Specific order or schedule for starting solids??

[Ambinsi]

My daughter is 4 months old and we just started with pears, 1/2 a jar in the morning, usually with cereal, followed by a bottle and then the other half jar in the evening, no cereal, followed by a bottle. We did this for 4 days and are starting something new tomorrow.

Sorry if any of this was posted already but I have some questions:
- Is there anything specific I'm supposed to try next?? Or is it whatever I feel like trying?
- Once I introduce the new food tomorrow, should I continue the pears for one meal? Someone told me to do the new food in the a.m. and pears in the p.m.
- Can I/Should I give with cereal twice a day or is once enough?
- When is it okay to give her more than half a jar at a time? If she still seems hungry should I just keep going? I was afraid to feed her too much since its so new to her and they say that at this point, she should still be getting mostly bottle, right?
- When should I start doing solids for three meals per day?
- Do I ALWAYS follow up with the bottle?

Sorry for all the questions. Starting solids is intimidating to me so I'd appreciate any input.
Thanks!

[~inbalance~]

Hello   Let me see if I can answer some of your questions here.

Pears is a good food to start with.  Some more common foods to follow with are sweet potato, apple, banana, carrots, avocado (those are some of the ones we did first).  You can try most single fruits or veg but probably want to stay away from berries, tomato, and corn as they tend to be common allergens and are best left until a year.

It is a good idea to introduce new foods in the morning so if there is a reaction you have the entire day to sort it out and tummy issues don't affect your nights.  You can continue with the pears for one meal as long as you like or until you've introduced enough variety to mix it up a bit.

I don't think there are any rules when it comes to cereal.  Some moms don't even do cereals.  Since you are giving formula your LO is getting enough iron, so cereal isn't completely necessary.  Give it at one meal, or more if you like.

You can probably give her more than 1/2 a jar if she likes is so long as it doesn't interfere with her formula intake.  You don't want her to start drinking less formula.  Liquids are the most important source of nutrition for your LO until a year.  If she is still drinking the proper amount of formula and seems to want more solids, then I would say it's ok to let her have a bit more.  She is still so young though so there is no need to rush it.  Follow her lead, and like I said make sure liquids come first.  Keep tabs on how much she is drinking, and if it starts to dip then back off on the solids a bit.

There are no rules for when your LO should be doing 3 meals a day.  Again, follow her lead, and your own instincts.  And again, keep up with the formula over solids, so don't go to 3 meals if she starts drinking less formula.

I would say traditionally you would offer the bottle before her solids since it is more important.  The way to look at it is the bottle should be the E part of your EASY, and solids are part of the A.  That way she is not filling up on solids first since you want her to keep up with her fomula intake.  Try offering solids 30mins after the bottle instead.

4mos is a little early to be starting solids but it seems to be going well so far.  Did you start on the advice of her doctor?  Since she is so young I would take your time and introduce things slowly.  Sounds like you are off to a good start, but there is no rush. 

I would encourage you to read through the FAQs here as well for lots more helpful info:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=94.0

Hope I've been able to answer all your questions. 

[Ambinsi]

Thanks so much for your reply.

Yes, I know that 4 months is on the early end, and that the view nowadays is not to rush solids and wait until even up to 6 months. But the truth is that she's had cereal in the bottle from 9 weeks of age, due to reflux. My pedi told me to try cereal with the spoon at 3 months - more to get her used to the spoon than anything else - and I was SHOCKED!! To me, THAT was way too early, but we tried it and sure enough I felt like she wasn't ready. By 4 months she was showing signs that she might be ready, so we tried the pears and I feel confident that the time is right for her to be starting solids. She seems to love this new experience and is doing great with the spoon.

I didn't think that eating was part of the A - I thought it was all part of the E. This puts a new spin on things....hmmmm maybe we'll try that; bottle first followed by solids. Again, my pedi told me to give her solids then offer the bottle and don't be alarmed if she takes a little bit less than she normally would. So that's what I was doing but what you're saying does make sense.

[~inbalance~]

Yes, advice can vary which can make things very confusing.  It's always important to take her doctor's advice into consideration.  Sometimes what's 'right' is what's right for you and your baby.  I've always heard to do liquids first for the reasons I already mentioned.  Obviously you will have to think about what the doc has said as well.  Have a look through the links I posted to see if any of that info helps as well.  Some sources these days say it's fine to start solids between 4-6mos so if you feel she is ready then she probably is.  Personally though, I would still focus on her bottle feeds as more important and the solids as more fun.