Friday, January 20, 2012
Before you start solids with your little one, please talk with your child's pediatrician and do some research.  What works for one baby may not work for another.  If your family has a history of food allergies, keep those in mind as well.

Stephanie has already told you about Baby Led Weaning.  Like her, I had never heard of BLW.  I was too scared to try chunks of fruits, veggies and meat with my guys.  They didn't even have teeth!  (Still don't at 10 months, but that's another post.)  I decided to follow tradition, sort of.

Many people will tell you your baby has to have rice cereal as his/her first food.  Others will tell you that adding rice to the last bottle of the night will help your child sleep through the night at an earlier age.  Both of my boys had rice cereal added to their bottles early on for reflux.  I can assure that it did NOT help them sleep through the night.  (Yet another post.)  Since rice cereal wasn't "new" to them, we didn't use it as our first spoon-fed food.

After doing lots of research, I decided that I would make food for the boys.  I enjoy cooking.  I could save quite a bit of money.  And, I would know exactly what was going into their bodies.  The best website I've found for moms that want to make their own baby food is Wholesome Baby Food.  I've used this site to guide my introduction of new foods to the boys.  They have great recipes, allergy alerts and storage tips.  

One of the biggest questions for all babies, not just preemies, is "When is my baby ready for solids?"  The answer to this varies from child to child.  I have one child that loves ALL food and will eat anything I put in front of him.  He will eat with a spoon or self-feed now that he's older.  He will grunt and fuss if I'm taking too long between bites or getting his food ready to eat.  His brother, on the other hand may be the pickiest eater ever.  He enjoys only a few foods.  He thinks the spoon is a torture device.  And he enjoys blowing raspberries just as I sneak in a bite of applesauce or peaches.  

Things to consider when deciding when to start solids:
  • Until 1 year of age, solids are just for practice.  Your child should still be getting the majority of his/her nutrition from breastmilk and/or formula.  
  • Begin with one meal a day.  Most people start with breakfast or dinner.  Once your child is doing well and showing interest in food, add another solid meal.  It's important that he/she continues to take the same amount of breastmilk or formula regardless of how much solid food they are eating.
  • Try, try again -- don't get discouraged.  If you try solids and your little one isn't making progress, continues to tongue thrust, or fusses during a feed......take a break.  He/she probably isn't ready.  Wait a week or two and try again.
  • Your baby should have good head control.  He/she does not have to be able to sit without assistance, but it's important that they can hold their head up and control it.
  • Make sure to space out the introduction of new foods.  Most pediatricians recommend following a 3-4 day rule between new foods to check for allergies.

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Precious and priceless so lovable too, the world’s sweetest littlest miracle is, a baby like you.

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