Solid Foods

Don't do it. The AAP, the WHO, and UNICEF all suggest waiting until 6 months. Babies only need breastmilk for the first year and introducing solids is only a way to get them used to eating food, they actually get almost no nutrients from them! At 6 months, kids can eat just about anything adults do, it just needs to be small and mushy. Try one new food at a time.

There's lots of good info online (www.babycenter.com among others). You should give him a bottle first, and then give him a tablespoon or so of rice cereal or something like that. It's fine to wait until 6 months to give him solids. Start just one time a day, and if he doesn't like it, don't push it. Solids should not reduce the amount of milk/formula he's getting right now. The milk/formula has lot of nutrients in the right proportions for a baby, so solid food at this point should just be supplemental- for the fun of it. His nutrition is coming from the milk.

"First Meals" by Annabel Karmel is a good book to help figure out how to do it as well as great recipes and direction for making your own food. Another book that helps give you specifics is "Ms. Poppy's guide to a happy health child" -- it's about everything for ages 6 m.o. to 5 y.o., but has a good section on introducing solids as well.

Most books reference starting solids at 4 months, but the official recommendation from the Academy of Pediatricians I think is 6 months, though a lot of doctor's don't follow that either. In the past it was more due to thoughts that slowing the introduction of solids would prevent development of food allergies, but lately there have been reports that this isn't the case, so perhaps they'll change the recommended start age. We started solids at about 5.5 months based on her interest in food and really desiring to try it, paired with her ability to sit on her own.

K., my name is H. and i'm a first time mother of an 8 month old boy. i found when we started on solid foods or baby food, that 3 and 4 months was just too early. i tried but he just didn't know what to do. anyhow if your little one catches on to it good. i started out with just cereal, rice then oatmeal, then moved on to veggies. give one food for about 3 or 4 days before moving on to the next to make sure there are no allergies. after he finishes his food then i give him a bottle of fomula. good luck, and hope it is a smooth transaction for u and the baby.

What did your pediatrician say to do? I remember when we first started feeding our baby solids, our pediatrician outlined exactly what, when, and how much. Some babies are ready for solids at 4 months, but for others it may be too early and could interfere with proper digestive system development. The time could be right for your baby, but before proceeding you might want to get the green light from the doctor who should also be able to tell you everything you need to know about feeding your baby solids. Good luck!

Hi K.!
I'm wondering if your son is ready for solid foods yet? I started my daughter at 5 months and my son at 6 months (actually, I tried to start him earlier but he wasn't interested). If he is watching you eat and reaching for your foods or salivating while he watches you :) then he's probably ready. Or if he isn't sleeping through the night as well, in which case he probably needs the extra substance in his tummy. Just a thought.
In any case, whenever you do decide to start him on solids, start out with just once a day. One tablespoon of cereal should be enough. I usually breastfed or gave a bottle first and then gave the cereal after (sometimes they were too hungry to have the patience to eat from a spoon, so I had to give them an appetizer!), then maybe finished off the meal with more milk if necessary. After he gets the hang of eating the cereal, you can increase the quantity to 2 tablespoons and then 3, then bump up to twice a day. After a while, you can introduce veggies and fruits (around 6 months maybe). Just see what your son seems to crave. Oh, and don't worry about variety too much. Kids don't seem to care about variety as much as we adults do :)
Also, I agree with what some of the others said about only trying one new thing at a time. Lots of kids these days have food allergies. My second one did, but it took me a long time to figure out to what because I was trying too many new things at a time. I finally had to cut back and start testing things one by one, which was difficult for me to do. You might as well start out the right way :) Things to look for that might indicate a food allergy: breaking out, fussiness/squirminess that might indicate an upset tummy, difficulty sleeping through the night when they didn't used to have difficulty, vomiting, coughing after eating and difficulty breathing (in which case you better give him Kid's allergy medicine and get him to a hospital pronto), diarrhea and diaper rash around the anus.
If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Good luck and enjoy parenting that new little one. Both my kids were "unplanned" and they have been such a blessing to me! The first one can be a real adjustment, though. I think I felt like I was just babysitting for the first 6 months, then it finally kicked in that I was now the MOM. God bless,
J. B

I have a 4 year old that I had in march of 2004 and my fienca and I werent married then either so it is ok for you to not be married now that I have my twins that are 9 months old we will be getting married in about 2 and a half weeks now. I think have a baby was going to be easy and it was after he stopped getting sick and now WOW he is a wild 4 yr old and the twins they are doing great now to If you have any question this is the spot to ask Starting food was hard for me when my oldest was little and we started feeding him cereal first then went to baby food start with fruits ( applesauce) and then vegys ( sweet potatoes) make sure you go through all fruits first then start vegys and you should give him 2ozs in what is called a feeder bottle so he gets used to it and then try feeding it to him with a spoon try that it should help

Its all debatable. When I started solids with my daughter I fed her vegies first. Give her the same kind for at least three days before trying another flavor, so you can see if she has any problems digesting it. I gave her a couple for spoons full first than gave her a bottle. It took her a while to understand the whole eating thing but caught on. As she started eating more I would not give her a bottle after her solids. Some people feed solids than a bottle. But it is hard to tell if you have given enough of either. So do what you feel is confortable.

By this age you should be introducing cereals, fruits and veggies. Begin with one food at a time and only one food a week. This is done to make sure the child does not have any allergies, and if so, you can deduce which food easier. There are rice cereal, oatmeal cereal and mixed grain cereals. Then there are cereals that have fruit in them such as banana and peach. I used to mix the cereal and formula. Do half formula and half cereal to thicken bottles. Or you can prepare the cereal as normal and the consistency is like that of a soupy oatmeal. I then introduced soft foods such as yogurt, cottage cheese, apple sauce, smashed bananas, smashed-steamed carrots, mashed potatoes, etc. Once the child is about 6 months the child can begin eating regular table foods in small bites. Crackers, pretzels, pasta, rice, steamed veggies, sliced fruit that are soft like strawberries, peaches, pears. I didn't give them apples until later around a year because the pieces were so hard they had a hard time swollowing. Children do not chew very well until after a year old or so when they have several back teeth in.

Many doctors suggest not giving solid foods until after a year old. I think it depends on your child. My boys are rather big for their age... both in the 95th percentile, so they needed more nutriets and were ready for solid foods much sooner than smaller children. The formula and cereal type foods would not satisfy them. I think you need to use your own judgement as a mother to decide when to introduce solid foods. 4 months for cereals, baby food in jars and mushy foods. 6 months for crackers and bites of table foods. They should be off the bottle by 1 year old, so keep that in mind when introducing new foods when they are younger. Although children crave the bottle, they do not receive enough solid foods to carry them between meals or through the night.

I would wait until he is 6 months old. Here is an easy way to see if he's ready for solid food. Try baby rice cereal or oat cereal. Mix it so that it's runny and give him some with a spoon, if he pushes it back out with his tongue, he's not ready for solids yet. Babies have a natural tongue reflex for solid food. Once that reflex is gone, they are ready to eat solids. I think my son was 5 1/2 months old when the tongue didn't push out the food anymore.

I started my kids on baby rice cereal whith my pediatricians ok at4 or 5 months (I can't remember which now, LOL). I thinned it out with water and spoon fed them a teaspoon once or twice a day and worked my way up to the 1/4 cup it says on the box. I then waited two weeks and started a veggie, waited a few days then started a fruit, and so on and so on. I always fed them food first and then gave breastmilk or formula. Now, thats what worked for my kids, you may find that fluids work best first, then food, it's something thats a trial and error kind of thing. And don't worry if he doesn't like the rice, mine didn't and they LOVED the baby oatmeal. Watch for allergies and wait a few days between new foods to watch for allergies.

Congratulations on your surprise! Why rush the solid foods? At that age he still needs to get his main nutrition from milk/formula. Are you nursing? I would wait until six months, if you are breastfeeding. My little one started solids at 5 1/2 months, but just a little, for the experience. With my next one (coming any minute now) I'll wait a full six months. Why complicate things before you have to?

We started with rice cereal in the bottle. Once that was a go moved on to oatmeal etc. I also started with vegetables in the jar or blended down in my blender. About a week each when I was introducing them. Once the vegetables were a go went on to meat, eggs, and fruits were almost last and when I started the fruits they were mixed with the cereal.
No, it wasn't in place of the bottle, I always let them have some of the food and washed it down with the bottle afterwards. They drank less.
P. R

K.,

You may want to hold off another couple of months...your child should be able to hold himself up in the sitting position before solids?? Good luck to you.
PS baby rice/oatmeal is best to start.
A. B

You can give your son foods with a bottle. Give him a 4 oz. bottle with a half a jar of food or if he will take it a full jar of food. You don't have to give him a bottle if you don't want to though. You can also give him a little bit of juice instead of formula. I would give him cereal in the morning with a little bit of fruit mixed in. Give him only 2 tablespoons of cereal though because his belly wont be able to handle a whole lot yet. Give him formula with the cereal. In the afternoon give him a full 8 oz. bottle with maybe a little bit of fruit or veggies. Then at night give him another 2 tablespoons of cereal with fruit and a 4-6 oz. bottle.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

Hi Kristie,

My daughter will be 5 mons June 7th, and i started her on solids at 4mons...for the first couple weeks i mixed fruit with cereal, and gave her a 4 oz bottle...i just started recently giving her just jar food (half) both veggie or fruit and a 4 oz bottle...the doctor told me to only give twice a day. It'll be up to your baby how much food/formula to give...he'll let you know if he's tired of the food and just wants milk...just adjust with him and go slow!

Good Luck! :)

Hi, when I started my little boy on food I gave him the food first and then let him have a bottle when he was done with the food. Also mine wasn't a fan of the plain cerel so I mixed a little bit of the first fruits in with it to start, peaches were his fav. Hope this helps.

Get a copy of FEED ME I'M YOURS by Lansky. This gives you all the info you need.

start him of with step one foods he has to learn to eat this way so until he get the hang of it it my look like he is pushing his food out so keep trying he is just used to the bottle give him the battle last to make sure he is getting enough food then one day u will place the spoon to his mouth and he will open it. depond on if he is a small eater i always made my baby a bottle after if she was still hurgy she would drink if not she just save it i wish you all thee luck

Hi K.,

There is no rush on solid foods, in fact I think the American Academy of Peditrics recommends waiting until around 6 months. Make sure the baby is ready for solids--he should be able to maintain a sitting position during mealtimes; usually baby will show a great interest in your food; if you put a little bit on his tongue he should swallow it and not just moosh it around or spit it out.

you're only going to give him a little bit, a couple bites, at the beginning, so he will still be getting his primary nutrition from breast or bottle. So I don't think it matters if it is before or after the bottle/breast. Some babies will try something different more readily if they are hungry--so giving the new food before the bottle is good for them. Other babies get too stressed out when they are hungry, so it's better to satisfy their hunger a little with the bottle and then give them new food afterwards. You'll figure out how your baby prefers this! And remember they still have that need to suck, which is satisfied with the bottle or breast, but not from solid foods.

Try one new food a week and watch for any allergic reactions (especially if you or baby's daddy have allergies). If he's sick don't try anything new.

As for how much he should eat, he will let you know when he is full, usually by turning his face away from the spoon or fidgeting or spitting it out. Don't force it, new foods should be fun! and he has the rest of his life to eat solids.

Congrats on your baby and your upcoming marriage! I hope this helps

K. Z.

The thing we learned was to give the solid for the first time in between bottles, that way he won't be starved. With our first daughter we gave it to her at a normal bottle feeding time and she screamed the whole entire time because she didn't know what we were giving her was food, she wanted a bottle! With our second, we fed her half way in between bottles and she ate the cereal like a champ!!! Good luck!!

Hi K.,
Like everyone else, when I read your question all I could think is that 4 months is way too young and unecessary to start solids. My pediatrician instructs to wait until 6 months, but there is no rush. Just introduce food slowly. I have 3 kids, and to be honest, it's a lot easier and more enjoyable to nurse/give a bottle than to fight trying to get a jar of baby food down the babies throat and then having a huge mess. Congratulations, and enjoy your little one!

You should talk to your childs doctor. We received a chart of what to feed first and how much. That chart should be given to you at your childs 4 month appointment (or around that time).

You want to start with cereal first, about a tablespoon, mixed with his formula until it is quite runny. Rice cereal is least likely to cause allergies. Don't be surprised if he spits most of it out or drools it down his chin. He has to learn to use a whole new set of muscles to eat solids. Then add another cereal, like oatmeal, in 5-7 days if the rice cereal didn't upset him. His poops will change with each solid food you add, FYI.
Then go with vegetables, about a tablespoon. You can try these straight or mixed into his cereal.Cooked peas buzzed in the blender, carrots cooked and buzzed, sweet potato, baked, mashed, and buzzed with milk or formula, pumpkin from the can- not pie filling-too much sugar. Then try fruits: no sugar applesauce, mashed banana, buzzed peaches, pears from the can, etc. You'll want to rinse off the sugar syrup.You may find a baby food grinder to be helpful. They sell them at Babies R US.
By the time he's 10 months , he can eat whatever you're eating, just mashed up or ground. Avoid nuts, whole grapes and hot dogs, hard candy and chips. These are the ones that cause choking. You can cut hot dogs into quarters longways and quarter the grapes.
Hold off on the salsa and other really spicy foods until he's about a year old. You can take his portion out before you add the spices.
Baby food also freezes well in ice cube trays. Just pop out a couple of cubes and warm them up for his meal. You may want to make up a batch of veggies at a time and freeze them to save work.Good Luck!

I started solids around 4 months. I wouldn't really change your schedule right now because of introducing solids. Chances are he's not going to eat much of anything for awhile since their natural reflex is to move their tounge in and out. Initially a lot more is wasted (spit back out) then they actually eat!!

K. - Introduce the solids in between bottles. Formula and/or breastmilk are the main nutrition that your baby needs the first year of his life (don't substitute baby food for the formula/breastmilk). Also, we introduced solids to our daughters (almost three and nine-months) at four months; and they've turned out fine. It really depends on what your pediatrician believes is right for your baby. You can wait until five or six months; but it won't hurt to start him at four either. Babies have the knack to stop eating when they are full (I sure wish I had that now!) ... and it might take a few tries the first time. Be sure to start out with single grain cereals (like rice) and then work up to oatmeal and barley. Then around five months, I'd introduce fruits and/or vegetables. I would put a little bit of the food in a bowl and put the rest in the fridge (that way the bacteria from his mouth will not get into the remaining food ... this is very bad for babies). Once he gets used to the consistency, he will probably be able to eat the whole jar. Also, I chose to introduce vegetables before fruits; but you can do either. My only word of caution is to not feed him a bunch of orange foods together (or else he will get an orange tint to him ... please note that this is temporary). Also, be sure to introduce the same food at least three or four times before moving on to the next one (this will let you know if he has allergies). GOOD LUCK!!!

Honestly, 4 months old is just too young for babies -- it is an OLD recommendation and most pediatricians and well-meaning friends and family just don't know that the most up-to-date research shows that babies should have ONLY breastmilk or formula for *minimum* the first SIX months (not 4 or 5 -- the whole 6 months).

Overall, it is best to watch your baby for these signs of readiness -- these developmental milestones are even more important than watching the calendar:

Is My Baby Read for Solid Foods?
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

Starting Solid Foods
http://askdrsears.com/html/3/t032000.asp

If you do decide to go ahead and start solids at 4 months, please ALWAYS give your baby a bottle *first* and then only a tiny amount of solids -- mostly just for your baby to experiment and have fun! It is really important for breastmilk or formula to be the MAIN part of your baby's diet for 12 *whole* months. Solids become a larger portion of baby's diet AFTER he turns 1 yr old.

Just watch your baby - if he gets more fussy with the solids (like reflux or crampy after meals), or if he is constipated, etc., it's a pretty good idea to hold back on the the solids and try again a few weeks later.

Congrats on your baby!!! Unexpected surprises can turn into the most amazing gifts... :)