New Feeding

First I'm surprised that the doctor is recommending soilds so early, the American Academy of Pediatrics just revised the guidlines and they reccommend no solids until 6 months. Secondly, usually doctors have you start with just one cereal feeding a day for a few weeks, then up it to two then three. Until the baby gets the hang of not pushing all the food out of her mouth with her tongue, wasting time and money on other foods is pointless. I would start out mixing a little bit of vegggie into the cereal, since she'll be used to the texture of the cereal and not the watery veggies. There is really no reason to introduce juice into her diet, it's really only sugar. She can try water if she seems thirsty between feedings, but remember she is still going to be getting the majority of her calories from breastmilk/formula for quiet some time. Good luck.

That seems like a pretty intensive start to feeding from my experience. Normal recommendation is to begin between 4-6 months. We started at 6 with my first 2 and will again with my one due in May. Many babies are ready at 4 months and many times parents are excited about it too. You might also watch your daughter's bowel movements/gasiness as you begin. Our doctor had us build up to 3 times a day and even then they had a transition period where they became a bit gassy and uncomfortable as they adjusted to the variations in fiber in their diet. Also, we spent more time with cereal as we introduced a couple different grains over a couple weeks before moving on to any other foods.

Your doc seems to be in a bit of a rush to immediately introduce veggies and juice right away. My doc was never quite that regimented about starting to feed. We may have done cereal for several weeks before moving on to any other foods and that was with introducing the cereal at 6 months! She always recommended doing cereal first - it has a lot of iron which they begin to need more of by 6 months - especially if breastfed - because the iron stores they were born with are running out. If you formula feed, usually it also has iron so it's less of a concern. Because of this, it's good to keep cereal as a regular food with each meal even as you add veggies and fruits. Spacing out new foods is always a good idea because it makes finding allergies quicker and easier. Once you've introduced a food for several days, you can offer it again intermixed with the other new foods - you already know there isn't an allergy problem with it.

As for what exact foods to begin with and the order, it's really not important - color or food group (fruit/veggie). If your doc has a thing for orange, that works. As the other poster wrote, it is good to vary colors - it's even a good rule of thumb for yourself. The different colored veggies/fruits have different vitamins and minerals (which make them their colors) so eating a rainbow helps keep your diet even. Some people warn to start with greens instead as they tend to be less sweet and they claim that after the sweeter ones, babies won't eat the greens. As with everything else, everyone has their own theory - you just have to go with what works for you.

I'm a little surprised about starting juice right away. My doc has never pushed it and always recommends a MAXIMUM of 4 ounces a day - even now that my daughter is 3. She always cautioned that juice was mostly sugar and didn't offer the benefits of as many vitamins and the fiber that actual fruit contained. She has always encouraged water instead and to give them plenty of fruit to eat. The other caution with juice is that you should NEVER offer it in a bottle. Actually I've seen some reports that don't really encourage it in sippies either as soon as they can drink from a regular cup. Sucking the nipple for juice puts tons of sugars on the teeth and gums and increases risks for tooth problems. Mine were a bit older than your daughter, but it really worked well - as soon as I began offering foods, I also offered a sippy with water during that "meal" to help them to learn how to use it and begin transitioning away from bottles. It was a great distraction while my husband and I ate as they played and tried to figure it out. If your doc is wanting you to do juice, I'd recommend doing something like that instead of replacing a milk bottle with juice. Formula/breastmilk really should be their primary source of nutrients during the first year so don't feel like you need to feed your daughter large meals to pack in calories or nutrients - she will get all she needs from the milk. The primary purpose of feeding times are to learn to eat and learn to accept new textures and flavors.

Just follow your daughter's lead and try not to let food time become stressful. It should be fun for both of you. If she's not interested or it becomes stressful, back off and try again a few days later. It's not critical you follow the 4 day schedule perfectly and starting immediately. Use the recommendations as a starting point and adjust it to make it for you and your daughter.

Yes .. continue with the cereal. What the purpose of the 4 days is that when giving a baby something new, you need to give them that for 4 days to make sure they aren't allergic to it. You can only add one new item at time .... but yes you can continue with anything that already went through the 4 day process.

You sound like we have the same doctors. :-) My doctor told me the exact same thing for my now 11 month old. What I did was started her on the infant rice as you said for a few days (just to check for allergies). Then, after that I added in the orange veggies (then green then yellow veggies later on) and then some fruit (but he told me nothing with citrus until the age of 1 for their tummies sake). All the while keeping them on the infant cereal. I basically did that and now her feeding schedule is (because I work early in the morning), 6:30am - bottle, 10 or 11am - fruit, veggie, infant cereal, juice and cheerios, 2pm - bottle, 5pm - bottle (if she is hungry), 7 or 8pm - meat, fruit, veggie, juice and cheerios and a bottle just before we go to bed arounf 10:30 or 11pm to get her through the night. Since she is 11 months old now we are now giving her more "people food" for her lunch and dinner. I hope this helps you out with some sort of "schedule" for your little one.

You want to leave 4 days in between each new thing that you give her (this is to make sure she's not allergic to the new food). So start her on cereal, then in four days give her what new veggie you want, then four days later try the next one. You can continue to give the cereal and the first veggie as long as there was no reaction. Good luck!

Keep in mind that some experts feel you should wait until 6 months to start solids. But I would actually start with veggies first if I were you since it is better for the baby than rice cereal. You can also do rice cereal first and then veggies, weeding out rice cereal. Just keep in mind to introduce one food at a time. Feed it to your baby for at least four days so if your baby develops an allergy, you know what it is from.

Good luck!!!!
Y.

the American Acadmey of Pediatrics highly recommends that NO SOLIDS be given before 6 MONTHS of age because their digestive system is not mature enought to process it.

you have gotten some excellent advice from other mothers.

another thing cereal is always recommend as a first food which is a terrible recommendation because it often causes constipation.

i would HIGHLY suggest buying the book SUPER BABY FOOD by Ruth Yaron or checking it out from your local library. it has some great suggestions.

my son's first food was an avocado. avocados contain healthy fat that are necessary for brain development.

do not give your daughter juice there is no nuitrional value.

are you breastfeeding?

ok my best suggestion would be cereal 3x a day for 1 week then down to once a day as you introduce the next food so carrots for instance you would give her cereal for breakfast then carrots for lunch and dinner for a week then next move to sweet potatoes for a week then peas greenbeans other vegetables saving fruits for last but as you finish up vegetables like you did with the cereal keep her on 1 vegetable a day as you transition into fruits so when you get to fruits it would be cereal for breakfat vegetable for lunch and fruit for supper just switching which fruit you use every week i found that introducing fruit last helps with the child eating vegetables they are already used to vegetables so they won't push them away hoping you'll replace them with the sweetness of fruit also her tummy won't be able to digest the fruits sugar properly until about 6 months old giving ample time to introduce all veggies

i forgot to mention when they are alllergic to something the will break out into little red dots all over thier body (as my son did with pennisilin) so after you introduce a new food the reaction won't happen until the second or third time given to your daughter so keep an eye out for dots and swelling not sure if it happens to babies when allergic to food

One thing that happened with my daughter is that when she started eating veggies - especially the orange ones - her skin started to turn orange!! I was freaking out, but her pediatrician said that it was perfectly normal. Just wanted to warn you ahead of time! ;)

It cracks me up now to look at her little orange nose it the pictures taken around that time!!

By having only 1 new food for 4 days, you will be able to tell if your child is going to have a reaction to that food. Once you know they can tolerate that food, you can continue to give it to them along with 1 new food for the next 4 days. In this way, you are increasing the different types of foods that can have and giving them a more varied diet but in a controlled manner which allows you to note if there is a reaction to a new food. This way you can tell if there is going to be an allergy problem with any specific food and you will be able to tell which one it is. So the quick answer is that you don't stop giving them the food you just tried for 4 days unless they have a bad reaction to it.

Good luck with your daughter.

Hi L. ~
After you have introduced the cereal and you are ready for the veggies if your daughter did well tolerating the cereal then continue to give her cereal as well as the veggies. It is funny how pediatricians tell mother's different things. Mine said to start with the cereal then move on to fruit becuase of mixing it with the cereal. Good Luck, L.

PS Be patient also some days what she seemed to like one day she might not eat the next day.

Hi there...I use to wonder the same thing. Reason for the 4 days (which I did for a week instead) Is to see if they are allerg. to the cereal etc. Personally I wouldnt go four days then switch but I am not a doctor. After the four day or how ever long you can still give the cereal for breakfast then something else for lunch and then either or for dinner. I would watch how much you give her thought, like maybe 1/4 to 1/2 jar if using the jars. Also if she wont eat off of a spoon which my daughter wouldnt there is a baby food feeder, it is like a bottle but just for baby food, if you need on and cant find one I can get it and send it to you. I had trouble finding one but it was such a help once i got it.

Is your baby sitting up on her own (without any help from you or supportive devices), has she doubled her birth weight, has she lost the tongue thrusting reflex, and can she pick up stuff using her thumb and finger? if so, welcome to the world of solids...........if not, the ama recommends to hold off on starting solids since all your baby really needs before 6mo is formula or breastmilk. At 6mo of age any food you give your baby is practice for her, she will not be getting her nutrients from it until later on.

some of what your pedi said is quite troubling to me, and before you start i want to make sure you don't accidentally do anything that will increase the chance of your baby developing food allergies.

Starting out, only feed your baby 1tsp of food 1x a day, once she learns to like it and accept it you can increase it the servings until she is getting one serving a day, then you can gradually increase that to 3 servings a day.

be careful with rice cereal, that can cause constipation in little ones. for babies that are ff, there is really NO need for rice cereal, they get all the iron they need in formula (unless they are on a low iron/iron free formula for medical reasons).

as for what foods to feed and how, that really varies. traditionally its been rice cereal, veggies, then fruits.......but the ama is starting to change that. if it makes you feel better to do this order than do, its a personal decision. i started with bananas and some of the sweeter veggies, just follow your daughter's lead.

when introducing new foods please make sure you wait atleast a week at her age. once she is 6mo then you can go 4days between introducing a new food. make sure you are doing 1 food at a time too (ex. bananas wait a week, sweet potatoes wait a week, carrots wait a week, sweet peas wait a week etc). otherwise if your baby is allergic to sweet potatoes but you also introduced carrots at the same time, you wont have any clue what she is actually allergic to.

as for juices, you're baby will not be ready for juice until she is 6-7mo of age.

good luck with your baby and your journey through motherhood

here are some great links if you need anymore info:
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/infant/startingsolids.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp
http://www.ific.org/publications/brochures/solidsbroch.cfm

Wow I too am amazed at how much food your Dr has you giving Payton. I have two children both started on 1 tablespoon of cereal with formula once a day for sometime. I think we went several weeks before we added fruit once a day at another meal. My neice is now 5 months and her dr just had them start cereal and fruit.

Our dr's also told us the children don't need extra fluids throughout the day unless it's very warm. Infants need about 16-20 ounces of fluids during a day and with bottles or nursing she is probably getting that already.

If you feed her too much or give her unneeded sugars/fluids she may put on too much weight when it's not needed. Maybe you should double check with the dr to confirm his instructions, believe me I've had to do that too. And I hate to say this but if he did say that you might want to think about another dr.

Like the other ladies said...use your instincts and both you and Payton will be great!!! Take care and enjoy! Also know that many of us have gone through the same thing as you probably are now, and we all get through it just as you will!

L.,
I agree with heather. your baby seems too young for solids. I was always told to wait until 6 months. I even saw dr. sears on a show last week and he said that recent studies have shown that starting solids for babies at 4 months will cause problems later in life and he was even against rice cereal being the first food (carbs and such). i started my girls almost at 6 months of age. I did rice cereal at first, and then veggies and then fruit. all i cared about is to wait a few days to see if there would be any allergies related to the new foods.
My advice would be wait at least until she's 5 months. is she hungry constantly? what was ped's reason for wanting to rush into solids?
good luck
vlora

Hi L.. To answer your question you keep giving your daughter the cereal. The doctor is telling you to introduce new things every 4 days so if you daughter has an allergic reaction to anything you will be able to pinpoint what it was. When I started with my children I didn't give them the vegetable for breakfast only lunch and dinner. Another piece of advice with the cereal is make her bottle for the amount she has been drinking and pour some of that into her cereal so then you won't be wasting 1 or 2 ounces of formula or breastmilk. Also make the cereal a little soupy in the beginning until your daughter learns how to eat off of a spoon. My first time I made the cereal too thick and it was a real mess. Another thing I would only do cereal once a day for a couple of weeks to make sure she is not gassy from it. I would give it to her in the morning so you can watch her all day to see how it reacts to her. Then I would do morning and bed time. Bed time will help her to sleep longer through the night.

I do agree with the other responses about how often your doctor wants you to give her cereal. Just use your judgement to see how hungry she is. If you do introduce juice I have always diluted the juice 3/4 water and 1/4 juice, so then she won't be getting that much sugar.

Good luck with everything, you will do just fine.

T.

L., I know it can be confusing when dr. give advice or directons and u might not want to ask questions because you think it sounds silly or you might not think of them till later. With all my kids I started them on cereal and tryed a new fruit and veggie for a coulpe of days . That is because you are looking to see if any reaction happens with the different food. You might come across allergies to something. You should slowly add new fruits and veggies and continue with the food you are already giving your daughter. You want to make sure she gets a variety of food, even as a baby. But when you add a new fruit or veggie give that one a couple of days, usually they tell you by the third day you wil know if there is an allergie to something or not. Also know that if you give only orange food you might see your daughter's skin turna slight orange tint, do not be alarmed. It is just from the fruit and veggies that are that color. Just make sure you give a bunch of variety once you know they are safe foods. I was giving cereal as my childrens breakfast nursing between and the fruit and veggies for lunch and nurseing when needed and the fruits and veggies for dinner. But this was by the time they were 6 mons. in the begining I was just doing cereal once and a fruit once and a veggie once. You will come to find what works for you and your daughter. Trust yourself but never feel silly asking for advice or help.
I hope that this helped you.
K.
Mother of three

I know it is scary having a new baby and you want to do everything exactly right but you will do fine no matter how you do it. I agree with the other advice, follow your baby's lead. Three times a day seems a little bit much at first but whatever works. They don't eat a whole lot of cereal to begin with and if you open 1 jar of veggies it should last you probably the whole day (maybe even 2 days). I always mixed the veggies or fruit in with the cereal (neither of my kids where thrilled with the taste of the plain cereal).

Just try and relax and enjoy the whole experience. You'll be fine and your baby will be fine too.

Hi L.,

I would keep with the cereal the whole time. I always gave my kids cereal w/ every meal. My husband used to mix the cereal with the vegetables. According to my doctor any time you give your child something new you do it for four days so you can see if they have an alergic reaction to it. Never give two new things at oncee b/c if they have an allergy you won't know which one it was from. Also, in my opinion after the four days w/ the vege you don't have to stop giving it to her just start giving her juice. One mistake I made; my doctor told me to start with orange veges and that's all I gave my first one until I noticed she started to turn orange! I'm a firm believer in rotating colors once you know they don't have an allergy and also rotating between the binding and non binding foods. Binding foods, remember BRAT. Bannana's, rice, apples and toast. Apple Juice in not binding. Hope this hellps..I got a little off topic.

I had recently heard, on Dr. Phil, that Dr. Sears, a well known peditrician, does not recomend giving your baby ANY solids till they are 6 months of age. He said the intestines are not fully developed yet. And by giving them food too early they can develope food allergies.
He also said avoid cereal, because that's how we probably became so addicted to carbs, Start with orange foods.
Wish I had known that befor beacuse I was giving my baby cereal at 4 months as well.