How to Start Solid Foods with Your Baby

Boy, am I glad I blogged with Jackson. I had totally forgotten how to introduce solid foods with a baby. Every baby is different, but Abigail has been eating 32 ozs of formula daily and still has not seemed satisfied (32 ozs of milk is the max a baby can have and 24 ozs should be the minimum) She is a very hungry girl and was smacking her lips when we ate so Monday I tried oatmeal cereal with her (about 2 weeks before she turns 4 months old). I know it is going to take her a couple of weeks to figure out how to swallow. However, she did real well and opened her mouth wide and I think she might have even swallowed a little bit of it. Here are my suggestions when starting solid foods:

• If your baby struggles with constipation at all get the oatmeal version of rice cereal. Abigail struggles with it every now and then but nothing like Jackson. So, we choose to do the oatmeal cereal with her as well
• mix it with 2-4 tablespoons of formula and 1 tablespoon of cereal (that way he does not get choked)
• Also, offer the cereal during normal feeding time after they have eaten about half of the bottle or a little more than half way through the bottle. I have found if you introduce it before the have gotten at least some of their milk, they will be real upset about it.
  
• Before you start fruits or vegetables offer you baby Rice Cereal or Oatmeal Cereal (if they struggle with constipation) for 2 weeks three times a day. Baby Wise recommends this but the doctor says you do not have to do it. It takes a while for them to figure out how to swallow. At first, they will only take half of the fruit or vegetable (make sure you buy 1st food not 2nd or 3rd).
• Eventually Baby Wise II says:

  Breakfast (8am): cereal and fruits----Lunch (12pm) Vegetables and fruits----- Dinner (4pm) cereal, vegetables and fruits-----then one last bottle at 8pm. That would be my perfect schedule in a perfect world----haha!

With Abigail I am going to offer her cereal 1 or 2 times a day at least until she turns 4 months old. You are really suppose to wait to your baby is 4 months old to start food and definitely by 6 months old. If your baby seems satisfied by your milk then there is no rush. However, if your baby struggles with constipation, I would recommend starting right around 4 months old at least just with the cereal. We will probably not start the squash and pears for another month or so, but I will keep you updated.

I do not recommend putting cereal in a baby's bottle because they cannot tell they are full until it is too late. This could cause severe stomach aches (a screaming baby), vomiting, or your baby being overweight. I know different doctors have different opinions about this though.

Let me know if you have any more advice on starting solid foods. I am always learning!