Solids

leowife1110 · April 2015

I've ready consulted with 2 different docs and gotten different answers so I figured I'd see what y'all have to say.
When are you starting solids? what will you start with, rice, veggie or fruit?

stejjy · April 2015

We started about a week ago (4 months). Have gone straight to a mix of purées to give him a taste and feel.. He's very interested in what we're eating. He also sucked on a watermelon today which he enjoyed

my doc said to do what I feel comfortable with, and to watch him closely.

EasternBluebird · April 2015

I just started trying some rice cereal this morning. He absolutely loved it. He's been interested in what me and DH are eating for about a week. He also is eating 4 oz of formula every 2-3 hours. So I figured I would try a small amount of rice cereal and just see how he does. So far so good. If all goes well I'll give him some cereal at 8 am and 8 pm each day plus his bottles of course. I most likely won't introduce anything besides rice cereal for the next month.

On a side note DS thought eating with a spoon was pretty awesome.

Wulfgar · April 2015

I just bought some cereal to start our DD on. She will be 4 months at the end of the month so we will most likely start then.

jpagano113 · April 2015

My LO is 4.5 months and she's tried rice, oatmeal, squash & sweet potato. She eats about 30 oz a day and seems to always want more. She makes chewing motions with her mouth when we eat and grabs the plate so I figured she is good to start solids. We only give her a small amount once a day. Maybe 1/2 tbsp. so far so good! I thought 4 months was way too young but she always seems hungry after her milk! And I believe 32oz of milk is the max

ebilbao · April 2015

My LO is 4.5 months and we were told not to start with rice cereal bc it is empty calories and constipating. Instead, the doc said to start with oatmeal or barley cereal for two weeks and then move to purees, starting with orange veggies, then green, fruits and then meats.

sesturm · April 2015

We started rice cereal two weeks ago (so a little under 4 months) because she seemed to be hungry and watching every bite we took at every meal. She absolutely loves the rice cereal and we do it every evening! We tried oatmeal but it made her very constipated! We will be starting veggies after her appointment next week! Good luck!

abcmom12 · April 2015

probably gonna hold out till 6months (she's 4 now), but then I like to start with an easy fruit like pureed mango, then veggies and mix the fruit in with some baby oatmeal instead of rice cereal. my first DD preferred the oatmeal over the rice as it has more flavor. Plum organics even makes baby pouches with cereal and fruit premixed!

teaismCAgal · April 2015

I'm also planning to hold out till 6 months. Our doctor recommends starting with savory food because if you start with sweets it's harder to get them to like savory foods. Maybe pureed potatoes or peas. She gave us a lengthy handout w/ pros/cons of waiting till 6 months and which foods to start with. It was helpful.

nolanova85 · April 2015

Planning to try this weekend. I think our guy is ready - he'll be 4 months on Thursday. His 4 month well baby visit is Friday, so I'm going to ask the pedi for some tips. I bought oatmeal cereal and some of the Plum Organics purées. If he doesn't do well, we'll just try the following weekend, and so on, till he is ready. But honestly I'll be shocked if it doesn't go well this weekend - he's just doing all the readiness signs. We'll see!

leowife1110 · April 2015

Thanks for all the responses! I'm excited to see how all our little ones do!

SerenityAE · April 2015

My LO has eating rice cereal since 3.5 months- more to get him familiar with using a spoon, I know it doesn't have much nutrition value- but now he's on solids. Started them after his 4 month checkup a couple weeks ago and he loves them. Peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, and then prunes are his favorite.

MommyMoru · April 2015

My LO has shown interest so I might start this next week. He's 19 weeks now and I've kind of given him tastes of things like sauces from fruits and a bit of melon. He seemed ok with them. I just worry about food allergies because I'm very allergic to bananas and shellfish so I am weary about having him try those. But I am also worried about how to do solids here in Japan. They tend to mix baby food by hand here which is fine with me but they also have different recommendations as far as ideas on when to start things. I may start with potatoes and carrots and some easy to squish foods and include some fruits. We go for his next check up next week so I'll ask the doctor then what he/she thinks.

Is it true you should wait a week between new foods though?

leowife1110 · April 2015

Another question... Rice have DD terrible gas, theoretically speaking would you think oatmeal would do the same?

Arwmrt · April 2015

It is HIGHLY recommended to do exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child's life. It is proven to raise their IQ, lessen the risk of childhood obesity, allergies, and illness.. Etc. So why in the hell are you all introducing foods so early? And who are the doctors that are condoning this? I'm so confused.

EasternBluebird · April 2015

Not all of us are so blessed to be able to breastfeed. I guess my child is doomed to be dumb, fat, allergic to everything and sick his entire life.

jpagano113 · April 2015

@Arwmrt Because you know best what's good for everyone else's LO. I don't think your comment will go down very well with others on this forum.

mpluviose · April 2015

Our pediatrician told us that rice cereal isn't recommended anymore bc it contains arsenic - just check the ingredients carefully. We started oatmeal this week and LO is 10 days shy of 4 months. I, too, was afraid to start sweet for fear of her not wanting anything else but she seems to like the oatmeal. We give it to her about 1 to 1.5 hours after a nursing session so she isn't too hungry to be patient. Good luck!

teaismCAgal · April 2015

Yes, breast is best — I don't have any doubt about that. But many of the studies around breastfeeding are a bit biased and I — for one — know plenty of doctors, MBAs, lawyers, PhDs who were exclusively formula-fed. They aren't sickly, allergic to everything nor obese. I wanted to EBF for the first six months but it didn't work out and after being incredibly hard on myself I had so many people come out of the woodwork in my life to tell me they were bottle-fed and not inflicted with all of that stuff.

Having said that, I DO believe EBF is amazing and wonderful. But for those of us who couldn't go that route, we can take solace from knowing that plenty of FF kids turned out just fine.

mmccarron · April 2015

Our doctor told us no cereal and only veggies and meats for the first year. We started our baby on sweet potatoes this week and she's loving them. I was surprised to hear that fruit and cereal were no-nos, but we'll give our doctor's way a try.

abcmom12 · April 2015

its highly recommended to stick with breast or formula for the first 6 months, not just breast. it's to allows your infants digestive system more time to develop, including their flora and fauna inside. don't forget you can always try giving unsweeted, organic greek yogurt as a first or between new foods as it'll help their bellies maintain a healthy balance.

just remember ladies, NO HONEY until after 1yr old, as this has the potential to kill or horribly damage your child's brain.

jbird1222 · April 2015

I EBF my DS and doctor suggested I could try some cereal to see if that would help him sleep longer at night (he wakes every 2-3 hours to nurse still) but he didn't mention anything about it lowering his IQ, rising the risk of obesity, or messing up his stomach. I for one would like some reliable research before stating something so negative.

jbird1222 · April 2015

https://seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org/when-should-i-start-baby-food/

Here's a great resource on why starting earlier may be beneficial

KateMcPreggers · April 2015

arwmrt, I agree that ideally, babies should be fed formula or breastfed for the first 6 months, but I don't know how accurate the rest of your post is. There are so many factors that can affect intelligence, weight, and allergies. But I'm going to EBF for 6 months because a baby's digestive system isn't fully developed until then, and they need nutrient rich breastmilk (or formula) to promote healthy development all around. I know tons of people who have given their babies food way earlier than 6 months (my mom said she fed me and my siblings cereal around 4 months), and their babies are just fine. I don't think it's really harmful to introduce food early, but i definitely don't think it's NECESSARY to introduce it earlier than 6 months. As long as the baby is getting a good mix of breastmilk (or formula) along with the food, I don't think it's a big problem.

KateMcPreggers · April 2015

https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-how/

I like this article from Kellymom. It's a great website with a lot of breastfeeding tips and info on when to introduce foods and how.

diz1313 · April 2015

Arwmrt, that was a bit judgey. There are way too many people who have circumstances that make EBF not for them. Making comments that condemn those people by implying that they will have fat, stupid, unhealthy children is beyond unkind.

Anywho, our pediatrician said that technically babies done NEED anything other than breastmilk of formula for the first YEAR, but that it is perfectly fine to start first foods at five or six months of we wanted to as long as we made sure that most nutrients were coming from milk. We were also told that rice cereal is no longer recommended as a first food due to arsnic levels.

I also know many people who just give their babies regular table food once they show an interest.

Not sure what I will do with the girls yet, but I think I have decided against rice cereal.

abcmom12 · April 2015

just an fyi, Earth's Best makes several great non-rice cereals that are organic and gentle on the tummy.

vrae0606 · April 2015

@Arwmrt I find your comment too be biased and rude. My pediatrician said we could start our LO on pureed veggies & fruits @ her 4 month appointment. And sounds like a lot of other peds are saying the same thing! I don't think we all are taking our kids to crackpot doctors either! That being said I haven't been in a huge hurry to start her on anything other than formula. So it will probably be closer to 5 mths when we actually get around to making some solid food for her.

JaneArson · April 2015

Well, it IS highly recommended to EBF for the first six months. Personally, we have to supplement with formula, and I'm fine with that. And if moms choose to strictly formula feed for whatever reason, that's fine too. But, I don't think it's wrong to state that EBF is what is recommended.

I guess my question is, what's the rush? There's the saying that "food before one is just for fun." Kids will get most of their calories from breast milk and/or formula. I have a small baby, and we're trying to bulk her up (so she can compete in baby bodybuilding, obviously), and we still are focusing just on breastmilk/formula since that's where the calories are at. For the first six months that's really all they need. Rice cereal and cereals in general haven't really been shown to help kids sleep through the night either.

MommyMoru · April 2015

You know, we all understand each baby and parenting style is different and everyone always has different advice given to them by different people. I, for one, have always been told that if they show interest in mom and dads food that they're probably ready to start trying. My LO has been doping that for about three weeks now. I've kept him on formula because I'm waiting to see the doctor today to get confirmation and recommendations about what to start with and how since this is my first. I just think that saying 'this way is the only way' isn't a very good way of stating things about babies. I always grew up with thinking all babies went straight to cribs so when I read a topic on here about other babies using other means to sleep due to specific reasons, my mind was a bit blown because I had only known one way. So yeah, we may all only know 'one way' but keeping an open mind and respecting others' advice and their stories is a bit of a kindness. I don't think we should be rude to one another about it because we all come here for the same reason: to get advice and see what's working for others in order to help our LOs

jbird1222 · April 2015

I've also read Moms On Call who also recommend starting at 4 but no later than 5 months. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I was always told the EBF until 6 months was recommended mainly in countries that didn't have access to clean water and safe food for baby.

JaneArson · April 2015

I absolutely believe that parents should make the final call on what is best for their child. That being said, it is the American Academy of Pediatrics that recommends waiting until 6 months. It is not just clean and safe water issues that indicate waiting until 6 months. Kellymom (which is completely evidence based), indicates here https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/delay-solids/ why you should delay solids until 6 months.

Again, make the best decision for your kiddo, but please, read the literature and make an informed, educated decision, based on evidence, not anecdotes.

teaismCAgal · April 2015

We're also waiting until 6 months — and I was surprised our doctor started pushing it at the 4 month appointment. What was odd, the handout she gave us — which she authored — reiterated waiting until 6 months but she was ambivalent in-person. That made me think for people who do decide to go slightly before 6 months, it's not a huge deal.

damerida · April 2015

The handout we got from Kaiser said no solids until 6 mos for EBF babies , and 4-6 months for formula babies. It's the first time I'd heard that.

tmfeller · April 2015

Our ped said we could start at 4 months and didn't think there was any evidence that was terribly convincing in waiting until 6 mo. He told us if you ask 10 diff doctors, about half will say 4 and half will say 6. Although he fully acknowledged the fact that breast milk/ formula should be their main source of nutrition, so small serving sizes along with one of LO normal feedings. He suggested starting with oatmeal because it's fortified with vitamin and because of the iron content. One of the reasons why he suggests 4 months is to make sure baby gets enough iron! It's basically just practice for now so it shouldn't take the place of a feeding! I think as long as you wait until 4 months your fine. I'm sure they just want to make sure your not feeding at like a month old. I was formula fed and my mom gave me cereal at 2 weeks old and I am healthy and smart so don't let people put fear in your head that if you start a month early you will have an unhealthy dumb kid. It's just rediculous!

danab1210 · April 2015

I started giving LO solids at 3.5 she loved it, bananas, apples, carrots, and sweet potato. Her pediatrician said it was okay and that she's gaining weight perfectly, she's 16.8 lbs at 19 weeks. From the time she was two months he had told us to stretch out her feedings, now she is eating every 4 hours and if I put cereal in her milk before bed she sleeps through the night.

Want a personalized experience?

Solids

Re: Solids

Choose Another Board

Search Boards