March 2015 Moms
megmoskalik
member
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Carrots before rice cereal
megmoskalik
member
My sister in law convinced me to let my 13 week old have puréed carrots. I've been battling with the idea of giving her rice cereal because of it being processed and other issues I've read... I just wanted my LO's first food to be natural. My LO is sleeping soundly and didn't have any issues but when I told my Mom about it she freaked out on me saying I have to start with rice cereal because her digestive system has to work up to being able to handle veggies... Did I screw up my little babies digestive system?
Re: Carrots before rice cereal
Healthcare professionals say that 4 months is the earliest a baby should be weaned onto solids. Ideally between 4-6 months is the consensus my research has arrived at, as most babies need to be on solids BY six months to cater for their nutritional needs. Having said that, all babies are different. Some will be ready at 4 months and some not until 7, so there is no hard-fast rule.
Starting at 13 weeks I would say is a tad early, but you must have had a good enough reason for doing so? I probably wouldn't have gone for it without the OK from my doc though.
What you have to remember is that you have the only say in how to bring up your child, not your sister-in-law or anybody else on here. You won't have ruined your baby's digestive system, but maybe talk to your doctor before doing it again and work out a proper weaning schedule if and when she is ready.
When our parents were babies, the guidelines were four months and people were seeing that as a deadline and starting to wean earlier. My OH's Grandmother used to give her newborns mashed banana in the hospital! Not something I would consider okay but they all turned out alright.
Nowadays, the majority of babies are ready 5/6 months but mothers are seeing this as almost a starting block and waiting too long to even begin weaning. There are certainly pros for starting early but I wouldn't consider it before 4 months.
Do some reading on the topic, there is a lot lf nutritional and practical advice out there. Good luck!
But, recent recommendations say it really doesn't matter what food group you start with. You may wish to use some sort of iron fortified cereal as baby's iron stores start to deplete around 6 months. Certainly doesn't have to be rice though (oat, barley, etc).
Please enlighten me on why some people are so eager to start solids. Is it because they stay full longer and therefore you feed less often?
Husband and I are totally cool with waiting a few more months, even though we haven't had a date night since she was born. Anything for our kids
But my boy is just always hungry and my gut tells me that all that liquid is just not enough for him. He has just had a 260ml feed and then spent the next half-hour desperately rooting and stuffing his fists in his mouth for more until I let him have another 100ml. I don't like it, but I can't just leave him like that. It unsettles him and he can't focus on playing and developing as he is forever wanting more food. He is already on hungry baby formula and it is not wind that is making him uncomfortable. I always wait 30 minutes after the recommended amount and let him sit up, wind him etc. But he is dissatisfied.
I have decided to wait until next week when he turns four mouths and gradually start introducing some homemade purée. I have done my research and am confident with this decision.
I don't think it's appropriate to apply a 'one size fits all' approach to babies as they obviously develop at different rates. There is some advice on not waiting until six months because the child could be deficient in things like iron which they need from other sources. That said there is no point in trying baby on solids if they seem satisfied with milk feeds and aren't ready.
There will always be arguments for and against, but I have always listened to my baby and it has served us both incredibly well so far.