help me feed my baby!

[megincl]

Hi Folks,

Needing a bit of advice (and please be gentle about the details...):

DD is just about 9mo. She has had major gastro issues since birth, coupled with huge nursing issues. At this point, she is only bottle fed, eating a mix of breastmilk and Alimentum formula (that's where I need you to be gentle -- thanks!).

So, she has been having just a few solids for about two and a half months now. She gets constipated at the drop of a hat, so we've kept her on veggies and fruits and really only those that help combat constipation (so no apples, banana, etc.). She's tried a tiny bit of rice and gotten constipated. Had some beans, not sure. Had turkey and loved it and was really constipated not long after, though we're not sure they're associated.

The main issue right now is that DD has started to crawl and is starving. She's drinking 7 ounces every two or so hours for a good chunk of the day. She won't drink more, but then is hungry again so soon. I feel like solids need to be a good supplement here, and that they may also help her sleep a bit better at night, but I have NO IDEA what the heck to feed her.

I'm scared to constipate her, as that is a multi-day, traumatizing event. But she's not getting too much sustenance on a bit of fruits and veg. Ideas for what else we should try? Grains that are easier?

Her known allergens are:

gluten

soy

oats

dairy in all forms (cow, sheep, goat)

corn

Any wisdom?

Thanks!

[scsigrl]

How did you figure out she's allergic?  Food log?  Allergy testing?

Honesty, with that history, I wouldn't add any more solids.  MOST of the nutrition they need comes from milk till 1 anyway.  Some kids just take longer to get the hang of solids.

FWIW, my DD didn't start ANY solids till 9 months.  She was walking well before she really ate anything.

Edited by scsigrl - 3/26/11 at 5:54pm

[deminc]

Some of the early foods I gave were

-sweet potato with flaxseed oil or olive oil;

-avocado;

-homemade rice gruel - start with a basic meat stock. Freeze as ice cubes. Take out a few cubes of stock and cook with home-ground rice. You don't need much, just one or two tablespoons of ground rice to start with. You can add finely chopped vegetables or meat to this if you want to but go slow.

[megincl]

Love the idea of adding oils into foods. Thank you!

Also, we've done another try of chicken/turkey, and so far it's going well!

Still looking for any and all ideas. Particularly around grains -- thinking of quinoa....opinions?