Solids and 6 Month Old

well, you're shoveling the solids in mighty quickly, aren't you?

slow down, cowgirl. this isn't your first rodeo, and even if you've forgotten what you did with your older kids, simple observation of what's not working with THIS one should give you a clue.

if you're tired of breastfeeding, slowly put him on formula. and yeah, keep adding some cereal but SLOWLY. i don't know why you didn't back off when he got sick. since the banana is making his stools loose, then the logical thing to do is to stop feeding him banana, isn't it?

it's possible that he's allergic to rice cereal, but i doubt it. i think you're just rushing him.

i'm sorry you're depressed. please speak to a doctor about it.

it has nothing to do with how your child reacts to solid food, though.
khairete
S.

I think you are going too fast with introducing new foods to him.
Breast milk is great but if you can't keep up with it - then formula is fine.
Formula will provide him with the nutrition he needs - a little bit of cereal is just chewing practice.
Feeding him too many solids is probably making him very hungry - he can't digest solid food very well yet.
He'll be less frantic if he gets food he can digest - which is formula or breast milk - until about his first birthday.

This isn't your first rodeo.
Your other children might have been different from your current baby - but you figured them out so you'll eventually figure this child out too.
Keep working with your pediatrician.

Your depression is a separate issue.
Please talk to your doctor about it - they can help you feel better.

I didn't do bananas as first foods.

I did the cereal, and then I added the veggies to it - so it was the things like sweet potato and the squash. When I did the fruits, it was the pears and the peaches to start.

I did tiny amounts. If there was problems with poops, I stopped it. I did one at a time to see if there was any issues.

So back off the bananas.

I did things like cheerios to keep their little hands busy at their seats I think. Can't quite remember. It took them forever to get the Cheerio to their mouths. So while siblings ate, they did that. I might get a spoonful of cereal in there. I was busy with other kiddos. It wasn't about getting it in. It was just a little here or there.

I overdid it with my first one. I really did. With my others, it was much more relaxed (as was everything). You may be overthinking this (where you had the gap) and now are stressed. It's ok.

Just step back from it, and breathe :) Mention you're down (depression) to your doctor.

I agree with those who say to put him on formula. There are not enough nutrients in just rice cereal and bananas (or any other single ingredients) so you need to make up for decreasing the breast milk by adding something comprehensive. I couldn't breastfeed past 4 months, but we put our child on formula along with a few basic baby foods in small doses and introducing one food at a time. Maybe bananas and rice aren't the best things for your particular child. Maybe he's dehydrated with more food and less liquid too. That's a big factor in intestinal issues and both constipation & diarrhea.

You say the pediatrician gave him antibiotics and that he got well after 2 doses. But did you finish the course of antibiotics even though he seemed better? If not, that was a mistake. If he had a touch of some intestinal bug, you didn't get rid of it in 2 doses. (By the way, everyone else had diarrhea but it was either due to an illness - bacterial or viral, hard to know - or to something like mild food poisoning. It was NOT from the weather change!)

You have a pediatrician - did you consult about food choices, full nourishment and these intestinal changes? It's good that you have keep at least a mental record of how much you gave him over how many days - but do share this with the doctor. A phone call costs you nothing - they will call back if it's not a good time and since this is not an emergency, but i's an important service they provide.

Also, how do you know your child is anxious to try foods? Is he happy to try whatever you offer on the spoon? That's good, of course. But also, he may be putting everything in his mouth, but that's what kids do. I'm not saying he's not interested, but you don't keep giving him things that upset his immature system because you think he's anxious to try them. Focus on him not putting toys or pebbles in his mouth, and don't worry so much about the food. If the doctor suggests that you can try Cheerios, you can do that to satisfy his desire to pick things up and to work on fine motor skills at the same time (just the plain ones, not the ones with lots of sugar added).

Every kid is different, so stop worrying about what you don't remember. What another child did might not be relevant anyway. Try to start fresh and try to find some confidence that you will figure this out in time. You can do this! If your depression doesn't lift, consider possible postpartum issues and not just pinning this on food/digestion. Talk to your own doctor.

Have you considered a possible food sensitivity/allergy. I never realized until my allergist told me that rice is actually considered a grass and it is quite a typical food allergy. I am actually allergic to it. I never even assumed it was high on the allergen list because they encourage parents to feed their babies it as a first food!

Breastmilk/formula provides all a baby's nutrition until 12 months old. If you want to give a little cereal every now and then, that is fine but don't rush it.

In general, I found that rice cereal messed up my kid's digestive system. I gave baby oatmeal for both of them instead when they were starting solids. But it really is just for fun. Nutrition comes from the breastmilk/formula, so don't skimp on that.

my second child refused all baby foods. right about 12 ish months i started giving her solid foods diced real small. and she loved feeding herself.
she was breastfed so i didn't worry about her not eating the baby foods and cereals.
so there is no need for them and you can just go back to straight breastfeeding till his little digestive system matures a bit. you can also try other foods and see if its just bananas that bother him.