Starting solids

How/when did you introduce solids?
Dd is almost 5mos and so far has been having rice cereal. Our pediatrician said to try a new food every 4 days to check for allergies. We are starting with carrots today.
I'm just wondering a few things:
How much do I give her?
Do I continue to give her cereal? If so do I give them at separate times of the day or combine them?

Anything else I should know?

Message edited 7/14/2013 10:46:36 AM.

Starting solids

We mix baby food with cereal. DS started with carrots too! We mixed up to half a jar of food with cereal and then thinned it out with formula. Then we microwaved it for 7 seconds or so to take the chill off. Make sure you make it thin enough that DD doesn't choke on it.

This is what my ped recommended -

Start with vegetables
Vegetables in the pm
3 days to make sure there is no allergy
After 3 days of vegetable, introduce a fruit in the morning (we started with apples)
Keep serving the same vegetable at night along with the fruit in the morning (fruit for 3 days to make sure of no allergy) and then after the fruit is clear, switch the vegetable.

We have introduced peas, carrots, squash, sweet potato, peaches, apples, and pears to DS so far! The only thing he hates are peas. He eats his oatmeal/fruit around 10-10:30am and his oatmeal/veggie around 5-5:30!

HTH!

Re: Starting solids

Do whatever works for you!

We started with 1 meal a day but quickly went to 2. When we first started, I started with apples between his 2nd and 3rd bottles of the day. Sometimes I gave it to him straight, sometimes I mixed a little into his cereal (rice or oatmeal).

Once we went to 2 meals, I'd usually do the new food in the morning and something we've already tried him on in the afternoon. Therefore, sometimes it's fruit in the morning with a veggie at night, sometimes the opposite. I usually give a little cereal, too, but not always, depending on how hungry he seems. And again, sometimes it's straight cereal, sometimes I mix a fruit in (we've already tried apples, bananas and pears).

And don't worry about the baby choking. The purees are so smooth. If she's fine eating cereal, she'll be fine with the puree. No need to thin it out with formula.

And as for the amount, just go by the baby's cues. I usually start with half a jar, but if DS wants the entire jar, then I give it all to him.

Re: Starting solids

My peed said feeding is an art, not a science. He said give her whatever she wants, as much as she wants - just one at a time to test for allergies/sensitivities.

He said people have been doing this for thousands of years, take your plate and put it in a blender.

So that being said, here's what we did:

Tried rice cereal at 5 months -bad gas and seemed constipation. Waited 2 weeks and then had no problem. Moved quickly to mixed cereal and oatmeal.

By 6 month birthday had tried 1 or 2 fruits and the cereal 2x' per day.

I have a whole list of fruits, veggies, meats, beans, yogurt, etc. that is "stage 1" per Baby 411. We are just trying things one at a time.

She likes her food pretty thick actually. I do cereal 2x's per day mixed with a fruit or veggie. We try something new every 2-3 days. Usually something new once per day and something old once per day.

This week we will be trying mangoes and green beans. Her favorite so far is pears and she was not a fan of white potatoes (shockingly, it's my fav food).

I know you aren't supposed to replace bottles with food at this age, BUT DD has decreased her bottle intake. Doc said it is fine as they grow half as fast the second 6 months as they do the first. She is on the chunky side so we aren't worried too much at this point. She still takes bottles just 5+ ounces per day, depending on the day. I think she just likes solids.

HTH

Starting solids

Our ped gave very little guidance (which i find kind of annoying actually) except to say start with cereal (i did oatmeal instead to avoid the arsenic) and orange vegetables. He said the amount and times per day depends on baby and whatever i'm comfortable with. He said solids first, and bottle as a chaser, but i found she wasn't taking enough formula when i did it that way so I do bottle first, then solids about an hour later. She takes it all that way.

I make her food at home. It's super easy so definitely worth the extra step for me to avoid the preservatives in the jarred food (but to each their own). it just makes me feel good to make it fresh for her, especially since breastfeeding was a bust for me :(

We started with oatmeal, sweet potato, carrots, squash, banana, pears, and next is avocado ( 3 days in between each). First it was once a day but now she's up to twice a day. I usually do oatmeal in the am and a veggie or fruit in the pm. I've been keeping it to a tablespoon at each serving. Seems like she would eat more, but i'm trying to get her to take more formula during the day to sleep better at night so I wont increase solids from here until 6 months. i figure alot of babies dont even start solids until 6 months so two tablespoons a day for now is ok.

How much formula is your DD eating?