Initiating Complementary Food

I started most of mine (I have 4 boys) with cereal. I started when they were about 2-4 months old. I would introduce vegetables before fruit as the fruit is sweet. If you give it first the baby won't want the veggies.

Every baby is different. See how the baby tolerates the food and if s/he is hungery enough to need solid food then go for it. I just breastfed for 6 months then started on food, although my first child did require solids a little younger just to hold him off.

Mari, I think it depends on the baby. My son started on cereal by docotor's request 2 days before he was 4 months old because he would cry for more formula 2 hours after drinking a 8 oz bottle of formula. My doctor said that would be way to much formula and she had me start him on 1 tablespoon of rice cereal ( spoon feed only). He did great after that. He even started going 5 hours without requesting food after that. You really have to use your own judgement, i think. Just watch for food allergies and try one thing at a time. My doctor also had me try yellow and orange veg. before fruit. She said sometimes if they inquire a taste for the fruit first they will not eat the veg. because they prefer the sweet taste of the fruit. Every doctor is different. M.

I have a 9 mo old that I actually started with cereal about 2 or 3 weeks before she was 4 mo old and she has been perfectly fine. We haven't had a single problem with any of the foods we have given her so far. Also, my mom told me she actually started feeding me cereal when I was about 6 wks old because formula didn't satisfy me and I've never had any problems with food or food allergies. I was always very healthy growing up. Ultimately it is your choice. You know what is best for your child. Don't take what the dr. says as gospel fact. They don't know everything.

Mari,

I found www.gerber.com to be a great resource in deciding when to start solids and what to start out with. we started my son at 4 months with rice cereal (the suggest dilution of rice to milk is very soupy) and then went to vegetables making sure to observe the 3-4 day period of time before starting a new food. remember that allergic reactions occur on the second exposure to a food, not the first; so be sure to give that food a few days in a row. We introduced fruit after all of the veggies and that has been a bit of a battle, but I think my child is just finicky in that respect, but he loves his veggies and that is good. Around 7 months we started with the 2nd foods which were the combinations and included meat. Just know that the first time will be messy and probably will have more on the bib than in the baby's mouth, but it gets better with time and practice. I also liked the website b/c it gave techniques on how to feed the baby. Hope this helps. -K.

at 5 months i started giving my daughter rice cereal and she never really took to it. so i began giving her veggies FIRST instead of fruit so she'd develop a taste for them. She now loves both. I started with squash and sweet potatoes (the orange ones) then moved to the green ones. After she got used to the veggies, I gave her fruits which were no problem at all since they are sweeter. I would wait till she's at least 5 months. There is a reason babies arent' supposed to eat solids any earlier, trust your doctor! Good luck!

Hello, as always it is important to listen to your doctor. I have a 14 month old and when he was four months he was ready to eat. He was pulling at any food that came near. The doctor told us we could start rice cereal at 4 months once no more than twice a day. I would mix it with a little white grape juice to give it taste. He did not like it mixed with breastmilk or water. As for fruits and veggies...they did not recommend starting them until 6 months and then meats at 9 months. At each stage he ate wonderfully and still does.

I am very excited that you are seeking to continue breastfeeding even when starting back to work!! I know it will be hard, but no harder than getting started the first time!!! :) Good luck!!

Definitely hold off on solids until five months (or ideally six!) like your doctor says. Your best option is to pump and store your own milk , but if that's not an option I would still supplement during the day with formula. I was really hesitant to give my first child formula because I was very into breastfeeding, and I just didn't like the idea of formula because it didn't seem "natural." But with my second child I was more willing to give him formula every now and then to supplement the breastmilk because I realized that even though it may not seem "natural" it's certainly not harmful and is the best alternative for a baby as young as your daughter. Best of luck with your return to work!

How about adding Goat's milk to your baby's diet as it is easier on the stomach than formula. Also when I worked after I had my son I pumped and bottle fed till he could sit up enough to start any solids.

Hi there! What I am about to write may sound a little bit forward, but I really feel very strong about this and I only want you to do what you feel as a mother is right for you.

Breast feed your child for as long as possible!! I personally feel that if you have what God gave you to use to feed your child, breast milk, then use it and forget this notion of giving your child formula and/or combining formula and breast milk or having a friend/neighbor/husband participate in the feedings by giving formula. You can still have a someone give your child the very best via a bottle but you'll just have to pump. I pumped milk for my daughter when I went back to work and there were no problems. We had to get use to a bottle, but you still have to feed your child the milk. Children are to be on breast milk (or formula) until they are a year old, then at that point you can either continue to feed breast milk or slowly ween, but you also must start to introduce whole milk.

There are lots of breast pumps out there to use. I used the Medela Pump and Style, it was secretly hidden in a backpack and I brought it with me to work everyday and twice a day (I only worked 6 hours) I would pumped. Now, not all employees are understandable about pumping and allowing you to excuse yourself for 10 -15 minutes at a time to do so. It also depends on your job, if you have the time to do such. There are laws about this in the United States that allow for women to do this. So if that is not a problem, then by all means get a pump, start pumping to help build up a supply, and whoever is taking care of your child when you go back to work, needs to start being around the baby and giving him/her a bottle so they can get use to the idea of their milk supply coming from somewhere other than mommy. This was a BIG shocker and an adjustment for our daughter who fought and screamed b/c the bottle was not mommy. Eventually we found the right nipple and everything went smoothly.

So with that being said, please consider not giving formula and instead continue to breast feed until at least 6 months if not till a year. I also wish to stress the whole idea of supply and demand. Most new moms have this notion to have someone else feed the baby so she can have a break or go out with friends or her hubby. All perfectly well and good ideas, but they think they can also give formula instead of breast milk. Babies, especially little ones, have to get use to something new and almost completely foreign to them again. They have little bodies, with little stomachs and sometimes formula upsets them. Formula is much better than it was years ago, but think supply and demand. Your supply of breast milk will diminish everything you replace even one feeding with formula. Because if you're not pumping to continue to bodies natural way of producing milk, then the body thinks "ok, time to dry up." Not to mention initially you'll probably be engorged and you'll need to pump to relieve the pressure.

Food!!! Ok, here's my opinion on food. I personally think that their is no reason what so ever for you to even consider giving your child anything other than breast milk until the age of 6 months. When you do start food, you are not trying to replace feedings with food, you are simply "INTRODUCING" foods, textures, tastes, smells to your child so that they can SLOWLY get use to the idea of eating. Some moms like to think that food can substitute feedings and in reality your breast milk has more nutrients than the food can give your child at this point.

That being said, their are moms who decide to give their children food as young as 4 months. The only problem is you risk the chance of increasing the possibility of having food allergies and other intestinal/digestive problems. When you do start off, start slowly, wait 4 days between foods to see if their is a reaction. Check out this website for more information about foods and when to start what: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
It's an awesome site, i've recommended it to all my friends and to new mommy's out there.

If you do decide to give food at this age, then just the tiniest bit once a day. Cereal is the probably the first food to give, but everyone has an opinion of what to give first. Some say cereal, (rice first) b/c you risk the chance of an allergic reaction. Others say fruit, b/c it's sweet and babies like that b/c of their mother's breast milk being sweet. Vegetables in a variety of different orders are suggested. Greens vs. orange colored vegetables. There there are some people/sites and even doctors that say meat first, b/c of the protein in it.

BUT there are certain foods you should stay away from initially and then slowly introduce them. The website gives you all the information needed.

I hope that helps you decide on what you plan to do. Please feel free to email me to ask me any other questions you may have.

A.

I was living in Switzerland until my daughter was a little over 3-month old. I tried cereal at 3 1/2 month, mixed with breastmilk but she didn't like it and I stop, then tried again a few weeks later. Just a little at a time. Then I started her on home made puree organic veggies around 5/6 month old when I went back to work. It was really just to try out flavor not as supplement. Gradually it became supplement to breast milk as she started to crawl. I breastfed until she was about 10 months old when she started biting me but still fed her with breast milk I had expressed and stored in freezer.

There is a saying that if you start solid too early, there is a higher chance of food allergy in the future. I am not sure if it's true or not, but my daughter is allergic to peanuts while none of our family members are. So perhaps you may want to hold off until your pediatrician gives you an okay.

I also recommend you hold off on foods for as long as possible. We started my son on cereal and then baby food from 4 months. He now has horrible food allergies. He's now 2 1/2. I don't know if we had held off on foods longer if that would have helped. But I have heard that starting foods too early can contribute to food allergies later. So I would definitely pump for now. I have a 6 month old daughter and we are holding off on foods for her for a good bit longer since my son has the allergies. I am just nursing her and giving her the infant vitamins w/ iron since we are holding off on foods. I think the idea of starting foods at 4-6 months is just for the iron and for the experience of learning how to eat and develop the mouth, not neccesarily for nutritional value. So that's why we are just giving our daughter the extra vitamins w/ iron (Enfamil Poly vi sol w/ iron). But from experience, hold off on the foods. You don't want to deal with what I am dealing with now with the food allergies. It's a nightmare!

Hi!
I'm from Russia. My daughter is 5 1/2 months.
And I want to say about our doctor's opinion. Sorry for bad english.
I want strongly recommend to keep breastfeeding as long as it possible.I don't know the laws of your country but in Russia if you are a breastfeeding Mom you can have 3 or 4 breaks throw working day no less than 30 minutes for feeding your baby.
If she is not hangry if you have enought milk it doesn't necessary to gave something now. After 5 months you can start
an addition to main food (your milk) to gave a vegetable or fruit puree and different cereals.But it must be gradually and main food must be your milk.
Bye

Hi Mari!
I personally would not start your baby on foods as of yet. have you thought of expressing your milk so she can keep getting the nutrition she needs until she is old enough to start of cereals? That way you do not need to start her on formula and you can avoid possible complications later on.
Good luck!
C. W. from KY, USA

i am the mother of a 2 year old daughter and i work part time. it's pretty good advice to go with what your doctor says. the main thing is you don't want your child's weight to drop. i never breast fed and millions of babies aren't either. do what's best for your child, which means make sure your child is getting all the nutrition each day she needs!

sincerely,

L.

We did not start ANY solids (including infant cereal) until 6 months. This is what the latest research suggests including what the AAP recommends. Babies need nothing more than formula or breastmilk for the first six months. Even when you do start some solids, it's never to replace the milk, just a little solids to get them used to the feel/texture/experience. It will be months later before baby needs those solids for the nutrition. Here's a link to a very trustworthy website called kellymom.com about starting solids http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

If you want to continue breastfeeding while working, you'll need to pump which can feel like a big job. But it's possible and very easy once you get started and have the right support. Here's another link to kellymom.com for the forum section where moms talk to each other. There is a whole section devoted to just pumping http://forum.kellymom.net/
I found this very helpful when I had to go back to work.

Good luck to you!

Do not introduce your daughter to fruit until after she is eating other foods because the sweet taste will cause her not to like the other foods. The first food to introduce is rice cereal. It is the least likely to cause a problem. I had a big baby 9 lbs 2 oz at birth. She was breast fed also but was hungry so I started feeding her rice cereal at a month old...feeding it to her at bedtime. She adapted quite well and it helped her sleep thru the night. Then I fed her of a morning...the second feeding...at about 2 months. At about 4 months I started her on vegetables. This worked quite well and her doctor approved. I breast fed her to six months. When you have to go to work, it is h*** o* you as well as her breaking that breast feeding bond. By having her started on some foods, it does help maintain some "sameness" to her eating routine. If you can pump for her to have breast milk in bottles while you work, it is much better than switching to formula. When my daughter switched, we had a problem with constipation and that is not anything you want to deal with if you can keep from it. When you daughter is older...at least 9 to 10 months, you can check into a formula for older babies...and switch her gradually.
Good luck.

I really think it's best to hold off a little longer on solid foods because it's so hard for them to digest but I don't think a little baby cereal or apple sauce would hurt if you think your baby needs it. I have two children and one of them was born at 25 weeks. You can never beat the benefits of breast milk. You give your child all of the immunities from you. I strongly suggest if it's at all possible to pump your breast milk at work while on your breaks. I used to do it in the bathroom. I would carry a little thermal lunch box to hold it in. You can freeze it for up to six months and thaw it out with warm water. Never microwave your breast milk because it kills the natural enzymes in the milk that are good for your baby.

Hi! Greetings to you in Spain! How wonderful!
I have 2 girls and my physcian was pretty emphatic that I wait until both girls were 5 months until I started foods. Apparently it has to do with their little digestive systems. They are not quite ready for other foods yet. I am sure you will hear from other moms who say they did their children earlier and they had no problems, but I waited with both children and followed my doctor's advice.

I ended up pumping my milk because I wanted my daughter to get my milk and that worked out great! When she got her cereal, it was mixed with my milk!!

Enjoy your baby!!!:)

I am a mom of three.I,m 60 right now,but I was feeding my children at three weeks old!Started them on simple strained foods from one of the famous baby foods.They hated carrots by the way,but I fed it to them anyway to get them adapted to the taste and they came to accept it.Today my kids like veggies.When my son was 10 mo. old,I would boil my own eggs and mash up the yoke and he loved it.One of my daughters would only eat whites,so that worked out pretty good.She was almost 4 at the time.That's all.God bless.

Hi Mari. I started my 6 month old daughter on rice cereal at 4 months. I am ready to start her on vegetables now as she just turned 6 months on Monday. However, she has been on antibiotics for an ear infection which is causing her to have diarrhea so I am going to wait for her to finish those before introducing her to veggies. As far as you going back to work, you may want to pump enough milk to leave for her to have from a bottle while you are away. Babies receive most of their nutriton from formula or breast milk during the first 6 months.

Hi,
It just depends on if your baby is ready. If she seems interested in food, can sit upright, and has lost her tongue thrust when you put food in her mouth, you may be able to start her on some rice cereal or fruit puree. Every baby is different, so just look for the ready signs. I think my son was around 4 mos when he started eating a little rice cereal.

If at all possible, continue to pump breast milk to feed her while you are away. It is best if they can have breast milk for the first year, supplimenting additional foods as they learn to eat from the table with their fingers with you. If you don't know about the benefits, please read up on them (not from your doctor.) But if you must, cheerios are sometimes the best when they can start to pick things up and it helps with motor skills. If you can, I would start them on veggies first. That way they won't get use to the sugar and sweetness of fruits. Good luck and best wishes. I cooked things at home and put them in the blender and then froze them in small containers. That way I knew what was going into the food my baby was eating. Good luck and best wishes. Congrats on the baby girl. so much fun

i started my breastfed daughter on rice cereal when she was about 3 1/2 months old, but her primary source of nourishment was still breast milk and then we started supplementng with formula and them we went to jsut formula and cereal, i didn''t start introducing fruits and vagies till she was about 5 or 6 months old.

I went thru the same thing. if you can pump as much milk as you can because i was so used to being home nursing my baby that when i went back to work my milk started to dwindle because i wasnt nursing throughout the day like i was b4 and i eventually had to go to formula. i also have a 4 month old girl whom i started nursing when she was born but stopped at 2 months because i was vey sick and on medication and just that fast my milk slowed down. when i started back work with my oldest i pumped there when i had a chance when we did not have any patients i would use one of the rooms, but it still was not much as him nursing on me on a regular basis. now as far as food i gave my son stage one foods at 4 months and he had no problems what so ever and my 4 month old daughter eats apples and bananas and I mix cereal with her formula, i just dont give a whole lot. not all babies will take things like other babies so just make a wise desicion and go one food at a time if you will start giving foods due to food allergies good luck

Hi,
I also have a daughter who is 4 months old. She was born on November 12. At our 4 month check up, the doc gave us the "okay" to start solids. We started with cereal once a day and now we have moved on to veggies and fruit once a day. I have incorporated it into our evening/bed time routine. She eats her dinner at 6:00 then we have bath time and then "wind down" time and she is in bed by 7:30. It is so much FUN feeding solids. Good luck with it.

I also went back to work when my little boy was 4 months old and I was breastfeeding. I do not know if it is an option but I was fortunate enough to be able to pump at work. I would pump in the morning before work twice at work and then in the evening before bed. My son is 14 months now and I still pump twice a day once in the morning and once in the evening. He is on whole milk now but still gets breast milk twice a day. I would recommend trying to keep your daughter on breast milk because my son has been so healthy even through the flu season! Hope this helps!

We started plain rice cereal mixed with breastmilk around four or five months. She never did like it though. She went straight to green beans (1) and never looked back. I actually just threw out a mostly unused box of cereal - the only box we ever bought. So....five months is a great time, start small...like soup...but if they refuse after two weeks of trying it's probably the cereal....try something else! To this day green beans are her favorite thing to eat...albeit her only vegetable. Should've known we'd have a picky eater :-)

Good luck!

My little girl is almost 6 months. I started her on rice cerael at 5 months (but she doesn't like it) so I also started giving her carrots. She likes carrots, bananas, and applesauce so far, but she still doesn't get enough to eat with these foods. She only eats about a tbls for breakfast and a tbls for dinner. She simply prefers to nurse. Although I am sure every baby is different, don't expect food to meet her nutritional needs yet. Momma's milk is still the most popular choice to babies. (We are not going to use formula at all either)

It depends on the baby! Our daughter was around 5 months when we started solids, but if she had been ready at 4, I would have started her then. She could sit up with support at 5 months, and would dive for the foods on our plates. And I noticed that the breastfeeding didn't seem to "last" as long between feedings. Just remember though, the beginning of starting solids is mainly to help her learn how to do it, she still should be getting as much milk as she was before.

You know if your baby is ready for cereal. My first started at four months. He already had a few teeth, even. Rice cereal is fine to start early. My second did wait until five months, though. My first did very well on the cereal. YOU are the mother, YOU know your child the best. Do what YOU feel is right. No book or research or advice we can give can compare to actually knowing YOUR child. I wish you the best!

im not sure of your family, but if being over weight at all runs in your family, hold off solid food as long as you can. even up to eight months if your daughter will hold off that long. the longer you strictly offer breast milk or formula, the less chance your child will be over weight later. if you are choosing a formula, make sure you get one with dha and ara, the breast milk enzymes that support brain development.

I didn't start my kids on solids until six months, but I have friends that have done it around 4 or 4 1/2 months without any problems. Rice cereal is usually considered the "best" starter food -- easy on the little digestive track and also low risk of allergies. Start out mixing it with breast milk so it's pretty thin, then gradually put in more cereal/less milk. I would recommend that after that you go to vegetables first; it's usually easier to get babies used to eating vegetables and then add fruits (which are sweeter) than the other way around. Not sure what vegetables and fruits are most common to Spain, but my kids loved sweet potatoes and broccoli, and did pretty well with green beans, corn and peas. (I would just buy the fresh food, whiz it up in a blender, and then freeze it in ice-cube trays and thaw one or two cubes at a time to feed my kids. Cheaper than baby food.) For fruits, bananas and applesauce were about their favorites early on. When she gets to about 7 or 8 months, you can start giving her Cheerios. It's a great finger food that teaches eye-hand coordination and they get soft very quickly, so even if she doesn't have teeth to chew them yet, there is no danger of her choking on them if she swallows them. Hope this helps and good luck!