Introducing Solids

lialakacz · November 2013

Hi Ladies!

Oh how I've missed you! Since I've been back at work, I haven't had the time to get online here to chat with you all...I'll try to be more involved...looks like I have a lot of catching up to do. But I do have a question, that I'd love your advice on.

My LO is 3 months old already! My MIL is really pushing introducing rice cereal to her. She's been pushing it since day one so that the baby could sleep longer b/c her "belly would be full." I was not about to push the cereal on my child just so I could sleep well. My thought process, as my doctors as well, is that babies aren't made to sleep through the night, and need to eat often to grow and be nourished. I didn't care if I got sleep or not as long as my LO was ok.

But now at 3 months she's really pushing saying that now's the time to switch to solids. My doctor is on maternity leave, and my MIL is taking care of LO in the other room this week while I'm working, so it's hard to sneak away to call the doctor to talk to them. I checked Dr. Google, other family members, and friends, and i'm getting answers from 3 months to 5 months. So I ask you all...when will you start introducing solids, and how do you plan to do it? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I will also let you know what the Dr office says once I finally get to sneak away and call them

BellaOso · November 2013

NO. Do not introduce rice cereal without talking to your ped. Wait until baby is watching you eat, showing interest, etc. Most peds say 4ish months is okay. I will be waiting a until 5-6 months at the earliest and will skip rice cereal as I did with my first. Her first food besides breast milk was squash and she loved it and never had issues.

magdalina.h · November 2013

We didn't introduce solids until 4-5 months. I would wait until you can talk to your pedi/another pedi in the office.

The food isn't for nutrition, just to get baby used to the textures and flavors. Lucas never ate enough solids to keep him full over night. I think that's more a coincidence. Tell your MIL you already talked to your pedi and were told to wait.

hnic14 · November 2013

WAIT! Consult your dr first and since your mil is watching LO I am assuming she is NOT a dr! Our parents generation were all about cereal really early but that is not the norm anymore. We will not start solids until 6 months and will skip the cereal. We did the same with DS after consulting out dr.

Sorry this is a touchy subject for me but the decision on what to feed your child is not up to your mil tell her to back the F off!

BelhurstBride · November 2013

Rice cereal is not going to get your kid to STTN. Your MIL is using flawed logic, and going off of old recommendations. The current rec is 4-6 months with a huge push toward 6 months.

lialakacz · November 2013

I agree with you all...I do not just go off of what she says, I go off the doctor. Drives me nuts how much she pushes this as well as my husband, oy.

AprilRaine · November 2013

If I were you I'd call my Dr on speaker with my MIL in the room.

WheeLinTheSky3 · November 2013

BelhurstBride said:

Rice cereal is not going to get your kid to STTN. Your MIL is using flawed logic, and going off of old recommendations. The current rec is 4-6 months with a huge push toward 6 months.

ALL OF THIS. PS...I highly suggest that you stop entertaining taking your MIL's advice/letting her think that is an option right now. Otherwise, all you will hear throughout this child's life is "you HAVE to do this, youre doing this wrong, etc." Just politely say "thanks for you suggestion but I am going to work with LO's pedi on a plan, thank you" and then drop it. Dont even discuss it with her.

LokiLahve · November 2013

I'll be waiting until 6 months per my ped's guidance. Your MIL needs to hop back in her delorean and take her advice back to her generation.

cinderin · November 2013

My mil suggested formula and rice cereal at 6 weeks! Ha ha! I don't think so. I can sleep when he is older.

We will also skip the rice cereal. Probably do banana or avacado. Maybe a turkey purée. I need to do more reading about it.

MommyAmes2 · November 2013

If I took other people's advice..... LO would be on rice cereal, drinking whole milk, forward facing, CIO and teething on dog biscuits. Yes, all things family members have told me.

You need to do what YOU feel is right. Consult with your pedi not your MIL. I would also be worried that MIL is watching LO, hope she doesn't try anything you didn't agree on.

CaliforniaDream87 · November 2013

I won't be introducing any cereals. Solids will be introduced between 5-6 months (depends on when my LO seems ready). Why are you allowing what your MIL says to be the "gospel"? I mean, this is your child and if you don't feel like your child is ready for solids then that's, that.

I don't get the "sneaking away to call the pedi"....

ELauren88 · November 2013

When people give me horrible parenting advice:

MommyKristin88 · November 2013

Don't give your baby any solids right now unless the ped says to. Your MIL doesn't need to be so involved in your parenting decisions!

LJUTCMommy · November 2013

I have a somewhat related question for BTDT reflux Moms. I was planning not to introduce solids until 6 months and going straight into real food (no rice cereal). However, pedi said I *could* introduce it at 4 months as it sometimes helps with reflux babies. She is not pushing it, just said it's up to me.

DD is not having a weight problem and her reflux is fairly well controlled with prevacid 2x a day. I would like to continue EBF until 6 months. Did anyone have success with the cereal? Or was it a waste?

lialakacz I agree with all the PPs, talk to your pedi first, and if possible, wait until 6 mos to introduce solids.

WildRumpus · November 2013

We won't be starting until 5-6 months, and won't be doing cereal. It has zero nutritional value, neither do most jar foods. Please don't do something without talking to your pedi just to get MIL off of your back

MommyBolty · November 2013

My LO sleeps through the night and has only ever had breast milk. I won't introduce solids until Pedi suggests it. And I am thinking about skipping rice cereal and going straight to food that can provide nutrients.

Ignore MIL...stick to your guns and your gut.

BellaOso · November 2013

LJUTCMommy said:

I have a somewhat related question for BTDT reflux Moms. I was planning not to introduce solids until 6 months and going straight into real food (no rice cereal). However, pedi said I *could* introduce it at 4 months as it sometimes helps with reflux babies. She is not pushing it, just said it's up to me.

DD is not having a weight problem and her reflux is fairly well controlled with prevacid 2x a day. I would like to continue EBF until 6 months. Did anyone have success with the cereal? Or was it a waste?

lialakacz I agree with all the PPs, talk to your pedi first, and if possible, wait until 6 mos to introduce solids.

I hate to admit it, but when DD1 started solids her reflux got better rapidly. She was off meds by 6 months. I would suggest not putting an age / number of months on it, but rather looking to see when she is ready. Watching you eat, showing interest in food, mimicking eating, etc.

carrotcake06 · November 2013

@ljutcmommy, my LOs are a bit older since they're preemies and my refluxy one has really improved over the past 3-4weeks. He has really good head/trunk control (way better than his brother) and enjoys sitting on my lap/being upright. Since we've been doing that more, I've noticed a difference in his refluxy-ness. You also said your LO goes through a bunch of diapers too? Mine would poop 10-12x a day and his butt was raw. But again, in the past 3-4weeks, he poops only 3-4x a day and his butt is slowly healing.

So all that to say, I think they get their digestive systems in order around 4ish months. That often coincided w when many people start solids (and it is true that it's heavier food), but I think it's a bunch of things: sitting upright and a maturing digestive system, just as much as introducing solids.

In my highly unofficial opinion

MammaBear81 · November 2013

I agree with PP that say don't just listen to your MIL, but I don't agree with "do what you pedi says". There are plenty if pedis out there that will say you can start solids at 3 months. I'm not saying disregard what your pedi says, but take it into account, and do your own research. You are you child's best advocate, do what is right for you, and your family.

I started my two oldest at 3 months (this was 6-8 years ago at pedi's reccomendation) after that I did my own research and don't start until 5-6 months, I would start later if they didn't show "signs" of wanting to eat solids, but all of my kids have started by 6 months so far.

LJUTCMommy · November 2013

@carrotcake06 @bellaoso

That is good to know. I might ask the pedi about starting real solids around 5 months, if DD is ready. I agree with @Jill9288 that rice cereal really has no nutritional value.

Dd is a silent refluxer so she doesn't spit up much.

Dd actually doesn't poop that much, maybe 4 times a week on average. She pees 12 or more times a day.

It's funny you mention the head/neck control. Dd is held or worn upright 80% of her waking time so her head is great. She is normally looking over my shoulder all day. She'll be 4 months on the 25th.

kwrecks · November 2013

CaliforniaDream87 said:
I won't be introducing any cereals. Solids will be introduced between 5-6 months (depends on when my LO seems ready). Why are you allowing what your MIL says to be the "gospel"? I mean, this is your child and if you don't feel like your child is ready for solids then that's, that.

I don't get the "sneaking away to call the pedi"....

This.

No cereal, 5 or 6 months, and we are doung baby led weaning so no baby food or purees either.

Its your kid. Call and ask the doctor and dont let MIL make the decisions. She raised her kid, she needs to let you raise yours.

Lorjo2022 · November 2013

My LO is only 9 weeks so we haven't discussed anything with our pediatrician yet but I wouldn't even think of giving him rice cereal, let alone solids! Stick to the EXPERTS advice and not your MIL! I don't know why MILs think once they have grandchildren they become medical professionals?!

BlueJewelM · November 2013

Yeah I would definitely not do any solids yet.

I'm waiting until 6 months. I tried starting them around 4 months with DS1 and he wanted nothing to do with it. Plus it was kind of a pain, way easier to BF.

I actually like using rice cereal. It was good practice for DS1. He didn't want to eat solids and at 6.5 months I finally got him to eat a spoonful of rice cereal with breastmilk. It may not have any nutritional value, but it had experiencial value in this house.

. Once he got the hang of that (1 week?) he started eating fruits and veggies.

Michelle N · November 2013

Jill9288 said:

We won't be starting until 5-6 months, and won't be doing cereal. It has zero nutritional value, neither do most jar foods. Please don't do something without talking to your pedi just to get MIL off of your back

This - I'm in no rush to start solids, and we'll be skipping cereal.

Revez · November 2013

If my MIL was that pushy with me I'd shove the rice cereal so far up her ass she'd be tasting it for weeks.

vintageutopia · November 2013

No offense, but you need to cowboy-up when it comes to your child. No need to sneak away and make calls away from listening ears. Your MIL raised her children...this baby belongs to you and it is up to you and your SO/DH/Whatever to call the shots. I am the first to advocate healthy IL relationships and peace keeping, but this is an entirely different matter. Just say NO!

And if she tries to slip your child rice cereal, you have my permission to break her fingers.

TurtleMomma · November 2013

vintageutopia said:
And if she tries to slip your child rice cereal, you have my permission to break her fingers.

LMAO! And agreed. I would be very wary that she isn't goung behind your back to feel LO solids.

PrimRoseMama · November 2013

Rice cereal will not do anything to help your kid sleep. The baby will sleep through the night when he/she is able & not before.

What it might do is constipate & cause the baby stomach trouble. Their guts are still developing & digesting solids too early is very difficult on their little systems.

I would absolutely wait.

Critter015 · November 2013

We started solids at 6 months with DD and will be doing the same with DS. DD was a tiny little thing and I wanted to feed her the most nutrient dense food possible, so I didn't fill her up with things like rice cereal. I plan to start DS out with avocado and banana as his first foods.

That.Just.Happened · November 2013

The earliest I have ever heard you can do it is 4 months, and that is REALLY early. We started DD1 at 5.5 months. We skipped rice cereal entirely (it causes constipation) and did oatmeal for 1 week, then a few basic purees for about 3 weeks, then went straight to Baby Led Solids (google it) where we basically gave her table food from our plates.

Why in the world would you listen to your MIL (or anyone) over your pedi??

mauied08 · November 2013

My mom pushing me to give the baby water and baby food even when I tell her why the baby doesn't need it yet. Thank goodness she lives on the other side of the country. Lol she's like I feed u this and that when u were little. I'm like times has changed. I read an article from a website my pedi recommended that the baby has to be a minimum of 13 pounds and have head control but people use the highchair that reclines if baby has no head control like my mom did with me. But they also said it can wait till they are 6 mons. One of my ants was telling me about using a teaspoon of rice cereal in bottle to get baby to sleep around 6 weeks old. I think it's bs. I'm lucky though my baby has been sleeping through the night since he was 5 weeks old.

girlmama83 · November 2013

Sneaking away to call your child's doctor?

I mean this in the kindest way - flucking stand up for yourself.

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