Introducing Solids - Dillsburg,PA

I started my son on rice cereal once a day for about 2 weeks then I started with the rice cereal and peas. I gave him peas for 4 days then went to green beans. I always stayed in the same food color and when that color was finished then I started with the next color like carrots. Each one I introduced and gave to him for 4 days each twice a day. My son is now 7 months and he is eating breakfast lunch and dinner with a bowl of cereal and 1 container of stage 2 food. Then before bed an 8oz. bottle. I always make a 6oz. bottle with each meal and use about 3oz. for the cereal and give the rest to him from the bottle. I did the same thing with my 6yr. old daughter and it worked great for her aswell. Hope this helps.

Hi M.,

I did a different start date with my daughter, who is now 9 months old, but maybe this will give you a good plan to run with:

At 4.5 months we started rice cereal for dinner only
At 5 months we added in breakfast too
At 6 months we did sweet potatoes
At 6.5 months we did oatmeal instead of rice cereal
At 7 months on we've done 1 new food a week

They say to do 3-5 days in between for allergy purposes.

Good luck!

I just wanted to add a caution. I come from a highly food allergic family having many food allergies myself. With my first child, my daughter I waited til 6 months to start cereal and took the old advice of gradual intros. I waited til 7 months for fruits and veggies and took it slow. I waited til over a year for a lot of things like dairy and egg. My daughter has severe allergis, due most likely because I waited and didn't introduce enough. the old school thinking had no studies to back it up, only theories. There are now studies that prove the opposite is true, so when my son was born I started him on cereal with breastmilk at 4 months old and he was eating fruits and veggies by 5 months old and basically everything by 6 months old. He has no food allergies. Both kids tested allergic to foods, but my son has never reacterd and now he is almost 2 and he no longer tests allergic to anything. My daughter on the other hand reacts to everything, carries an epi-pen and has had many reactions and continues to test positive to foods. We are working slowly to desensitze her and she will never be able to be anywhere near peanuts. But hopefully she can tolerate egg and dairy and tree-nuts someday. My son neds to eat the potential allergenci foods regularly so he does not develop an allergy. Early introduction has been proven to reduce allergies. Basically our allergist said to introduce foods early and often to avoid food allergies and sensitivities, and it has worked. My son is the only member of our family without any reactions to foods. And he is still happily breastfeeding frequently at almost 2 so early intro of solids has only benefited him. Now every child is different so you need to use your best judgement for your own child, but I just wanted to share our experience.

Rule with solids when breastfeeding is - ONLY after nursing. If you want to continue breastfeeding this is imperative!!! Weaning techinaclly starts with the first bite of solids.

As for when to introduce new foods. What is said now, is that as long as you don't have a family history of allergies, it is not necessary to wait a long time between introducing different foods. Only a day or two. It actually has been proven in a European study that the more types and colors of foods babies are introduced to in a short period of time, the more likely they are to not be picky eaters when they get older. You are starting with a clean slate, with no preconceived notions about taste. If you feed only bland foods they are more likely to refuse foods with more flavor later.

As for cereal, it is never necessary, and the added iron in it actually inhibits the absorption of nutrients from your breastmilk. If you decide that you want to feed cereal, start with the barley or oatmeal. The rice cereal is the worst for gas and bloating.

There are actually many other foods that make good 'first' foods. As long as no one in your family is not allergic to laytex, avacado is one of the best. It has lots of Omega 3 fats, and plently of other nutrients also. Potatoes(any type), beans, peas, squash, bananna, peach, and applesauce are all good also. If you give foods with texture now, they are less likely to have an adversion to it later.

The red coloring in strawberries is what causes the allergy to strawberries, so take caution in giving them. Watch very closely.

Babies don't NEED anything but breastmilk for the first year. Solids before then are for practice, and can be given as little of often as baby wants them. Just know that the more solids you give, he may be likely to wean early.

If your baby goes to daycare you can have them give the solids there while you nurse at home. If he does not, then giving them the the dinner table is a good way for him to participate in the family dinner, and once he is able to eat small finger foods, is a good way to keep him occupied so that you can eat.

I started my son off with cereal then I mixed veggies with his cereal. I would start off with veggies first like sweet potatoes or carrots. I would feed it to him for about three days before introducing another food. Like you are doing start off with a little bit. The doctor will go over everything you are feeding him and will make recommendations for more or less. good luck.

I know you've already basically resolved your issue, but I just wanted to share my experience. I waited until 6 months to start my kids on solids with my first two. My son, on the other hand, I started at 4 months. I started with rice for 4 days, then started on the veggies. I feed my son his solids BEFORE I nurse him and haven't had an issue. I did it the same way with my girls. I've never heard that you should nurse first as some moms had said. It made more sense to me to feed the solids first because they're thirsty after. Not to mention the fact that my kids typically fall asleep after nursing.

As for when to start 2x's a day, I did that as soon as I started with veggies. Rice/oatmeal in the morning and veggies/fruit later in the day. My son's almost 5 months old. I'm thinking that I might go to 3x's a day when he's around 6 months.

My doctor told us to wait 3 days between the introduction of each new food to be sure there were not any allergies or intolerances to the newly introduced food.

Once I started my daughter on other solids besides cereal (ie sweet potatoes and such) I started 2 meals a day. Once in the morning was just cereal and then in the evening I did a small amount of cereal and a small amount of whatever food we were introducing.

I nursed before each of these feedings (and of course at other times throughout the day) but before each feeding to make sure that she was getting her breastmilk first, and wasn't filling up on anything else. She didn't eat a lot of solids because of that, but as you said the primary form of nutrition is still breastmilk, and the rest is more exploration.

I used to wait about 3 days between new foods. I think if he seems to tolerate it well and wants and likes the cereal, go ahead and give to to him twice per day! Good luck.

M. R I believe the rule of thumb for new foods for babies is 1 new food each week, but I am talking a very long time ago. My youngest is 16 years old. My son (2nd child) was started on Veggies at 2 months old. He was a very hungry baby and I was breat feeding him every two hours around the clock. Once we started the veggies he lasted a little longer between feedings. He is soon to be 19 loves his veggies and eats very healthy. Always check with your doctor you can call and ask them what the wait should be. Good luck and have fun with him....

My pediatrician always told me to wait 5 days before introducing new foods. I was told to start with rice cereal w/ breast milk or formula, then move on to apples, bananas and pears. If your little guy is willing to take it, you should be ok giving him cereal for breakfast and then a fruit for suppertime in a few weeks. Don't be afraid to mix the fruits with the cereal for him. (Just don't start substituting his milk source with a solid and not allow him to get the important nurtrition.) After that was accomplished, then I was able to do carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans and peas. I was always told to hold off on strawberries and other acidic fruits until closer to 1 yr. Never do eggs until you reach the 1 year mark or over. Congratulations on this milestone!

You can feed him as much as he can take now. Just be sure that the breast milk is not being replaced by solids. I don't know about breast milk, but with formula, for example, baby should be getting about 24 ounces a day. If solids are introduced and the amount of formula goes down then baby needs to cut back on solids since formula is the main source of nutrients. Consider solids right now practicing. As baby grows you can add more and more as long as the same amount of formula/breast milk is being taken as needed. So don't rush the process. Let him enjoy the cereal and later as he seems more hungry add some fruits one by one. Wait 3 or 4 days before trying a new one. If you already know that he's fine with apples and pears, for example, you can still give him those while introducing a new fruit. If there's a problem you'll know it's the new one. Just don't introduce more than one new one at a time. Same with the veggies. Fruits to stick with to start are apples, pears and bananas. Veggies to start are sweet potatoes, beans (strained as they are stringy), and peas. Wait on carrots and broccoli for a bit. Those tend to be ones that may cause a problem IF there's going to be one. I assume you started with rice cereal but I'd switch to a heartier oatmeal as it's more filling and has more flavor.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Hi M.,

I went through the same thing with my daughter who is 19 months now. I know that the wait for allergies with new foods is only about 2-3 days. If your baby does have an allergy to something he eats, there would be a reaction almost immediately. I liked to wait a little bit longer (4-5 days) just to see how she felt after a new food - okay/gassy/etc.

As far as more cereal, I think it is different for every child. It is a trial and error type of thing. If he seems hungry after nursing, then it's time for more cereal. My doctor said that the cereal is unneccesary - like you said -breastmilk is the main form of nutrition until about 12 months. However, we were too excited to wait that long and wanted to see what our daughter liked and didn't like.

If you call Gerber (number is right on the baby food label), they are extremely helpful with baby food questions, and NO question is stupid to them - they have heard it all. They were a big help to us as we stood in the grocery aisle looking at all of the bottles of baby food not knowing what to get next...

Good luck and happy feeding,
L.

you definatly can start veg or fruts. just start with teaspoon and wait at least 3 days to see if baby alergic to it or not. and definatly you can start giving yogurt, specially now in flu season