Author Topic: Starting solids  (Read 2481 times)

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Offline amyonkman

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Starting solids
« on: January 20, 2012, 19:43:20 pm »
My DS is 4 months, and had his check up today.  He gained more weight than normal, and is still waking at night for one feed.  She said he shouldn't really be eating at night anymore, so to start introducing solids.  She said to do a solid week of cereal, and then start introducing food.  So right now he eats at 7:30, 11/11:30, 3, 6ish and then a few oz before bed, and then his one NF.  I just started him on cereal, and he eats it at his eleven oclock feeding.  So Im thikning I should start the food at that time, once he's been on cereal for the alotted time.  Once he is eating food at that feeding, should I start his 7:30 feeding as cereal, and then once all his solids have been introduced, and he has no bad reactions, the sheet the DR gave me says to do breakfast as cereal, and fruit, lunch as veggie and fruit, and dinner as veggie and fruit, and he can have four bottles a day.  Or should he be on cereal at lunch, and then food at lunch, then go to cereal at breakfast, and food at lunch, to food and cereal at breakfast, to veggies and fruit at lunch, cereal at dinner,  and then finally fruit and veggies at dinner also, or will cereal not really matter and i should just go to food at all feedings, once he has no bad reaction, and then fit his bottles in an hour or so after each feeding of solids?  Hope this makes sense???!  ???   also Ive been noticing on here that people do a milkfeed first, and then an hour later solids...my dr. said to do it the other way around...should that still be ok???
« Last Edit: January 21, 2012, 02:46:50 am by amyonkman »

Offline Buntybear

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2012, 19:49:37 pm »
Hi there. Is your LO just 4 months or nearing 5 months? 4 month is very young to be starting solids - esp if it just because they are still waking at night - this is very noraml - they are still just a little baby! Plus at 4 months they have a huge growth spurt and more than likely needs more milk with all it's calories and nutrients to help feed their body through this.

So I am very surprised they, a HV/GP (not sure which), recomended this. Is reflux an issue? - sometimes solids are introduced early due to health reasons.

Have a look at this thread - http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=36922.0

However to answer your questions, MILK is the most important part of their diet until one (another 8 months!) and that is why we would suggest giving milk first so you ensure they get adequates amounts of this in the day and then solids an hour later.

Before 6 months I would be careful with introducing foods and leave a 3 day gap between new foods in case of a reaction. After 6 months, if there is no history of allergies, then you can just go for it!

Personally we started with milk at 11am and solids at 12. I don't think it really matters what order they have their food in the day. I have known babies to get carrots for breakfast!

Offline amyonkman

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2012, 21:20:26 pm »
Its his pedatrician..so I guess GP?  I think her reasoning is that he doubled his birth weight already and is still waking, and that formula (or liquids)  just keep stretching out the belly so he'll just keep wanting more and more, and they like to limit formula intake around 32-36 oz, and he's right around 32 oz...I myself as the momma didnt think he was overly large, or that is was too abnormal for him to still be waking one time.  But his sleeping has regressed, she said its more of a feeding issue then.  I think what Ill do is start him on cereal for a couple weeks and go really really slowly...he just turned four months, so i dont want to go crazy and overload his little system.  So maybe a few weeks of cereal, and then maybe slowly start to introduce some solids at the meal he was been having cereal at.  Seem ok??  I did read the signs if your baby could be ready, he has awesome head control, sits in a highchair, and doubled his birth weight, i can't remember what other ones he had though from the top of my head.

Offline MommyMoulton

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2012, 02:58:01 am »
Not sure where you live... but starting rice cereal once a day, was recommended by our GP here at 4months. WE did it for about 3 weeks, but we chose to do ours at "supper" time around 5pm. I dont think the time makes a difference. Solids in general isnt recommended until 6 months here either, but we did start becasue of GP. Our Ds wasnt eating at night however, unlike your LO. My DS has trippled his birth weight by 6months... so your GP/Ped is very strange to say double is 'too fat'.

I do agree with PP, the 4 month GS is MASSIVE... and seemingly never-ending... If you do decide to start the cereal then so be it. We have always waited one hour after a bottle feed then the cereal.... this was out GP and my researches decision... They need the milk for nutrition.. the cereal is just a 'filler'. My DS is 6 months now, and on 3 meals a day, but by no means is he ready to cut our any of his milk intake. my DS, takes 32 oz a day in 4 bottles(but he is older).

Are you on a 4 hour or 3 hour EASY.. this may be part of the NW aswell IMO. When we went to a 4 hour EASY DS dropped his NFs. Just a thought.
Melissa









Offline amyonkman

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2012, 15:10:01 pm »
thanks for the info, he is on four hours for the most part, but the last one is a cluster so it's closer.  i know, i agree on it being weird she said that...guess ill just more take it as her opinion, and still do my own thing and not rush it.  my DS is short now, so i feel like obviously it means he may be heavy for his length then. he is in 18th percentile for height, and 60th for weight.  she said he's not super over weight, but maybe just wants to make sure it doesn't worse.  Im not ready to cut his NF cause i think he still needs it for now, he eats his whole bottle when he wakes, its not like he's in a bad habit yet and just snacking, he'll eat and then go down for a few hours  The only thing is sometimes he'll wake only a couple hours after going down, so then i try to make him go a bit longer.  he doesn't go back for another two months for his six month check up, so it gives me time, i may try to hold off solids til maybe 5.5 months or so.

Offline Buntybear

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2012, 19:29:08 pm »
I would just go with the NFs for a couple fo weeks till he gets over the growth surt. My LO was EBF and the 4 month GS lasted till 6 months - but he was BF and that is different. See how it goes but TBH I would hold off. I tried solids at about 5 1/2 months and even then he wasn't ready so I waited till 6 months.

Offline amyonkman

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2012, 16:58:39 pm »
I do have one other question then about cereal.  I want him on just one feeding of cereal for a couple weeks, then i'll increase it to two feedings, before even introducing foods.  if he;s eating roughly every four hours..so at like 7:30, 11:30, 3:30, then he has a cluster around 6:30, and a few oz before bed also.  He's eating cereal right now at the eleven thirty feeding, is it ok when i add another feeding of it in, to do it at the three thirty feeding? and then eventually the seven thirty also.  I feel like once he is on solids for all three meals, those would be the times he would be having them, does that seem like a good plan?

Offline Buntybear

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2012, 17:03:10 pm »
ARe you giving it 1 hour after milk? so at 12.30? TBH I can't recall what meal we did next. I have a feeling it was breakfast  :) as LOs appetites tend to decrease towards the end of the day (believe it or not!)

Offline amyonkman

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2012, 17:31:56 pm »
How long would you wait to add in another meal, a week or two? 

Offline Buntybear

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Re: Starting solids
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2012, 18:07:51 pm »
I would give it at least 2 weeks at this age so his little tummy can adjust to the solids going through it.