Food Allergies Vs. Food Tolerance

The bowel movements are totally normal as is her "mood swings" for the foods. She may love something one day, dislike it the next, then love it again the next. This pattern may also change over the next few months: she may love something one month, but not the next. My 10 month-old has followed this pattern and we keep introducing new solids. I heard from someone that it takes about 4 or 5 different sessions before they "like" something, so if she avoids something at first, keep trying. You can also mix in a little breast milk or, as her food variety increases, put foods she doesn't like as much with foods she does.

I hope this helps!
jen

Her system is trying to get use to soilds. I know that James had the same issue. As long as she not having trouble going i would not worry about it. Sounds like you are doing everything right!! Way to go.
A.

Hi E.

Bowl movements change with diet. (you will figure that out when you introduce more colorful foods. You can be lucky if they have a BM multiple times a day that also means they are not constipated. Mine have a BM up to 4 times a day.
You should only be concerned if the BM is too liquidish (as in Diarrhea).
As for water at this age the main liquid source should be breast milk. I noticed that mine nurse a lot more when it is hotter.
As far as tolerance it takes some time to get used to solids. and not all babies like the same food every day. The nutrition still comes from your milk at this age.

Good Luck.

It is completely normal for a baby to start having more bowel movements when they start solids. Their BMs will also change in texture, color and odor. If you really think about it, it makes sense. Before your baby was only taking in liquids that are easily absorbed and have very little physical structure. Now she is getting some food that is the exact opposite of that so the end result will be different from what you’ve been seeing. It is also normal (and a very good sign) to have a BM within a few minutes to a couple of hours after a solid meal. This is the way our bodies are designed to work. Eating cause contractions in the muscles of our upper digestive tract. This triggers contractions in the intestines and eventually the bowels. All of this makes sure that we don’t get an impaction or become constipated. All in all it sounds like your daughter is doing great.

Keep up the good work,

Alli

babies will only eat as much as they need or can handle, so no worries if she's not eating the same amount all the time. i don't have an answer about the increased bowel movements, but something to keep in mind is that many babies are not really ready to eat at 6 months. our society pushes the solids much too early for some babies, my friend's baby was not ready until almost 10 months!! perhaps your baby's system is not ready for solids. i tried solids four times before my son was ready. he'd eat heartily the first time and then just be over it, i usually waited 1-2 weeks before offering the solids again. once he started up, he was serious about it.

another thing to keep in mind is the little know fact that babies cannot truly process grains until they have molars, which is after 1 year. rice cereal is NOT the best thing to start babies on, especially instant. It is strange that this is the trend when we all know that eating instant rice and oatmeal is not good for our adult bodies, then why do we give it to our delicate little babies? i say stick with fruits and veggies for a couple months. naysayers to this method are concerned about the iron in the rice cereal that babies need. you can feed baby other things with iron, such as beet greens, spinach, broccolli, and collards (to name those that i tried). the beet greens mixed well with cauliflower and the collards mixed well with apple. he LOVED them. there are so many yummy foods available in California that are in season at the market and it's soo much better than rice cereal. it's conservative and bucks the system, but you want your baby to be able to process all the calories they intake in order to get all those vitamins and nutrients. the rice cereal just takes up valuable space in baby's tummy.

Good luck and have fun with the food thing! it's really fun to watch them grow into little eaters. :-)

Hi E. -

It doesn't sound like your baby has any true allergy symptoms. Going from breastmilk (the ideal baby food) to adult food is a transition that takes some time - and yes - your baby's bowel movements should increase - if she is eating solids and NOT having bowel movements, that is much more of a problem.

I agree with a previous post - cereals and grains are not a good first baby food. It is not easier to digest, and can cause problems if given too early. Give your baby vegetables first, fruits second, and whole grains in moderation when they are fully used to solid food.

Your baby's primary food is still breastmilk, so it doesn't really matter how much solid food is eaten at this point. Don't push it. I have 4 kids and none of them even started solid foods until they were at least 9 months old. You can start vegetables earlier, but it is to acclimate their system - not for primary nutrition.

A small amount of water is OK - if it doesn't interfere with normal intake of breastmilk. Most babies don't like water and won't drink it plain. If your baby is thirsty, just nurse her.

Good luck !

Hi E.,
It sounds to me like she just may not want to eat very much, and that is certainly ok. She doesn't need anything besides your milk until 12 months. Food before then is mostly for fun and practice. I wouldn't worry about it.

As for allergies and intolerances, I don't see anything from what you have written that says that she has any issues at all. I do think, however, contrary to the prevailing wisdom, that grains are best avoided until 1. You might try soft fruits and veggies instead.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I would be happy to help.

Best,
E. Bender, NC, CHN
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www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

Try to reduce how many times you are feeding her solids. I breastfeed and started my daughter on some solids at 4 months. But she doesn't seem to need a bunch so I feed her solids just at dinner time. Also, make sure that you breastfeed, then give her solids, then breastfeed- not at the same time or in exchange of, just to supplement her breastmilk intake. It will take some time.
As for allergies, if she has diarrhea and hives, that will indicate them. Maybe just try only a few things over a month, too, so she has time to get used to them and/or mix breastmilk in with it.
Happy eating!

Here's a great site for questions about solids - it has really helped me as I introduced solids to my one year old earlier this year. www.kellymom.com Just click on "Starting Solids" at the left hand column.

Lots of kids aren't really keen on spoon feeding. Have you heard of the self-feeding method? This is basically what we did with our little one. When the baby can sit up on their own, and get food to their own mouth, you offer bits of soft foods and let them do it themselves. It doesn't matter how much they get into the mouth, it's the practice and fun that matter.

E.,
It sounds like the foods you introduced are pretty non allergenic. Although my lactation consultant recommended waiting on grains (contrary to popular belief, they are harder to digest. Sweet potatoes are great and try mashed banana or avocado. I would only try solids once per day at her age and work up to 2 then 3 meals. This is what my lact. consultant told me and what we did. My baby is a great eater now and he's 14 months old. He'll eat spinach, all green veggies, orange veggies, chicken, etc.. Remember, a baby can subsist for 1 year on ONLY breast milk. Solid food is not so much for nutrition as it is for teaching swallowing, tongue movement, texture, flavors, etc. Don't rush it and watch her cues. All she knows is breast so this is very new for her. Get her interested by watching you eat first and then maybe she'll want to try hers. Make sure it is very liquid-y on the spoon. If it's too thick or she's thrusting it out, she's not ready yet. Wait a week and try again. Good for you for wanting to make her food homemade. I made most of my baby's food too. There's a good book on purees called "Top 100 Baby Food Purees by Annabel Karmel. I don't follow them exactly, b/c she uses butter and cow's milk too much -a s well as introduces oranges, strawberries and tomatoes too soon - but you can find some good recipes there. Also, depending on where you live, there is a great organic FRESH baby food on the market now called "Homemade Baby". They're out of LA and when we lived there we found it at all the Whole Foods, but in the Bay Area they are in SF, Berkeley, Petaluma, Sonoma (I think) but not Marin yet. Go to their website and search for stores. Their peas and green beans are AWESOME!!!

Hi E.,
Sounds like you've gotten some good and solid advice. I just want to reinforce the statements about the water. Water actually is useless for babies this age. It is empty fluid, no calories, no electrolytes, no nothing. Everything that a baby takes in needs to have some caloric and electrolyte value. I have seen babies seize and die from water overload because it depletes their electrolytes (potassium, sodium, etc) so badly that their heart and bodies cannot function. If you are going to give anything besides breast milk, I would recommend Pedialyte or any store brand of the same (same thing at half the price!). But realistically, unless your baby is sweating and losing tons of fluid, you should not have to do that, either. The change in poops is completely normal with the change in diet. No worries there unless there is blood in them, if they seem painful or if your baby doesn't go at all for 5 days or more. This is a fun time...try not to stress too much and enjoy every minute of it because it flies by so fast! God bless.

It sounds like you are doing everything just right. It takes time for a baby to decide if they like food. She likes breast milk! You may want to try holding her on your lap when you feed her. The closeness might make her feel close to you like when she is nursing. Every baby is different but they all will eventually eat solids. No worries. I made my own baby food also. I used the ice cube method. I am very glad I did it. Regarding the poop - does it look healthy? That is what is most important. I breast fed also. My son pooped so much and even more when he ate solids. Some kids poop once or twice a day some more. As long as they look healthy - not to runny, not to hard she should be fine. My son was allergic to eggs -he threw up. That is how I knew he was allergic.

Hi E.,
Right now you are giving her solids to get her used to eating them, not for much of a nutritional value. As for the increased bowel movements, there is more "waste" to solids than just breastmilk so it makes sense. I was told by our pediatrician, and have read, that it is dangerous to give much water to babies under 9 months old and isn't necessary, especially with breastfed babies. Breastmilk is 80%+ water so she is getting all the water she needs from you. You may want to let her nurse more if you feel she isn't getting enough fluids, but if she is just hot strip her down to her diaper or try cool bathes.
Sincerely,
L.

Hello E.,
I didn't get a chance to read the other responses so I'm sorry if this is a repeat.
Any food before 1 year is more for the experience rather then nutrition. Let her play with the different textures and tastes and let her eat what she wants and as long as she is still breastfeeding. Let her have fun with it.
Enjoy,
C.

It may be that she needs more time to adapt to EACH new thing. Stay longer with ONE before you move to the next new solid food. Give her "tastes" of new things without expecting her to eat them all up. Learn to "read" her responses by trying over and over. She may also be starting to get her teeth.

E.,
Slow down!
She does not need 3 meals of solids each day until she is 1 year old. Try once each day for several weeks, then 2 times a day and slowly increase so that by the time she is 1 she is eating a breakfast, a snack, a lunch, a snack, dinner and then a snack. Solids at this age are ment to provide learning with textures, they do not provide the nutrition for growth, your breast milk does that.
Her stooling pattern will change with each dietary change, it's OK.
Keep up the great work, remember to cherish the moments whle she is young.

A.

Hi E.,
Me too! My son was weird with the food too. I was exclusively breastfeeding, he was showing food interest at 5 mo, so we tried. He did not like the textures and really wasn't interested, so I stopped. He is now 8 mo and 4 weeks and it wasn't until last week that he really showed an active interest in the food.
He is on and off, sometimes eating up to a cup, of oat cereal with veggies mixed in, to only eating 5 to 6 bites. I offer water throughout the day in a sippy cup, he loves water. But I don't think he drinks a total of more than 2-3 oz.
But when we started he really didn't get the whole eating thing with a spoon, we had to practice (that's how I thought of it).

A great book is Super Baby Food Diet. She has tons, and tons of info about what to eat, how to introduce food, storage and anything else you possibly need.
I don't think you have anything to worry about when it comes to grains for your daughter. I think she is pooping more because she is eating more. Pooping is a sign of health. If she is straining to poop, that is something to worry about (but they sure get stinky now!).
Also according to everything I have read, you are introducing foods at the right pace, you are not going to fast. By the way, I found he liked oatmeal better that rice.
Oh, also, sometimes he liked something and I'd try it again and he would reject it. Some advice I was given is that you have to intro something 7 times before it becomes familiar (even with bigger kids), and I find that works. By the third time he is into it.
To answer the Tolerance question, I don't think it's a matter of tolerance to food. Her digestive system is now ready to accept certain foods because it has the enzymes to break it down. If you feel she is having a hard time with it, then pull back to once a day and take time to build up to multiple meals throughout the day. Trust your feelings. Find the info and then make your decision.
You can visit the Dr. Sears website and babycenter has good info.

I would suggest only feeding her solids once a day to start out with, or maybe cereal one time, then a fruit/vegetable at a different time. I think spacing out the feedings more may help you identify any reactions. I think its pretty normal for kids to poop a little while after they've eaten---but is it normal or is it diarrhea?
I was told by a lactation consultant that you don't have to give babies water--you can just nurse them more often when its hot. If she's getting too much water, she may not have room for the milk she needs, so I wouldn't give her much water (maybe 4 ounces or less a day). That's just my suggestion. Good luck.