How Do I Start Solids?

Your ped should have some literature and advice on how to start solids. Basically, eating starts out as a new sport, not really nutrition until he gets the hang of it. Keep breastfeeding as his main source of nourishment until about 1 year old. His food intake will increase slowly from now until then, and by that time you can wean him to whole milk or whatever milk source you decide. Watch out for allergies - once the child is exposed to new foods, it takes 7-8 exposures to the new food before an allergy will present itself - in the form of a rash, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. That is why it is said that you should feed him the same food for 5 or more days before starting a new one, so you can find out which food may be causing an allergy. There are many foods that should not be fed to him until he's one and still more to avoid until he's 3. That's why your ped should give you information.

It is really fun to give your baby new foods, and chances are, he will be fine and not have allergies. Enjoy this new milestone!

you're already on the right track having waited six months to start solids! My favorite advice on starting solids comes from dr. sears who suggests staying away from carb-full baby cereals and starting with fresh fruit and veggies like banana and avacado. this is what we did - i'm sure it's my son's personality but i have to brag that he is not a picky eater and loves all foods we have given him. another kids/baby cook book i enjoy is by anabel karmel. she has a website you might want to check out. i highly suggest making your own baby food. it's a lot easier than it sounds and it's actually way more affordable. you can freeze it and buy little containers for it (try your dollar store for ice cube trays and small containers.)

here's another resource on solid foods by dr. jack newman who i regard as one of the best breastfeeding experts out there (if you can, check out his book as well!)
http://www.bflrc.com/newman/handouts/0501-HO16-Starting_s...

hope that helps... we were really laid back about solids and didn't follow a schedule. remember... breastmilk is the primary source of nutrition for the first year and solids are just for experimenting so don't stress if your son doesn't "finish his plate"... that's not the approach to take, IMO!

Also... I suggest doing a lot of your own research because a lot of pediatricians are behind and eager to suggest starting various cereals early on. good luck and feel free to email me if you want.... ____@____.com

p.s. i wanted to add after reading some other responses that water IS GOOD for babies and you should not start your baby on juice at all. this was told to me by our dentist AND pediatrician. even the WIC program will be re-structuring and taking away the juice coupons becuase babies/kids do not need juice. and you have done the right thing by waiting until six months... your baby should not be on "stage 2" (whatever that means!) Follow your mommy instincts and not a "plan" or "schedule" devised by a baby food company or doctor accepting gifts from such companies... good luck!

also see below

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

I would highly suggest the book, SUPER BABY FOOD, by Ruth Yaron. (You can get it at Amazon)... She will walk you through EXACTLY what to do, answer all your questions you wrote about above, step by step. It's really important to follow a plan in case your baby has any food allergies. She explains which foods to introduce each month, and how to do it. She also will tell you what foods you should avoid until a certain age and why. Breast milk will still be the mainstay for all nutrition until the age of 1.

She makes it very easy! Good luck!

You need to research yourself, to see what approach appeals to you. Also ask your Pediatrician, they should be the source of your information as well. With feeding solids, it is important to keep breastfeeding, they baby still needs breastmilk. Each baby is different, but with me, my baby still breastfed every 3-4 hours, and I fed him solids (start with 1 feeding of solids once a day, then gradually work up to 3 times per day), at mealtimes in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Remember, water should NOT be the baby's main source of fluids, breastmilk should, or formula. But introducing water is fine, and introducing it in a sippy cup at this age stage. I would NOT give the baby juice until after 1 year old... CITRUS fruit or juice should NOT be given until AFTER 1 years old... due to it is more allergenic. ALso, you don't want the baby to become 'dependant' on juice.....too sugary and not nutritious, and it can develop a sweet tooth, and they may reject other more nutritious things. Some prefer a more conservative approach... meaning, starting with single grain rice cereal, then with a green or orange vegetable, waiting a couple days to see if there are allergic reactions, then in the next months trying different grain cereals and vegetables baby foods. Gradually add other types of baby food... be sure you know what foods are appropriate for this age stage. Remember, feeding solids is not just for taste and fun... the baby's digestive system and organs are STILL developing... thus, they can't take in too much protein yet, or other foods. Do not give any regular dairy milk either, until after 1 year old. No egg whites, or meat protein yet. I would not give any "adult" table foods yet.....to salty and seasoned. No honey, no peanut butter, no nuts yet either. You NEED to get familiar with what foods are appropriate at WHICH AGE. www.babycenter.com has a good chart on this. Because he is breastfeeding, it is always recommended that you breastfeed first, then give a solid. Don't 'replace' solids for breastmilk feedings. Also, once the baby starts solids, your breastmilk flow may change, and it will change accommodate your baby's new 'feeding' schedule. Remember, some babies get fed all kinds of things, a different food everyday...but i don't recommend this approach. Their body & digestive system is still developing...and it's best to go according to what is appropriate... not just giving them a 'gourmet' meal for fun. You also need to watch for their 'pincer grasp ability... to see if they can handle self-feeding. Don't give baby anything that does not break-down or dissolve in their mouth easily, or they will choke or aspirate on it. At first... the baby may just 'taste' the baby-food...then as they get used to it, they will take in more. Do not force the amount they eat. Remember, the 'portion-sizes' for babies are just a tablespoon or more.... or some babies eat a lot more and will finish a baby food jar in one sitting. Mine would eat 2 jars and had a big appetite. But each baby is different, and their acceptance of foods are different. You also need to be checking with your Pediatrician about this... and inform him/her of what you are feeding your baby and how breastfeeding is going in tandem with it. Unless he has no other health or growth issues or problems, then regular feedings should be fine. Good luck!

Hi - actually since your child is 6 mos - he should really be on stage 2 foods, but since you are just starting. Hold your baby in one arm and try some cereal with breastmilk. I don't recommend breastfeeding and then cereal. Have him eat first and then if he is still hungry, breastfeed. When my children were young.. I would pump at the time they ate and the breastfeed between meals. Your baby should eat when you do. Hope that helps.

OH -- once you start on babyfood, you will probably find out he isn't as hungry because it fills him faster. By a year old, he shouldn't even be on babyfood anymore....

I also really encourage you to talk to your baby's pediatrician. They will have a list of what to feed, when to feed it, and when to switch to something else and the order in which to do so.
About the water and juice...my baby's ped. told me that water is not necessary for babies. He said it is empty calories and your baby will fill up on it and get no real nutrients from it. It will not hurt you to give him water, just a little at a time. If and when you start juice, make sure it is apple juice or something like it (NOT orange juice or anything acidic), make sure it is 100% juice with no added sugar. I mix my daughter's juice 1/2 juice and 1/2 water, they don't need straight juice, and it will save you a lot of money!

Well, I hope this helps a little. My daughter is about to turn 6mos,but she has been on solids since 4mos only because she showed interest early on and is very big for her age. So the milk alone was not satisfying her. I started with rice cereal mixed with a little fruit like bananas. Just about a baby spoon full and made it a little runny so it's not too thick. I fed her that in the morning for a couple of weeks and I found that she usually would take a bottle about 1hr after her cereal. Then I started her on the veggies. I started with the orange ones first, her dr. said to feed her the same one for about a week to make sure she doesn't develop any allergies then you can try a new one. So I started with carrots, then sweet potatoes, and then moved on to squash. I have tried the greens,but she does not seem to like them too well.I also introduced water to her with a pinch of sugar. She seems to like it and it helps her not get constipated with all the solids she is eating. She still takes a bottle about 1hr after she eats solids. Right now she eats cereal w/fruit for brkfst, veggies and fruit for lunch and dinner. Hope that helps!

Hi C. my name is C. I have two beautiful daughters and i breastfeed both of them my doctor always recommended me to give my girls water because as you know breast milk is full of water and the more solid food they eat the less they are going to drink and what i did was put just a little i mean little bit of juice to give flavor but i do not recommend to start putting him on juice If he is intrested in food i will start giving it to him and is he sleeping through the night? if not put a little bit of rice cearel in his bottle be for he goes to bed and he will be fuller at night also you can start him on fruits good luck! take care of your self and your family :)

I started on solids for my daughter when she was 5 months old, I started out doing rice cereal in the morning then topping her off with a nursing session and breastfed her the rest of the day w/in 1 week i moved it to cereal in the am then baby food in the afternoon,then week 2 rice cereal in the am and baby food in the afternoon and baby food in the evening. Only intorduce new types of baby few every few days to make sure he doesnt develope allergies to the food. But you want to go baby food 3 times a day am afternoon and evening, as for juice start out w/a small amount 1 oz juice 1 oz water to start him off, as you increase the amount of fluids make sure you ALWAYS do half juice & half water, start by using apple jiuce then you can move on to blended juices. Same for the baby food start w/vegatables then move on to fruits cause if you start w/fruits you'll never get him to eat vegatables cause fruits of course are sweet and babies prefer a sweet taste over not such a sweet taste. and if you like i have lots of coupons for beech nut baby food and if you want to give me your address i can mail them to you as i have more then enough. just let me know. also solid foods have water in it, but you should introduce juice and water in a sippy cup so he can get use to the different type of cup, i made the mistake of giving my daughter juice in a bottle and now i cant get her to take it from a sippy cup. hope this info helps

Continue with your breasfeeding schedule. Your baby will only take small amounts of food at this time. Start him with cereal instructions on first feed are on the box. Then add a new vegetable every 3-4 days. Do not give your baby water/juice in bottle, breastmilk or formula is all he needs now. If any other questions or concerns, you should ask your pediatrician. Good luck!

Hi,

My son is 8 mo and we practice a baby-led approach to the introduction of solid food and we have lots of fun with it. His main source of nutrition is the breast milk and he "discovers" solid foods the same way as everything else around - by playing and trying to chew. There are two sources I would recommend to look into for more info:

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voeds... (it also has a link to a weaning food introduction schedule for babies older than six months)

http://www.tribalbaby.org/babyLedEating.html

Warmly,

I.

Well first thing, is talk to your doc. But you should probably start on rice cereal in the morning, after the breast feeding - about 30 minutes after the first morning feeding. Then stick to your usual feedings. Do that for a few days or weeks - depending on how hungry he seems. Then add the cereal to dinner time as well. Then start adding baby foods at dinner time. I made mine, but you can buy some organic brands. Nothing chunky for quite a while - stick to the mush. Then you can switch to oatmeal, and dump the rice. Before you know it he'll be eating 3 meals a day! Good Luck. I breast fed throughout - mostly for comfort toward the end. But keep the breasfeeding up while introducing foods!

C., Your baby is a good judge of how much he wants to eat. Your baby will need milk for quite some time whether it is breast, bottle, or formula. Every time a baby's diet changes, they go through changes to adjust. Sometimes runny bowels or constipation. So don't panic. Watch for how long the adjustment takes. Your baby needs water in addition to milk. I put a pinch of sugar in boiled water. Take some of your breast milk and put it in a bottle and put a little rice cereal in it. Make the hole bigger. See how that works. After a week, see if he will eat the milk and cereal from a spoon. After a week, try pear, peach, and apple juices. In between, feed him milk. He will let you know how much he wants to eat. Again don't panic. Gradually add cereal & fruit to menu. In another month, he should be ready for veggies. R.

Hi C.... the first several times you try solids it will not even replace any breastfeeding because he will only really be tasting. a teaspoon or two. if you want to start with rice cereal you can... many people mix it with expressed breastmilk or formula. it doesn't have to be the baby's first food (a mashed ripe avocado is an excellent first food, so is fresh ripe banana). you should feed him in the am, mostly because if he has an allergic reaction to anything you don't want it to happen in he middle of the night. you will quickly get a feel for your child's interests and tolerance of solid foods and your instincts are a fine guide.

once babies are eating a significant amount of solid food it is good to give some water (water is absolutely not "empty calories"! it has no calories at all and it is crucial for hydration) but babies who are getting most of their nutrition from breastmilk don't need supplemental water. diluted juice is ok too but many will tell you to keep this to a minimum because it provides sugar without the fiberr in whole fruit.

how long between new foods... 4 days to a week is standard.

and don't worry... you are not losing any bonding time with your baby. feding solids is tons of fun and bonding does not end when exclusive nursing does. have fun!