Post by Jalapeñomel on Apr 17, 2014 7:50:19 GMT -5
I have no sources, but my kid has almost no interest in solid foods at 6 months, so I'm just not pushing it, despite my MIL and mom saying he should be eating rice cereal or whatever.
Post by rupertpenny on Apr 17, 2014 7:51:30 GMT -5
This was something I though would be a big deal that ended up not being a big deal. I googled a lot, but because of random circumstances and last minute laziness I ended up feeding whatever, whenever and so far it's working out well. Decisions about feeding solids aren't binding and remembering that helped me not freak out as much.
I also remember that before hand I was worried that I'd never be able to tell when she was ready. In hindsight it was pretty obvious .
I also agree with the Wholesome Baby Food website rec above. We waited until 6mo to start, based on the advice of our pedi. But by that point, DS was definitely interested in food and would stare us down every time we ate anything in front of him. We did rice cereal for a day or two, mixed with BM, so that it was a flavor he'd recognize but a new texture. After about two days we jumped right into pureed veggies and fruits. I did follow the recommendation to try the same thing a few times before moving on, but got pretty lax about that after the first month.
Post by noodleskooze on Apr 17, 2014 8:08:08 GMT -5
Don't feel like you have to push it. L is 9 months and is still primarily interested in purees. He likes a few "finger foods" too, but he's really just not a big eater. I feel kind of weird because other babies his age seem to eat such a variety, but babies progress at different paces.
Sounds like we are in a similar situation. DD is also very small and her doc recommended starting rice cereal at her 4 month appt. I have tried but she is not liking it at all. We have also been trying to feed her more ounces. We will keep trying but I am not going to push it on her.
Post by Velar Fricative on Apr 17, 2014 8:25:52 GMT -5
I would not rush it at 4 months unless she shows signs of readiness.
DD definitely seemed ready at 5.5 months so that's when we started. She loooooooooves solids, OMG. It's like I've been starving her with just breast milk until then. She gets ridiculously excited when she sees us opening jars or pouches.
And I hear ya on the weight issues. DD is a peanut too (15th percentile, but has been there consistently). Thanks to daycare bottles and solids and nursing on demand, I know she's eating plenty but it's hard not to worry. Our pedi is not worried even though they did expect her to double her birth weight by now (yesterday at 6.5 months she was 14.5 but was 7.7 at birth; she has doubled her lowest weight at discharge though, which was 7.0 and that's what I go by anyway since I was pumped full of drugs during labor!).
Post by ilikedonuts on Apr 17, 2014 8:32:04 GMT -5
DD2 is not even close to being ready for solids right now at 5.5 months. I want her sitting up well and showing some interest.
Oh and DD1 didn't double her birth weight until like 9 months maybe? And DD2 isn't there yet either and I think she will barely double it by her 6 month appt.
Definitely don't stress about it or the weight as long as she's following her own growth curve and didn't drop significantly. Our pedi is old school in the sense that she told us at the 4 month appt that we could start, but didn't care that I told her we probably wouldn't have even started yet when we come back for her 6 month appt.
Our pedi recommended starting to introduce rice cereal/purees at 4 months and I was nervous she was old school too. I mentioned BLW and she said it was my choice, and discussed signs of readiness. DS has been under 10% for weight, so we were both hoping to get him to start gaining a bit.
At 4.5 months, DS was showing signs of being ready, mainly being a major food creeper while we ate. So we started with the rice cereal, then oatmeal, and pureed veggies, then fruit. I have been cautious about feeding the same thing 4 days in a row before introducing something new. As of 2 weeks ago, he had more than doubled his weight percentile (went from 6% to 16%).
I know food before one is 'just for fun', but my son would disagree! He loves it! I'm hoping to start introducing actual foods in the next few weeks. I agree with a PP that it doesn't have to be either/or in regards to purees vs BLW.
We started a little after 5 months. My pedi also mentioned that we could start solids anytime after her 4 month checkup and suggested the traditional cereal first, followed by pureed veggies. She didn't seem ready at 4 months though, so we waited until she started showing interest in watching us eat. We started with oatmeal. She didn't get it until halfway through the second feed (the first ended up mostly on her face!), but now she really seemed to like it. It was one of those things that seemed daunting, but is starting to feel like part of our routine (isn't it funny how baby's routine gets more and more complicated?!).
What do you guys mix cereal with? He brought up using baby juice?! I had no clue about that?! Lol
We haven't given him cereal yet, but I'm going to use some frozen BM. You could probably just use water, or you could use a bit of formula too. I probably wouldn't use juice.
We started purees with AJ around 5.5 months-pedi had recommended 6 months but also told me what readiness signs to look out for and said if he showed signs of being ready before 6 mos to give it a shot. We skipped cereal and went straight to pureed sweet potatoes mixed with BM or water to thin it out a little bit. From there we did applesauce, squash, pears, avocado, bananas, and....I forget from there. I eventually started giving him puffs and other chunks of steamed veggies or soft fruits to see what he'd do, and he loved/loves them. Even more than purees and he loooooved those.
I agree with PPs, it doesn't have to be either/or with purees vs. BLW.
Can I add a question? Did you do cereal puffs too? How old?
Puffs are pretty much devoid of calories/nutrition. They're just entertainment and pincer grip. You can use those or cheerios; odds of baby ingesting any goes up around 8-9 months.
Post by shellbear09 on Apr 17, 2014 11:30:56 GMT -5
I agree your pedi is old school with the 4 months, mine was the same. Current recommendation is 6 months so I would wait. I like www.wholesomebabyfood.com and www.weelicious.com for making your own. They have recs for first foods etc. We did a month of veggies before fruit. You don't have to do cereal at all but if you do I would choose the oatmeal. I still give that stuff, dd loves it.