Confused about starting solids?

OK, so DD's 4 month visit was today, and we got the green light to start solids...Dr said to go Barley, Oatmeal, Rice cereals do each one for 4 days 1tbsp or tsp twice a day and then on the fifth day introduce the new one, and then apples and bananas...
questions are: When do I increase the amounts, and what goes after apples and bananas? And once she's into the apples and bananas do I still give her cereal???
Any experiences or schedules would be really helpflu

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Everyone has different ways of doing it but this is what we do...

At 4 months, we did 1 week each, twice daily of:

Rice Cereal
Oatmeal
Barley

Then, I introduced a veggie every 4 days.

Peas
Squash
Carrots
Sweet Potato

**I would mix about 1 Tbsp of cereal and some formula w/ 2 Tbsp of veggie**

After she mastered the veggies, we moved on to fruit, twice daily...

Pears
Peaches
Banana
Applesauce

**I mix about 1 Tbsp of oatmeal with 2 Tbsp of fruit **

DD had her 6 month appt today and we were told that she can start meats. I'm in no rush to feed her that so we'll get to it eventually...

I found that we are totally winging it when it comes to solid foods and I think that is how everyone is. There is no hard and fast rule as to which foods to introduce first [other than to start with the cereals] so you can really just do what you'd like. DD will decrease her liquid feedings once she starts to take more solids.

I know the info I gave is kinda vague... Hope it helped some. GL!! Don't stress... it's all just practice!

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Posted by twinkletoes807

Everyone has different ways of doing it but this is what we do...

At 4 months, we did 1 week each, twice daily of:

Rice Cereal
Oatmeal
Barley

Then, I introduced a veggie every 4 days.

Peas
Squash
Carrots
Sweet Potato

**I would mix about 1 Tbsp of cereal and some formula w/ 2 Tbsp of veggie**

After she mastered the veggies, we moved on to fruit, twice daily...

Pears
Peaches
Banana
Applesauce

**I mix about 1 Tbsp of oatmeal with 2 Tbsp of fruit **

DD had her 6 month appt today and we were told that she can start meats. I'm in no rush to feed her that so we'll get to it eventually...

I found that we are totally winging it when it comes to solid foods and I think that is how everyone is. There is no hard and fast rule as to which foods to introduce first [other than to start with the cereals] so you can really just do what you'd like. DD will decrease her liquid feedings once she starts to take more solids.

I know the info I gave is kinda vague... Hope it helped some. GL!! Don't stress... it's all just practice!

Re: Confused about starting solids?

good question. Im clueless. I was only giving her cereal after her first nap. I didnt realize I should be doing it twice What a chore it is and she just spits it all out.
I think I was going to start with apples, and then sweet potatoes.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

It sounds so much more confusing then it really is.

Start with the cereals. Make sure that with every new food you try you do it for a few days - so that way if there is an allergic reaction you know what it's from.

Once you move on from cereals to fruits, veggies, and meats - you can mix a cereal - with a new fruit (since you know your DC is not allergic to the cereal)

I always gave DS as much food as he will take....they will let you know when they are full.

My ped gave me an amazing guideline to starting solids that I posted on here - I'll try to find it and bump it for you!

Re: Confused about starting solids?

It's amazing to me how each Dr. has their own way of doing things.

We were told to start DD on rice cereal only for 1 week (1tbsp), and then starting next week we can introduce veggies. She said to do one color at a time, so if there's an allergy, we can narrow down which type of veggie is causing it.

She told us not to start any other types of cereals till 6 months.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Re: Confused about starting solids?

So wait a minute...what about bottles...do we still give bottles and if we do..when? And how much?

So confusing...

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Apparently your suppsed to give the bottles first (has more nutrients) and then offer ceral. I give her a bottle before naps, and then when she wakes I offer her the cereal. This way shes not due for another bottle for 1-2 hours.
It is really confusing

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Posted by pixie

Apparently your suppsed to give the bottles first (has more nutrients) and then offer ceral. I give her a bottle before naps, and then when she wakes I offer her the cereal. This way shes not due for another bottle for 1-2 hours.
It is really confusing

Message edited 4/17/2009 6:32:27 PM.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Posted by Diana1215

Posted by pixie

Apparently your suppsed to give the bottles first (has more nutrients) and then offer ceral. I give her a bottle before naps, and then when she wakes I offer her the cereal. This way shes not due for another bottle for 1-2 hours.
It is really confusing

Actually - I always gave him the food first - and then I gave him bottles. If he had his bottle first there would be no need to feed him the solids since he wouldn't be hungry.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

I agree it's definitely a little confusing. We just started the cereals a little over a week ago. Our ped has us doing the 3 different cereals 2-4 tbsp a day (rice, oatmeal, barley). Then she said to start fruits once we did the cereals. I've been offering the cereal after his morning nap but I give him his bottle first and pour out a couple of ounces of formula into the cereal to have the cereal ready for him right after the bottle. We are ready for fruits but now this post has me thinking if I should be mixing the fruit in with the cereal?

Edited to answer question about age, DS is 5 months.

Message edited 4/17/2009 11:08:41 PM.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

How old are all of your DCs? My Dd will be 4 months on the 25th.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Baby Menu Sample for Babies (4) 6- 8 Months of Age
Early Morning Awakening -

Breast Milk and/or Formula

Breakfast -

Breast Milk and/or Formula first!

Infant Cereal (Optional) - 1 food cube

Fruit or Vegetable (Optional) - 1 food cube - serve mixed into the cereal or separately

Lunch -
Breast Milk and/or Formula first!

Infant Cereal (Optional) - 1 food cube

Fruit or Vegetable (Optional) - 1 or 2 food cubes of each, or mix the cubes together; for example, apples and carrots are Yummy together! Feed with or without the cereal



Snack/Dinner

Breast Milk and/or Formula first!

Fruit or Vegetable (Optional) - 1 food cube



Notes:
Feeding Hints: Start out slowly, preparing a tablespoon sized portion of whatever food you have chosen to begin with. You will probably only manage to have baby eat 1/2 of the tablespoon sized portion the very first times you begin solids. As your baby becomes accustomed to eating solids, you will gradually increase the portion sizes.



Pushing Food Out of the Mouth:

Many parents find their babies will push the food out of their mouths on the first few tries. This is normal however, it may also indicate that your baby is not yet ready for solid food; only you know your baby and will be able to decide if baby is truly ready for solids.



** (Optional) accounts for the fact that not all babies between (4)6-8 months of age will be eating "meals" of any or all of the suggested foods at a given mealtime **

Re: Confused about starting solids?

while it once was standard to start a 4 mo old on solids, it's now debatable whether kids under 6 mo should be eating solids at all.... they lack many of the digestive enzymes necessary to break down the food they consume... so cereal floats through them somewhat like styrofoam...

the world health organization and american pediatric society both recommend waiting until 6 mo now... but many peds still start patients earlier...

if starting solids at 4 mo, definitely it can only be cereals, becuase much else would cause digestive issues. at 6 mo, it's no longer necessary to start with cereals... you can jump straight into level 1 fruits/veggies like pear, banana, peas, and carrots.... this is what we did w/ DS....

Re: Confused about starting solids?

We started at 4 months also. For about 5 days we did 1tbsp rice cereal. Then we tried oatmeal for 5 days (1tbsp also). Once we knew she wasn't allergic to either and liked both equally well we moved to twice a day. A couple of days later (so after about 2 weeks total on just cereal) we tried our first fruit. Our ped said it didn't matter if we tried fruits or veggies first just as long as we waited a few days in between each new food. Our ped said on the 1st day of a new fruit/veggie to only give 2-3 spoonfuls. The next day give a little bit more.

With the cereal at first we made it very liquidy (?) and increasing made the cereal thicker and thicker until it was a consistency Kaydyn liked (she liked it thicker rather than runnier)

Re: Confused about starting solids?

i will post what i do (on the recommendation of my ped) if that helps

* keep in mind that we tried to start solids with DS at 4 months and he wanted no part of them. we tried again at 5 months and he took to it pretty much right away. *

when we first started, i mixed 2 dry tablespoons of rice cereal with as much formula as it took to make it sort of runny. after he got used to eating that, i added less milk to make it thicker. i gave each cereal (rice, oatmeal and barley) for 3 days separately to make sure he wasn't allergic.

you also need to make sure that the cereal doesn't constipate your DC. if it does try just oatmeal and barley. rice tends to be more binding than those 2.

at first, cereal was offered as an extra. i fed him about an hour after his bottle so he wasn't full but wasn't starving. at this age solid foods are JUST for practice and bottles will be the most important form of nutrition they get.

once DS got used to the cereal we moved to fruits (apples, pears, bananas and peaches) and orange veggies (sweet potato, squash and carrots). again, only one new food every 3 days.

then we moved into green veggies. DS is still not crazy about those but neither am i.

at our 6 month appointment, the ped gave us the okay to offer a sippy of water during the day and yogurt as a treat. at that time, i also addressed the fact that DS was not a big eater, and i wanted to try giving him his food (cereal/fruit/veggie) before his bottle instead of after. the ped said that as long as he was getting between 25 and 32 oz. of formula a day, then i could give him his solid food first.

so now, at 6 months, he gets a bottle at 8am, fruit and cereal when he wakes from his nap at 11am, bottle at 12pm, veggie when he wakes from his 2nd nap at 4pm, bottle at 5pm, and his last bottle at 7pm. i could give him more solids but we are working on table foods and he has never had a big appetite.

when you first start out, you'll have to play with how much your DD will eat. that will increase gradually.

good luck - solids are intimidating but once you get the hang of it you'll be fine!!

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Start with the cereals...the rice cerael and oatmeal. Honestly I never gave DS barley My peds. rule of thumb was dont give DS something you wouldnt eat

They say to only try 1 new thing at a time incase they have a reaction so you know which the reaction is too. I waited more like 1 full week before adding a new food.

also, I would recommend starting veggies first. Fruits are sweet and babies have a natural sweet tooth. Once they get hooked on fruits it is very hard to than introduce veggies and get them to eat it in my experience.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

I started solids at four months. We started with 1-2 tablespoons of cereal and half a jar of fruit twice a day.


I started with Stage 1 peaches and every week would try something new. A lot of times I still miss the evening feeding, but most days we do twice a day. You're really just socializing the baby to learn to eat. The food does not replace a bottle. Baby is 6 months now and so far he eats and likes cereal and oatmeal mixed with applesauce, bananas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, squash, peaches, pears, carrots.

I tried prunes one day and baby went nuts. I don't know why they are actually pretty good. This week we are trying green peas. I'll let you know how it goes!

Re: Confused about starting solids?

I am trying to wait until 6 mths, as per ped. DD is now 5 mths old and we have not started anything. It sounds very confusing but I will be bookmarking this post for reference. Sorry I could not help!

Message edited 4/17/2009 11:16:54 PM.

Re: Confused about starting solids?

Posted by Diana1215

Posted by pixie

Apparently your suppsed to give the bottles first (has more nutrients) and then offer ceral. I give her a bottle before naps, and then when she wakes I offer her the cereal. This way shes not due for another bottle for 1-2 hours.
It is really confusing

Actually - I always gave him the food first - and then I gave him bottles. If he had his bottle first there would be no need to feed him the solids since he wouldn't be hungry.