7 1/2 Month Still on Yellows Stage 1 Solids. Is This Common? Do I Move Forward?

Take your time and follow her cues. My children were incredibly slow to incorporate food into their diets. GAS, diarrehia,etc. Both seemed to just have immature digestive tracts.

You may want to try apple sauce and pears, just make sure they are sweet NOT tart. Beech Nut seems to be the best quality in that there apples are always sweet and ripe. Don't forget bananas and avocados (when she is ready). You can mix pears or apples with squash and a little rice cereal and have a good mix of vitamins and iron. (I am assuming rice doesn't bother her--make sure you get rice cereal without soy--to rule out that the soy lethicin is not bothering her.) Oatmeal seems to bother alot of babies with sensitive tummies.

My kids also had reflux (not to say that your daughter does). But there are lists of foods available online to help you introduce foods in a slow manner. Blueberries (frozen organic from traders joes are great too--the seasonal ones from the northwest--very sweet).

Just try not to compare her to her playmates. Make sure you are spacing out formula and food (I literally had a food diary that I wrote down times amounts, etc. in). Don't give her formula immediately after food, just in case she is having problems with a slow digestive tract (that will cause heartburn, diarehia, and a very cranky baby).

One day at a time! She will not be eating only yellow veggies at 5 years. (oh, I found that alot of the green veggies are harder to digest--green beans, brocolli, peas, etc.) (oh and sweet potatoes definitely increase bowl movements--that is totally normal).

Dear L., I breastfed my babygirl until she was 10 months and then began to introduce solid foods. and I kept breastfeeding while she was beginning solid foods.6-7 months can still be young in my opinion and so I would go slowly. Her system is telling you that it is sensitive. Maybe it would be helpful to you check the type of formula. She maybe sensitive to that also. I also did not introduce milk under the age of 1. Babies can be very sensitive to milk. I hope this helps.

HI L.! Just take it easy...there's no need to rush through this. I didn't start any solids whatsoever until 6 1/2 months. My baby girl only has breast milk, and she also eats every 3 hours. Like you, we started very slow as well. There's no need to take away a certain food (that she does well with) just b/c you want to introduce a different food. Always try to give her the new food in the morning though. This way, if it affects her, it doesn't mess with her sleep (or yours). Listen, I've read that some babies don't even start solids until 9 months...so, don't worry about it, take it easy!! The most important thing is that your baby is healthy and thriving.
Good Luck!
Jessica

I delayed solids until my son was 9 months old. Maybe her body is not ready for solids.

Why the rush with solids? You say yourself that she gets all the extra reactions. Stay with one thing -like cereal-for about a week and then incorporate something else. This will give you time to observe her reactions and be able to withdraw whatever doesn't agree with her. Some foods will constipate a little, others will increase bowel movement. This way if something really bothers her, you know what it is, instead of having to go back to just milk. Enjoy your baby!

I too breastfed my kids until 6 months before introducing any foods, so my timeline is a little bit different than yours is. That's okay :) The suggestions made earlier are all great, but if you have tried everything and she is still having problems, you might want to take her to a Pedi Gastroenterologist just to ensure there is nothing medically hindering her progress. Dr. Thompson & Dr. Hernandez at the University of Miami are both great. Their number is ###-###-####.

Hi L.:

My Daughter is also 7 months and I have her on schedule too. What I do is: formula for breakfast and she doesn't eat until lunch (around 11:00 a.m.) at that time I give her 1 compote of veggies mixed with a teaspoon of turkey, ham, or meat and 1 compote of fruit and sometimes she ask for a little bit of formula (but not always); around 2:00 p.m. she has just formula; around 5:00 or 6:00p.m. I give her dinner (the same as lunch: 2 compotes stage 2) and before bed she gets more formula.

Also, I am trying to make her own food at home and mix it with gerber, so she gets to like everything, sometimes I give her the homemade food at lunch and then the gerber at dinner and vice versa.

Still there are some foods that she doesn't like and others that she adores like macaroni and cheese.

Try this website for homemade food:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

When I started the solids she used to have some spit up and small things but nothing serious, so I think it's normal.

I'm curious why you schedule feedings for a baby so young. Personally, I feel that one should eat when they are hungry, drink when they are thirsty. Not feed by the clock. By reducing her formula, you are reducing her liquid intake. Is she drinking anything other than formula (juice, water)? Babies need food just as much as they need liquid.

Have you tried steaming veggies yourself and feeding them to your baby instead of feeding her foods out of a jar? My second daughter was allergic to real bananas but she could eat bananas out of a jar just fine. Try real carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Steam them until very soft and run them through the blender or food processor. Try that and see what reaction she has.

I always nursed my babies and then fed them and if they were thirsty after eating, I gave them water or diluted juice in a sippy cup...or I nursed them again. I wouldn't cut out your baby's fluid intake just so she eats. She needs liquid nourishment from the formula too.

Hi L.,

First let me say, it sounds like you are doing great. But I totally understand your concerns. It's nerve wracking trying to figure all of this stuff out. I am a SAHM of two boys (2 yrs) and (7 mo). I was a nervous wreck when it came time to incorporate solids with my first one. I did everything by the book and I made most of his food. He did great with all kinds of food. I was a little more relaxed with my second son. I am still making some food for him but he is getting more jarred food. He is on 2nd stage fruits, veggies and meats. He seems to do fine with all of it. I feed him Earth's Best food and I make him bananas, sweet potatoes, pears and avocado. His bowel movements are more solid but no diahhrea. I feed him breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am breastfeeding and I don't cut back on that because of the food. I think at this stage the formula or breastmilk is where they should get most of their nutrition. I think the food is just to teach them to swallow foods and give them different textures and tastes.

Every child is different and reacts differently so you just have to take it all one day at a time. It sounds like you are doing great but if you are concerned check wtih your pediatrician. Good luck. Hope this helps.

L.

I think that as long as she is thriving, it's ok. Continue doing what you're doing, don't rush her. Her body knows exactly what it needs...it will reject what it doesn't need (thus the gas, diarrhea ect.) As she gets older her body will better be able to digest certain foods and she'll let you know what she wants when you introduce different foods. My 14 month old, while she eats other table foods, she still loves the Gerber stage 2 foods, so I give it to her. She loves the yello foods, hates the green. So I mix 2 part yellow and 1 part green and she doesn't know the difference.

When my daughter started eating solids, I reduced her milk and offered it after she ate. Most times she ended up drinking the milk about 30-45minutes later almost like a snack.

Sounds like you're doing a great job! Continue to try different things and see what your daughter is comfortable with. H. this helps.

Allergies don't have to be anaphalactic (life threatening) to be real. Consider joining an online group like yahoo groups foodlab to really discuss ways to help her.

I keep it simple: Since I don't eat foods that make me feel sick (bloated, gas, diarreah, etc) I don't serve food to my kids that makes them feel sick.

Trust your instincts.

I had the same kind of reactions with my kids. I think their system just needs time to adjust. Just do what you are doing and take it slow, she'll be fine. As far as how you are doing the formula, I did the same thing. Less with meals, sometimes just water or juice instead. Then I gave them just formula when they really just wanted a bottle.