Introducing Food

AbbySeiden · November 2014

My pediatritian said we could start introducing food to LO. He'll be 5 months next week. We are going to be starting with either the single grain rice cereal or oatmeal. So how do I begin?
He gets "food" only 1 time a day? For how long?

Which meal does it make most sense with? Dinner to help him sleep the night? Or breakfast?

ashanne88 · November 2014

We have just started introducing solids. We've only done it a couple times so I'm no expert. We are starting with fruit and vegetable purees, what our pediatrician recommended. I bought some rice cereal if any of the purees need to be thickened.

I feed him one "meal" (only 1-2 oz) at night before his bath. My thinking was at night would help keep him stay fuller through the night. Also, dinner is the only meal we eat all together.

Edited: words

tbmadeamistake · November 2014

I started with dinner and did about a tablespoon the first day. It was pretty obvious the first time we tried that he wasn't ready. Most of it came back out due to the reflex of pushing everything out with their tongue. Two weeks later he yelled at us during lunch so I tried again and he ate it all really well. At that point he got a tablespoon or two with dinner for a couple nights. Then I added breakfast for a few days, then lunch as well. These days I let him eat as much as he wants until he starts refusing the spoon. I think he eats about two ounces of puree, with a little cereal to thicken it, at each meal. He's five months and has been on solids for about three weeks.

JmeJoLee83 · November 2014

We tried rice cereal and he wasn't impressed. I have tried sweet potato purée and I think it made him gassy. Just introduced bananas and he seems to like them. I have only done 1 tablespoon a day after a breast milk meal. I may try to increase to twice a day (2 tablespoons) each once I know he can tolerate a certain food.

He is just over 5 months. It is so much fun! I feel like he is still getting the same number of breast feeding meals-these little tastes are not replacing them. He is so interested in what we eat, he will squeal and squirm and has shown the other "ready signs".

irenewslee · November 2014

We got the green light from the pedi at the 4 months appt but we didn't start until late last week (she will be 5 mos tomorrow). We do it over dinner before bath because that's the time we will all be together and also I don't want daycare to overfeed her with solid. The first two nights it was over half a tablespoon of plain rice cereal with breastmilk. LO is so used to the constant flow from the bottle that she screamed at me when I only gave her one spoon full at a time, so I gave her 2oz of milk before I fed her again. Yesterday I gave her a tablespoon and fed her before the bottle and she was more patient this time. I also put the bottle on her tray and she basically stared at the bottle the whole time while I was feeding her. I don't think I will give her veggies or fruits until another week.

My friend also told me that it's better to start on the veggie before fruits, or else they will always prefer fruits because it's sweet. Is that true?

Cherylwang · November 2014

We started with rice cereal at 4 months and I now give her either sweet potato or squash for dinner. That I make and blend for her. She loves it! I usually give her rice cereal for breakfast and the veggie for dinner/before bed.

Mhensley1991 · November 2014

With our LO having severe acid reflex, she began to refuse bottles as se associated them with pain. She was down to taking just 10oz a day and was losing weight. The doctors told as at her month appointment to start with rice cereal (2-4tbs 2xday) and to add 1 tbs of fruit in the morning and veggie at night. Our LO loves her cereal and now takes her cereal 2xdaybabd is back up to 15oz of formula a day. She spits up constantly but tends to barely spit up with actual rice cereal feedings. I love being able to make her baby food! It costs me $5 for a months supply of organic veggies. I buy her fruits.

MrsAy · November 2014

My pedi said just two to three tsp of cereal in the morning after I feed her. He told me I could start when she's 5 months, IF I wanted to but that she could wait until she's six months because she's growing and gaining weight fine with only breast milk and most likely I'll wait or skip cereal altogether and go straight to puréed fruits and veggies.
I haven't decided if I'm gonna start with sweet potatoes, carrots or avocados.

AandJ28 · November 2014

We got the go-ahead at her 4mo check up. Pedi recommended 3 days of oatmeal, followed by 3 days of prunes. Then she said we could try different fruits/veggies but to feed her the same thing for at least 3 days as it will allow us to see any allergies/sensitivities. LO is allergic to prunes (we found out right away... Had red blotches after a couple of spoonfuls). We've done bananas and she loves them! She now eats one full banana as a meal, replacing a bottle. I feed her at her 830/9am feeding. She's been a little constipated so we've done pears and they seem to help. She eats 4oz of fruits as her meal. We are starting veggies in a couple of days.

joannealisa · November 2014

My doctor says rice cereal as soon as he wakes up and when he is having about 2-3 ounces of rice cereal then I can add in a dinner meal too. After that is going well for a few days then I switch to oatmeal with veggies. Sounds nasty! I didn't know people went straight to baby food. Maybe I should do that. I don't think George likes rice cereal very much. I mean who would like that stuff? Ick.

AbbySeiden · November 2014

Well we're diving in on Wednesday night! We're going to do dinner since that's what we're always home for (he's in full time daycare). Tonight I had him sit in his high chair and play with his spoon so he gets used to it all. We usually try to do a forced cluster feed at night to help him sleep (and it usually works - 11hrs straight most nights!). He eats roughly every 3 hours, but at night well do every 2 or less (tonight he last ate at daycare at 4:20 we feed him again at 6:30 and again at 8) so I think we'll do "dinner" at that 6:30ish feed.

tclayton53 · November 2014

My LC recommened Super Baby Food (availble on Amazon). It talks about when to introduce, what foods, intro schedules, how to incorporate solids into a breastfeeding/formula schedule without initially dropping a feed/effecting supply. Also covers baby through toddler dietary needs and has a ton of recipes if you plan to make your own foods. I really like the book so far and highly recommend.

SarahS11 · November 2014

Anyone else's baby gag on purees? LO has done great with cereal... We moved to carrots tonight (they were definitely thicker than the cereal I mix her) and she just kept making a gagging face. She still was really excited when the spoon was coming at her, but once it was in her mouth I thought she might vomit... Normal?

CrysW08 · November 2014

We started with baby oatmeal a few weeks ago (at 4 months old). I always give it to her in the morning in case of an allergic reaction. After a couple weeks of that, I switched to the barley/oatmeal cereal. She still only eats a few teaspoons each time but is getting better at swallowing it. Tonight I'm planning to purée some carrots for her to try tomorrow!

Good luck!

TheGizzmo · November 2014

We have tried 1tbsp of rice cereal on a few occasions. She seemed to love the taste and was able to figure out the whole swallowing thing, but then I found she was veryyy constipated for like 3 days afterwards (she is EBF and has never had this problem before) So I think we'll give it a little longer and see how it goes later!

AbbySeiden · November 2014

I chickened up tonight - my husband and I decided to do it for morning feedings, starting on Saturday

lauren8384 · November 2014

This may be a stupid question, but I just started researching how to make my own baby food. And, when you freeze it, how do you thaw the food out? Do you put it in the microwave, take it out and put in refrigerator?
As I'm typing, I'm realizing that both probably are fine! I just don't want it to be like breastmilk, and shouldn't be put in microwave because of hot spots.

yayksimp · November 2014

Is nobody else here thinking of trying baby-led weaning? I'm waiting a bit to introduce solids so we can try it, and was curious if anybody else has tried it or is thinking of giving it a go. It sounds ridiculously fun, if messy. And maybe a little intimidating.

I think I just want to take a video of my lo gumming a steak.

Edit: just saw there's a BLW thread. Woohoo.

izzetoot · November 2014

We stir. I thought for the longest time you weren't supposed to microwave milk bc it did something to the protein or worse. Then I found out its because a bunch of morons nuked it and burnt their babies mouths bc they don't understand how a microwaves work.

Anywho… we started on solids a few days ago. So far just mashed bananas and avocados. He makes the cutest face when we first start eating but then starts reaching for the spoon and opening his mouth ready for the next bite. I am planning on making our own purees. Anyone have one of those beabacook thingies? A friend of mine wants to sell me hers for $20.

coffee89 · November 2014

We started solids because we can't get him to take any more formula without and he is just hitting the minimum ounces (and some days not getting there at all), but he is adding in solids without dropping feedings. It makes 0 sense to me, but it is working for him.

We started cereal a few weeks back, once a week or so to see if he was interested. About a week ago he was into it so we are giving it to him once (sometimes twice if we skip a puree) in the mid-morning/afternoon and then a puree thickened with cereal with dinner.

So far we have failed 2 of the 3 foods we have tried so I am cutting back to just cereal again for a few weeks and starting again to see if it was a reaction or just too soon for his system. Once I feel like we have a good grasp on if we have any foods to avoid I'm going to lean more towards BLW. I gave him a slice of apple the other day and he went to town on it!

fsumom · November 2014

yayksimp said:

Is nobody else here thinking of trying baby-led weaning? I'm waiting a bit to introduce solids so we can try it, and was curious if anybody else has tried it or is thinking of giving it a go. It sounds ridiculously fun, if messy. And maybe a little intimidating. I think I just want to take a video of my lo gumming a steak. Edit: just saw there's a BLW thread. Woohoo.

We're doing BLW too. I plan to start with a banana around 6 months.

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Introducing Food

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