Feeding Solids Before Bedtime: Good or Bad?

7 and a half months is a long time with no solids. I'd move on to other foods. There is no hard and fast rule about what to introduce-- just offer a variety of number 1 foods. I've never heard any reasons not to feed in the evening.

My little guy is almost 7 months. We just started solids. I tried him with oatmeal cereal and he's not crazy about it. So we went to veggies first. We feed him one for three days then move on to another. His ped said for me to feed him whatever I wanted, no set "way." I started feeding him once a day around 5 or so. I'm now up to twice a day, early afternoon and then again at 5 or 6. I don't feed him before bed. He has a history of puking, so I'm just no comfortable feeding him before bed.

I will say my little guy LOVES the fruits and veggies. I don't see anything wrong with moving him to one of those. Good luck!

Sorry you're having such a tough time with solids. My son took to them really well, so I'm not sure if any of this will apply to yours, but here goes. My son always sees me eat my oatmeal in the morning, and that got him really interested in the whole spoon and bowl thing. We did rice cereal for awhile, but actually found the single grain oatmeal gentler for him. He just got so constipated from the rice! I did mix his cereal with breastmilk in the beginning. He really started liking cereal when I started mixing in fruit. I have always nursed him about an hour before giving solids. At night, I nurse him about an hour after his solids. I've also found that whenever he tries new foods or textures, he's more cooperative, alert, and ready for the challenge in the morning. I still feed him in the evening, but that's not the best time for foods he doesn't like. It's messy and annoying, but my son now eats his peas because I let him sit in his high chair mashing his hands in them and licking the mess off. Now he'll let me spoon feed them because he wants them in faster! Sometimes with foods he's not crazy about, he just wants to be in control and feel like he's the one putting them in. Make sure it isn't the high chair bothering him. If he's still working on sitting up, he might just be getting tired from sitting up and trying to eat too. That's a lot for his stomach muscles. Singing and clapping sometimes help when my son just doesn't want to be in the chair. Hope something here helps! Good luck!

I always heard that cereal was just for practice and is a more inexpensive way (than veggies or fruit) to get them used to swallowing solids. my baby never liked rice cereal and prefers oatmeal cereal too so try something different if you want. i also mix a bit of fruit in with it too. try the gerber oatmeal banana cereal...he liked that alot too.

I agree with dori though...breastmilk is best. he'll let you know when he's not getting enough from just milk. my son was a big boy so he was on veggies & fruit at 7 months. and we do give him a little bit of cereal before bed just to try and help him get through the night with a full belly (but i do still nurse him after that cereal...he's 11 months now). i think if you and your spouse can be on the same page with this, though that it would help a ton. maybe try and write out a feeding schedule?

I don't think there's anything wrong with giving him solids before bedtime, unless it is a brand new food then maybe give it in the morning in case he does have a reaction to it. Its ok to move on from rice cereal, he may just not like the taste. I mix rice cereal with sweet potatoes for my 5 month old, since he loves sweet potatoes but wasn't crazy about just the rice cereal. Once you find a veggie or fruit he likes you will probably be able to mix a little cereal into that. There's no harm in trying oats but you might still have the same problem. Maybe you could move on to veggies, they usually like the orange ones better than the green. Then go back to cereal. There's really no perfect way to do it, every baby is different, just try not to stress about it.

My daughter did not like rice cereal, so I gave her oatmeal cereal instead, and she liked it much better. You could try that. Also, infants will often refuse solid food until they are ready to eat it. Not all babies are ready to eat solid food at the same time as other kids. I would not introduce solids on an accelerated schedule, especially if your child has any inclination toward having food allergies. At 7.5 months, there is just no rush to get him to eat every food group as soon as possible. Breastmilk or formula provides the nutrition he needs so don't be upset if he won't take solids yet. When he's ready to try food, he will.

If you want to make the cereal appear more appealing, talk it up and sound excited. Eat some of it yourself and try to have a happy face and say how great it is (LOL), and just maybe your baby will get interested enough to try it.

ok this is really unconventional but a southern thing or at least in my family and many others i know all of us have put the rice cerial in the night time bottles with a little bit of dark karo syrup the syrup gives it a taste while working to keep from getting constipated i started out with i think 3 of the baby spoons with just enoutgh syrup to cover the bottom put the syrup in first and we started this at about a month or so never had any problems if you want more info from me just shoot me a line and ill get back with you about it

I can't remember how many times it is that you have to offer a food item to a baby before they will develop a taste for it. It is something like 10 times so he's just getting started. And honestly there is no rush for solids. My exclusively breastfed daughter didn't start solids till she was 9 months old. She would gag. So I followed her lead. I think that's very important especially when they are under 1.

Also, never offer anything new in the evening. If there is an allergic reaction you don't want it to come on at 7 in the evening! You want to see what's going on in the light of day!

Solids are for practice. Not to replace nursings. Your spouse needs to very clearly understand that! Nursing comes first. Breastmilk or formula is primary nutrition to age 1! Feeding him solids whenever possible is not what he needs right now.

With my daughter, I just followed her lead. Really that's what you do as a breastfeeding mom. Baby tells you when they are hungry and what they need and want at a particular feeding. I didn't view solids as any different strategy. Once she was comfortable with the rice cereal and she seemed like she wanted more we added pureed veggies one at a time for at least 5 days. My suggestion would be to offer the cereal about 1.5 hours after a nursing session say between morning and mid day feed. Just offer and don't make a big deal of it if he doesn't want it. He's only 7 months old! No worries!

Absolutely agree with Elizabeth. Do not stress yourself out with tide schedules. Infants make funny faces even when they like what they are trying. Follow your ped's instructions on how to introduce a new food flavor to your baby. Likewise, It seem your spouse is having a success with the meal at night time. That is great. Bottom line, your infants is going through a period where he is adjusting is palate and ability to chew and try in his mouth the different flavors and textures of food. Additionally, peds tend to schedule the food to evaluate allergies related to it. Therefore, is there is not a food/ reaction, move on and introduce other flavors. My second boy is 7 1/2 month old and is eating cereal in the morning with fruit, second stage meal that could be any protein such as meat or poultry with veggie and half or full jar of veggie at lunch time, and dinner time is cereal and a veggie option. In few words, try to make your life as easy as you can in order to get to the point that he can eat whatever you eat.

The reason for the wait is to watch for allergies, so if he has had rice for a week, it is ok to add the next food. Maybe he does not like the rice and will do better with oats. As for bed time, with most kids they do say a night time snack is fine, but then most kids start solids at 4-6 months, so your sons schedule is different. Because of that I would listen to your doctor and play the rest by ear. Why does the father want to feed him late? To keep him asleep? Even if food is given it should still be a couple hours before bed, one can not sleep well if they are digesting food just eaten.

Well all babies are different and accept things at different rates but at this age they do need the nutrition of the fruits and veggies. I started veggies first with my son because of how they say not to give fruits first since they're sweet. they say not to give baby veggies or fruits before bedtime incase they have a reaction to the new food. I give my son rice cereal about an hour before I nurse him to sleep but since your baby doesn't seem too fond of the cereal u may want to talk to the ped about that because it provides a lot of iron and vits that babies need.

You should buy this book called "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. It answers any questions you have about feeding your baby and even making your own babyfood. Its an awesome book and a great investment (about $20).

Hello!

Not every baby will like everything you give him. My son (just turned 5 months) hated the plain rice cereal mixed with formula but loves the stage one baby foods by themselves. I mix a tiny bit of the rice cereal and water into his veggie or fruit food and he really has taken to it. I fed my daughter the same way though she liked plain rice cereal unlike my son so we kept it at plain rice cereal for a week before introducing other foods. The reason you would want time in between in each new food is to allow time for any reactions to surface. It is easier to identify what caused a problem or reacetion when you are giving a limited variety. I feed my son an hour before his last bottle of the day. So he has solids around 6:30 pm, then a bath and then a bottle around 7:30 pm then he is down for bed. I found the extra nourishment helped him sleep better and with less interruption. If he does not like rice cereal I would try oats or try mixing it with a veggie or fruit. It does a week or two for them to really get the hang of the eating by spoon process.