Doc told me to start feeding solids to 4 mo old...

[Holly n Harvie]

I was advised by my GP to see a Pedi to check out my LO's reflux. He is doing really well on the Zantac and the Pedi told me that I can start him on solids if I want. Now... the other day I got a 2 jars of baby food. Veggies and rice and apples and pears. They say on the jars that they are for 4 mo and up. HE LOVED THEM !!! I gave him a tsp of both and it looked like he wanted more. What I am a bit confused on is how much and when and how often??? So far I am giving him solids (2 tsp) at his 11 am feed after his bottle. Do I do it before? Do I not worry if he isn't drinking as much of his bottle? He currently takes 8 oz 4x day and 7oz df. He is 8kg (like 17 pounds) I know, he's a big boy!!

Any help or sample of a day routine would be great.    Thanks ladies, your input is always amazing!!  :wink:

[Hunter & Sithia's mom]

Hi there

It sounds like you are doing just fine.  Generally speaking, give your DS as much as he wants of the solids, after his bottle.  He will let you know when enough is enough.

He sounds like a healthy little boy, just follow his lead, and you will both be fine.  My doc had me put my DS onto cereal at 2.5 - 3 months or so, and he's just fine too.

HTH

[Mom2X&F&V]

mmmm.....

[Jenni Gall]

I don't want to tell moms what to do... or make them feel their mothering may be wrong, but I do have to say a few words when I see and read things I feel so strongly about.  First of all, feeding formula can be tricky.  A baby of 3 - 4 months only needs about 25 to 30 ounces a day of formula OR breast milk.  Feeding formula fills them quicker and their stomach response does not tell them they are full until you see it as reflux.  Also, these babies should not be on 8 oz. at one time.  They should spread out over 4 - 5 oz. at a feeding.  About 5 oz. every 3 to 4 hours of 5 to 6 feedings.  Acid reflux comes from various things:  baby isn't able to tolerate large feedings, dairy intolerance, synthetic vitamin intolerance, iron intolerance, or inmature gut.  I am working with a baby with this right now and the mom stopped dairy and her vitamin... problem solved.  Just wanted to pass that along.

[Debprins]

Hi everyone, I am new to this site and Love hearing all our bubbies experiences. I would Love to have a bit of help with the whole solids thing. My daughter is 5 months old and I started on Rice cereal about a month ago. I have since increased over the weeks an extra meal so that she is currently having 3 meals a day + breast.
Early Morning Breast only
8am Breast + Cereal + a bit of pear
11.30 Breast and veg
3pm Breast
6ish breast and fruit ( Bananas have now been given a miss since they made her strain like nothing else!)
she then goes to bed and wakes around 10.30pm and 2.30 for feeds and then up and down from around 5am. I know she must not be hungry. But she won't go back to sleep! Any suggestions for improvement on my day I'm worn out and thought she may sleep better at night with the solids but apart from the occasional night there has been no difference!! Thanksx

[Katet]

I'm not telling people what to do here, but I have worked in Immunology & the increase in allergy & the link to solids is so strong since the introduction of 'processed baby food... I have to say if you are going to give solids before 6 mo.... PLEASE give them fresh organic foods you have prepared yourself, if you want to minimise future gut & allergy problems

[Jenni Gall]

Kate,  I so agree with you on the introduction of solids.  So many mothers rely on Doctors to tell them how to raise their kids when they should look to their own child.  Is the child ready?  Is he getting teeth?  Can she sit up?  Why start the foods if they are content? *Usually mothers misread the signs of readyiness thinking their baby is wanting more when really they are wanting more of YOUR time. *   Read your child's cues.  They hold all the answers.  Go with your feelings.  If your child cries, do you ask the doctor what to do every time?  No, you do what your heart tells you.  I have consulted soooo many mothers on their infants and time after time I tell them... relax.  You are raising the baby, not the doctor.  And doctors base their answers on the general medical studies.  Where does your baby lie compared to other babies?  Let's not compare and just know what you are doing is right.  Solids at 6 months should be a time of introduction and taste testing, not replacement of the primary food.... BREAST MILK.

[HJ's Mom]

It scares me that people are questionning doctors and mothers regarding the feeding between 4-6 months. There's enough guilt in motherhood. I have a 21 year old and an 18 year old and now a 4 month old, on rice cereal, formula and breast milk. Trial and error, , working along with the doc or pediatrian and having fun with it goes a long way. Every baby and mom are different. It's a long journey and a great one! Enjoy!

[GG]

I'm not telling people what to do here, but I have worked in Immunology & the increase in allergy & the link to solids is so strong since the introduction of 'processed baby food.

Kate, I was thinking the same thing.  Everything I read, in all the baby magazines and in books, says not to give solids to babies before 4 months of age.  There are instances where it should be introduced earlier, but those are rare.  This is a new finding and I wouldn't be surprised if some doctors haven't heard of the research that has been done (though that's their bad, to be sure).

Regarding questioning doctors, they are human and, therefore, fallible.  If I had a feeling that what my doctor was telling me wasn't right, I'd consult someone else.  The stories of people having bad advice from doctors are endless - not just for babies, but adults as well.  My family had a general practitioner that kept justifying everything as 'stress'.  Turns out it wasn't just 'stress' after all.  Thankfully a second opinion was gotten.  :?  That's where the gut instinct comes in.  Don't ignore it!

[HJ's Mom]

You say you worked in immunology..in what capacity?

[Katet]

HJ's Mom, I haven't ignored your question, just had my 4mo in hospital for 3 days & the rest of the family sick too.

My background is a degree in Biochemistry (major in Immunology)
Worked in diagnostic immunology for 2.5 years(lymphocyte based cancers eg Lymphoma, Leukemias etc)
Then after timeout travelling I went into research (7years) - Immunology based
Initially "basic T Cell research" then on projects on Asthma & Allergy. -followed by working on two projects which were linked - Ulcerative colitis/Crohns disease (Autoimmune diseases of the digestive system) & the Hygiene Hypothesis (ie how our cleaner lifestyle is resulting in the western world having an increase in autoimmune diseases.
In the last few years I have been doing "research communication" where I pretty much translate the medical jargo into lay work for promotion & media. As I did that for the same organisation I did the research at, I was doing it for all the work covered there, which was mostly Immunology & cancer research based.

I also had a dh have reconstruction of his gastrointestional organs after he had a pancreatic tumor removed (when ds#1 was 4mo) & learnt a lot about "re-training" the adult intestines from the Gastroenterologist & Dieticians who looked after dh. So I also asked them for lots of references on digestion & babies intestines.