I'm looking for guidance for introducing solid foods for my 6 month old daughter. Do you always give her the bottle before any cereal/fruit/veggies? Do you need to wait a bit after the bottle to feed her the food? My pediatrician is looking for 3 meals a day and she still takes 5 bottles. That would be 8 meal times every day so I'm just trying to understand the best process for teaching her how to eat and getting her what she needs (but not spending all day doing it!). Thank you!
PLease don't put cereal in her bottle! It's not necessary and completely defeats the purpose of cereal in the first place. Cereal and baby food are supposed to teach a baby how to take food off a spoon rather than a nipple. Start with very thin cereal and increase thickness as time goes on. She'll get the hang of it.
Foods at this point are to teach them how to eat and introduce them to different tastes and texture. They are supposed to supplement formula/breast milk, which have all the vitamins and nutrients they need till 12 months. You should give her the bottle and add the feeding around the bottle schedule. It should not replace a bottle feeding. Try to stick with your breakfast, lunch, and dinner that way she will be able to transition easier to your family meal schedule when it is time.
You should start with one food every four to five days unless there is a history of food allergies then one food every week. This will let you better identify if they are allergic to that food or not. If everything is good then you add the next food. Usually you start with rice cereal, then oatmeal, then orange veggies first, then greens, then fruits etc. Meats are usually added at 9 months but ask you Ped, some start at a year. When adding the new food try it at breakfast or lunch instead of dinner due to if they are allergic you can respond and/or notice it before they are put to bed. Also if it does not agree with them they won't be up at night with pain or gas.
When you start with the rice cereral it should be very thin, formula consistency, then as she gets used to it you can make it thicker. Babies have a natural tongue reflex action that helps them from choking on things that they should not have in their mouths. You will see it as they tongue everything out that you put in their mouths at first, this is why you start out thin and get thicker as you go.
Hope this helps
Has she had diluted cereal in her bottle yet? That's the 1st step. After about a week, start feeding a few tablespoons of cereal 1st then follow up with the bottle.You don't want her to fill up on bottle 1st or she'll have no room for baby food. Have fun mom. Your little one is growing right before your very eyes.
When my son started eating solids I would offer the solids first and then give him a bottle immediately after. My thought was that he'd be more willing to eat the solids if he was hungry, and then the bottle just topped him off and gave him the liquids he needed. At first it was a lengthy process, but then we got the hang of it.
I'm sure you're getting tons of responses!
Here's my little bit of advice...
Yes, always give the bottle before solids. The goal is three meals a day, but you can get there gradually. Here's my daughter's typical schedule:
630: nurse
7-730: breakfast
11-1130: nurse then lunch
2 (or when wakes from nap): nurse
3-330: snack if needed
530-6: nurse then dinner
Bedtime is 7, then I nurse before I go to bed.
Hope it's helpful!
Good luck and God bless!
