Feb 2010 JUNE chat thread - Page 3

[SunRise]

Originally Posted by HappiLeigh

I wonder what happens when I down a bunch of chocolate then! Or gin.

Must share picture I just took. What about those cheeks! And the thighs! I'm so in love with his chubby thighs.

scrumptious!

My baby found her feet:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95366964@N00/4693670236/

[flavorfull1]

We have a sick baby that is now recuperating. This week has been crazy. I was able to be a part of my sister's birth of her second baby. She did awesome. She called me at 5:35am and baby was born at 7:40am. We got to the hospital a little after 7am! Super crazy fast and out in three contractions. It was kind of healing and kind of intense to see labor so soon. I didn't realize how upset I was over having to push for so long and after seeing my sister do it so fast, I was at her first birth too, it made me feel a little better about next time. I did remember contractions a little too well though. I can wait a while before I do that again Her son is beautiful. 8lbs 9oz.
Malachi is figuring out rolling front to back. He has done it several times but keeps forgetting he knows how. He can now roll back to front in either direction which is helpful because he gets so frustrated just sitting on his stomach. His cold this past week was so sad. He would nurse and then have to stop and gasp for air because he couldn't breathe. I am hoping the worst is over. Yesterday was brutal. He only wanted to be held and couldn't sleep because of his congestion. Today is better and he has had two good naps. I got one too
Oh yeah, the hair falling out- mine is everywhere! I don't know how I am not bald already? It comes back right? At least some?

[jul511riv]

yeah, I'm loosing tons of hair...just like after the other kids.

[Snapdragon]

Originally Posted by SunRise

scrumptious!

My baby found her feet:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95366964@N00/4693670236/

adorable!!!

[HappiLeigh]

We just got back in town and realized we left a bag of (dirty) cloth diapers at our hotel room.
So frustrating...it's literally money down the drain to us, and a bag of complete sh!t to anyone else.

[Nicole730]

Originally Posted by HappiLeigh

We just got back in town and realized we left a bag of (dirty) cloth diapers at our hotel room.
So frustrating...it's literally money down the drain to us, and a bag of complete sh!t to anyone else.

Oh no!!!! Was it a plastic bag or a 'wet bag'?? You should call and see if they still have them. That just totally sucks.

[Snapdragon]

I know- cloth diapers are so expensive! I mean- totally worth it compared to disposables IMO but that sucks that you left a whole bag!
Over here ds is is growing rapidly and very well! He is almost grown too big for the arm's reach so now I think we are gonna get a crib and sidecar it.

He is eating so much as he gets bigger- I find myself starting to wonder when he will want to eat some food also. I guess I have heard 6 months might be a time to start some? He has started looking at me curiously while I am eating. Also just started a little bit of grasping and putting something in his mouth- so cute! I mean- he has been grasping for a little while but just started last night to grasp a wooden toy and put it in his mouth.
I don't know what his first food will be. I guess either a mashed up vegetable (root veggie) or maybe some kind of grain cereal mixed with breastmilk?

I know there are threads about this- but what about you all here- when will you offer your baby solid food and what will it be?

another thing- trying to encourage dh bonding with ds more- and thus me not micromanaging their time together! So right now ds is hanging out with dh before dh goes to work. And I hear ds squaking a bit but I am not gonna swoop in and see what ds's needs are- working on letting dh figure it out for himself!

[jul511riv]

ah, the baby's first food conversation. Fun. Okay, so I was TOTALLY pressured to feed my daughter before she was really interested and ready. She was 10 months and everyone said I was totally "missing a window" and blah blah blah if I didn't feed her.

Well, a month after she started eating, I got my period. Luckilly I was ready for another baby, but I learned a couple of things from that, one being that I'd better be ready for my fertility to continue and for breastfeeding to taper off once I start introducing other foods and two that I"m not going to push my baby before he/she is ready.

So then I had ds. When he was about 1.5 years old, I was trying to entice him with food but he just wasn't interested. I started REALLY pushing foods a few months before his 2nd birthday. At this point I was paniced and felt totally drained being the ONLY food (or drink) for an almost 2 year old baby, and I couldn't find out any information about it ANYWHERE (at least not in English). I called a friend who said that it's fine, so long as he's healthy, but he was always the runt of the litter, so to speak. Healthy, but had weird issues develop.When he was about 1.5 years old, he had a virus that was out of his system in about 24 hours but then broke into hives that lasted 3 months. I took him to the doctor and had his blood taken for the first time ever. His numbers were all a bit weird but his iron was low, not SOOO low, but slightly low. This was the only thing that seemed to bother the doctor. He was like "well what is he eating?" I was like "he's not." So I really felt that I needed to push food.

I got so desprate that a couple months before he turned 2, I was giving him chocolate milk, the ONLY thing he would drink outside of breast milk ever time he asked to nurse. I would only nurse him AFTERwords. And I kept pushing foods. Eventually, right before his 2nd birthday, he began eating solids. He had a lot of gagging problems at first with eating, but he seemed to grow out of them over the course of about 3-6 months. Now he's 3.5 years old and he doesn't have any gagging issues, but the kid eats like a bird. In the morning he'll have a tiny bowl of cereal or oatmeal or something and then for lunch he'll eat about a tablespoon of soup. He might eat an apple, or a few bites of one. Or a slice of bread. For dinner he might eat a bite or two of lasgnia or a bite or two of potato or a fish stick or something. The kid probably eats about 1 cup of food all day. And he hardly drinks.

But, he's got loads of energy...always running and jumping and playing. He's very healthy, rarely ever gets sick. He has a bowel movement or two a day. Hes super skinny...just a boney little guy. Sweet as can be. A bit of a cry baby.

I dunno. My daughter ate her first foods at 10 months (though she had tasted carrot juice quite a few times before that...like a sip here and there) and my son at 2 years. My daughter is a great eater. Very substancial and hardy looking. Also pretty healthy, though my son might be healthier and bounce back quicker after illness if he DOES get sick (which is rare). So I don't really know what to make of it, but I always feel like I have to share my experience because I know that it is unique and on one ever hears about it.

Now the new baby, at 4.5 months, is totally eyeing food. I COULD give him some NOW (even though he isn't secure in sitting yet)...but I"m going to hold off. Until the kid is begging for it, I don't see any need to replace a PERFECT food (which I KNOW can sustain one of my kids for at least 2 years alone) with something else unless I absolutely have to.

As for first foods, I think we did applesauce or bananna or avacado. Carrot juice.

My mil used to grate up (on a super fine grater) apple, pear and bananna to give to dd.

Cereals are very hard to digest and the baby certainly doesn't NEED them, so I would hold off on giving those until way down the line, though I DO like baby bisquits for the teether.

But I wouldn't push food until the baby is really REALLY ready. I have a hunch that my sons gagging issues were because he simply wasn't ready to eat. I think he would have outgrown it slightly after 2 years and he likely would have been reatdy to eat then without any fuss.

[Snapdragon]

pictures

in the new mei tei with daddy (wish I got a better picture with 2 eyes showing but he started to fuss after I got this one!)
http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/w.../meitei001.jpg

[ishyfishie]

Solids: We'll be waiting until at least 6 months, but probably closer to 8 or 9. We started dd1 around 6 months and she was just really not interested at all, and I think she just wasn't ready until 8-9 months. She has severe food allergies (egg, milk, peanut) so we have to be pretty cautious with Caroline, though she isn't showing any reactions through breastmilk so I'm *hoping* she won't have any allergies!

ETA: We do BLW too, no purees.

[NicoleS]

We will start offering whole solids (not purees) at 6 months - basically baby led weaning. Usually I have AF back before then and my supply is crappy anyhow. From my personal experience there does seem to be a "window" between 6 and 9 months that if you don't introduce solids then it gets a lot harder. DD2 wouldn't take solids at all until she was nearly a year, and then only the runniest purees, and I do believe that is partially responsible for some of her food issues now.

ETA: no histories of allergies here.

[HappiLeigh]

My ped is very into nutrition--she goes to breastfeeding conferences and pushes whole foods, etc. She is adamant that it is important to wait until 6 months, so in this particular case I bow to her expertise. I will also wait until he a) can sit up unassisted, b) acts interested in food (likely to happen before the other 2), and c) loses the tongue-thrust reflex.
With my DD we did mostly chunks and finger foods, but also some purees, which I let her self-feed. I didn't consider pureer off-limits to us as long as she was holding the spoon herself. Rice cereal never crossed my threshhold.

[flavorfull1]

Originally Posted by HappiLeigh

My ped is very into nutrition--she goes to breastfeeding conferences and pushes whole foods, etc. She is adamant that it is important to wait until 6 months, so in this particular case I bow to her expertise. I will also wait until he a) can sit up unassisted, b) acts interested in food (likely to happen before the other 2), and c) loses the tongue-thrust reflex.
With my DD we did mostly chunks and finger foods, but also some purees, which I let her self-feed. I didn't consider pureer off-limits to us as long as she was holding the spoon herself. Rice cereal never crossed my threshhold.

Pretty much this. I did a lot of research for my final master's project on this and we will delay the allergy sensitive foods for a long time as well. Malachi is watching us put things to our mouths and acts like he is chewing but he is very not ready. It will be at least after 6 months, maybe more.

[Lauren31]

Originally Posted by HappiLeigh

My ped is very into nutrition--she goes to breastfeeding conferences and pushes whole foods, etc. She is adamant that it is important to wait until 6 months, so in this particular case I bow to her expertise. I will also wait until he a) can sit up unassisted, b) acts interested in food (likely to happen before the other 2), and c) loses the tongue-thrust reflex.
With my DD we did mostly chunks and finger foods, but also some purees, which I let her self-feed. I didn't consider pureer off-limits to us as long as she was holding the spoon herself. Rice cereal never crossed my threshhold.

this! I would NEVER give grain cereal to my baby until they are older then 1 or maybe more. It is empty nutrition in my head. Why force feed a baby when your breast milk is so much better? If she is over 6 months and able to eat, hold food/spoon, etc she can eat what we are eating (obviously not super spicy tacos or hot sauce or anything like that but you know what I mean!)

[NicoleS]

My kids all liked spicy tacos, lol.

[Nicole730]

Food: I will do differently this time. I'm probably going to do BLW (although I don't really"get" why it's called that) I think DD will like food and be ready for food before DS was. She is already eyeing up my meals and making a grab for them while making motions with her jaw. I will still wait until at least 6 months though. Already have AF, so not any issue there. With DS I did bananas first.

[Snapdragon]

I wasn't planning to give cereal per se as I am just learning about this for the first time!
In a book I have (dr sears baby book) it says at 6 months- I think- fruit (applesauce, mashed bananas etc)- are veggies (ie mashed carrots) harder to digest?

I sense a lot of strong opinions against rice cereal etc as a first food. Is this something people commonly give as a first food? again, this is all brand new to me! I could see how the rice cereal is too glutunous perhaps?

[Lauren31]

Originally Posted by Katie34

I wasn't planning to give cereal per se as I am just learning about this for the first time!
In a book I have (dr sears baby book) it says at 6 months- I think- fruit (applesauce, mashed bananas etc)- are veggies (ie mashed carrots) harder to digest?

I sense a lot of strong opinions against rice cereal etc as a first food. Is this something people commonly give as a first food? again, this is all brand new to me! I could see how the rice cereal is too glutunous perhaps?

I think a lot of peds push iron fortified cereals for babies bc of anemia which is silly bc most of the iron in those cereals is not absorbed by the baby!!!! http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html explains this. Also, I think cereals are more popular as first foods bc mybe people are replacing expensive formula for them to maybe save a buck... just my thought.

[NicoleS]

Yeah, rice cereal traditionally is what is recommended as a first food. My kids would never eat the nasty stuff straight up anyways - I did use it with the girls to thicken their purees some. I don't think we even used a whole box with Shane - I know he got it once or twice when he didn't like what we had for dinner, but that was it. And up until recently WIC just gave rice cereal and infant juice to babies under a year (now they've started doing some jarred foods).

[NicoleS]

On another thought, send big, fat vibes for Caleb today. We have our appointment for another weight check and vaccine this afternoon. He hadn't gained anything last time so we really need to see a gain today.