[mamaleahnz]

I have a couple of questions... does anybody know if rice cereal (farex) is good or bad to start with for a baby over 6mth? How old can the average baby be before starting solids, I assume even if b/f not giving solids would cause nutritional and/or developmental problems at some point? Is soy milk an OK alternative to animal milk, for adults or toddlers? I have heard some bad things but I just want to check. cheers!!

 

[annakiss]

It is best to give baby's soft foods starting out like avacado and banana (ideal foods with limited risk of allergies). Wait until at least 6 months or until baby shows interest on their own. Babies don't <i>need</i> solids at all until a year, really, and even then, lots of babies still use breastmilk as a major (if not main) source of nutrition. Follow your baby... <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[alegna]

Rice cereal is nutritionally useless.<br><br>
Good advice from annakiss on first foods.<br><br>
Many many babies aren't ready for solids until around a year.<br><br>
-Angela

 

[mamaleahnz]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>alegna</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Rice cereal is nutritionally useless.<br><br>
Good advice from annakiss on first foods.<br><br>
Many many babies aren't ready for solids until around a year.<br><br>
-Angela</div>
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Can you tell me more about rice cereal being useless please? In NZ that is what most babies start on, but I am unsure about whether it would be any good.

 

[VelmaLou]

I came here today to start a discussion on solids. Perhaps we could make a sticky?<br><br>
My dd is 6 mo today and I have no intention of starting solids. But, of course, it's the first question out of everyone's mouth these days. My MIL is visiting and she was just saying how nice it would be if dd would take a bottle. Then she said she would try to give her some yogurt. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">: I just said dd isn't ready.<br><br>
I will start with avocado (if I can even find any...not sure about that), apples, pears, etc.<br><br>
But I've seen discussion on organ meats as first foods.<br><br>
And I think newcomers would benefit from a sticky about cereals. I, myself, would like to see that discussion all nicely laid out in front of me.<br><br>
Mamaleahnz -- there is a good discussion going on about nutrition in the immunizations forum. It's called Nutrition/Immunology 101. One of your countrywomen posted a study about soy somewhere in there (it's quite a few pages).<br>
Thanks!

 

[just6fish]

Solids should start sometime after 6 mos, but that doesn't mean 7 mos! Many moms don't start giving babies solids until they are over a year and when they do start, they feed their babies right off their own plates!<br>
Despite what some people and even doctors would have you believe, there are no 'certain' foods for babies. YOu don't have to feed them out of little jars or boxes. White rice is not healthy for you so why would rice cereal be?<br><br>
If you breastfeed, you are giving your baby the best nutrients they can get. Any food you feed is extra nutrition.

 

[VelmaLou]

One comment new mamas get from peds (I overheard at baby group) is that babies need the commercial cereals because they are fortified with iron. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">:

 

[AuntMahee]

My dd just turned one the end of March and we waited until then to start solids. No cake on her birthday...bananas! We threw a Curious George birthday party! And I didn't have to mash them, just gave her little chunks off my finger. She can already (sorta) eat with a spoon (as well as any other baby her age, and probably a little better), and has tried sweet potatoes, applesauce, green beans, and oatmeal (just because I was eating it, and what she had was absolutely plain). We are going pretty slow, and were slowed down by a fever and 3 teeth in one week, then a 3 day high fever and lethargy this week. If you wait until 1 and then intoduce foods slowly, and avoid most of the more-allergenic foods (wheat, corn, dairy, yeast) until 2 or closer to it, you can seriously reduce the risk of your child developing allergies to any of them, from what I understand.<br>
The coolest part about waiting? Nothing more than a couple of 2 or 3 day sniffles for her until after we started solids. Also, we never had to "teach" her to eat "chunks". By waiting until she was ready, she'll never need a bite of "baby food". We just give her small bites!<br>
By the way...nice to meet you all...I've been lurking for a while...

 

[Janelovesmax]

Somebody please advice this mommy about soy. Post some links or info or something.

 

[lilyka]

I tink rice cereal is pretty usels nutritionally as is most cold breakfast cereal. white over processed nutritionally stripped and fortified food product. people use it because it tastes like whatever you put in it. which is usually formula or breastmilk. Since that is what the baby is familir with they are most likely to take it.<br><br>
I started my kids on solids around 5 months. well one climbed into the cupboard and was snackin' on some fruit loops. #1 was the standard rice cereal. #2 (after the fruit loop incidence) was homemade apple sauce and #3 was somehting . . .I forget what but most likely either aple sauce or banana. and they didn't really eat much by way of pureed food either. they started on, at best, roughly mashed foods or things they could gnaw on.

 

[VelmaLou]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">The coolest part about waiting? Nothing more than a couple of 2 or 3 day sniffles for her until after we started solids.</td>
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I think this is a misleading statement. I mean it *is* one kid in this world, you know? My 6 mo has already had a bad cold and then a bad flu. She is unvaxed and exclusively bf. Don't mean to sound snotty, just don't want a mama to feel bad if her child gets sick more often than this.

 

[mmgarda]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>mamaleahnz</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Is soy milk an OK alternative to animal milk, for adults or toddlers?</div>
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As far as I know, soy is fine as an alternative to animal milk, however, please keep in mind that nothing except human breast milk or formula truly has the nutrition that a baby under the age of one year needs. I would strongly advocate breast milk over formula, but if you are not BF'ing, then please use formula and not soy, rice, nut or animal milk. You can get non-dairy based formula if you have a concern about dairy.<br><br>
In answer to the original question, I think that rice cereal is a fine intro food. Although it may not have much in the way of nutrition, it can work well as a "training" food. It helps babies get the idea of how eating works. That said, my 9 mo. baby HATES rice cereal and always has. He likes oatmeal, though, and is currently moving away from pureed baby foods and now will eat small chunks of fresh food off my fingers: avocados, mangoes, bananas. Interestingly, both my boys have vociferously protested against all homemade pureed baby foods and will only eat the jarred kind. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">:

 

[ColoradoMama]

The information about soy is pretty controversial especially here because Mothering printed an article stating the dangers of soy. My family and I have soy. There have been extensive studies done on soy - very reputable studies - that show a lot of positive effects of soy. I find those to be much, much more compelling than the few, not always very competently executed studies showing that soy has negative effects. However, if you're eating an SAD diet, and then replace all the meat and cheese with soy analogs - it makes since that this would not be a good idea. It also makes a lot of common sense that highly processed soy analogs are not going to be as healthy as less processed products or whole soy. I didn't start giving my children any soy until they were around 18 months though because it is high on the list of common allergens. Being a vegetarian, I really didn't want my kiddos developing an allergy to soy! We try to limit our processed foods of any kind and stick to whole foods. The majority of the processed soy that we eat is soymilk, cultured soy, or tofu - we don't eat a whole lot of meat analogs. I have no problem at all giving my kiddos edamame or cooked soybeans.<br><br>
As for first foods, we've always done: avocados, bananas, butternut squash, peas, lentils, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pears - well, honestly, except for the first two or three - they get whatever veggie I've fixed for dinner. I just mush it up a little and feed it to them. I usually keep a bottle of baby food in the diaper bag just in case we're out all day and they want something other than bm and I don't have anything that would be easy for them to eat. Half the time it never gets used though.

 

[ColoradoMama]

Oh and as for the rice cereal - my kiddos never had rice cereal, but they did get very well cooked mushed up rice. They loved it - still love rice. They also loved puffed rice when they were a little bit older.

 

[mamaleahnz]



You sound like a good person to ask... Can you make homemade soy yoghurt? Even if the first one had to be started with a dairy yoghurt culture, or would soy milk need a different sort of culture to become yoghurt? Also, could you list any links or books with 'soy is good' information, I like to read both sides

 

[EVC]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">I will start with avocado (if I can even find any...not sure about that</td>
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You can! Bessarabsky rynok will have them. Usually Furshet, too (in Mandarin Plaza). They are overpriced, though. After some shopping around, we did find a guy at Bessarabky who would sell them to us at 5 UAH, but it took us a while to find him and even still, a lot of haggling was involved. Also, keep in mind, the softer they are, the cheaper they are (it always made me laugh that the hard ones were the most expensive <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> )<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">It is best to give baby's soft foods starting out like avacado and banana</td>
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I've heard banana, too--but doesn't that cause constipation?

 

[VelmaLou]

Thanks EVC. So far, I've avoided Bessarabsky because of what I've heard about the prices.<br><br>
While I have you here <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin">, any ideas where to get any kind of flour besides white?

 

[guestmama9911]

I started my 6 month old DH on solids a month ago because he has shown such intense interest and loves copying us with a cup and spoon. He doesn't "eat" full meals, but usually loves several tastes on a spoon or my finger, and giggles when he gets a flavor he likes. He likes applesauce, bananas, avacado, and the rice milk out of my cereal bowl. However, when I actually gave him some rice cereal, he spit up forcefully a few minutes later and then several times for the next few days, so I'm going to assume this brand of processed rice cereal isn't going to cut it for him, which is weird, because rice, though not high in nutrition, is generally considered easy to digest, so I can see why it is a popular baby food.<br><br>
I say, ignore the age stuff and follow your baby. If they are ready, they are ready, if not, wait. Try one new thing every several days so you can watch for any reactions.

 

[chelsmm]

I wouldn't give my dd white rice cereal, (just as I wouldn't eat white rice myself) but what about brown rice cereal? How about oatmeal? My dd just started solids -she only has a few bites a day, but I usually use some oatmeal to mix the fruit or veggie to get the right texture. (she doesn't like it soupy and when I puree the food sometimes it's not thick enough). And how about the iron fortified argument? My dd is bf, so I figure she's getting enough iron that way, but the pedi. suggests the iron fortified cereal. Any thoughts on that??

 

[kir]

First, I am SOOO glad this discussion is here, and maybe it should be made a sticky...or a subforum within this nutrition thing? Just an idea....<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>chelsmm</strong></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I wouldn't give my dd white rice cereal, (just as I wouldn't eat white rice myself) but what about brown rice cereal? How about oatmeal? My dd just started solids -she only has a few bites a day, but I usually use some oatmeal to mix the fruit or veggie to get the right texture. (she doesn't like it soupy and when I puree the food sometimes it's not thick enough). And how about the iron fortified argument? My dd is bf, so I figure she's getting enough iron that way, but the pedi. suggests the iron fortified cereal. Any thoughts on that??</div>
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I have this question, too. The last time I saw our pediatrician, she was explaining to me how to make "packaged" lentil and rice cereals at home, essentially by roasting and drying different types of lentils or rice, then drying them very well, then grinding and keeping in a box. I like this b/c I could buy organic lentils (hard to find here), brown rice, etc. and really feel that i have control and knowledge over what the girls are eating...but still have the convenience of mix-and-eat rice cereal crap. I'll listen more carefully when i go back to the doctor. I kind of tuned out b.c they were only 4 months old at that time!<br><br>
I really need to hear discussions like this. I feel like the only one in the world not feeding my baby solids and soups at 4 months, and it's insane. I don't understand why people are so cluless about breastfeeding.<br><br>
As for iron....could you have your baby's hemoglobin tested? I am giving my girls a tiny iron supplement b/c their birth weight was on the low side and it's not too convenient to get their hg tested, but i do think that would be a good route. Why take iron if you aren't anemic?<br><br>
Kiran