starting solids next week at 22 weeks

[weatherlyn]

hi we are to start solids next week, my DS is 22 weeks and 19 pounds and according to checklist and paed, ready for solids. I live in the south of italy and here they start with rice cereal in  a meat broth, olive oil and parmesan cheese, which seems very strange to me, being South African. Can someone please give me their sample menus for the first two weeks or so of solid introduction? I want to start with the rice cereal and veggie, followed by fruit,but i am unsure as to when you up to two meals a day, after how much time you introduce the veg or fruit etc. All the books give conflicting advice, some say start in the morning, others lunch, and the annabel karmel book assumes they are on five milk feeds a day, which does not really correlate to a four hour EASY. Thanks Lynsey

[linfran]

Hi, my ds started solids at 15 weeks and 18lbs and boy was I freaking about it!!!

We started with baby rice watered down with his formula at lunchtime - I was told that this is the best time to introduce new food as lo should be pretty alert (hopefully in good humour!) plus if it disagrees you find out during the afternoon instead of in the middle of the night.

After the rice, we did purees - carrot, then pear, sweet potato, cauliflower, apple and peach (but the last two we mixed with the baby rice to make a creamy dessert, as the taste weas a bit too sharp on it's own for ds).  The only thing the health visitor warned me about (apart from the usual stuff) was no wheat/gluten before six months.  Also, tomatoes are quite acidic, and I found that one out the hard way several stinking nappies and one upset child later!  Also, at first, we introduced one new food a week to make sure he was OK with it.  DS is now 10mo and so far eats pretty much anything but refuses the prepared food you get in jars - he wants to eat the real stuff.

I have one of the Annabel Karmel books too but only got it recently - though she does give good ideas for purees and stuff.

The best advice I would give would be buy a hand blender and make your own, filling up ice cube trays to put in the freezer - it's really handy and less waste.  Also, if ds is hungry, you can just pop out an extra cube.  I found when ds started waking for night feeds or was wanting more milk during the day that was the time to start adding meals (we added dinner, then breakfast).

Good luck!

[binxyboo]

This may be a really dumb question, but I will ask it anyway

When you say 22 weeks are you counting that as 5 1/2 months or is your baby younger than that? The reason I am asking is that it really is recommended that you hold off until the 6 month mark http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html. Even if they are showing "all the signs" there is enough good reason to hang on as long as you can. For example, Riley was sitting up, interested in what we were eating, but he was just content to sit at the table with us, with a spoon and cup to amuse himself and feel part of the festivities.

When you do start, it is usually recommended that you start just one small meal a day, a teaspoon or so, for breakfast or lunch, so that if they have a reaction, you can watch for it all day. You should also make sure you give the milk feed first so that they fill up on the milk which is the most important source of nutrition at this stage. Solids are really just experimentation at this stage. Introduce each food slowly, at least three days on one food before you start another. Cereal, fruit, veg are usually the ones to start with. If your child is younger than the 6 months, I would hold off on all the meat produce, as it can be really hard to digest and rough on their poor little tummies.

[linfran]

For clarification, 6 months seems to be the guidelines for a lot of places.  Solids were recommended for my ds at 15 weeks on medical and hv advice as he was so big (99th  centile for height and weight) and was drinking over 40oz of milk a day and was also wanting night feeds again.

[binxyboo]

That's true, Linfran. Riley was off the charts for a bf baby at 4 months and my paed said we could start solids, I choose not to because off all the great info out there, WHO, AAP, ETC. As I was nursing, I especially wanted to hold off until the 6 th month mark. I figured if we got that big on my milk, he would continue to be okay. I was not concerned if he needed night feeds. I would rather that than start too early.

[weatherlyn]

Thank you everyone you have really clarified matters for me, will def start with the rice cereal mixed with milk (here they start with rice cereal mixed with veg broth, basically the water the veg was cooked in because they believe the point is to introduce new tastes and not that it should taste like milk, which i thought that was the point when you first start, you want them to get used to the texture dont you?) I have pretty much decided that i am going to do what i feel comfortable with, i want to take it really slow as stacy suggested ,not "when in rome....." Linfran, i am off to buy the ice cube trays also found really good uk website called bloomin marvellous that sell ice cube trays with lids esp for baby food, i have ordered them and while i wait for those will get the normal kind.....its exciting, and also a little sad to be starting, our babies are growing up.....

[weatherlyn]

ok, just got back from paed, and really feel confused. she was adamant about the rice cereal being mixed with veg broth and not milk, as she says that they must get used to the salty tastes before the sweet, and if you mix it with breast milk they are getting introd to sweets first. Then veg, then fruit, and then tinned meat for babies. I really dont like the idea of introducing meat so soon, esp the kind you get in tins but she says that they have to start mean intake no later than the seventh month because of the iron. Does this sound right to you? then i read another thread that says in canada new research is stating that you should start them off on meat .... this is starting to feel like a life or death decision.... hee hee, trying to laugh, but really starting to panic!

[Gabismom06]

Binxyboo sent me this link yesterday and I found it very helpful!  It addresses the iron issue, but I believe it's actually saying the opposite of what you've been told - too much iron too early can be a problem.  I hope it's helpful and not mor confusing

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

[binxyboo]

I find your paed's advice kind of contradictory. Breastmilk is naturally sweet, so of course they love that taste as it was the first one they were exposed to. That doesn't mean they will always prefer sweet and reject the savory. I started Riley with cereal, fruits and veggies within a short period of time, and now he actually favors veg above all else.

[weatherlyn]

going to start with the rice cereal and veg broth(stock with no salt) today for a week, then i am going to basically do my own thing, veg and fruit purees. Will let you all know how i get on!