Another "Solids" Question...

[braidmama]

So we are in the midst of our solid foods journey and I'd like to get into more of a routine with it. For those of you ALREADY giving your little one solids, be that baby-led or purees, what's the routine like in your home? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner after nursing? I would love to see some sample "menus" for a day.

Alsoooo for those of you doing purees (please, no psa's here! we are doing a combo of purees and giant chunks for Max to gnaw on), do you add hot water, formula, or breastmilk to thin it out and how do you prepare and store them? I know how to do it, I'm just curious to know what others are doing because I can't seem to keep up and Max wants to eat!

Please and thank you!

[Knitting Mama]

We're really really casual with solids here. I don't give Cecilia solids every day, more like 2-3 times a week. We're doing BLW, and I always nurse her first, so she's not starving and cranky. So I'll get her settled in her highchair, and give her some cooked carrots, avocado slices, butternut squash or cooked apple slices, and then I'll sit down at the table and eat as well, so I can model for her what eating is like (she already knows, she is SO interested in our food ). Then, per the awesome suggestion of a mom in my DDC, I will get a washcloth wet and let her play with that for the last few minutes, and she does most of the legwork of washing off her hands and face!

[braidmama]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama

We're really really casual with solids here. I don't give Cecilia solids every day, more like 2-3 times a week. We're doing BLW, and I always nurse her first, so she's not starving and cranky. So I'll get her settled in her highchair, and give her some cooked carrots, avocado slices, butternut squash or cooked apple slices, and then I'll sit down at the table and eat as well, so I can model for her what eating is like (she already knows, she is SO interested in our food ). Then, per the awesome suggestion of a mom in my DDC, I will get a washcloth wet and let her play with that for the last few minutes, and she does most of the legwork of washing off her hands and face!

Ahh! A wet washcloth! That is pure genius! Totally gonna try that. Usually Max jsut gets really mad when he's done...haha. Maybe that will help him to enjoy the time after food as well. Thanks! I feel more relieved hearing that its casual for others as well. We haven't been giving him solids every single day either.

[RaeDyCo]

I am very cautious with solids. I do not hesitate to give DS2 any type of solid (that are age appropriate) but I do not give too many solids as I really want to ensure that he is getting the bulk of his nutrition from breastmilk and is trying all different things / textures. My thought is that I want DS2 to try carrots but I don't need him to eat an entire jar. It isn't like carrots are high in calories.

This site has the best sample menus I have seen.

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/samplemenus.htm

It is more about how much to give, not type of solids to give, and is really meant to ensure that breastmilk is primary for the first year.

We do BLW but if something is a puree (like applesauce), I would just cook it, mash it and then I put in in baby cubes to store in the fridge or freezer. I don't thin anything out personally.

I usually introduce new foods in the morning, not later in the day, just in case there is a reaction as I wouldn't want the reaction / gas / sore tummy to hit in the middle of the night.

[momto4plus4]

I'm still trying to figure out what's best for my lo. We started solids early because of his reflux. I'm finding that if I skip a day then his reflux, especially spitting up, worsens. SO, the last couple days I'm doing oatmeal (baby) with banana that I flatten with a fork so it's kind of chunky but small enough to chew and mix in some pureed peaches or pears. Tonight I gave him a couple of diced pear pieces only because he tends to get super constipated. I do feed him, we're not doing blw here. That said, I'm still trying to figure out how much is enough to help him without disrupting our bf'ing. He slowed his nursing down the last 2 days so I'm thinking he got too much solid. BUT, he does nurse every 2 hrs or so during the day & all night so it's not like he's only bf'ing 6 times a day. He just doesn't seem to be getting full enough feedings. Tomorrow I'll lessen the amount and see how he does. Isn't this a journey!

[braidmama]

Originally Posted by RaeDyCo

I am very cautious with solids. I do not hesitate to give DS2 any type of solid (that are age appropriate) but I do not give too many solids as I really want to ensure that he is getting the bulk of his nutrition from breastmilk and is trying all different things / textures. My thought is that I want DS2 to try carrots but I don't need him to eat an entire jar. It isn't like carrots are high in calories.

This site has the best sample menus I have seen.

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/samplemenus.htm

It is more about how much to give, not type of solids to give, and is really meant to ensure that breastmilk is primary for the first year.

We do BLW but if something is a puree (like applesauce), I would just cook it, mash it and then I put in in baby cubes to store in the fridge or freezer. I don't thin anything out personally.

I usually introduce new foods in the morning, not later in the day, just in case there is a reaction as I wouldn't want the reaction / gas / sore tummy to hit in the middle of the night.

I haven't thinned mine out either...actually, I've been freezing the purees in a similar baby food freezer tray and I usually pop the frozen fruits or veggies from the tray directly into a mesh feeder and let him go to town with it. He got his first tooth this week and the one next to it is about to pop through so I think it feels good on his sore gums. I'm not a fan of gel teething toys. We did get an amber necklace which I'm not sure if I think is hokey or the real deal, but I'm getting off topic here...I hadn't really thought about the time of day as being a problem but I suppose it does make sense! Thanks for the website, I'll check it out. He had his 6 month checkup a couple of weeks ago and his pedi said we should be giving him solids 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) after nursing (for example, he said at breakfast...nurse, fruit, yogurt). Personally I think that is way too much for a baby this age and totally unnecessary since fruits and veggies don't have a lot of calories anyway, like you said and I would rather he fill up on my milk than other foods. Also, yogurt is totally not on our list. Way too much dairy, in my opinion. He already has a teeny bit of that when he has a supplemental bottle while I'm at work so no need for even more dairy! Of course, our pedi also does the whole "solids at 4 months" thing but we didn't go by him. Sorry for the long post...I tend to get a bit carried away! This is my "socializing" for the day, haha.

[Snapdragon]

my baby is about 2 wks older than yours. During the whole 6 month I was kind of anxious about solid foods with him- wondering if I was giving him enough! I felt like I had to go from no solids to lots of solids right away. I fed him solids every other to every day. well it totally made him unable to poop easily! and after a whole month of this I realized that I need to stop feeding him solids till he regulates. Once he is better whenI add solids I am gonna do it slowly- with days in between. I learned from this that he really can do great even at 7 months on only breast milk. So don't worry that you aren't giving him enough- there is so much confusing info out there and differing opinions. But I ultimately belive (after mistakes galore and trial and error) that he is better off nursing and the food is just a little occasional side thing- but then again that is just my individual experience with it.

[momto4plus4]

Originally Posted by Snapdragon

So don't worry that you aren't giving him enough

I wanted to add DITTO to the above quote. My previous post was in regards to ds2. He's babe #4 and all of them have started solids at different times. DS1 couldn't handle solids (allergies) even at 7 mths so we held him off (with our pediatrician's blessing-she's awesome!) until 10 months. He was absolutely fine. I agree whole-heartedly with everyone saying lo's only need bm for the first year and that solids, if introduced, should be a supplement.

Snapdragon-I appreciated your post as it sounds a lot like the experimenting I'm doing with my guy and keeping him regulated.

[GuavaGirl]

I started with purees and we're starting to give big chunks of foods. (blw style)
I puree in my blender adding hot water or homemade unsalted broth. I freeze it in ice cube trays and then put in freezer bags...and then reheat in the microwave when it's time for meal.

It started with one meal a day and gradually transitioned to 3.
At each meal I would give 1 starchy veg, 1 non-starchy veg, 1 meat, and 1 fruit.

Foods included: Sweet potato, butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, spinach, chard, zucchini, yellow summer squash, figs, peach, banana, apple, prunes (hydrated), chicken, lamb, beef, turkey.

For the meat I either used ground (naturally raised, grass fed, etc.) or a whole chicken. I would either bake or crock pot it. No boiling though. (to keep more nutrients in the food)


Now I'm giving chunks of roasted veggies and he's just barely getting a hang of it. My boy is 8 months old.

[ShwarmaQueen]

I do a combo of feeding/BLW. This morning he had a couple of graham crackers, then a while later baby oatmeal and whole milk, then he had a piece of fried fish and chunks of tomato (part our lunch), a couple hours later we went to a birthday party so I pinched off bits of a gluten-free cupcake, later he had some grape halves, and finally, for 'dinner' he had a few spoons of brown rice cereal and pureed jarred veggies because our dinner wouldn't be ready for another hour and he was ready for bed.

The easiest, stress free way to feed your baby solids is to not make a huge deal about it. Go with the flow (his flow ). When you invest a lot of time and energy into meal planning and fuss over whether he's getting the right amount/balance of nutrients, you'll stress out both of yourselves and waste a lot of food in the process if he doesn't take to it right away. DS was 9-10 months to before he 'liked' solids. As long as BM is the main part of his diet, solids at this stage should be for exposure to different textures, tastes, etc.

[onyxravnos]

10 month old LOVES food he is attached ALL NIGHT LONG so by morning i'm feeling a little drained and mommy needs a nursing break so he gets some sort of fruit baby food mixed with oatmeal + whatever we are eating to nibble on.

lunch normally is nap time so maybe some table food nibbing but generally just nursing and nap.
dinner sees some sort of veggie puree w/ mixed grain and table food.

lots of nursing on the in-between. food is just for fun now not really for 'food' some days he eats LOTS of solids other days almost nothing. my other ds wasn't eating solids 3 x a day until almost 2 years.

[braidmama]

Originally Posted by Snapdragon

my baby is about 2 wks older than yours. During the whole 6 month I was kind of anxious about solid foods with him- wondering if I was giving him enough! I felt like I had to go from no solids to lots of solids right away. I fed him solids every other to every day. well it totally made him unable to poop easily! and after a whole month of this I realized that I need to stop feeding him solids till he regulates. Once he is better whenI add solids I am gonna do it slowly- with days in between. I learned from this that he really can do great even at 7 months on only breast milk. So don't worry that you aren't giving him enough- there is so much confusing info out there and differing opinions. But I ultimately belive (after mistakes galore and trial and error) that he is better off nursing and the food is just a little occasional side thing- but then again that is just my individual experience with it.

Ahh Max was the same way. Poor guy was having major digestive/pooping problems. I stopped for awhile so his body could heal and then we just started doing it very slowly, avoiding binding foods like bananas and apples. We now do those but not every day. Unfortunately my milk supply is becoming even less lately and he hardly nurses at all now, when he does its for a few minutes. He has to have formula to supplement but I try to latch him as much as I can.

[braidmama]

Originally Posted by GuavaGirl

I started with purees and we're starting to give big chunks of foods. (blw style)
I puree in my blender adding hot water or homemade unsalted broth. I freeze it in ice cube trays and then put in freezer bags...and then reheat in the microwave when it's time for meal.

It started with one meal a day and gradually transitioned to 3.
At each meal I would give 1 starchy veg, 1 non-starchy veg, 1 meat, and 1 fruit.

Foods included: Sweet potato, butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, spinach, chard, zucchini, yellow summer squash, figs, peach, banana, apple, prunes (hydrated), chicken, lamb, beef, turkey.

For the meat I either used ground (naturally raised, grass fed, etc.) or a whole chicken. I would either bake or crock pot it. No boiling though. (to keep more nutrients in the food)


Now I'm giving chunks of roasted veggies and he's just barely getting a hang of it. My boy is 8 months old.

Does your little guy have an easy time handling leafy greens? I've been wanting to try this because we eat lots of kale and chard around here. He had lots of gas issues for about 3 months or so and I couldn't eat any greens hardly at all because it would make him so sick. I think he'd be okay with it now (I eat them again and it doesn't seem to affect him). How do you prepare the greens? Saute til soft? Or do you puree those also? We don't eat too much meat here but when we do its grassfed and organic. I probably won't introduce that til much late, a couple of years maybe. I cooked a ton of pinto beans last night and I'm thinking about mixing it in with some other veggies for him today.

[braidmama]

Originally Posted by ShwarmaQueen

I do a combo of feeding/BLW. This morning he had a couple of graham crackers, then a while later baby oatmeal and whole milk, then he had a piece of fried fish and chunks of tomato (part our lunch), a couple hours later we went to a birthday party so I pinched off bits of a gluten-free cupcake, later he had some grape halves, and finally, for 'dinner' he had a few spoons of brown rice cereal and pureed jarred veggies because our dinner wouldn't be ready for another hour and he was ready for bed.

The easiest, stress free way to feed your baby solids is to not make a huge deal about it. Go with the flow (his flow ). When you invest a lot of time and energy into meal planning and fuss over whether he's getting the right amount/balance of nutrients, you'll stress out both of yourselves and waste a lot of food in the process if he doesn't take to it right away. DS was 9-10 months to before he 'liked' solids. As long as BM is the main part of his diet, solids at this stage should be for exposure to different textures, tastes, etc.

So so so glad you posted this. I agree with the more relaxed style of starting solids as it is really just about experimenting and exploring anyway, as everyone says. Hearing what our pedi said made me nervous like I was doing the wrong thing by not giving him enough. He's definitely curious about food and usually starts whining when he sees us eating. I've put chunks of food on his tray but he usually can't figure out what to do with them (which is odd since he puts everything else in his mouth!) and starts full-on crying. He's very theatrical (definitely doesn't get it from his laid-back dad, haha). Thank you for posting this!

[GuavaGirl]

Liz.:

Yeah he seems to do fine with greens. He actually seems to like them. I don't give them by themselves, so I don't know if that makes any difference. (just 1 cube with 3 others) I steam them until wilted and then puree, adding in the leftover steaming water.

This give a little info on why I do the meat early.
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/news/?p=254

[beep]

My son, now 10 months, eats three or four big meals of solids per day and breastfeeds usually 6 times per day, or or less every 4 hours (at night it's a little closer together and during the days more spaced out--I am away during the day). We don't do BLW and started with purees, but at this point he loves finger foods and the bulk of his foods he prefers to feed himself. He has a ton of intolerances, so we've had to go slow and careful. But he loves to eat and eats lots of stuff, too. Purees we mostly just cook whatever it is by roasting or steaming, then puree with cooking liquid if needed.

Some favorite foods: pureed pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, applesauce, pearsauce, summer squash, split pea soup, white beans, chicken, beef, cooked cucumber, cooked carrots. Whole or diced peas, roasted chestnuts, pan-fried sweet potato slices, pears, steamed apples, green beans, broccoli, frozen blueberries, peeled grapes, watermelon, cooked carrots, roasted beets. Pancakes made out of egg mixed with veggie or fuit puree and cooked in olive oil.

[lalemma]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama

Then, per the awesome suggestion of a mom in my DDC, I will get a washcloth wet and let her play with that for the last few minutes, and she does most of the legwork of washing off her hands and face!

That is genius!

[bubbamummy]

Maybe its a second plus baby thing but ive been super relaxed with DD. We're doing baby led weaning (I did home made purees with my son) and we're just going for it We have absolutely no allergies at all in our family. My son didnt tolerate cows milk too well, but its not like he was allergic to it. I will never be giving DD cows milk anyway.

So far she loves grated cheese and toast, today she had some of the biscuits we had for breakfast. She has tried squash and avocado. I let her go at her own pace and if she eats any then great, if not we leave it. So far I have offered her food when ever we eat and she's awake. I dont worry too much about making sure I have just fed her a milk feed as she doesnt swallow enough to make a dent in her appetite for milk anyway.