Started to wean and have no clue :(

[Jen114]

I decided to start to give my ds baby rice as of yesterday at 11 am after his breastfeed. But I have completely forgot what to so next how much he should eat and what foods to introduce . Could someone pls guide me were to look for the information?

Thanks so much

[~inbalance~]

Hi Jen!  Have you had a chance to browse through the Feeding Solid Foods FAQ section?  You might find some of your answers there first.  Here it is:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=94.0

How old is your LO?

[Jen114]

Actually was looking for them but couldn't find thank you for the link. Lo is 5 months next week exclusively breast fed accept for couple spoons of baby rice yesterday

[~inbalance~]

Ok so there is no rush.    I would keep doing a small amount of cereal, once a day, for a week or so.  If that goes well you can move on to fruits and vegetables, again offering a little bit each day as well as the cereal and leaving 3 or 4 days inbetween the introduction of each type.  Around 6mos you can start to move a little faster if you like, maybe offering a second meal and trying more new things.

These are kinda the standard instructions for starting solids however, but the most important thing is that you watch your baby and move at his pace.  Some moms will move a little faster, some will start introducing meats right around 6mos, and some will try baby led weaning which involves giving only finger foods from 6mos onward and not doing any purees.

Also make sure that he is still getting all his milk since it's more important than solids right now. 

HTH

[Jen114]

Puff now I read the articles of exclusively breast feeding for 6 months what do you think? Should I rather do that or continue to feed? Hmmm confused

[~inbalance~]

Aw, there is so much conflicting advice, it's so easy to get confused!

Ok, well read here first:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=36922.0
The WHO recommendations are just one recommendation, they actually vary all over the world and from different organizations.  So don't worry about just that one. 

How is your LO doing with the cereal?  Does he enjoy it?  Is it upsetting his tummy at all?

I would say one of the biggest concerns for waiting until 6mos is giving your LO's digestive system time to fully mature and for his leaky gut to close.  But if he is enjoying it and doing fine, then obviously that is not an issue.

I tend to lean towards waiting closer to 6mos, but that's because in my recent experience my baby wasn't ready early and he had a sensitive tummy.  This is not the case with all babies.  It really depends on your baby.  Babies don't read or follow recommendations, some will be ready earlier than 6mos and some later.  My DS1 was good to go at 5.5mos, but my DS2 took well over 6mos to be ready.  The important part is that you are listening to your baby.  If he is enjoying it and all is good, then by all means continue.  But if you notice he just doesn't seem that interested, then stop for now and try again at 6mos. 

[Jen114]

Thank you very much for the information . Well he seems to be enjoying it. I have only fed him 4 tsp I.n total. After the first 2 he didn't poop for 24 hours then he pooped and I gave him another 2 spoons. He seems to be enjoying it but I really don't wnt to harm him in any way. He was breast feeding a lot so I thought he was ready to start eating. I think I might wait ... Not sure what to do. Also when we been eating he was very interested .

[~inbalance~]

Well, there is no harm in waiting.  The biggest reason lots of moms don't want to wait is they think starting solids earlier will help their LOs sttn, which isn't the case most of the time!  The way I see it, if you are worried, then wait until 6mos.  There is nothing wrong with that as there is really no rush for LOs to be eating a lot of solids so early anyway.  I don't know, it varies so much from baby to baby, but I think that taking your time and following your baby helps them develop healthy eating habits.  I think often moms start too early or go too fast and their babies 'burn out' on solids, and then by 8 or 9mos eating becomes a struggle because the LOs have had enough.  Just follow your instinct and you will be fine. 

[Hester]

He was breast feeding a lot

Martina gave super amazing advise, as always! I wanted to add that there is a major growth spurt around 4 months. So if he's eating a lot, that might have to do with it.
And you can move to a 4 hour routine around 4 months, which will eliminate any snacking, his feeds will become more efficient and you can feed less often..
There's some advise on that over here:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63161.0
As said before, trust your instincts!!!