Just started, tiny amounts but now pooing all day and night!

[*Ali*]

Does her ranitidine dose need adjusting possibly? I believe that is based on weight so needs adjusting as she grows.

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Well I've put it up a little despite her not having gained much weight from when we set the previous dose. However the GP explained the dosage and said it was fine for me to take her up to the maximum if I felt she needed it, and we're not at that yet. I figure she might have just been having a flare up for a variety of possible reasons, she now has a horrible cough/cold and very little appetite so definitely no plans to fiddle around with solids until she's taking her milk well again! Stools now very green and frequent but she's hardly taking anything at a feed, I've been block feeding but offering much more regularly to try and keep her fluids up and give her some energy to fight this off, but even so it appears she's getting very little hindmilk at the moment.

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Sorry to hear DD is not well. Healthy vibes x

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Thanks, well we've had her completely off solids for a week whilst she got over the worst of her cough/cold, got her appetite back and stools returned to normal (for her). So offered a little apple purée this morning, again just took a tiny amount but then she has to relearn what to do. No funny BMs yet, she did have a bad pm nap but her routine has been thrown off anyway with travelling so that could have been a routine issue, also lots of screaming at BT but again that could have been OT from earlier in the day... Think she was ok with apple previously so hoping to move onto pear+rice in a couple of days, since pear was fine before, just resulted in more frequent stools but maybe in combination with the rice it should be ok?

I'm just struggling to know what's normal when starting solids, given that DD's BMs have been so different from her brother's from the start. I know that solids upset him to start with but we just pushed through giving small amounts and avoiding problem foods (anything constipative plus broccoli and cauliflower for him) but his BMs we're just as I'd expected, no mucous etc. so I'm really not sure what sort of stool patterns to look out for which would mean I should stop solids again or stop a particular food? When using a three day rule, would you expect problem foods to show up on day 1 or not until later, and how soon after giving them would you expect to see issues? As you know there are always so many variables eg possible teething, illness, travelling, routine changes etc, I don't want to keep stopping solids when there could be other reasons for her unsettledness. Then of course there's the feeling in the background that at 6.5mo she really ought to be eating something!

[*Ali*]

Check out this FAQ with info on how poops change The scoop on poop!

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Then of course there's the feeling in the background that at 6.5mo she really ought to be eating something!

It's well within the realms of normal for a LO not to take much at all in the way of solids at this age.  Whilst for some it is a gradual increase in solids for others there can appear to be little or no interest for several months and then suddenly around 9 months they find their taste for solids and go for it in a big way.

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Thanks, well she had tasters of apple for two days, seemed fine so moved onto pear + rice and got mucous poo later that day - so was that the apple or the pear/rice?! Or her starting yet another virus, for which she started showing symptoms the following day? Due to this virus (which is horrible, I'm really struggling with it now!) we stopped solids again and just considering trying again tomorrow, but I find it so hard to know what the culprit foods are and how long to continue with a food or give it a break until stools go back to normal again, especially with all these illnesses muddying the waters! Think I'll try squash which is completely new for her, she hasn't had a mucous poo recently so if she gets one during the three days of squash then what do I do - stop again until poos go back to normal?? This could demand a lot of patience...

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Let us know how you get on.  If you continue to have difficulties maybe I can move you over (or begin a thread) on the food allergies board for some fresh and more more experienced eyes? Sorry I am not much help with poop or allergies.
It may be of no consequence but my DS couldn't take pear or rice, he has no known allergies but in the early days ripe raw pear gave him a terrible reflux flare (I discovered he could take lightly steamed or baked pear better) and he generally refused rice (BLW he had full control over what he took) which I think he was wise to do as the odd occasion he did try some (once baby rice, twice rice cake, once rice pudding, once regular long grain rice) he vomited every time.  He has a massive variety of foods he likes but to this day will not eat rice, it's been 3.5 years since it made him vom but he is repulsed by it.

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Just a little update, DD is better now and has been back on solids for a week, just offering at breakfast and still only having tastes rather than mouthfuls. Definitely no adverse effects to squash or parsnip, both new foods, currently trying banana then will revisit those foods tried previously, see if we get that mucous poo again... My milk supply has dropped though, since we've both had flu and I've had my period! So nursing and stool patterns have changed anyway. I just wanted to check, you wouldn't be too concerned about negligible solids intake yet, would you? Interesting to hear about your DS's pear and rice experiences, creations. I haven't actually tried raw fruits yet until this banana.

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I wouldn't be concerned about zero solids intake at this age.
Some LOs still have their tongue thrust reflex, some are just not into solids until they are a a few months older.  If your LO was approaching 9 or 10 months and not taking a few mouth fulls at at least one meal I'd probably start to look a bit more closely but as with anything if you are concerned you should speak to a health professional.

I really don't think there is any worry at all at this age.

you might want to try a different texture. So for instance really well watered (or milked) down until very runny, or the opposite, a soft steamed baton/finger of parsnip or squash as finger food. She might actually prefer her food to have a different consistency. If not though, still no worry

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Ok thanks that's reassuring!

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Ok so she's actually opened her mouth for food a couple of days not today, but progress, anyway!

Another question, I'm thinking of delaying dairy introduction a little, I did yoghurt with DS at 7mo and then gave him infant porridge which contained oats and milk products. I now realise I can't find anything preprepared which has just oats (not wheat) and doesn't contain milk products, so considering making my own oat based cereal but I'm not very good at that sort of thing and don't want to do anything too time consuming in the mornings! We do have this oatbran stuff, do you think that would be ok as an introduction to oats, made up with my milk in the microwave? Or would it be better to grind whole oats myself? W do have a coffee bean grinder but I'm not confident in being able to remove the last traces of coffee beans and don't want her to get coffee inadvertently!

[*Ali*]

What about Ready Brek? That is just milled oats.

I don't know but I would worry that oatbran would have too much fibre which is not good for little tums. Babies shouldn't have high fibre "brown" versions of grains (bread, rice, pasta etc.) because it can fill them up and stop them absorbing the nutrients from other foods.

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I agree about avoiding whole grain.

I would have thought Ready Brek too Ali, although now not 100% sure as there is an allergen note on the box - is that because the guidance is to make with milk or because there is a chance there is other milk based products made in the same factory 
http://www.weetabix.co.uk/brands/readybrek/original
I wonder if other mums have used Ready Brek for milk allergy LOs?

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That sounds like a good idea, I'd always assumed it contained added salt/sugar so hadn't considered it before. So you reckon it's fine for babies? I know you have to be careful with added vitamins etc designed for adults or older children in case it contains too much of  a particular vitamin/mineral for infants, but you reckon Ready Brek would be ok? I'm not worried about possible milk traces as I don't think she has an allergy, just that she seems to have had a sensitive gut previously so I want to hold back on introducing dairy properly but still want her to have oats. Her stools have been much better since we both had flu, as I've now been having low supply issues as opposed to oversupply issues! So I really doubt there's any problem with me having dairy.