1St Time Eating Solid Food

I just started my son on solids. I gave him the cereal before his milk. I only did cereal a few times - honestly, it smells awful and I switched to banana as a first food quickly (and he loves it). I tend to give him solids before the morning and evening feeds because that is when I know I have time to do it. I was told to feed new foods in the morning because then if they have a reaction it is in the daytime and not in the night!

Its lots of fun - I'm enjoying trying all the different things :)

E.

Edited to say: I mean formula when I say 'milk' - I assumed this is what was meant in the question, too!

Hi A.,

Start with cereal. You don't give milk until after their first year. In addition to the cereal, you should try baby food. Carrot, peas, etc. Don't try to introduce them all at once. Try the different flavors a little at a time. Both of my children loved the fruits and the sweet potatoes. Good luck.

I think your question in regard to "milk or rice first" got taken differently than I read it. I think you are asking the order of the feeding. (And I will assume you mean milk of some type-breast or formula). I have been told to always do the milk first. Even after adding solids to your baby's diet, the milk is their main nutrition, solids are a bonus of learning to eat. So, do the milk feeding first and follow it with cereal. Just a note: many people say to start with rice, but we had to switch to oatmeal. Rice can be constipating, and was clogging my baby up. We stuck with oatmeal mixed with breastmilk for about a month before adding veggies. And now she loves food! I also recommend starting the solid feeding sometime during the day (morning or lunch) so that the baby's body has time to digest it before going to bed.
Have fun! You are starting the adventure of teaching your baby healthy eating habits. Get creative...
And I love the website: www.wholesomebabyfood.com for info on what foods can be eaten at what age.

Hi there. I just wanted to add my 2 cents here. I am an acupuncturist and herbalist specializing in the treatment of children, and get these kind of questions very often.

To start I want to say that I realize that most children's first foods are often suggested to be rice cereal. Unfortunately, what I have found is this is very bad advice. I always recommend people wait to feed any kind of grain until 1 year. The reason is this, we need different types of enzymes to digest different types of foods. For example, we have different enzymes for proteins than for carbohydrates. One of the last enzymes that we make for digestion is one for carbohydrates and grains. This comes in at about 1 year of age. What I find most often with babies started on grains earlier is that they have constipation, and over the long term some babies consequently develop food sensitivies as well.

Second, to solely breastfeed whenever feasible and possible to at least 6 months of age is beneficial to babies in many ways. This includes reducing their chance for developing allergies, eczema, and asthma. So if at all possible I want to gently encourage you to breastfeed only for as long as possible. In traditional Chinese medicine we think of feeding solids when teeth start coming in and/or babies start reaching for foods and expressing interest in what you are eating.

Lastly, in terms of cow's milk, it is much the same that I say for grains, though for different reasons. Cow milk proteins are extraordinarily difficult to digest (hence the large number of lactose intolerance in our culture) and I recommend waiting until at least 1 year- preferably longer. In addition, cow's milk has one of the highest rates of food sensitivities in babies & have often seen allergies and asthma and digestive problems related to intake of cow's milk.

I am sorry I didn't answer your questions directly, but these are just a couple pieces of information that I think are very important and quite counter to what a lot of people think is good for babies' health. To answer the question what are some good foods to start your baby on- think very easily digestible foods - organic vegetables and fruits made at home into baby food are by far the top pick. A good book written on the topic is called "Super Baby Food." However, beware that I don't agree with her ideas on grains - as she has a typical western perspective on them. She does talk a lot about what some good 1st vegetables/fruits are for babies and also how to make them at home- and that information is priceless.

I hope this helps and wasn't too overwhelming. Good luck and if you have any questions- please feel free to email or call me any time - I am happy to help when I can.

J. Stevens, L.Ac.
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com
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I stared my son on Rice Cereal at 4 months old and I fed him a little bit (like a Cup), twice a day.. Once in the morning and once right before bed. Now that he is five months I've started cereal in the morning (made with his formula), Bottles during the day, and a Vegetable for dinner. I've heard to start with Vegetables first because the fruit is sweeter and they like it more. Also, try the same new food for a week to make sure there is no food alergies. The baby food I give my son is for 4 months and up- stage one. Its a little more runny then the stage 2 foods. I hope this helps! Good luck!!

There's a big variance of opinion (as w/ most things!) as to when to start solids. I have heard that there are some good reasons to wait, for one, because it can decrease the chance of food allergies. It makes sense to me that until children start to have teeth, maybe that's closer to the time when they are supposed to be eating solid food! just a theory.

We gave our little ones rice cereal to start out with and they both reacted to it with a rash. Now our older one can eat it, but the 3-yr-old still has a rice allergy (fairly unusual) and breaks out in hives with it. So, proceed with caution! We ended up waiting til nearly 12 mos to introduce solids after that, giving him just breast milk and now, other than allergies, he's bright an healthy. Good luck in your decision to do whatever you feel is best. take care. p.s. bananas or other fruit can be a good first food as fruit is the most easily digestible (takes only 15 min or so) as opposed to other food that takes much much longer)

There are many reasons to delay the introduction of solids. Kellymom.com has a lot of articles about it if you visit the website. Also... I really like the advice of Dr. Sears who encourages avoiding cereals as first foods and going with fruits and veggies first. i followed that advice and have had great luck with my son being on solids. Also... look into making your own baby food. my favorite book/resource is First Meals by Anabel Karmel. I love her books and recipes. Making your own is actually a lot less expensive. Plus your baby really gets to know what foods really taste like in a non highly processed state. I think that's why my son eats so well now.

good luck!

Hi there. I suggest getting a book called Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It is a simple, easy to follow guide to how to feed your children, from the first bite, to picky toddlers. I used it for both my kids. It is just wonderfully full of advice and very practical. After looking at her book and talking with the pediatrician, we decided to start with a ripe avocado first, although rice cereal is fine to start with too. We just started with one "solid" a day for a couple days to make sure our kids digestive system was ok, usually in the morning. I always gave my kids breastmilk first thing when they got up, then waited a little while and tried the new food. After a couple days, I would add a feeding of the solid food in the evening, and then in the middle of the day a few days after that. The book suggests not giving a baby a new food in the evening first because if there is an allergic reaction, it is easier to deal with in the daytime rather than the middle of the night. Hope that helps.

A.,
You should start with rice cereal first. If after 5-6 days their is no problem, I always added a little applesauce mixed with the breastmilk or if you use formula use that. It gave it a better taste. It isn't the best tasting stuff.

I usually started with about 2-3 teaspoons of cereal and enough liquid so it wasn't paste, but not too runny. You do want this on the looser side though. And as you see she wants more then add another tsp of it. This is too supplement her breastmilk or formula not knock off one feeding. If you are nursing and want to continue, I always nursed first, then about 1 1/2 hours later fed cereal. This is too keep your milk supply up. I nursed all 4 kids until 1 year with no formula.

If she eats about every 3 hours, about 2 1/2 hour mark, I always did cereal before bed (and my kids slept through the night at age 13-14 weeks) at around 7ish give the cereal, then follow up with a nice warm bottle and then maybe around 8:30 or so with a follow up nursing session or bottle.

She will spit the cereal out at first because it is a new texture in her mouth not necessarily because she doesn't like it. Keep spooning back in what she spits out. She will figure this new task out, but it does take a few tries/days though.

Need anymore advice let me know, trish
Oh and no cows milk until age 1. You can introduce yogurt and cheeses around 7-8 months though.

STart with rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Milk doesn't come until like around a year old (unless the doc says its ok to start).

Make sure the cereal is thin in consistancy. So baby gets used to it. Once you know that she is not allergic to the ceral. You can thicken it up once you know she can swallow without gagging.

Normally they say that you should feed any new food for a few days and watch for allergic symptoms. I started my kids on cereal in between 3-4 months. So by 4-5 months we were starting on veggies and fruits.

ITs so funny to watch a little one learn to eat. They have the reflex tonque movement that they appear to be pushing the food out of their mouth, but they are getting some. And it will eventually get easier.

Have fun...

I think we started rice cereal at about this age for both of my girls. I did a morning, noon and evening schedule and always followed up with nursing. And I also nursed before both naps, first thing in the morning and before bed. So, I knew they were still getting plenty yet still learning to eat from a spoon (which is a riot, by the way).

Once she gets comfortable with the feeling of eating, you can start exploring with other mushy food items.

And when you say milk, you mean breast or bottle in addition to the cereal, right? But just in case you mean cow's milk, don't do that until she turns 1. Cow's milk lacks the calories, some nutrients and iron found in breast milk and formula, so don't switch over to that just yet.

Exploring foods is a fun time. If she eats it great, if not, don't worry. At a young age, it really is just exploring, so have fun!

Just to give another viewpoint. The earlier you introduce solids the greater the chance a child can develop allergies. There is no reason you HAVE to start solids now. There are many schools of thought. One is that until they have teeth there is no need to introduce solids. I waited till mine were 10 1/2 and 11 months. They are both extremely healthy without any allergies. I started with fruits and vegetables. They shouldn't have milk till 1 year. I never introduced cow's milk. It is highly allergenic and unnecessary. Cows don't drink milk once they are grown. (cows eat grass - greens) Greens are a great source of calcium. Blend greens (spinach or kale or others) in a blender with a little banana and water to whatever consistency you want. It's good tasting and extremely healthy and easily digested.

Start her on rice cereal with formula or breastmilk. No milk until she is one.

Rice first, then nurse/bottle (whatever you are using). You can also mix the rice with a little breast milk/formula instead of water. This will make a familiar taste for your daughter while she gets used to the new texture and the idea that food can come in a spoon. :o)

Hi A.,

Good Luck with the solids. I found this website from another posting I saw on Mamasource. I think this is a great guide in feeding our children. I started with Rice Cereal and at about 5 1/2 months worked into other foods. I feed him new foods every 4 days in order to make sure there are no allergies to the foods. Have fun!

http://www.dietsite.com/dt/diets/infantschildren/FeedingS...

Kim

At 5 months old, my daughter was fascinated with table food, and would stare at us while we were eating. I tried every type of rice cereal and baby food on the market, and she completely refused them. A few weeks later she managed to grab a handful of spaghetti with meat sauce and she gleefully stuffed it in her mouth. From that day on, she got what we were eating - just VERY finely chopped up, and breast milk.

I know it sounds a bit icky, but just like in all the third world countries where they don't HAVE rice cereal and gerber, I "pre-chewed" (mostly just chopped up with my front teeth) some of my daughter's meat and harder to chew things.

Just stay away from citrus, kiwis, strawberries, honey, nut products and eggs for the first year.

A. -

First, congratulations on becoming a Mom! Babies usually start with rice cereal mixed in with a little formula or breast milk. I'm not sure of the exact proportions but it comes out pretty runny. Also, you only start with a small amount of cereal. When we talk about this in our Gymboree classes, I remind parents of what our pediatrician told us when we first started feeding solid foods. "Wear a raincoat and have a good time!". This first experience of introducing solid food is more about the social experience of eating and less about the actual nutrition. You'll also see that some gets spit out in the beginning.

One food note be aware of is that because of possible allergies, you only want to introduce the same food for 3-5 days before introducing any other food. That way, if there is an allergy, you'll know what caused it and won't have to start over to determine the cause.

I hope that helps. Feel free to come and try a Gymboree class if you get a chance. There are several locations around the Bay Area and you can usually take a free class the first time. It's fun for both you and the baby!

J. Freeman
Gymboree

Hi there,

I agree with the other mom who suggested that 5 months may be early to start solids. Babies have immature digestive systems, and can develop food sensitivities if they get solids too early. I always look for the following signs: does the child have teeth? Can the child swallow properly, ie, does the food go down or just come back out after the spoon goes in the mouth? Is the child interested? Some children show interest in food at 5 months, but many are not truly interested until 8 or 9 months or even older. Even then, the food is really just for fun. The bulk of a child's nutrition always comes from breastmilk or formula until at least one year.

As a nutrition consultant, I am not a big fan of rice cereal in general. it is a highly processed food that doesn't have much nutrition in it. I prefer starting with fruits and veggies that are already soft. Like banana or avocado. Cooked carrots or peas can be good, too. Ripe pears or other soft fruit. Look for whole food that require minimal preparation on your part. My feeling is that if it requires extensive preparation to be edible for a baby, it is probably not appropriate for him or her.

I hope this is helpful!

best wishes,
E. Bender, NC, CHN
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

Milk and other protein should be started between 8 months and one year. Introducing hard to digest proteins early could lead to allergies. Starting on solids is important because it will introduce your daughter to 'how to eat'. You will be introducing new textures, smells, tastes, temperatures and color. Breastmilk has all the nutrition your child will need (or formula, if that is what you are using). Enjoy introducing new things to your daughter!

A. I suggest starting with the rice cereal first. It's the simplest. Later you can try the pureed 1st foods. I would hold off on cow's milk until one year. At that point I would try yogurt as well. Good luck!

V.

You can introduce a mix of rice & cereal to your daughter. Depending on the size of her body, 3 oz or more. Its been forver, but those things aren't forgotten. Its the same with a jar of food. Start out with small portions. Sometimes you can mix it in the milk when your busy. I did that when they were 6 months or so.

Hi I have been told to start rice cereal at 5 to 6 months with my son. I did the same with my 2 1/2 year old daughter when she was a baby. When you speak of milk...do you mean whole milk? formula? or breast milk? If whole milk, I was told to wait until the child is a year old. You may want to check with your pediatrician.

I am breastfeeding my son and breastfed my daughter when she was a baby. I would breastfeed her first thing in the morning and then give her rice cereal afterwards (maybe an hour later). I would mix my pumped breast milk with her cereal. I plan to do the same with my son. Good luck!

Hi A.,

No milk until she's one-year old!!! You do not want to give her any foods that kids are most likely to have allergies to until at least 12 mos, longer for any food that you or her father are allergic to. The earlier you introduce a potential allergan, the more likely she is to develop an allergy to it. According to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford:
Approximately 90 percent of all food allergies in children are caused by the following six foods:

milk
eggs
wheat
soy
tree nuts
peanuts

Cow's milk is the food with the highest likelihood for allergy (still only 5%-6% of kids under 3, but why increase the chances your baby will be one of them). Until your daughter is one, continue giving her either breastmilk or formula, whichever you have been using or wish to use. As others have said, introduce one food at a time. Here is more good advice I'm copying from a website 'cause I'm too lazy to type it all up, but it's the same advice we got from our pediatrician, except that I think we introduced eggs earlier than two years, though certainly after one year -- maybe 18 months:

It is best to start with rice and oat cereals and introduce wheat cereals later. Next you can introduce vegetables, but avoid legumes (foods in the bean and pea family) at first, and then non-citrus fruits and fruit juices. Meat and protein foods can be added once your child is 8-9 months old.

Foods to avoid until your infant is at least a year old include cow's milk and other dairy products, citrus fruits and juices, and wheat. Also, avoid giving eggs until age two, and peanuts (as smooth peanut butter) and shellfish until your child is at least three years old. Whole peanuts and tree nuts should be avoided until your child is four because of the choke hazard.

When you do introduce new foods, do so slowly and only give one new food every four to five days. This way, if your child does have a reaction or allergy, then you will know which food caused it and you will be able to avoid giving it again.

K.

at the risk of sounding repetative, cereal first, mixed with breastmilk or formula. Do not give a baby cow milk until after the first year. It tends to cause indigestions and milk allergies. Babies can't digest the milk sugar until one.

Start with the rice cereal, you don't give much at first, can't remember exact amount mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Our doctor said no cows' milk until after their first birthday.

Cows milk or rice cereal? If that's the case then no cows milk.

I know many parents who will feed the milk first and if the child is still hungry to feed the rice cereal.

First of all, no milk for at least a year. Your pediatrician should be able to tell you when to start with that. Stick with breast milk or formula. When feeding your baby rice cereal, you need to mix it with some breast milk or formula. You should also add some baby food--specifically pear. My pediatrician recommends this for all her babies. When parents first introduce rice cereal, often the baby becomes constipated. To prevent this, my ped said that it should be cut with some pureed pears. You would want to make it into a thin gruel, a little runnier than mashed potatoes. Good luck. She should enjoy it! You can thicken it up as she gets better at swallowing it.

Hi A.. Didn't your doctor provide you with any suggestions or provide you with how and when to start which foods? I was told 'rice' for at least 2 weeks. If you buy rice the box will tell you how to make it. Do not give cows milk. If your breastfeeding, use your milk if you use formula, use that milk. The solids will not sustain your child between feedings, so give your daughter formula/breastmilk whenever she wants it. And do not give any fruit until they are atleast 9-12 months old and at that keep it minimal. Fruit juices shouldn't be introduced until at least a year too.

If you're going to make your own food, let me know, I've got some really good sites and how-to's since I'm doing it that way. Good luck

You should wait a year before starting cows milk. Use formula or breast milk to make her rice cereal.

Who told you to start solid food at 5 months; is it your pediatrician? There is many reasons for waiting to start solid food until your child is expressing a real interest in it.
Personnally I've waited until my son was at least 9 months and I gave him rice ceral with my own breastmilk. Why do you want start so early? Why don't you look more out there ( internet, books, doctors) to make you own decision about the pro and contra with starting solid food before 9 months for "the best gift" in you life?

Don't give her cows milk until she is at least a year. Just mix teh ceral, rice or otameal with formula or breast milk what ever you are giving her. These first food are more about getting her use to food not actually nutrion. so just have fun with it and have teh camera ready.
A.

You shouldn't give her cow's milk until she is 1 year old. When the doctor says to start solids, they mean rice and other grain cereals, then vegetables, fruits and other baby foods. Try them one at a time for 3 days to check for allergies to foods.

I started out with Rice cereal and just a teaspoon or two before bed. I didn't start my kids on milk until about 9-10 months. All was good except with my first who had a milk allergy and had to drink expensive goats milk for several months but he grew out of it.

Hi A., Don't start milk until 12 mos. - that is what I was advised by me pediatrician. Just cereal and keep the same amount of formula or breast milk you have been doing so far. Babies are more prone to food allergies these days that you should only introduce one item at a time for about a week. Hope this helps. Patti B.

rice cereal is always first. You dont give your child milk for a while I waited till my son had eaten every kind of food there was and then he was about 9 - 10 months before milk. I am surprised your doctor didnt give you a sheet with instructions. first cereal...then fruits 1 for about 3 days and then a different one to make sure there are no food allergies. if they have it for about 3 days you will be able to see if there are any allergies. then i introduced veggies (less likely to have allergies) still did one a week. hope this helps

J.

A.,

Hi, you should feed your daughter rice cereal first and no cows milk till she is at least 1 years old. Try feeding a few teaspoons to her 2-3 times per day to start. You can mix the cereal with breastmilk/formula or water. Just try to find a smooth consistency that is not too thick. Feed her morning, noon, and dinner time. Good luck!

Molly

I would mix the cereal with breast milk or formula.(Not regular cows milk until about a year) I would make it kinda runny until you can find the consistency that she likes. At first you are basically teaching her how to eat with a spoon you might not get to much in her mouth. I started doing it once a day in the morning and than once she got the hang of it I started doing it more often. I than introduced other foods after she was able to eat the cereal with no problems.

Don't give your baby milk until she is 1yr old. She needs the nutrients in the breast milk or formula (which ever you are doing). If you were told to start solids then it's time to start the rice cereal, you should wait at least 5 days before moving on to the next food to make sure there are no allergies. You will slowly move from cereal to veggies to fruit (choose baby food that has one ingrediant and not the ones that are meals such as "chicken noodle" etc. Once you've tried all the veggies and fruits then you can move onto the meals but again, make sure you give it some time in between each food so you can ensure there are no allergies. Good Luck.

Hello A.,

I don't think you start your baby on any milk but formula or breast milk, until she is 1yr old. Rice cereal is the start. Then, from what I remember, you start with one food at a time. First Rice cereal for a week or 2, then add another food for a week or 2 to ensure no allergies (foods like mushed carrots, peas, green beans) and if you can mostly introduce the non sweet items first, they generally won't have as much of a hankering for the sweets later. So I am told.

And yes, my children are the best gifts in my life as well. I never would have thought until they arrived.

I have a 3 yr and 3 month old.