But just thinking ahead...
When do you plan to introduce solid foods? I know what the recommendations are, but just curious what others are planning on doing. Also, store bought baby food, homemade food, baby led weaning, etc? Any STMs have any DOs or DONTs from experience?
Re: I know it's way early for this
We have a ninja to make our own baby food.
Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:
1. Baby can sit up well unassisted
2. Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
3. Baby is ready and willing to chew.
4. Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger.
5. Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.
We'll give LO whatever veggies and meat we are having with dinner, and he can play or eat as much as he likes.
Here's some more info for anyone interested:
https://kellymom.com/category/nutrition/starting-solids/
ETA: With DS1, we started with avocado, sweet potato, banana, and pears between 7 and 8 months.
Married 10/06
Baby Girl "C" arrived on 10/07/14 (39 weeks, 6 days)
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Eta: just looked it up... Then what do I do with my baby bullet!? Haha
But for reals my kid will eat the jar food when it is time.
I have no idea how BLW is done. I've never read up on it, or seen it mentioned other than on TB.
O14 January Signature Challenge: Snow Fails
Or you can return the bullet and get something else. it's up to you!
Also, if you're concerned about baby's teeth hurting you when you BF, don't worry. If it hurt to breastfeed a kid with teeth, no one would BF past 6mo! Baby's tongue covers his bottom teeth when he nurses, so you can't even feel them, and there's barely any pressure from the top teeth, so they don't cause any discomfort.
But so many parents start their kids on rice cereal and purees. You're less likely to hear about BLW at the park or play group, unless you live in a pretty crunchy area.
Ds1 started cereal by the time he was 3 months and veggies at 4 months. He ate a lot and was developmentally ready early so our pediatrician was ok with solids earlier.
This lo seems a bit more "normal" as far as his eating so I'm thinking around 6 months. I made ds1 baby food and I loved it. I will be doing it again.
Now as a toddler, she's a bit more picky with them though.
@ishknits - I thought the same about my baby bullet when I read about BLW too!
)
I will likely make the occasional purée, do jarred food for the nanny, and offer whatever we're eating at dinner.
I read up on BLW, even bought a book, and was all excited to try and it was just not for DD1. She was very sensitive to textures and anything much more than a liquid and she would cough and throw up. We had to work our way up to thinker substances very slowly.
Solids are mostly about play, practice, and fine motor development in the first year. They're less about nutrition, and should only complement breastmilk, not replace it. This is because solid foods contain less fat and nutrients by volume than breastmilk, so REPLACING breastmilk with solids will actually dilute baby's total daily intake...not increase it.
So many moms think that replacing a breastfeeding session with a solids meal will help baby gain weight, but often that causes baby to LOSE weight. Solids in the first year are only usually offered in addition to baby's usual daily intake of breastmilk.
All that said, most babies start to need the additional nutrients in solids by about 9 months, like Theresa said. If solid foods are unavailable or water and food sources unreliable or contaminated, breastmilk alone can nourish a child well for up to two years, and in some areas of poverty, children nurse well into their childhoods, and for some this remains a sole source of nutrition for quite some time. ...but where healthy, clean food and water sources are readily available, it's recommended that solids be offered to baby once he shows all the signs of developmental readiness.