First a little cultural background: in my country peds recommend introducing solids in a different manner. Usually they recommend that you replace a milk feed with a baby cereal feed. When that is established you make that the dinner feed and replace the lunch milk feed for veggie soup. Soup is very important in our food culture and is introduced early on, usually simple veggies like carrots, potatoes, turnip, onion, pumpkin, blended well with a dash of live oil (no salt). Other foods are then introduced slowly, like fruits and yogurt. Meat and fish are first blended with the soup and later given separately.
In our case, our ped told us to start first with the soup as lo is so chubby the baby cereal was not recommended. So that's what we did. And it is going very badly
.
Lo is now a few days over 6 months, has no tongue-thrust reflex, shows an enormous interest in our food, has good neck support, is on a 4 hour easy, breastfed (both sides in 10 minutes).
We first introduced the soup in a plate but by the third day she was refusing it. We tried baby cereal thinking it was the taste she didn't like and the same thing happened. We introduced a bottle with formula (it takes me hours to pump, which I don't have) and after a few rough days she started taking it well, so we re-introduced the soup in that. It is now the third day and she is refusing it again.
So now here's my dilemma: I know I should back off as she is getting more and more upset over this and I really don't want mealtime to be a power struggle, but I need the free time that meal provides (for work). Should I stick with the formula? I'm afraid she'll forget how to use the bottle if I don't ...
Should I try other foods? Should I try this "the english/american way" ?
How will she get the extra nutrients if I back off?
Any other thoughts?
TIA, Sara
