It’s such a big topic and yet with C we just winged it. For R I’ve researched a bit more and although I was going to wait until 6 months, we started just after he turned 5 months a few weeks ago instead.
With C we had been told at her 4 month well visit we could start cereals and so did on rare occasion, although she wasn’t very interested. Then at 6 months we started pureed baby foods. She wanted to feed herself with the spoon which was of course messy. A few months later, she started to show an interest in what we were eating and we did a modified baby-led weaning where she’s eat the mushy parts of our food and other easy to handle and chew foods.
One of my few parenting book buys I’ve made recently is The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby’s First Year by Alice Green Callahan. She has two chapters about introduction of solids. The first mentions how babies tend to use a lot of iron in growing and are running out of their stores by about 6 months. R has been exclusively breastfeed since 2 weeks, and it is breastfed babies who have the most problems with iron, as formula is supplemented with it. (C on the other hand had to have supplemented formula along with being breastfeed as my supply wasn’t enough for her.)
The other thing mentioned in the book is the sweet spot for introducing solids seems to be between 4 and 6 months. Doing so before or after can led to an increase in things like celiac disease, type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune problems. We don’t have either celiac or type 1 diabetes in the family, but we do have autoimmune issues on both sides of our families, and food allergies on mine, asthma on my husband’s. Making sure we hit that sweet spot seemed like a good idea and 5 months is right in between.
I mentioned to my husband I could pump and add that to the cereal. He said, why don’t you just use formula. First, I have a breast pump, and without one I would not have been able to have breastfeed either of my slow to figure out breastfeeding babies. I also HATE pumping. I’m one of those women who have trouble pumping and always feel like a failure doing it. I also have no issues with formula. R had to have a good deal his first 2 weeks while we figured out how to get him to breastfeed well enough and my supply increased enough because of that. I feel like he’s close to maxing out my supply when he can be always hungry.
So, when I got the rice cereal at the store, I also got a small container of formula. (And ouch, formula is expensive and I hope we use most of it before the 1 month expiration after opening.) He loves it! He’s much more interested in eating than C was. And he loves to be at the table with all of us for meals.
I will likely start to sometimes give the cereal as a half serving, so I can add in another solid feeding of a new food. He seems so young to be eating solids. But he’s managing it well, and interested enough to usually finish off what he’s offered. Also, the cereal is more like he’s being supplemented with solids, while C instead got formula from a bottle. He’s also getting the added iron he needs.
Meats and egg yokes was mentioned in the book as other good sources of iron. The baby food meat he HATED, boiled egg york he’s been fifty fifty on (He finished it all the first time, and was hungry but wanted cereal the second). We will also try out fruits and veggies. Having food allergies (both me and C are allergic to odd foods) I’ll have to introduce it all one at a time.
Of course, it has also been a long time since I’ve had a beginning eater. The faces he makes every time we start feeding him, even with the cereal he likes. That, “Are you sure you eat this?” look they give you. The half the food is pushed back out with their tongue move. The open mouth for more, with the face tilt up like that makes it easier to get the spoon in. The jerky little hand, not sure what to do with the spoon or bowl, but at some point, knowing he wants more of what it has. How much work it is for you to feed them, instead of throwing food at them and letting them have at it. He’ll be a pro at it all in no time, I’m sure. But for now, my little guy is growing up.
Mommy Over-educated 