[redsfree]

Hi! Our 6 mo just started on solids this week. She's enjoyed a little bit of banana the last three evenings. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/wink1.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="wink1"> We started with banana because we thought its sweetness would match that of breastmilk. After a few more days of banana, we're either going to try another fruit (maybe pear) or perhaps some avacado with banana (yum?). I'm kinda leaning towards the latter because of the greater nutritional value. And I'd love for her to nurse a bit less at night (currently, it's ever 2-3 hours.)<br><br>
Anyway, I'm curious to hear what you gave your babes for their first foods, how old were they, how you scheduled it (i.e., one new food/week?), did the solids help them sleep better at night, etc. And this might sound silly, but when did you know it was time to increase the number of [solids] feedings per day (the literature seems vague on this subject)? BTW, breastmilk will continue to be our daughter's mainstay through at least her first year.<br><br>
Thanks!

 

[alegna]

Welcome!<br><br>
Point one- readiness for solids:<br>
after 6 months, babies should:<br>
sit unassisted<br>
have no tongue thrust<br>
grab food<br>
put food in their mouths.<br><br>
then allow them to self feed instead of spoon feeding. Soft chunks are great. If they're not ready for soft chunks, they're not ready for solids.<br><br>
We did a new food every 3-7 days.<br><br>
Other good starting foods:<br><br>
sweet potato<br>
winter squash<br>
avacado<br>
ripe pear<br><br>
good luck!<br><br>
-Angela

 

[Owen'nZoe]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">If they're not ready for soft chunks, they're not ready for solids.</td>
</tr></table></div>
Angela, I hear that all over, but I've always wondered if it is true for all babies? We waited quite awhile past 6 months, but seriously, my son could not handle even the smallest chunks until he was 13 or 14 months old. Anything that wasn't pureed made him gag. I wonder if maybe that is a good guide for most babies that doesn't quite work for all?

 

[alegna]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Owen'nZoe</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7894661"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Angela, I hear that all over, but I've always wondered if it is true for all babies? We waited quite awhile past 6 months, but seriously, my son could not handle even the smallest chunks until he was 13 or 14 months old. Anything that wasn't pureed made him gag. I wonder if maybe that is a good guide for most babies that doesn't quite work for all?</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
If there is some sort of developmental problem then it's possible a baby could be ready for solids before chunks, but short of that- think big picture- just 100 years ago MOST moms wouldn't have had access to perfectly smooth foods. They could have fork mashed, but baby would still get chunks. The further you go back the more that's true.<br><br>
Fwiw my dd didn't eat more than the tiniest tastes of solids until 13 months anyway. I think that around a year is really probably a very natural time for humans to start solids.<br><br>
-Angela

 

[mariel0419]

Hi! I'm new here and am really happy to find more information about parenting that's more "my style". DH is very much mainstream though I've been able to push certain issues.<br><br>
Well, here's my current situation...DS is almost 6 months old and has never been a good sleeper. DH has been pushing to start solids for a couple months now (he truly believes it will help him sleep) but I managed to stall saying that our Dr "recommended starting after 6 months". Now we're almost there, but I just don't want to start based on the calendar.<br><br>
So I've checked the link <a href="http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html" target="_blank">http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedseli...uidelines.html</a><br>
that everyone here keeps referring to about baby self feeding...I think it's a great idea and I've forwarded the link to DH.<br><br>
My question is: are there other resources or links (esp anything MD authored) that promotes self feeding...the more articles that support it, the easier it will be to "convince" DH to let DS self feed at his own pace.<br><br>
Any info you can provide will be great!

 

[alegna]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>mariel0419</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7906630"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">My question is: are there other resources or links (esp anything MD authored) that promotes self feeding...the more articles that support it, the easier it will be to "convince" DH to let DS self feed at his own pace.<br><br>
Any info you can provide will be great!</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Try the solids readiness lists at <a href="http://www.kellymom.com" target="_blank">www.kellymom.com</a> and LLL<br><br>
good luck!<br><br>
-Angela

 

[darwinphish]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>alegna</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7894985"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">think big picture- just 100 years ago MOST moms wouldn't have had access to perfectly smooth foods. They could have fork mashed, but baby would still get chunks. The further you go back the more that's true.<br>
-Angela</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Actually many primates, and us -both in existing traditional cultures and probably species-wide in the not-so-recent past, pre-chew their food for their young.<br><br>
I'm not suggesting we do this <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> - just saying that pureed food is equivalent. I'm sure 10,000 years ago babies started eating at ~6mos. in pre-chewed form, well before they could handle soft chunks.<br><br>
FWIW, DD couldn't handle soft chunks until around 11 mos, but was definitely interested in eating around 7mos.<br><br>
I'd have fun with blending foods together! DD loved banana and raw spinach (?!?) blended together. And I'd definitely work on getting her into non-sweet tastes now. I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I think (hope?) cultivating a taste for savory foods can help alleviate pickiness later.

 

[425lisamarie]

I always have wondered how it is *we* know for sure that parents pre-chewed food for babies at 6 months 10,000 years ago? Wonder what kind of evidence there is....

 

[alegna]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>darwinphish</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7910234"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Actually many primates, and us -both in existing traditional cultures and probably species-wide in the not-so-recent past, pre-chew their food for their young.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Absolutely. A bite here and there. NOT whole jars worth though... <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/winky.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Wink"><br><br>
-Angela

 

[redsfree]

Hey, thanks for all the great info! Our DD was/is physically ready for solids (sitting up well, no tongue thrust, etc.), and she really seems to like banana and avacado. I hadn't considered a baby-led start to solids. We've kinda followed Dr. Sear's approach. I prefer to use a spoon at this point because I'm a bit concerned about choking as well as flying food. However, we'll definitely be all about self-feeding in the months to come.<br><br>
Also, sorry for starting a duplicate thread about introducing solids. I don't know how I missed Mamarabolli's previous thread. Oh yeah, that's right, I haven't gotten any sleep in the last 6 months! BYE!

 

[darwinphish]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>425lisamarie</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7910522"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I always have wondered how it is *we* know for sure that parents pre-chewed food for babies at 6 months 10,000 years ago? Wonder what kind of evidence there is....</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
Because it's done in existing traditional cultures! The Dani in Papua New Guinea, The San in the Kalahari - and not just a bite here and there. A Plains group, the Havasupai, introduced a gruel of pre-chewed seeds at age 4 months!<br><br>
It's not just mastication - saliva serves as a form of pre-digestion making the foods more easily assimilated by the digestive tract. In all likelihood we evolved to feed our babies this way. Also, speculation among nutritional anthropologists says that the high concentrations of amalayse found in BM may be to compensate for babies' lack of this enzyme needed to digest starches which is what most food turns into when chewed - in other words, our BM is designed to help our infants digest pre-chewed food!

 

[Owen'nZoe]

That is fascinating, Liz. Thanks for the info!

 

[redsfree]

Interesting article that includes more info on prechewing cultures...<br><br><a href="http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMarApr01p64.html" target="_blank">http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMarApr01p64.html</a>

 

[AntoninBeGonin]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>darwinphish</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7910234"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Actually many primates, and us -both in existing traditional cultures and probably species-wide in the not-so-recent past, pre-chew their food for their young.<br><br>
I'm not suggesting we do this <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> - just saying that pureed food is equivalent. I'm sure 10,000 years ago babies started eating at ~6mos. in pre-chewed form, well before they could handle soft chunks.<br><br>
.</div>
</td>
</tr></table></div>
I pre-chewed for Ds when he was a baby. He started solids too early, at about 5 months. He's almost 3 now. Eating solids did nothing to help him sleep better. That's not the reason we started him on solids; that's fairly complicated so it's not worth getting into.<br><br>
~Nay