Solids and gas

[locura]

We are almost at 3 weeks with solids now, but going VERY slowly so I´m only giving sweet potato (1 oz 3 times a day) and banana ATM. At this point do I have to wait a week before introducing a new food? And when I introduce a new food do I still have to start with just 1-2 tsp and then slowly increase? And when can I start with a little oatmeal?

[ZacsMumme]

The general rule is wait 3-5 days before I trouncing a new food
Personally I just mix the new food in with an existing and treat it as the other food if they like it.

[locura]

Right, I guess I can speed it up a bit How much do you give of each food?

[sueyloo]

Hey Locura
I was so glad to have bumped into your post. Your LO sounds just like mine. I started weaning her at 26 weeks. I erred on the side of caution because she was colicky at birth and seemed to have a dairy and soy intolerance. So She was EBF before introducing solids. Tried her with sweet potatoes first. What a horrible mistake. She had terrible gas and was in a great deal of pain. Tried her with avocado and it was even worse than the sweet potatoes. I tried twice with avocado and it didn't improve so I've been too scared to try her again. But everything I gave her after that seemed to cause really bad tummy cramps and gas. It was almost as bad as when she as colicky. Saw paediatrician who suggested the list of least allergenic foods- Pears, bananas, rice, oats are the few he mentioned. I'll be here all day if I have to document all our weaning woes. Now she's 8months and she howls and whines whenever I put solids in her mouth. I've resorted to baby led waning but even with that she's upset when there's food in her mouth. Not sure if its teething or what. All really ironic seeing that I work as a weaning consultant.

[ZacsMumme]

My boy is always hungry so I have to LO,it his solids so he will have milk but generally you feed till they are full I think, ie look away, spit it out, don't open their mouth etc.

How are solids going now?

Hugs sueyloo!

[locura]

Hi guys! I haven´t been to BWforums in a while so I just noticed your posts!

ZacsMumme: I guess it´s going a little bit better. DD2 has three meals a day - and we are starting a new food almost every day now. Mixing the new food with something she knows works really well We still have some tummy issues though. I have a headache from trying to figure out what causes it- so I decided to just accept that it is like that now, keep giving solids and not think so much She is mostly happy, we just have a lot of NWs and (which of course can be due to habit at this point as well as gas, although we do hear gas every time she wakes up..). I have to stay clear of most fruit though bc of reflux. Pear is almost ok, but I cant give too much. Do you know any other fruit that is ok reflux wise? and when does reflux go away? DD2 is now 7 mths old, reflux is better, but we still have to be really careful with what food I eat (because I BF) and what she eats.

sueyloo: how are you doing with solids now? any signs of improvement? I know how frustrating it is that nothing works! I guess some LOs just struggle with their tummys. Both my DDs have sensitive tummies I am glad I know from DD1 that even a sensitive tummy gets stronger when getting closer to 1yr 

[sueyloo]

Hiya
I've only now gotten the chance to come back on BW. And thankfully, it's good news.

She's now eating so well that I figure she's making up for lost time. And better still, she's finally catching up with her growth (she had dropped more than 2 centiles from her birth weight/centile). So do celebrate with me. She put on almost a kilo in about a month. I cannot tell you just how happy and relieved I am about it. She's eating almost everything I offer her now and without any real issues. She's even tolerating some dairy in my diet, so her sensitivities are getting a lot better too.

Only concern now is that her poos still have a bit of mucous in it. The paed still can't figure out what's causing it and has said I should stop challenging her with dairy and mucous in poo generally means some damage to the gut. So I'll have to continue the restricted diet (and delay that Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream) for now. But I can live with that long as my dd2 is doing so well.

How're things going for you now Locura? Hope it's good news all round for you too

[ZacsMumme]

Locura if she has lots of gas maybe try not to give too much fruit. I've heard pawpaw is quite gentle
good veges for reflux and tummy are pumpkin and yams, some LOs are fine on sweet potato and others get constipated.

Does your LOs have any dairy ATM? If so I would cut it and see if the mucus goes and tummy troubles ease. Have your LOs had any wheat? - this could e causing trouble ... Lamb is considered the safest meat I think. You could also try chicken broth and add it to veges, it's super nutritious and good for the gut. Here is a recipe but I just use a while chicken carcass and add a tbsp of apple cider vinegar and simmer for 24 hrs.

[locura]

Sueyloo: That´s wonderful news! How old is your DD2, do you think it is a age-related change? That she is getting bigger and less sensitive..? I am waiting for that to happen for my DD2 Sadly we still have quite a lot of tummy issues (gas)..

ZacsMumme: Pawpaw is a good idea. DD2 eats a lot of fruit. Of course she loves it so it´s hard to hold back, but if it causes less gas it could be worth a try. I am thinking maybe the bread she eats is causing some trouble too Sweet potato (and banana) is the safest food for us, but LO is getting a bit fed up so I give less safe food just for variation.

I have to admit I look forward to the day when LOs tummy is less sensitive and I can quit BF and have a normal diet again

[ZacsMumme]

Other safe but exciting foods are
- lamb or chicken (though if egg allergy in family wait for chicken)
- lettuce, or leafy green veges like kale. Just a tiny bit pureed into her veges though, and obviously see if it affects gas.
- salmon
- millet or quinoa (easily digestable grains)
- avocado
- homemade chicken broth, add it to everything
I hear you on the food....T can only tolerate 3 foods ATM!

[locura]

Thanks again for many good ideas! 

DD2 is now soon 9 mths old and safe food is: millet, banana, blueberries, sweet potato, carrot, pear, water melon, chicken and a little mango. LO loves all fruit and bread, but we need to hold back bc of reflux and gas.

We still have a few issues though. Water drinking for instance, LO LOVES it, but is not used to taking a bottle or cup and therefore it causes a lot of reflux. Do I hold back? It seems so wrong to hold back on water

I´d really like to give bread, it´s such an easy lunch to bring (and LO loves it), but it seems to cause a lot of gas. I´ve tried different types of grain separately (such as oat), but it seems anything but millet (I´ll try quinoa one of these days too) causes an upset tummy at night. Is that normal? Or could it be a sensitivity to gluten?

[ZacsMumme]

What type of sippy have you used? My first was bf and a straw sippie was the best - something like this soft spout one to start with.
http://www.target.com/c/sippy-cups-toddler-feeding/nuby/-/N-5xtk9Z5d7xz

Or what about something like this - fora more traditional sippy
http://m.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/first-sips-cup/

Sounds like a gluten intolerance. My T can't have gluten either. Could you try something like crispbread?
http://www.glutenfreeliving.co.nz/index.php/gluten_free_products/product/corn_cruskits
http://shop.countdown.co.nz/Shop/ProductDetails?Stockcode=208511&name=arnotts-cruskits-crispbread-corn

[sueyloo]

I found bread at first caused some problems too. And I'm also suspecting it to be partly responsible for the mucous in her poo. But that too seems to have subsided even when I give her tiny bits of bread.

I definitely think the intolerances and hopefully her allergies are age related. Even the dietitian is banking on dd2 not needing neocate after she's one. Fingers crossed for things to improve for you by then too Locura.

[locura]

ZacsMumme: yes, maybe I need to experiment more with the cups. Just bought a straw sippie, waiting to see if DD2 gets the hang of it. Quite discouraged as it seems even quinoa, rice and glutenfree bread cause a tummy ache. Maybe I am not reading the signs right  We´ve had so much tummy ache and gas lately I am at a loss. Of course if it is gluten intolerance maybe she has a reaction when I eat gluten as well? Do you know if it is common for reflux babies to have so sensitive tummies? I wonder also if I should change into a different probiotics (I am using BioGaia) to see if that will help more...

sueyloo: thanks, it is good to hear your "success" story reminds me that there is a life without sensitive baby tummies

[ZacsMumme]

T can't really tolerate any grains. He has a little millet but other than that I avoid them. Grains are harder to digest. Can you stick with fruit, veges, legumes and lean meat for now?

Reflux is a symptom of intolerances sometimes, rather than the cause. With my second once he was eating nothing that irritated his gut his reflux improved a lot.

If you totally avoid all grains/cerial other than millet for now does the gas/pain subside?