Hello. I would like to hear from people who started feeding their babies later than the usual 4-6 months old. My son is a healthy 8 month old and we just started feeding him rice cereal mixed with breast milk. At first we gave it to him just on the weekends for a couple weekends because I was working full time. But now I'm home with him full time and have been able to feed him twice a day every day for the past 2 weeks. We started with the recommended 1 tablespoon for the 1st week, then upped it to 2 tablespoons the 2nd week. This is now the 3rd week, and he's eating 3 tablespoons, and could probably take more. He hasn't had any reactions or constipation, so now we'd like to move on to the veggies. My question is should I be following the guidelines for his age or for a baby who has just started eating? Everything I read says by 8 months they can start finger foods, meats, pasta, etc. But since he's just starting out, I think I should be following the charts for a 4-6 month old. Any suggestions?? Most of my friends started feeding their babies by 6 months and some have even given me a hard time for waiting so long, so I don't really have anyone to ask.
thank you very much for your advice!
~S..
My first didn't get in to food until after 1 and my second was ready the day he was born, OK, kidding but he did take a bite of my pizza around 5mos and handled it like a pro. I don't recommend pizza but it's a fun story.
If I were you, I'd start with the early foods and see how it goes. There is no rush to get him "up to speed". Some babies do fine early on some do better waiting.
By the way, you are doing great!
Have fun!
M.
i started my daughter on rice cereal a little early (3 1/2mo) we were going on a 20 hour drive and she needed something to sustain her better also she was demonstraiting the readiness for solids. she ate rice, oatmeal, barley, and mixed grain cereals. then at 5mo i started fruits and mixed it in with cereal. then the vegies and then meats. at about 7 1/2 8 months (if im remembering correctly haha) she started eating the finger foods. we got her the gerber graduate fruit and vegie puffs (they dissolve in the mouth). now she eates anything and everything. what i would do with your sweet son is try mixing a stage 1 in with some cereal (they say to give them a new food for 3 days before starting a different one) and if he tolerated that good then go one to other foods. good luck!
Hello. At my pediatrician's direction I didn't start my son on cereal until he was 6-1/2 months old and then moved to 1st foods at 7 months. For breakfast he would have cereal after I nursed him. For lunch it was cereal, veggies with fruits being fed last. I made sure he didn't have any allergic reactions to anything before I moved on to the next food. I also continued to nurse him (still do). As his appetite grew and he got some teeth I increased the quantity and gave him two veggies and two fruits. As we moved through the 2nd and 3rd foods and introduced meat/veggie combinations as well. All along he was able to tell me when he was full and didn't want anymore. At 13 months old he began to cry when I tried to feed him 3rd stage meat/veggie combinations. He wanted what was on my plate instead. So I started introducing him to finger foods and cutting up pieces of meat, veggies and fruit in to small pieces. He eats a variety of foods now but I can still only get him to eat his veggies if they're pureed. I know that will change eventually. The key is to take it slowly. Regardless of his actual age he still needs to learn how to do all of those things that babies who started earlier needed to learn. If he doesn't like something after a couple of meals let it be for now and try again in a couple of weeks. Good luck!
Hi S.,
Hmmm...yeah, I don't think you should do the 8 months level yet. Try the 6 months level and just observe. Watch how he handles the food in his mouth...is he pushing the food back out with his tongue? Is he swallowing the food properly? When he seems ready, let him trying something else. Honestly, he'll most likely get the hang of it quickly.
I wouldn't worry too much about your friends giving you a hard time - every baby is different and you need to do what is right for you and your son. Since he's relatively new to eating I'd follow the charts for a 4-6 month old, just to err on the side of caution in the event of an allergic reaction and to give his little digestive system time to get used to "real" food. I'd also start him out on veggies first (orange veggies before the green ones) so that he can get acquired to the taste before you introduce the more appealing and sweet fruits. This is the plan we're using for our little guy and he's doing great:) Good luck!
start with him as if he is younger. I was told start with one veggie or fruit per week, to make sure there is no allergies. I did every 3-4 days with all of mine, as I found out very qickly (within the first day) that my daugher did have an allergy to some veggies. I did apples first, because at that point I had already given some apple juice and knew there were no allergys, so then 1 day later I gave sweet potatoes.
I waited until my baby was seven months old to start him on solids. My understanding is that the recommendations for when to start babies on certain foods have more to do with what their systems are able to handle. So, for example, you should wait until they're at least a year old to introduce foods such as dairy, nuts, etc. But as far as finger foods and the like, I would say to just watch your baby's cues. Mine really preferred chunks to the pureed stuff, so I introduced those more quickly than I might have had I started solids sooner (if that makes sense). Since he was developmentally and physically ready to chew and swallow these foods, I saw no need to wait. But every baby is different, so just see how it goes with yours.
Good luck.
I think you should introduce him as if he were younger. He may progress much faster than if he were 4-6 months old, which is great, but just starting I would start him as if he were younger. Good luck!
