Eating Solids - New York,NY

Hi E.-

I just blogged on a similar question...
(http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/10888698974798151681)

I am not going to type it out again, but the one thing different you asked about was juice. We did not introduce juice to my daughter until she dropped her nursings at about 15/16 months. By this time, she was on cows whole milk for cereal and dinner and such but I was worried about her getting dehydrated once she stopped nursing. She would get "juice" at her AM and PM snack. We started out very thin on the juice - it was more like colored water than juice and slowly increased to 25% then 50%. At nearly 3 years old, we are still diluting 50/50. I have even taken to drinking it that way. Less calories all around!

One tidbit - Motts for Totts is a joke. Look at the ingredients and you'll realize it says water added for dilution (or something along those lines). I personnally would rather spend my money on whole juice and dilute it at home myself.

Good luck.
~C.

Our ped told us to do 3 meals at 6 months. We started with cereal and bm, then added the fruit about a month later. My daughter got a veg at lunch and dinner. It was the same one at lunch and dinner since they're suppose to be on a food for three days to see if there's any allergies. We didn't always stick to that though. Most of the time it was two feedings of the same food, then I'd move on to something else. We always started with the sweeter vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes. I only introduced fruit after she tried all the vegetables. Your baby will let you know when she's full. She'll turn her head when you offer the food or won't open her mouth. Just follow her cues. Some babies, like my daughter, prefer to snack all day. I think your timing sounds fine. At this point, they are really just getting used to the food more than anything else. Just follow her cues.
Juice is not really a necessity for kids, but they sure do like it! Stick with 100% juice and do 1/2 and 1/2. My oldest was 2 before she had undiluted juice. She's still only allowed one cup a day. My 9 month old has had watered down juice in her sippy cup. We are trying to teacher her how to use a cup and I've found that juice flavored water gets them more interested in using the cup.
As far as milk supply, you'll be fine. You have an established supply. Your milk will drop as the need goes down, but you'll still make enough for your baby.

I can say that I had some of these same questions with my little one when she was about 6 - 7 months old. It doesn't physically matter if fruit is separate from the cereal but my personal thought on this is that by introducing the fruit separately, you then teach your child what the cereal tastes like (and they don't expect it to be sweet as they get older) and you introduce them to what each fruit tastes like. Some kids don't like certain fruits and you will know right away and then be able to decide what to do from there. I always gave my daughter cereal and then 1 oz (one thawed icecube of home made pureed fruit) at breakfast. I think as to timing, you need to do what you think works for you. I think I used to nurse at 6:30 and then feed breakfast around 9am but my daughter didn't seem to be hungry until then. It's really important to feed the bm first and then the cereal as the cereal doesn't have a ton of nutritional value at this point.

As to juice, here is what my pediatrician said (she has a 3 year old). There is no reason that any child should ever need to drink juice. It is packed with sugar (even natural sugars), children usually move away from water when they drink juice and studies have shown that juice can lead to not only teeth decay but also lead to sweeter snacks and tendencies. All of the nutrients a child needs from fruit should come from fruit.

My daughter is now 16 months and has never had a drop of juice. She gets plenty of fresh fruits which more then satisfy her fruit needs. I myself don't like juice and when I've been suggested to drink it I always diluted it as an adult. I plan on keeping juice and sodas out of my daughter's diet (as we do in our house). So far, she was breast fed until 1 year and then switched over to milk (soy and rice because of dairy allergies). She loves her water and drinks it without any issues. I do have a friend who has a child about 8 months older and she gives her juice all of the time (slightly diluted). She won't drink water, eats sweet foods all of the time and is a very hyper kid (some of this is due to the options provided to the child). I believe this is your own decision but wanted to share my conversations with my pediatrician and my personal experiences. I think you just have to do what works well for your family. Right now with breast feeding, your child is getting all of the fluids they need so you don't have to worry about juice or water until they get into more solids. Best of luck and hope this info helps a bit.

It doesn't matter if you mix the fruit with the cereal or serve it separately. At this age, food is about experimenting with tastes and textures. It shouldn't replace milk feedings. Two "meals" are appropriate, just a few prepared tablespoons is more than enough
Juice isn't recommended til past a year, and really isn't needed at all. I know that people think it's cute to see babies drinking juice, but it offers no nutrition, and once she is past a year, for extra hydration, water is the perfect beverage.

I mixed the fruit with the cereal and breast milk as well and it worked out fine. I started to separate the foods a few months later as they developed a liking for different flavors and textures. My twin boys eat EVERYTHING now. I started (watered down) juice at around 11/12 months as they were learning to use a sippy cup. I went from the breast to the sippy cup (no bottle!). Your feeding schedule sounds fine...as long as she has an appetite for the breakfast I wouldn't worry. Like the previous poster commented, your milk will go down a little once "meals" start, but your body will adjust when she wants more, she'll suck till you are dry and that tells your body to make more. I breastfed both my twin boys until they were 1 year.

With my kids they all started "eating" at different times... it actually depened on their development. I did start mine off with rice cereal then oatmeal... I started adding fruit to the oatmeal a few weeks later & then I added veg. to the rice cereal when we started them. I only started a new food every 3-5 days so that I could watch for allergic reactions. They can show up quickly or over a few days... so always wait a few days between adding new items to the diet.

I did mix the fruit & veg w/ the cereal to begin with and then let them try them on there own later. It keep the texture a little closer to the same & didn't seem to mess with the kids as much.

As to the feeding schedule - it's just something you will have to work out with her. If she seems to be enjoying her 7 am nursing & her 8 am breakfast, she should be fine with it. But if you are concerned that they are to close try backing off the breakfast an hour & see if that works better.

Juice - I did start giving my kids juice aroung 8 mo or so... I did give them 1 oz juice to 1 oz water. I bought juice in the little 4 oz bottles to start out since the 32 oz bottles seem to just get dumped down the drain. But it also was to help them poopoo a little better, since they started having a few issues with it after starting baby food & not drinking so much breastmilk/formula.

Your milk supply might drop some - but only if she doesn't need as much... your body will adjust to her needs. That doesn't mean you have to be done nursing - just that you won't be in pain.

Try to have fun with the new experiance w/ her & food. If you make it fun now - it will be easier to get her to eat later in life.