Kathy - posted on 12/24/2008 ( 6 moms have responded )
47
9
My Grayce is now 5 months 2 weeks. She is exclusively breast fed and sleeps through the night. I want to slowly start introducing the rice cereal (mixed with breast milk of course) and I am wondering what is the best time of day to do this. I don't want to do the first feed in the morning as she relieves the engorgment I wake up with. Any ideas or suggestion would be grealty appreciated.
Sign up for Circle of Moms and be a part of this community! Membership is just one click away.
Join Circle of Moms
Amy - posted on 01/01/2009
13
15
Congrats on exclusively breastfeeding for 5 months! Five months is considered very fairly for solids. Is her tongue reflex gone, can she sit upright without help, can she can she pick up food and get it to her mought. If she isn't showing these signs of readiness then you might consider holding off as her body isn't ready. Rice cereal is devoid of nutrients. Avocado is a fantastic first food as it has a healthy fat content almost as high as breastmilk. The time of day to feed is up to you, however breastfeeding first and then introducing solids is recommended. Good luck!
Kathy - posted on 12/31/2008
47
9
I am actually quite enthusiastic about making my own baby food! It's nice to know it is fairly easy!
Kathy - posted on 12/31/2008
47
9
Thanks for the advice and some thought provoking comments.. I really appreciate it!
Diane - posted on 12/31/2008
6
4
If she's sleeping well and gaining weight normally, I wouldn't necessarily start cereal yet. Breastmilk is nutritionally complete for a baby's entire first year. The main reason most moms start cereal is to fill the baby a bit more before bed time.
Tiffany - posted on 12/31/2008
29
22
I started my daughter when I realized that I was too tired to function because she was nursing all the time (about a week before 6 months). Now that I've done more reading though, I'd probably have skipped the cereal altogether until about 9 months since it gave her MAJOR constipation issues - which is very common. I ended up taking her off all types of cereal for a couple of months. They are just fine on breastmilk and fruit and vegetables until then. Some good starters are: squash, sweet potato, avocado (wonderful!), banana, and prunes (for constipation). You can easily make all of these at home too, just steam and puree, or in the case of banana and avocado, just peel and mash.
Any time they're awake and perky is a good time to try. No pressure, just give them a taste and see how it goes. It takes as many as 20 times for them to decide if they like something, so be patient. I found that it helped if I made a big batch of food at once and froze it in an ice cube tray (then transferred into an airtight container), so I could just defrost a meal in a hurry later. Good luck!
Krystal - posted on 12/24/2008
210
7
Congrats on getting to this point! I used to give my children their "breakfast" between their first and second nursings. So if they woke up at 7 am and normally nursed again at 11am, i would try the cereal at 9. Of course, every baby is different! Make sure she is happy and not starving when you try it for the first few times!
Good luck!
|
Top Communities |
Topics |
Top Features |
Learn More |
 |
6 Comments
View replies by