solids for reflux baby

[Ollie76]

Just wondering if any of you "reflux baby moms"  had success with any particular food when starting out.  My baby is 5 months and we tried rice cereal today - she seemed pretty uncomfortable a few hours later.  Any foods better for reflux? 

Thanks!
Chantal

[Freya'sMum]

Hello!

Sorry to hear your lo has reflux - is miserable!

Can you describe what reason you have for introducing solid foods? Is it because dd seems ready for them, or is it to help with keeping her milk down?

Ax

[Ollie76]

A little bit of both actually.  My pediatrician/G.I. specialist said that there was no problem starting them now - I'm still a little unsure.  My LO is a pretty big baby so I thought, why not give it a try and if it doesn't work than I'll just wait until she's 6 months.  She seems to be refluxing a bit more lately.

She's on some meds that make her constipated as it is so certain foods may be an issue too....that's why I asked.

[Freya'sMum]

Personally, I think that it is important to keep the 2 things separate (altho they might help each other).

Some parents do find that feeding their lo a couple of spoonfuls of baby cereal mixed with babymilk (oatmeal/porridge is generally less constipating than rice) before a milk feed helps to keep the milk down - so I would consider this kind of feeding not about introducing solid foods, but more about a kind of medication/therapy for the reflux.

If you think that, as a separate issue, your lo is ready for solid foods, then you would do this after the milk feed just like all babies. Think of the milk feed as the Eat in EASY and the solid food as the beginning part of an Activity, so that milk is still the primary food, and solid foods are just for fun - tasting, touching, examining, working out that this new toy is edible and pleasant etc, without any pressure to swallow it until developmentally ready fruits and veggies, as finger food or purees, are just as good starter foods as cereals (carrot, yam, pear, banana, apple, parsnip, broccoli, peach, melon, mango, avacado etc).

HTH?

Ax

[Ollie76]

Wonderful!  So you're saying oatmeal is ok as a first food?  I think I might ditch the rice cereal....

Thank-you for the help!

[Freya'sMum]

In the uk you can offer anything except honey as a first food from 6 months - of course that doesn't mean you should ...

...oatmeal would be fine, just bear in mind the purpose of offering it - if it's for reflux, just a little before the milkfeed can help, if it's as a solid food, offer after the milkfeed so that milk is the primary source of nutrition!

Ax

[Ollie76]

Thanks!