Introducing Solid Foods - Ennis,TX

How long do you plan on BFing? Early introduction to foods can lead to early weaning. I would recommend taking it VERY slowly until at least 6 months. Babies don't even need food until 1 yr. Here's a great site...
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/

Also, don't worry too much about the rice cereal. My little guy never ate it. It doesn't even really HAVE to be their 1st food. But if she will eat it, go ahead, since it's good to get her used to grains. But you still need to be breastfeeding LOTS. That is where she will get most of her nutrients. Food at this point is just "icing on the nutrient cake". : )

Ditto on the waiting on the rice maybe at this point since she is only a little over 4mths old. Most pediatricians recommend waiting till 6 months old. The real nourishment at this point and really until a year is breastmilk and formula. Starting solids is more just to get them used to the idea and to gradually move them toward solids. If you give the solids first , you risk her not drinking enough breastmilk and messing up your supply. I'm pretty sure the problems I had with supply with DD were because I upped her solids too quickly after starting around 5 months. Her weight gain after this point got worse, not better as I had hoped. I would check our a readiness checklist to see if she is really ready for solids (tongue thrust gone, sitting upright independently, etc.) If you are hoping it will make her sleep better--that's a myth--my daughter's sleep got horrible around the time I started solids. Good luck!

We did rice and then oatmeal before veggies. I wouldnt be in a huge hurry for food, she is getting all she needs from your milk. Try the rice again in a few weeks and see if she does better. Also does she still have the tongue reflex? If so she isnt ready yet anyway.

Rice is a horrible thing to give an infant... causes a whole bunch of constipation and stomach cramping. If you feel you MUST give her something, try oatmeal.

Don't start solids until after 6 months, when the immature and open GI tract matures and closes. This can cause a lot of irritation, inflammation and introduce foreign bacteria to baby.

Always offer breast first... infants are able to have optimal growth and development with just breastmilk for the first year of life. The continued benefits of breastfeeding toddlers is antibodies and easy digestible food.

I would also suggest waiting til at least 6 months to introduce solids. And cereal isn't really necessary. www.wholesomebabyfood.com is a great site to check out! Solids in the first year is just for practice. Even though I started offering purees at 6 months, my LO refused solids until about 8.5 months, then went straight to table food. I actually liked allowing him to lead me in when he was ready (I later learned it has a name..."babyled weaning"). He's 14 months now and eats great!

I think 6 mos is the age to start any solids...including cereal?
18 weeks is way too young to digest solids.

Because of solid foods normally a baby will not require as much breastfeeding. However, every baby is different. if you are going to introduce veggies now, I would do cereal and BF in the am. veggies and BF at lunch and cereal and BF at dinner...BF inbetween if she seems hungry and of course before bed.

Hey J.,

Neither of my guys cared for rice cereal at all. I tried it with both of them at 4 months, and they spit it out. I then waited until 5 months and started them on step one foods (no blends yet). Once a day at first, then working up to twice a day by 6 months or so. I still nurse my almost-six month old before he eats, or I give it to him "in-between" feedings. I guess I look at it more as learning to eat, rather than a good source of nutrition, at this point. I should note that my youngest guy just tried oatmeal cereal, and likes it a lot. I think the texture of rice cereal can be off-putting for some babies.

Good luck!

Hi. Check out www.happyhealthymom.com
Under feeding they have a great feeding schedule and some info on when and how to best start solids.
Good Luck!

Once she is used to rice introduce oats. Once she is eating rice and oats well, than introduce the veggies one at a time. There is no rush, as long as she is still getting plenty of breast milk or formula. Let her ease into it so her tummy can get used to digesting solids.

Current scientific thought is that 4-6 months is an appropriate time frame for introducing solid/complementary foods and that early introduction may potentially decrease (not increase as previously thought) the risk of later allergies. This is still controversial. DD should receive most of her calories from formula or breast milk until a year of age. You mix the rice cereal with breast milk so you will need to pump. I would offer the cereal first, then the breast. You generally offer a new food, allow 3 days and then add another food. That is so if she has any problems with a food you can identify which food it is. You don't need to feed rice, it is just traditional.

how are you making the rice cereal?
What I used to do was pump and mix it with the breastmilk. Once I started doing that my son really started to eat it.