Starting on solids.

Renae - posted on 07/27/2010

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents (2003) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Strategy (2003) recommend fully breast/bottle feeding for about 6 months. At around this time solid foods can be added to your baby’s diet.



At the age of 6 months, babies are ready for new foods.



Benefits to introducing solids before 6 months: none



Potential problems when introducing solids before 6 months:

• increased risk of food allergies

• decreased breastmilk production

• increased exposure to germs

• increased load on your baby’s kidneys

• constipation, from poor digestion



Breast or bottle-feed your baby first. Breastmilk or formula is still the most important part of your baby’s diet. At first solid foods are extras and new tastes for your baby.



It is recommended that babies are offered one new food at a time, leaving several (ideally 5 to 10) days between new foods. This makes it easier to identify a food that might disagree with them. Babies have very sensitive taste buds at this stage and don’t need salt, sugar or other flavourings added to their food.



Some babies may not like the taste of new foods. If you offer the new food first at the main meal of the day for 10 days in a row they will actually begin to look forward to it.

Many food products marketed for babies (eg baby custards/yoghurts/pureed fruit) offer no nutritional advantage over regular products.



Sleep

It is common for children to wake once or twice a night even into their second year. There is no evidence to support the idea that introducing solids early will help your baby sleep longer at night.



Weight

Some people may think that small babies need to start solids early to help them gain weight more quickly. Others may think that large babies need to start solids early in order to keep growing well. Breastmilk/ formula provides all the nutrients a healthy baby needs for around the first 6 months of life whatever their size.



Unsuitable Foods

Honey – can have bacteria in it which causes severe illness.



Nuts – babies can choke on nuts easily. Peanuts also present a risk of allergy.



Tea – contains substances which reduce your baby’s ability to absorb iron and other essential minerals.



Fruit Juice – offers no nutritional benefits to babies under 12 months. Eating whole fruit is recommended.

If offering juice after 12 months, dilute to 1/4 juice and 3/4 cooled boiled water.



Cow's Milk – is not recommended as baby's main milk until after 12 months. Use breastmilk or infant formula.

Reduced fat milk products – are not recommended for children under 2 years. Skim milk is not recommended for children under 5 years.



Putting rice cereal into the babies bottle is not a good idea as the whole point of giving them rice cereal is to teach the baby about the difference between the botlle and solids. Learning to cope with the texture etc... Also, rice cereal is formulated for children FROM 6 months of age as it has a higher content of iron (which constipates you) and is meant to compliment bottle/breastfeeds After the feed, not during or before.



Below are links to information from NSW Health and Karitane



http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2006/p...



http://www.karitane.com.au/families/pdf/...

Jayme-Lee - posted on 07/26/2010

after a really bad bout of constipation our local health nurse advised to stop the rice cereal. he will get the iron he needs from foods anyway.
I'm trying to wean him onto fruits, but i'm having little success. Its all about the root vegetables. not sure what to feed him next though. we've had pumpkin, sweet pot, brocolli, cauliflower, avocado, carrot and potato.

Merrily - posted on 07/16/2010

We've been giving our son a little cereal in his bottle (every bottle) to fill him up a bit- still using a stage one nipple. He doesn't seem ready for a spoon yet and seems to be doing fine with just breastmilk with cereal in it. He eats less frequently and is happier. He is only waking once at night too lately as well. JOYOUS

Claire - posted on 07/16/2010

I breastfeed my baby and am not in a hurry to introduce solids. If she is really, really, really interested, we may start her with real fruits pureed wih breast milk some time after six months, but I don't mind if she goes the whole year exclusively breastfeeding! I love it and she loves it, too.

Aimee - posted on 07/16/2010

I started my son on rice cereal just before he turned 4mos. We tried it for about a week and he hated every bite of it. I tried baby cereal and he's been on that for over a month. Just moved him to 2 feedings a day. When he gets used to it, I will start veggies with the nighttime feeding.

Mandi Lynne - posted on 07/09/2010

i was planning on breastfeeding only until 6 months, but my dr. actually said we could start rice cereal at about 4 1/2. that's next week and i am so excited to have her try. just for breakfast until she gets the hang of it and then for breakfast lunch and dinner. by our 6 month visit she said we could move to pureed veggies.

Natalie - posted on 07/08/2010

i started my girl a few weeks ago. She is 5 month old. I started with farax rice cereal with breast milk.. .but now she has pears with her rice cereal and absolutely loves it

Tamra - posted on 07/08/2010

I started my son on solids 2 days befor his 5 month date. He eats green veggies for 4 days each. so we started with green beans, and moved to peas, mixed with rice cereal. and then we are moving to orange veggies, than fruit. all mixed with rice cereal. So far he is a great eater, not a fan of avacado however!

Stephanie - posted on 07/07/2010

my son has had rice cereal in his bottle at night since he was 6 weeks because he was consuming too much formula and still wasnt full we started oatmeal by spoon at 3 1/2 months and he loves it and around 4 months 1 week started putting apples in the oatmeal, i do know you are suppose to give them the same thing for 3-5 before introducing some thing new to make sure they are not allergic

Laurie - posted on 07/07/2010

I started my son on rice cereal at 4 months now he's 5 months old. The doctor said to wait for other solids until 6 months, but Alex was so hungry all the time, we started him on carrots last week. Everyone says to start with veggies first because fruits are too sweet and they won't like their veggies. We picked carrots because he likes bright orange.
We can't feed him his cereal fast enough. His first couple of bites of carrots he wasn't sure, but now he cries we doesn't get his dinner!

Carrie - posted on 07/06/2010

After talking with my pediatrician's office, I started my son on rice cereal when he was 4 months old. I made it very liquidy. I used formula to mix it. The pediatrician said to start fruits and veggies at 5 months. I feed him cereal off of a spoon 2 times per day. The pediatrician said to give him 2 TB at each serving. I do mix it with juice once per day. The pediatrician said that starting solids can sometimes lead to difficulty pooping so I did the juice just to keep him regular. She also said if he does get constipated to give him 1-2oz. of juice. I am strict about following my pediatrician's orders.

Joanne - posted on 07/05/2010

We started when my son was 4.5 months old and he's been on solids now for 2 weeks. At first it was just rice cereal, then apple, carrot, pear, zucchini, and now swede. He absolutely loves zucchini and pear but also quite enjoys his rice cereal mixed with some apple. Not at all keen on carrot though, even when mixed with apple. He has solids 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch about an hour after after his milk feed and then at dinner about an hour before his milk feed (otherwise he's too tired to eat). I was hoping this would help him sleep longer at night too but alas it has not. In fact he only goes between 3 and 3.5 hours between feeds at night, before adding solids he would sleep for 4 or 5 hours between feeds. I have faith that he will sleep through when he's ready.

Christina - posted on 07/05/2010

I started mine on rice cereal when he was 4 months old but he only had that for a couple days because it constipated him (he was never much of a pooper anyway) then I tried Earth's Best organic multi-grain cereal (oatmeal, barley, & spelt) and he does great w/ that & goes more regularly. I wouldn't go straight to fruit just because you think they like it better because if you try the veggies 1st then they're more likely to eat them too. I feed him his cereal right now at bedtime & he's 5 months old & about to start giving it to him in the morning also & prolly try veggies then fruit around 6 months. It's hard to say if it helped him sleep longer because he slept pretty good anyway.

Sarah - posted on 07/05/2010

I started my son on Rice Cereal at 8 weeks old. Hes been eating it every night before bed. I tried him on solids the first time at about 12 weeks and he didn't like it at all. I tried him again on the solids about a week ago and he still refused them. I think I'm going to switch it up and try a fruit next week with him.

Leah - posted on 07/05/2010

He doesn't sit by himself quite yet. He can sit up pretty well with support though. I told the doctor about him being put on solids at 3 months old and they said that was fine. They said if he's hungry, so be it, give him rice and/or fruits, so I did.

Cathy - posted on 07/05/2010

The pediatrics association say that any babies put on solids before 6months have a severe increase of childhood diabetes, cancer, and obescity. If your baby is always hungry and can sit perfectly without any support then i would concider starting other then that try not to be too eager because these are serious problems with the child later on in life. My baby girl is 5months and eats lots but still jsyt fine on breastmilk, they dont need anything other then milk beofre 6months.

Leah - posted on 07/05/2010

I started giving my son rice cereal at 3 months old, he was so hungry all of the time!

Heather - posted on 07/05/2010

My little man was the same way with rice cereal... that lasted about two days. My friend gave me a book about making baby food, so I started making my own. it says for 4-5 months to introduce: apple, pear, banana, papaya, carrot, potato, zucchini, squash, green beans and sweet potato. we have done them all & he LOVES all of them !! i was shocked by the zucchini, but i guess it was sweet enough for him. I did have to add a little cereal to the squash and zucchini... it was too soupy. I hope this helps..good luck !!!

Sarah - posted on 07/05/2010

I started my daughter on rice cereal when she was 15 weeks. I found that it constipated her so I switched to Oatmeal and it was much better!! She is much more satisfied with solids and formula. Over the past 3 weeks I have started a new solid every 3 days to check for any allergies. She is definetly a Veggie Baby, shes not very fond of Fruits yet. But she LOVES Sweet Potatoes and Peas! I would say if you feel like you baby is ready try it and if you dont get a good response wait a week and try it again. In my case she took to it very well and is mcuch more content with a full belly. Good Luck!

Yxia - posted on 07/03/2010

Don't worry if he's not excited about the rice cereal right now. Quite frankly, solids are all one big experiment (alot of trial & error) and introducing textures & flavor into their little mouths between 4 and 8 months. It is recommended to start experimenting at 6 months preferably though( due to allergies and to fend off possible diabetes or obesity issues in the future). I guess whether you're breastfeeding or giving him formula, it all depends if you have the patience to feed him until he's satisfied (with the milk I mean), but if you're desperate for sleep and he's not sleeping through the night I guess you have to do what your instincts tell you to do. ;)

Jasmine - posted on 07/03/2010

I started Tori on Rice Cereal at about 3 1/2 months. She was not thrilled about it either. She gagged when I mixed it with milk or formula or water. I know the Doc's tell you not to give them juice but I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 water and juice. Juicy Juice or Ocean Spray are both 100% juice so no high fructose corn syrup or any nasty stuff like that. It will help with constipation too, since solids... come out a little more solid.

Karen - posted on 07/03/2010

I tried to go the plain route like everyone else and I used oatmeal the first 2 times. My baby girl did not even attempt to swallow it. It went in and came right back out.
I thought maybe if I added some fruit she might like that better so I put some gerber bananas in a bowl with about a half a spoonful of the rice cereal and mixed that up really good. Needless to say, she put way more effort into the spoon/swallowing thing when she got a taste of that on her tongue. That was all it took to show her that the spoon is a good thing and now she eats fruits and veggies. She actually prefers the veg.

Stacy - posted on 07/02/2010

Abbey, no teeth yet. I made the chunks very small and soft. It was mashed with small chunks. She gummed or just swallowed.

Abbey - posted on 07/02/2010

Question does Mariama have teeth to chew the chunks? I would do that I'm just worried about him choking on them. How did you introduce the chunks and make sure she chewed?

Abbey - posted on 07/02/2010

My little man was 4 1/2 months when I started him on rice cereal. To get him used to the texture I put it into his bottle, increasing the amount little by little using one of the formula scoopers then once he excepted the bottles readily I tried spoon feeding him and once he got used to opening his mouth he really enjoyed it. Were going to try mixing applescauce in next week. Good luck

Stacy - posted on 07/02/2010

Mariama is 5 months old and has been eating solids since around 4 months, She has had oatmeal, barley, sweet potato, carrots, peaches, pears, bananas, apples and toast.
She likes her cereal thick.
We don't puree her food at all. Small, soft chunks work well for her.
If you are eating something she is always grabbing for it.
I keep Baby Mum Mums on hand for her.

Elizabeth - posted on 07/02/2010

Although the recommended age to start on solids is 6 months or older, my girl doubled her birth weight by four months and the doctor suggested she start solids because she was complaining about being hungry with only my breastmilk. If she'd been okay, I would have waited!

Jessica - posted on 07/02/2010

i'm going by the advise of the AAP and my doula and waiting until he's 6 months... http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi...

Elizabeth - posted on 07/01/2010

At four months I started my little one on Avocado! She LOVES it! She is a big fan of Papayas too. I buy the organic produce and mash it up for her!

Sarah - posted on 07/01/2010

I'm holding off till 6mo after doing some research. Seems there is many good reasons to hold off. When I do start it will be veggies first. Save the sweet stuff till last.

Kelly - posted on 06/30/2010

My pediatrician advised giving the bottle first as they should still be getting the bulk of their nutrition from breast milk or formula and only supplementing with solids at this point. My husband and I are both bigger, but I feel that if we teach our little guy good eating habits and emphasize fruits and veggies, his weight will remain in check. Also making sure that he goes outside and plays instead of parking in front of the TV or video games!

Heather - posted on 06/30/2010

I started at 4 months with a little baby rice but she really hated it, so i put her on mums own creamy porridge and sweet potato and beef pie (not together) she loves it. I also give her half a rusk in her bed time bottle at 9/9:30 and she sleeps untill around 7:30/8 it heaven

Jolene - posted on 06/30/2010

I say to all moms... Go with your gut! A mothers instinct is usually right. Don't let this person or that person tell you how to raise your children!

Esther - posted on 06/30/2010

my first started rice cereal at 3 months, my second at 4 months my 3rd at 3 1/2 months. fruits and veggies i started my first at 7 months she was content with cereal and breast. i tried a lil applesauce had allergic reaction at 5 months so i waited 2 months before giving anything else. my second started one kind of fruit or veggie every week starting at 5 months. meats at 6 months. my 3rd we will do the same she will start fruits and veggies at months one new a week or every 4 days. meats at 6 months.

Sana - posted on 06/30/2010

hi Kelly,
my son is an eater too. I feel so afraid that his eating habits may turn into becoming a fat boy in the future. I can't stop him from eating and at the same time I feel worried. He eaats and after that he drinks his bottle can you imagine that and whenever I offer him anything he wouldn't mind eating.

Kelly - posted on 06/29/2010

We started rice cereal at 3 months because our little man was eating up to 9 ounces at a feeding before bed and in the morning. We started with it more runny and gradually thickened it. He is now 4 months and we have already tried peaches and green beans. We mixed both with the cereal and made it a fairly thick consistency-almost a paste. Amazingly he likes the green beans better than the peaches. He will actually sit open mouthed waiting for more. Every baby is different and will go at their own pace. My little man has always been an eater. The most important thing is to let them guide you, follow your instincts and don't push them. Also don't put the cereal in the bottle. It can cause confusion for eating and drinking later plus it is in a way force feeding them if they don't want anymore cereal. I know my cousin started her little girl on cereal at 4 months and she wasn't ready so they tried again at 6 months.

Sana - posted on 06/29/2010

my son is now 4 months and a half. i started feeding him when he was 3 months and a half but the health advisor wasn't happy with that and advised me to stop. so i did. but since he is a big boy i decided to feed him again so i started with preparing a soup of my own (potato, carrot, rice) a little of everything and biol them and mix them. he liked it. and i gave him banana custard he likes it very much since it is sweet. i gave him a little og fresh orange juice.

Heather - posted on 06/29/2010

My doc said to start between 4 and 6 months. So right at 4 months I tried rice cereal. The first time it seemed like he liked it and was ready. But after that he doesn't seem interested. I at least try in the evenings but its not going very well. I don't think he is that interested. He's doing great on formula (16.7lbs) and has slept thru the night since around 2 months (yay me!!).

Jayme-Lee - posted on 06/27/2010

i introduced solids in the morning. at least that way if there was any adverse reaction to anything i wasn't faced with a mad dash at night to a doctor or hospital.
Well, my little seems to love pumpkin.

Corinna - posted on 06/27/2010

I'm starting rice cereal tonight with my son, he's 4 mos, but only at night... did everyone introduce solids day and night, 2x day?

Nancy - posted on 06/27/2010

I just started my baby on solids. He is 4 months and 13 days. I started by giving him pears straight. I tried the cereal and he hated it. So far, he loves his fruits and eats 2 little jars a day.
I will see if this helps him sleep longer because he still wakes up 2 to 3 times during the night. He is 18 lbs. Good luck to you and your baby :)

Shannon - posted on 06/26/2010

i gave my son very diluted and watery( with breastmilk) ereal at 2 months...it was just a little thinker thenn breastmilk...and the day before he turned 3 months i gave him applesauce. Hes only breastfed )no bottle) so i couldn't add cereal to his bottle and pumping doesn't work so well for me. Hes had pears applesauce peaches...well basicall all the fruits and now that he's 5 months i give him veggies too...likes sweet potatoes :) and my doc said it was ok...as long as he was good with it

Hope - posted on 06/26/2010

It's best to wait until they are 6 months. Rice cereal is really gross and the baby is BF, try adding some of your Breast milk to it, pureed fruit or formula for flavor. I used mash banana but it can be really constipating and so the second time I used some of my older son's vanilla toddler formula (it was the only kind we had). He liked it both times. I've only used it when he's hungry but over fussy at the breast which is usually because I'm basically out of milk at the moment. He is not good at sitting or even sitting still for this but when I make it taste sweet like breast milk and it's thin (watery) he will eat all I offer to him.

Tenille - posted on 06/26/2010

my little girl hated rice cereal but i persisted small amounts for her stomach to get used to food then moved onto mashed pumpkin with some water and she can't get enough of it. Haved moved onto trying other mashed vegies and it takes a couple of go's but i can now tell when she either likes or dislikes something. they say to keep them on one food for at least a few days unless it causes reflux, diorehea or constipation

Jayme-Lee - posted on 06/26/2010

my son doesn't mind the rice cereal. absolutely loves a little banana... i add a little breastmilk to it to mush it up further. tried a little applie puree yesterday... flavour was a bit tart for him i think

Becca - posted on 06/25/2010

I started my son on rice cereal about a month or so ago, 3-3 1/2 months. He did really well with it. He also has acid reflux so the formula we switched him to already had rice cereal in it. I introduced veggies mixed with cereal a couple weeks later. He now eats cereal and veggies but I want to wait a little longer before doing fruit. He watches everything I put in my mouth now!

Jo - posted on 06/25/2010

this is interesting to read. my boy is 4 months and not really having solids. i've been pureeing up some fruit and vegies to freeze for later and have offered him a tiny taste of each and he likes it but he's still doing fine just on breast milk for now. he usually sleeps 10-11 until some time between 7-10 in the morning

Stephanie - posted on 06/24/2010

I started Kayden on rice cereal at 4 months, I was advised to wait until 6 because it can lead to food allergies later in life but I went with my own instincts cause he was never full!! He loves cereal & cries when its gone lol! When can I start him on other types of food?

Jessica - posted on 06/24/2010

My dr told me that as long as she is satisfied with the formula to keep my lo off solid foods until she is 6 months or so. But she said if she is not satisfied with formula only to try her out on the first step veggies, not the sweet and fruity stuff. I asked my the wait and she said there have been studies done that have suggested a greater chance of obesity the quicker we give them solids.

Jayme-Lee - posted on 06/23/2010

I normally put anthony in the bath at 5pm, feed (boob) 530pm and bed by 6pm. whens the best time to do a night time meal... did you find it helped your little one sleep better? last 2 nights my bub won't sleep more than 3 hours.