4 month old on 2 tsp rice cereal 2 times a day - any advice?

[Jennerific]

i know there is a lot of controversy about starting solids before 6 months however my LO is over 18 pounds at 4 months & has been EBF & has displayed that he is still hungry no matter how much i bf him. his dr recommended starting solids a month ago but we decided to wait until he was 4 months old to try it. we've started off with 1 tsp rice very watery only 1 time per day. then increased that to 1 tsp 2 times a day (morning & afternoon). i've started increasing it to 2 tsp's 2 times a day (morning & afternoon) ALWAYS at least 1/2 - 1 hour after a full breast feed.

because the cereal is so runny i'm wondering, when should i start thickening it? i cut it with .5 oz bm & 2 tsp's apple juice b/c he's always suffered from constipation (even when EBF, we followed it with apple juice to keep things moving along)

i would be so grateful for any advice. i'm a first time mom so this is all very new for me & no one i know has started solids with their baby so early.

[Jennerific]

this is typically what our day looks like

E 7am
A 7:15
solids at 8
S 9
E 11
A 11:15
2 oz apple juice at 12
S 1
E 3
A 3:14
solids at 4
S 5 - cat nap
E 5:30
A 5:45
S 7
E 8:30
E 11
E 3-4am

obviously there's variation depending on how naps go, also he clusters at night b/c its the only way he isn't starving by midnight

[*Vicki*]

Hiya hun 

Have you ever tried doing a Breast milk yeild to see if he's getting enough at each feed? The usual advice as you know is to delay weaning to 6 months....i know where you re coming from as my LO was a big hungry baby  I would increase it a little but not too much....try increasing it a little each week so his little body can get used to it.... just be careful not to overdo it at his tender age bless him x
The trouble is that at this age they are so so hungry...its hard work hun i know but he will start settling down with the hunger i promise you 

I hope this helps a bit - there are others on here with better advice to give than me - just didn't want you to feel like you haven't been noticed - coz you have 

 

[Jennerific]

yep i can pump 6-8 ounces per side in about 10 minutes so i know he's def. getting enough milk. its just that he digests is so fast he always seems to be hungry. this wasn't a problem until last month when he started waking 2-3 times at night to eat, thats when the pedi suggested introducing solids. i do know its not generally recommended, which is why i did wait - i also know that the amount he's getting now isn't enough to fill him up by any means, its just a way of getting something else into his tummy, which must help, even if its just a bit.

[Becca's Mom]

We followed the advice of our doctor and introduced solids at 4 months.  We thickened it pretty quickly and started veggies before long.  We never saw problems emerge from early solids...  I hope the food will help your LO to feel full! 

[Jennerific]

thats what i dont' understand, do i thicken it first or start giving him more first & thicken it later? what did you do?

[*Vicki*]

Does he seem to want more than what you re giving him at the time? (solids i mean) ?

[Jennerific]

no not really, he seems irritated that i keep giving it to him tbh... i think its the texture.

we saw his dr. yesterday & he recommended we start giving him cereal 3x's a day b/c he's still up so much during the night to feed on the breast...

[Freya'sMum]

It was some time ago, and I can't find the thread, but there was a big/hungry baby discussion on here and the consensus was that it isn't that effective to offer lots of solid foods in an attempt to fill them up, because proportionally, most common starter baby foods (cereals, fruit, veggies) don't have much calorific or fat content, and in big quantities can therefore actually cause increased hunger because the quantity eaten decreases milk appetite, and it is the milk which reduces the hunger!

My lo still needed nightfeeds until 13 months, and she is a very average size and weight! The way in which you have introduced solid foods seems very sensible so far, and I wouldn't want you to increase quantity or frequency in any great rush because it is the milk that ds needs, and wouldn't want solid foods to interfere with that.

If ds doesn't seem that interested in solid foods when you offer, may I ask what your motivation to introduce them has been? Is it to reduce nightwakings, because I am firmly of the opinion that we (parents) shouldn't introduce solids because it is convenient for us to reduce nightwakings, if baby still needs a nightfeed, he needs one (or two , solid foods shouldn't serve our agenda, it should be about what our los need, and at 4 months many babies still feed at night!

It could always just be a growth spurt, and increased bf can also be baby's way of increasing the quantity/quality of supply - a clever thing to do!

JMO,

Ax

[*Vicki*]

no not really, he seems irritated that i keep giving it to him tbh... i think its the texture.

we saw his dr. yesterday & he recommended we start giving him cereal 3x's a day b/c he's still up so much during the night to feed on the breast...

ah well perhaps he's irritated by the texture like you say which means maybe its not about increasing the meals but the thickness of what he does eat..

Don't worry tho hun - you sound like you re doing a great job....bear in mind what Alison says tho - its true that when hungry babies need more food that generally means more milk - in fact solid food can cause night wakings due to digestive disruption...
  ....But then, i understand completely where you re coming from - my Lo whos now near on 8 months old was a huge baby (10lbs 2oz's  ) and was sooo hungry...i managed to hold off solids till she was 5 months old...im sure some of my old threads desperately asking what to do are still on here somewhere lol 

My Lo didn't start sleeping thru till she was 4 and a half months old..i do think its more of a developmental stage they reach rather then about how many calories they ve had x

But hey...you know your son better than anyone so you should do what you feel is best..sometimes thats all we really need to hear     

[Jennerific]

thanks for all the advice ladies

[*Vicki*]

you re welcome 

hope it helped a bit 

[swiper]

Both of my children were weaned at 12 weeks and 14 weeks mainly because their milk feeds werent filling them up and they were both on hungry baby milk.

I hope your LO settles down very soon.

[Becca's Mom]

Sorry for the belated reply...  I would just experiment with thickness.  See if it makes a difference.  I can't believe how particular these little guys can get.

Sending sleep vibes your way!

[Jennerific]

here's an update: i didn't end up giving him solids 3x's a day b/c i don't think he's ready yet. i tried it 2x's a day on thursday & he hasn't pooped since then. he's been getting apple juice & water with every solid meal so we're hoping for a poop soon, but he doesn't seem troubled by it either. he's not screaming or crying in pain until he's trying to fart which isn't happening very much. mostly he's just a happy baby who wants to roll over, get stuck, squeal, then roll back.. so cute!

so, i gave him solids only 1 time yesterday & today in the morning & kept it at 2tsps... i think i should just do this for at least a week & see how things go... what do you all think? is it unusual for the bowels to move so little? (when he was EBF he went with almost every feed) or does it have to do with being 4 months old & having the bowels mature a bit? (isn't this true anyway, if i weren't solid feeding?)

thanks in advance for replying