!

aboynamedbarry · July 2012

happy friday to you too! I haven't actually started solids quite yet, but I'll chime in on what i think about it and what I've gathered along the way!

I would say to not try mixing it with juice... juice is pretty much void of nutrients (unless squeezed fresh!) and her body will treat it like sugar. maybe try mixing the oatmeal with formula but feeding with a spoon, even if it's super runny... she may like it that way just because it's different than from her bottle! I've nannied a couple babies and sometimes it seems like they don't want to give up their rusty trusty bottle just the way it is, it's like a comfort to them with everything else changing

then also, if that's not working, or even if it is, try steaming some vegetables, maybe sweet potato or carrots and making it REALLY soft and then letting her just nibble at it. it will give her flavor and she probably won't swallow too much but it'll give her an idea of what it's like. avocado too is a really great first food.

as for when to feed her, my personal preference is that their main source of nutrition for the whole first year comes from formula or breastmilk. so (while others may disagree) I believe she should have a bottle before eating other food. especially since for the first couple months of eating she won't be getting that much in her tummy anyways, it's more practice and play oooooor you could give her some in between a feeding. like give her a bottle, then like a half hour later some food.

i_heart_scott · July 2012

With our lo, I am using water to mix his oatmeal...and I just recently added some fresh mashed peaches to it...he LOVES it. He eats that in the morning, and then I'm trying veggies at night...so far - did okay with squash, loves peas, loves avocado, loves sweet potato. I give bits of things from my plate too, but only tiny morsels since he is super interested...the funniest thing is his LOVE for dill pickles...he will get super excited when he sees one and will suck on it like mad...obviously I don't give him that very often, but if I get one on my plate while we are out, it's all his.

As with pp though, I use these things to expose him to different flavors and practice - not as primary sources of nutrition. He is still breastfed and some days goes all day just with BM others has some solids. That's also why I don't put them in the bottle, because I want him to seperate the two experiences.

Hope that helps.

melissa

bigbear · July 2012

aboynamedbarry:

happy friday to you too! I haven't actually started solids quite yet, but I'll chime in on what i think about it and what I've gathered along the way!

I would say to not try mixing it with juice... juice is pretty much void of nutrients (unless squeezed fresh!) and her body will treat it like sugar. maybe try mixing the oatmeal with formula but feeding with a spoon, even if it's super runny... she may like it that way just because it's different than from her bottle! I've nannied a couple babies and sometimes it seems like they don't want to give up their rusty trusty bottle just the way it is, it's like a comfort to them with everything else changing

then also, if that's not working, or even if it is, try steaming some vegetables, maybe sweet potato or carrots and making it REALLY soft and then letting her just nibble at it. it will give her flavor and she probably won't swallow too much but it'll give her an idea of what it's like. avocado too is a really great first food.

as for when to feed her, my personal preference is that their main source of nutrition for the whole first year comes from formula or breastmilk. so (while others may disagree) I believe she should have a bottle before eating other food. especially since for the first couple months of eating she won't be getting that much in her tummy anyways, it's more practice and play oooooor you could give her some in between a feeding. like give her a bottle, then like a half hour later some food.

Thanks!! Hm maybe I'll try making it just like the bottle and leave it super runny rather than thicker. Maybe that will do the trick... And I may go with avocado

Yeah, I wasn't sure what timing is best as of course she'll not be getting much in her tummy at first.. I guess we'll just have to try a few things and see what works.

bigbear · July 2012

i_heart_scott:

With our lo, I am using water to mix his oatmeal...and I just recently added some fresh mashed peaches to it...he LOVES it. He eats that in the morning, and then I'm trying veggies at night...so far - did okay with squash, loves peas, loves avocado, loves sweet potato. I give bits of things from my plate too, but only tiny morsels since he is super interested...the funniest thing is his LOVE for dill pickles...he will get super excited when he sees one and will suck on it like mad...obviously I don't give him that very often, but if I get one on my plate while we are out, it's all his.

As with pp though, I use these things to expose him to different flavors and practice - not as primary sources of nutrition. He is still breastfed and some days goes all day just with BM others has some solids. That's also why I don't put them in the bottle, because I want him to seperate the two experiences.

Hope that helps.

melissa

Thanks Melissa! That is too funny about the dill pickles! Who would have thought huh?

I think I just need to start trying things, I"m way too afraid like I'm going to break my baby or something LOL

namara5532 · July 2012

You definately don't want to force solids. Keep it a fun, playful experience, even if she makes a mess. That's part of learning how solids work.

I would not recommend mixing it with water. You could give rice cereal a try, or you could go straight to a pureed version of recommended first foods, such as peas or bananas. If she's still resisting, she may not be ready. Just keep offering it every now and then.

I feed DS between his feedings so he isn't ravenous but still hungry enough to eat. I also let him sit in his highchair at the table even when he's not eating so he feels involved with the eating activity.

talitha712 · July 2012

Don't give solids when baby is really hungry. They don't know yet that food will fill them up so they just end up frustrated, which makes you frustrated. Try to time solids between bottles/nursing sessions. At this point food is more for exploration than anything else.

aboynamedbarry · July 2012

namara5532:
I feed DS between his feedings so he isn't ravenous but still hungry enough to eat. I also let him sit in his highchair at the table even when he's not eating so he feels involved with the eating activity.

i do this too

bigbear · July 2012

aboynamedbarry:
namara5532:

I feed DS between his feedings so he isn't ravenous but still hungry enough to eat. I also let him sit in his highchair at the table even when he's not eating so he feels involved with the eating activity.

i do this too

We do this as well!

shortstuff15 · July 2012

namara5532:

I would not recommend mixing it with water.

I feed DS between his feedings so he isn't ravenous but still hungry enough to eat. I also let him sit in his highchair at the table even when he's not eating so he feels involved with the eating activity.

In regards to the bolded, why not?? We started with rice cereal designed to be mixed with formula (and she is formula fed) and she hated it. The only oatmeal cereal available is designed to be mixed with water, so what would the problem be? I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm just genuinely confused as to why you wouldn't mix a cereal with water!

As to the rest of the original post, we feed solids completely seperate from the bottle. She gets her morning bottle and about 45 minutes later she gets her cereal. Mid-morning bottle at 11ish, then just a mum mum or cheerios at lunch time (and that really provides nothing but the feeling of eating like everybody else). Afternoon bottle is at 3:30/4ish, veggie or fruit at supper with us and then her bedtime bottle at 7ish. She also gets little bits of our regular food on her tray at supper and come the next couple weeks we'll be moving more towards the BLW part and less puree's so then she'll just get whatever we are eating at pretty much every meal and whatever makes it into her stomach is good and the rest is formula.

MrsRucinski85 · July 2012

We just kind of do our own thing.

She just started getting cereal every day at day care this past week. Starting next week they will offer her cereal mixed with apple sauce or bananas - bc we've tried them and had no problems.

We actually do a lot of BLW. She munches on a lot of what I eat for dinner. Like for the 4th she had a rib bone to play with.

I always offer her solids after BFing her. Im not sure if thats what you are supposed to do but thats what I do.

GL and have fun!

eklanger · July 2012

I tried rice first, but she wasn't really ready and didn't like it much. So a few weeks later we tried pureed pears and she loves them. If your LO doesn't like/ wont eat much cereal, you could move on and try different tastes. No harm in it.

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