Food introduction

[CT Mommy]

Hi all-

OK, now that I've discovered this forum, I have so many things I want to post about!!

I have a 7 month old dd who is "ready" to start solids. I have introduced solids in a rather formulic manner in the past, using the plan set forth by the Super Baby food book. 2 of my 3 other children will eat virtually anything (and try anything which I find more important). My other child is SUPER picky, but also had a few allergies then.

Anyway, now that we are a tf family, I'm not sure how to introduce solids to her. We have given her egg yolks, bananas, pears, apple and some rice cereal, that if I could take back I would. I have tried sweet potatoes (which make her extremely gassy) and peas. Anyway, she is suffering from constipation--it's horrible. I have been giving her acidophilus and it didn't help. I'm trying to focus on the fruits, thinking that would help. A friend suggested goat's milk kefir, which we gave for the first time this a.m. (I didn't make it myself--I got it at the co-op). Can I give her Cod Liver oil or another fish oil (that always works for my other kids)? I have also tried prunes. The make her go, a little, but not consistently enough to rid us of the constipation.

My first dd suffered from constipation for YEARS after starting solid foods. I do not want to go down that road again. I really respect your opinions and welcome any suggestions.

Many thanks.

[spughy]

The worst culprits for baby constipation are bananas, rice (as in cereal), applesauce, and not enough water. In fact, the "BRAT" diet is recommended as a way to treat the runs - bananas, rice, applesauce and toast - they all help make firmer stools. Not what you want for a baby starting solids. Water is crucial, too - amounts vary, but definitely they need some with every solid meal.

The fix for constipation in babies is to revert to exclusive breastfeeding, except maybe small amounts of very fatty meat and/or butter. When regular poops resume, you can add solid food in again, but in small amounts (like 1-2 tbsp, 1-2 times a day) until the gut adjusts. Prunes aren't a great idea for babies except in small amounts if they like them - they are an intestinal stimulant and irritant - which is how they work - and can be too strong for wee baby tums. That said, in some children they seem to have no effect. My daughter loved them mashed up in yogurt, but the didn't seem to do anything to her poop, negative or positive.

[CT Mommy]

Thanks for the guidance!! I REALLY appreciate it. I have pretty much stopped giving her any solids and only bfing, but it hasn't helped. Even exclusively bfing she might go a week to 10 days w/out a bm. Ped says not to worry--it's normal for bfing babies to do this. But she does get miserable and doesn't sleep well by the end of the week.

My older dd had very serious constipation. We took her to a myriad of specialists who recommended 100% processed fiber cookies...metamucel etc. We ended up putting her on a laxative, which she was on until she was successfully treated homeopathically by a great nd that we finally found.

I do not want to go down this road again and fear it happening. Is there anything I can give her that I'm not already doing? What about the Cod Liver Oil/fish oil? Should I continue the acidophilus? We have moved 1000 miles from that mirable working nd, so I really don't have an "expert" to turn to.

THanks,

[tankgirl73]

I can't help much with the constipation issues... especially if it's ongoing even when just bfing. Although, just to mention, going for 10 days without pooping isn't necessarily constipation. It's only constipation if the poo is hard when it does come. If it's 10 days but still a normal-ish consistency, it's just a long time between poos. That can certainly be uncomfortable -- when DD was that age she'd do the same thing, and we could certainly tell just from her attitude and mood that she'd been awhile since her last poo, and when it did come it would be HUGE (sooooo glad we were ec'ing and would always get her poo in a potty and not have to clean THAT up), but a very normal consistency.

Maybe your kids do have real constipation, but I thought I'd throw that out there since it's a common misconception.

But anyway, when it comes to the actual solid foods, I'd recommend you read up on baby-led solids, Gill Rapley's philosophies. Just offer baby real foods all the way, pretty much whatever you're eating is fine, so long as she's able to feed herself. Don't spoon-feed anything, let her lead all the way. This is especially great for kids with potential allergies and digestive problems. The idea is that the child will rely on their own instincts for what foods to ingest and which to avoid, removing a lot of parental guesswork.

If they don't self-feed anything for months but only BF, that's fine... it probably means their digestive systems are later to mature. Their interest in particular foods and self-feeding seems to coincide quite nicely (and logically, when you think about it) with their internal development and nutritional needs.

Especially if you're already following a TF approach for your family, it just makes sense to allow your baby (who is not yet 'corrupted' by the modern diet heh) to follow their natural instincts for food.

[spughy]

Replace the straight acidophilus with a baby probiotic - it'll have acidophilus plus other beneficial stuff... and let her play in the dirt Seriously, there is growing evidence that many chronic health problems are caused by insufficient exposure to the bacteria and other microorganisms in plain old dirt. Like the stuff in your back yard, or the park if you haven't got a back yard. Don't freak out if she puts dirt or sand in her mouth, it's what babies have done for millenia and unless you have reason to suspect heavy metal issues or toxins (ie, your house is situated in a former industrial park) there should be nothing harmful in it - or rather, it's teeny tiny doses of pathogens that work in a vaguely homeopathic way.

Here's a link that explains the theory, related most to allergies and immunological stuff but I've heard it linked frequently with bowel issues like IBS too.