first foods help!

Ramona - posted on 03/01/2011

All great advice here, plenty that I am going to use myself! One thing that has not been mentioned though, is water! Once babies start solids, they really need to drinking water on its own,it helps to digest anything that is a bit heavy. I give my baby her dinner (4 tspns of mashed potato blended with breastmilk) then gi8ve her a bottle of water to wash iy=t down with. Sometimes she will only take 10 mls, sometimes its 50mls...doesnt really matter,I figure she knows better than I do, how thirsty she is. It also sets a good habit for in the future...to this day,my eldest (who is 12) still has a glass of water with her dinner. She wont have coke or juice,even when offered..just water. Best thing I ever did was bring her up on water, its such a healthy habit!

Judith - posted on 02/25/2011

thank you so much everyone for the advice. after i talked to his doctor,she said that i should try with the cereal&if he doesn't like it to give it a little flavor with either a fruit or veggie.
i'm trying to work out a schedule that the doctor suggested so that in the morning he has cereal with formula&a little bit of carrot,for lunch he has a bottle&for dinner a veggie followed by a fruit.
so far he's doing well with the solids. no bad reactions. it's getting the schedule down that's tough since my work schedule always varies (>_

Hanna - posted on 02/24/2011

here's a site that i used:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/t032000...

i did the yellows (banana, squash, sweet potatoes, apples, pears), then greens (zucchini, peas), then reds (tomatoes, berries, etc). u're supposed to do a new food every 3 days (to get them used to it) and introduce it in the morning (just to be on the safe side in case there's an adverse effect). if your child was breastfed, you don't really need to wait 3 days (i did a new one every 1-2 days or so after the yellows. we started at 4.5 months and my son was still breastfed.i basically didn't have enough milk because he was eating over 35oz a day and i figured that instead of formula, i would just start him up on real food. by 6 months he was eating pretty much all the veggies & fruits (except oranges & nuts -- those you need to wait until they're 12m) and i started introducing pasta and then meat by about 8m.

Samantha - posted on 02/24/2011

I would give you some input, but there is nothing I can tell you that has not already been said! Keep up the good work and have fun!

Ashley - posted on 02/23/2011

my daughter is 15 months now...but i started her on baby food @ 4 months & she was never a big bottle baby so what i had to do is give her her bottle 1st bc otherwise she wouldn't drink it once she had the food but ur LO might b the opposite. So what i did was still gave her her full 6 oz bottle (thats what she was drinking @ the time) bc the formula is still supposed to b their main source of food til 1 year & then i would give her like 1/2 a jar of stage 1 food...at first 1 time a day then increased to twice n then eventually 3 times...i was also always told to do veggies 1st--i started with carrots...but the most important thing is ur supposed to give them the same food 3 times in a row n only 1 food @ a time so u can watch for allergic reactions then if they have 1 u will know what caused it. Best of luck--baby cereal is a good thing to start them on 1st too:)

Marty - posted on 02/23/2011

Well, I'm not gonna give you a big speech about this..
A schedule would be preferable. When your baby knows what to expect, he will be a happy baby. They don't adapt well to changes, them babies...lol.
What I did with my daughter is gave her formula and some solids one after another.. there's a debate about what's better, formula first, then solids, or vice-versa .That's a judgment call from you. They say formula is what has all the vitamins and nutrients in it so it's best to give it first before solids... but then again some mothers give their kids formula after to help wash down the solids...
you can do half and half. give half a bottle of formula, give solids, and then the other half of the formula.
There is no SET schedule u can follow, u just gotta read your baby and do what you feel is right. There is no right or wrong way in this case, just gotta watch for things allergies and things your baby might not be able to digest well at his age .

Rachel - posted on 02/22/2011

with kids the first sign they are ready for solid food is when they take interest in your food, seem hungry all of the time or have hit the 6 month mark- whichever comes first.
As for foods, i went the traditional route and my daughter did amazing and isnt a picky eater now (at 23 months)
I was advised to give her only plain tasting foods first with increasing textures: starting with rice cereal, then wheat cereal, oats and lastly barley. Once they have had all of the textures, their taste buds will be sufficient to help reduce gag reflex as well asmake them more open to odd textures of food.
(also giving each item for 3 days minimum to ensure there are no allergies and to give the child a chance to adjust to each)
Once moving into solid foods, not just infant cereals, I did everything green and orange first (no fruit or anything acidic or really sweet) so green beans, squash, yellows beans, peas, carrots, potatoes and more.
After that, i started with some meats like chicken and beef and slowly started to try tomatoes, sweet potatoes/yams etc so that i could give her beef with broth, chicken with broth (salty tastes) as well as the meat with tomatoe paste meals that are great for getting veggies from too!
Once she had tried everything (she started at 5 months and 6.5 months) i was letting her try sweeter things like strawberries, bananas, apples etc. Since she had already had all the plain things, she was so intrugued by the sweetness that she ate it all up but didnt dismiss her other food.
If you give them too much sweet tasting stuff early on, they may become picky as well as bananas being high in potasium- constapation is an issue.
As for schedule, i always tried a new food at lunch and once she had tried all the different textures etc, she was having 3 scheduled meals a day with drinks after and in between : morning breastfeeding, solid breakfast, small drink, then lunch, breastfeeding, nap, feeding, solid dinner, feeding and then another feeding before bed. So lots of fluids still but because there were gaps between the breastfeeding and the food offered, she was always hungry enough to eat all of her solid meals. Once your son is eating different things it'll be easier to make a schedule but for the time being while you are trying out foods for his likes & dislikes, as well as his allergies: a one meal a day schedule is perfect for both of you :) he mainly neesd fluids these next 2 months anyways so you dont have to rush :)
After there is a steady lunch pattern, add breakfast and then dinner (smaller amounts at first, then a whole meal so he gets it is eating time- then meal time)
I would recommend staying away from anything too sweet so he isnt picky, anything high in potassium because constapation is no fun, as well as things like pickles-high in sodium. Some peoplegive their kids pickles to teeth and they are not good for a baby under 10 months.
Hope this info helps a bit :) as always, take what u need from it, only suggestions :P enjoy these stages, the cute bibs and letting mommy feed them goes way too fast!

Jessica - posted on 02/22/2011

My almost 9 month old is getting fed up with me feeding her, but lacks the ability yet to get the spoon in her mouth lol soo what we've been doing is letting her feed herself with "puffs" or the rice rusks crackers first.. then its all better? I dunno why, but it works!

Liz - posted on 02/21/2011

It took a while for my twins to adjust to their 'solid' foods. You just have to be persistent with it. I know it's frustrating, but it will work out. Or she may even skip baby food all together once she gets her teeth in she may just prefer solid table foods.

Stifler's - posted on 02/21/2011

the aeroplane game is cliche but it worked on my 1 year old the other day! although i just stopped when he started to muck around at that age, it usually means they're full. my 1 year old still isn't that into solid foods it's so annoying.

Lauren - posted on 02/21/2011

Not trying to 'steal he thread' but I have a somewhat similar question:
I am trying to start 'solid' foods with my daughter (now 7 months) we've attempted to start a schedule (for about a month now) which includes rice cereal in the morning and then a fruit or veggie in the later afternoon. (she has a bottle when she wakes up about 7, then cereal and remainder of bottle at 10, bottle at 1, fruit/veggie and bottle at 4 bottle at 7 and if she's up or fussy a mall bottle at 9/10 before bed) The issue is it is sooo difficult to feed her. She does not want to open her mouth and is fussy the whole time. I can only ever MAYBE get a few bites in before she's fussing so bad I have to just give her her bottle without finishing her 'solids'. Does anyone have any tricks or advice to get them to eat?! I very worried that she won't get all the nutrients she needs to get from solids and that she should be eatting more than she is. (She is gaining weight and still getting plenty of formula so not eatting enough isn't an issues - just switching to solids)

Jessica - posted on 02/21/2011

I've done both. Either way they like the fruit more !! LOL

Liz - posted on 02/21/2011

I agree I'd also limit the new food you start. It's recommended to wait at least three to five days between different foods. that way you can determine if your little one has a reaction to the food, and if so which food he or she has a reaction to.



Also i'd suggest trying some veggies in there too. I've heard if you start with fruits right away that they won't be as likely to like/ want their veggies because the fruits are sweeter. Not sure if that is true or not since we started veggies first with all three of our kids.

Jessica - posted on 02/21/2011

The bananas maybe causing gas.. like everyone else is posting too.. try just straight rice cereal with formula/bm, and if he seems to be doing fine after a couple days then I would say go ahead and mix some fruit in with it. Maybe try apples..being they are not as thick. Lots of great advice on here !!! :o)

Stifler's - posted on 02/21/2011

I used to give Logan food at about 4 pm and 10am in the morning when he started on solids. Then gradually he had breakfast, lunch and dinner and a bottle an hour later. Rice cereal first then mashed steamed apple and banana then pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot pureed together.

Sarah - posted on 02/20/2011

Be careful of food allergies is good advice. However if he seems cranky after bananas you might want to introduce a new food soon. We tried bananas for my daughter's first food and it ended up making her constipated at the end of the second day. She can still eat bananas but we try to make the other food of the day one that loosens things, like carrots. Cereal might not be a bad second food. We started with fruits and veggies but our daughter was 5 almost 6 months.
Watch the poop! ;) It's the easiest way to tell if you've got the right balance.

Amanda - posted on 02/20/2011

A word of advice I heard but didn't fully understand until I learned the hard way. Intorduce new foods slowly and one at a time and only add one new one every week or so. My first did great with solid foods had no trouble and I didn't think too much about it so when my second came along I was very relaxed. Until he broke out in huge hives and swelled up, at 5 months old, and we couldn't figure out what had done it beause he had been given several diff new foods. Come to find out he had 7 different food allergies. He is ok and has out grown all but his peanut allergy, but the results could have been much worse! I know its a whole new experience starting on foods but take his lead and trust your mommy senses and you guys will do great! Good luck :)

Bonnie - posted on 02/20/2011

It is usually recommended to start with rice cereal first because it has the least chances of posing an allergy. As well, you don't give very much at a time at first. You might only give a tablespoon or two mixed with water and it is a very loose consistency, almost like soup. It is also recommended to wait 3 days or so before starting a new food. This way you can notice an allergy or reaction to it.

Judith - posted on 02/20/2011

jessica: i haven't given him rice cereal,but i'm going to tomorrow. he's done pretty well with the bananas,but he's been a little crankier than usual after he eats,so i'm thinking his little tummy isn't doing too well with the banana "/

Nicole - posted on 02/20/2011

I pretty much have the same schedule as Liz. You figure out what works for you after a little trial and error. But the only thing is i would start with rice cereal. Its easier for them to digest. and then after a couple weeks of that add a fruit or veggie. Change it up every few days so u can tell easier if they have a reaction to anything.

Liz - posted on 02/20/2011

It's all up to you. My youngest is 7 months old and we started him when he was four months old. We started twice a day. In the morning he would get a cereal, and then for lunch he'd get a fruit or a veggie. Then at five months we started his current schedule: He usually wakes up about 6 or so in the morning he gets a bottle of formula, then he goes back down. He then gets up a few hours later, and gets his breakfast ( oatmeal cereal and a fruit), and the rest of the formula that wasn't used in the bottle to make his cereal. Then he plays for a few hours and then goes down for a nap. When he gets up he has lunch ( a veggie, and then a fruit). Then he plays again and goes down. In the afternoon he'll get a bottle and then around 5 or 6 he will get his dinner. Rice cereal, a veggie, and then a baby dessert, along with what formula wasn't finished in his bottle for the cereal. He may or may not get a bottle with lunch. Then he'll get a bottle before bed.



That's just what works for us. we did the same thing for his older siblings ( b/g twins that will be three in June)





Another suggestion would be, don't try any new foods at night. I'd suggest trying them in the morning or during lunch. That way if he has a reaction to the food, it won't happen right before bed, and you'll be able to determine during the day if he does have a reaction or not.

Jessica - posted on 02/20/2011

Right now solid food is a learning experiance and wont be providing much to any nutriton for him until he is eating regulaly. Keep it light for the first few weeks, and becareful when trying new foods. I would give my little one's a bottle right after, but if he's eaten a pretty fair amount and seems content.. maybe wait an hour or so. He'll let you know if he's still hungry.Are you mixing rice cereal too?