Let's talk about solids! « Back to Group Discussions

[copper.kettle]

We haven't started.  Will will be 6 mo Feb 11, but man, it's getting hard to wait!  He is sitting up unassisted, he is lunging at any food we have at meal times.  I've let him lick a slice of apple because I just couldn't help myself :)  I think when it's time, I'm just going to start with some soft sweet potato or the like and skip over cereal.  I'm just so excited for him, I think he is going to love it!!

[Baby_Cakes]

Haven't started here yet, but I certainly am NOT rushing either.  Finn is just 5 months and isn't showing any interest yet (thank goodness!  I can hold on to my baby for a bit longer!!).  He isnt sitting unassisted, no teeth.  He grabs at things but he grabs at everything.  No desire on his part.  Whew.

With Nora I was excited to get to solids.  With Finn...can't he just slow down?

I suppose when he's ready we'll do a roasted sweet potato or something, like we did for Nora, for his first taste.  She also loved avocado, bananas.  

[Lynann]

Seth is only 4 months, so we've got a while to go. But our plan is to wait as long as possible and then use real food, as in baby led eating, rather than mush. We'll probably start with roasted sweet potato, then banana, avocado, pear etc (alternating introducing a veg then a fruit for a while.) We don't introduce cereal type carbs etc until much later as they are actually quite difficult for younger babies to digest properly. We even introduce fish & meat before cereals. DS1 had about a month of mush before I discovered the baby led method and we switched straight away. It is so much easier and he eats almost everything we eat (he doesn't care for berries, and we've just discovered he is intolerant of grapes) which really does make life easy. Hopefully DS2 will be just as good an eater.

[Peony]

6 months is just around the corner for us, next weekend I think. I let him lick food right now because he is grabbing it out of my hands. I don't do pureed foods, not even making my own so until he can pick up food and stick it in his mouth, licking it is he is going to get! 

[Beckily]

We have another month, at least. I was kind of thinking of going to seven because of the studies about anemia being greatly reduced if you do.

... Though he's already licked at some food - carrots, banana - and sipped his papa's tea. And had some water.

But then I read about it more :P

His main want seems to be anything in a glass, so I'll cheerfully give him glasses of breast milk.

We'll see his interest. He sits up very well, has had pincer grasp for more than a month and shows very strong interest. I think the interest bit is the least important as they want everything in their mouth all the time anyway.

And then, yes. We'll be doing what everyone else said. ;)

[yell]

So we haven't actually STARTED solids, but we've introduced.  Ada is about 5.5 mos right now, but she is sitting up on her own and she's got 2 teeth, the girl is ready!  In fact, the first time we tried, before I even got the spoon into her mouth she grabbed it out of my hands and did it herself! It was such a riot (and if it says anything about her personality I think dh and I are going to get a run for our money!!).

We've tried rice cereal with bm, super boring and she wanted to play with it more (I think I'll use the rest of the cereal for teething cookies, I'm not feeling it just for feeding).

I made applesauce and gave her some of that, but I didn't puree it enough and I think it was too chunky.

My mom gave us some organic stuff and we tried that last night, mangos, and I learned never give a baby who is not really eating yet anything sweet like fruit before bed, AHH!! 

We're both in the learning process right now, me how to make it and her how to eat it.  We'll see how it goes!

[cat13]

None here yet.  River just turned 5 months last week, but isn't sitting up on his own and no pincher grasp yet. He is very interested in what we eat, but honestly I think he just wants what we want. Lately I've been giving him a spoon to play with and that makes him happy. There's part of me that's excited to start sharing food with him, but with pumping and bottles, I feel like I do enough "food prep" for him as it is. I love lazy days when I am home all day and all we have to do is nurse. So quick, easy and mess-free (as long as he doesn't pop off right at let-down to look at something that catches his eye). Even though I'm not planning on doing purees, solids just seems like a lot of work.

[RileyAnn]

I'm kind of excited, but at the same time she's growing up so fast! Her first tooth just popped through, she's sitting up and seems very interested, but then when I try to like give her tastes of food she spits it out. So we'll see how it goes. I'm gonna wait a few more weeks. She just turned 5 months. I'm having fun making and freezing it though! I have some brown rice pear cereal, oatmeal apple cereal and some sweet potatoes frozen. I know I don't HAVE to puree stuff, but it makes me more comfortable. 

[mareseatoats]

Originally Posted by Lynann 

Seth is only 4 months, so we've got a while to go. But our plan is to wait as long as possible and then use real food, as in baby led eating, rather than mush. We'll probably start with roasted sweet potato, then banana, avocado, pear etc (alternating introducing a veg then a fruit for a while.) We don't introduce cereal type carbs etc until much later as they are actually quite difficult for younger babies to digest properly. We even introduce fish & meat before cereals. DS1 had about a month of mush before I discovered the baby led method and we switched straight away. It is so much easier and he eats almost everything we eat (he doesn't care for berries, and we've just discovered he is intolerant of grapes) which really does make life easy. Hopefully DS2 will be just as good an eater.

I definitely did baby led feeding with DD, but DF isn't convinced. Do you have any information or good guidelines on it, Lynn? It definitely feels right for us. 

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by RileyAnn 

I'm kind of excited, but at the same time she's growing up so fast! Her first tooth just popped through, she's sitting up and seems very interested, but then when I try to like give her tastes of food she spits it out. So we'll see how it goes. I'm gonna wait a few more weeks. She just turned 5 months. I'm having fun making and freezing it though! I have some brown rice pear cereal, oatmeal apple cereal and some sweet potatoes frozen. I know I don't HAVE to puree stuff, but it makes me more comfortable. 

Is she spitting it out or is her tongue thrust still too strong?

Originally Posted by mareseatoats 

I definitely did baby led feeding with DD, but DF isn't convinced. Do you have any information or good guidelines on it, Lynn? It definitely feels right for us. 

Not Lyn, but I like this site a lot:

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/babyledweaning.htm

You've been through this before.  Just remember it doesn't have to be all or nothing.  What about it makes your DF hesitate?

[Chaika]

DH is super excited but I keep telling him, not yet!  Anton doesn't sit up very well yet.  He'll reach for something, then topple. 

[Lynann]

This site is where I first learned about baby led feeding. The thing I liked most is that the child is learning to chew before swallowing, and that they control how much they eat so there is no stressing over quantities.

After doing BLW with DS1 I will say that he is an incredibly adventurous eater. He'll even eat sushi if that is what we're having, and we can take him out to eat anywhere and just give him some of our food instead of dealing with the child menu. This time I'm definitely not in as much of a hurry to start weaning. I want Seth to stay a baby as long as possible.

[mareseatoats]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

You've been through this before.  Just remember it doesn't have to be all or nothing.  What about it makes your DF hesitate

Thanks Carrie! DF has an older son raised in a very non-questioning mainstream way. (Formula, circ, epidural, vaccines, etc) and while he wasn't really a part of those decisions, anything outside of that is a new idea to him. So I think the needing to be convinced is three parts. One, that it's admitting he didn't research or think about alternatives with his older child. Two, it's the way "people do things" and when that's all you've heard for so long it may be hard to believe differently without logical proof and three, I think he's just excited to be able to participate in feeding. I think now that Malcolm is so interactive and loves his daddy so darn much that may be less of a sticking point. That being said I've presented my reasoning for things and have been able to convince him on every point, and I don't think this will be a problem, I just wanted some good facts or ideas I could show him.

[Italiamom]

Until DD practically demands it, we're going to hold off. I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to clean avocados out of baby hair/ears/nose 3 times a day again.

[Beckily]

Originally Posted by Italiamom 

Until DD practically demands it, we're going to hold off. I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to clean avocados out of baby hair/ears/nose 3 times a day again.

When you put it like that... ;)

[cat13]

Originally Posted by Italiamom 

Until DD practically demands it, we're going to hold off. I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to clean avocados out of baby hair/ears/nose 3 times a day again.

  I was wondering about you recently. Glad to see you posting! 

Any new pics of your beautiful, giant baby?

[RileyAnn]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

Is she spitting it out or is her tongue thrust still too strong?

Ohh. I bet it is. Didn't think of that. 

[jillybeans]

Reed is most definitely ready...sitting, grabbing at food, swallowing from a sippy well, etc etc. He's obsessed with food. We actually gave him a few bites for a few days of brown rice cereal, and he got realyl crabby. Not sure if it was the teething or what, but I'm holding off for a few weeks at least on the grain. Might start applesauce we made last year in a week or so. He sucks on the end of the bananas I eat like there is no tomorrow.

[Tear78]

ok, this would be tmi in probably any other social setting, but I thought it would be ok among you mamas. DD had her first solid-food induced adult-style poop today. Oh my goodness. No wonder she was a bit of a wreck the past two days. And the best part of it? She did it IN THE POTTY! I just had to share SOMEwhere. lol...

[Beckily]

Originally Posted by Tear78 

ok, this would be tmi in probably any other social setting, but I thought it would be ok among you mamas. DD had her first solid-food induced adult-style poop today. Oh my goodness. No wonder she was a bit of a wreck the past two days. And the best part of it? She did it IN THE POTTY! I just had to share SOMEwhere. lol...

Good place to do it!! I'm not looking forward to that part :D Congratulations!