Starting Solid Foods

Both of my kids started solids at 4 months (my son actually just before 4 mos) with the "ok" from their dr. I started w/ rice cereal, but oatmeal is easier to digest and fruits/vegs can also be their first, too (according, again, to their dr). Each baby is a different person, so the broad rule of wait until 6 mos doesn't fit all! Good luck and have fun!

Cereal would be a good addition in the evening and will help with sleep and to fill her belly. Definitely give it a try! I always started with Rice cereal. She is growing and getting older and sounds like she is ready to me.....good luck!

My daughter was like that. I did start giving her some cereal and it helped. It's a little heavier on their tummies so it stays with them longer.

I am that Mommy that Amy Jean is referring to that will tell you that the AAP recommends waiting until 6 months to start solids. It doesnt really matter as much in a formula fed baby because their gut flora has already been disrupted. In an exclusively breastfed baby, the lining of their stomach is still immature and introducing solids CAN put them at risk for allergies not to mention a host of other digestive issues. It is often referred to as "open-gut", "immature gut", or the "virgin gut" and any reputable lactation consultant or breastfeeding support group (LLL) will say its best to wait.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html
And here is the CURRENT recommendation for when to introduce solids to a breastfed baby from the AAP. It was changed after my second child was born from 4-6 months to nothing before 6 months.
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/ped...

That said, growth spurts don't last long, so hang in there. Growth spurts are never permanent, but can feel like it and they are frequent! Giving a baby solids is really just a "filler" and will risk them taking less milk which can hurt your supply. Not to mention cereal is just empty calories and what she really needs is the nice rich fat and calories from your milk. It's all supply and demand (which I'm sure you know) so by supplementing with solids, she won't suckle as much to build the supply that she needs for the growth spurt. It is a myth though...giving baby's solids won't help them sleep better. Some people swear it does, but there is no info to support this. Perhaps she's teething as well? It is around this age that they begin to wake more frequently because of this. Growth spurts will really only last a day or so, so if it's gone on longer than that then perhaps there is another issue at hand. Either way, once she reaches around 6 months and begins crawling and interacting with her world, she will find it more and more tedious to sit and nurse...she'll feel too busy for that mundane task! So sit back and nurse her as much as she needs to. She knows better what her body needs than we do. In the end, starting solids is entirely up to you. My best advice is to research the heck out of things before just listening to what other people tell you. Doctor's dont always know best, lactation consultants dont always know best, and experienced Mom's don't always know best. learn for yourself and make an educated decision on behalf of your daughter. Its the best thing you can offer (besides that yummy milk you make!) Good luck!

~Tara Breastfeeding Counselor Buffalo NY

Personally, as the mother of 6, I do not recommend cereal. It tastes like cardboard and has no real nutritional value. It is a myth that adding solids will help your child sleep more. If she shows "signs" of wanting solids then you can give it a shot, like reaching for your food, licking lips while you eat, etc. but chances are she is not. You are probably right, it's a growth spurt. Just remember: Just when you think you got it down pat, kids change it all up again! LOL!
L.

J.,
Don't worry! I breastfed all three of my children, and when these growth spurts happened, they lasted from 2 days to about a week, with nighttime feedings gradually decreasing over that time as my milk supply caught up with demand. I would not offer any cereal yet, as offering cereal so early could cause allergy problems later on, and because your milk supply will not increase to cover your daughter's increased appetite. Baby cereal boxes say they are full of wonderful nutrients, but those nutrient are actually very difficult for an infant to absorb unless the cereal gets an overnight soaking (just like Quaker Oats called for when our grandparents were children!) so it will not do your daughter any favors. I started solids not to help cover an insatiable appetite, but to help my children discover all the different tastes food had to offer, with breastmilk being the real source of nutrition. (My last two never even had cereal, but moved right into veggies, fruits, and whole grains). No need to worry, your body will respond to the demand in a day or two, and your daughter will be better without early cereal introduction.

I know that this can be a personal choice, but clearly infants the age of your daughter are not ready. Cereal does not have the nutrients her body needs to sustain a growth spurt, it is just filler. Some would say that babies don't need solids until 2years. I don't go that far, but I do think that 6 months is the absolute earliest that solids should be started, and then only for practice, not to rely on for nutrition. Besides, the World Health Organization determined in the early 1990's that our soils are depleted of necessary nutrients, so anything you feed your baby probably would be depleted anyway, or overly processed. I vote for no solids. Like you said, it is a growth spurt, and nursing or formula is the best way to handle a growth spurt. I have 5 children and they all went through periods of voracious eating, followed by a leveling off. I encourage you to do the very best thing for your baby and not start solids this early. Starting solids early may not cause them harm (although it could definitely lead to allergies and intestinal distress), but it won't be beneficial either. Not to mention that starting solids early seems to be linked to childhood obesity as well. That's just my two cents worth. You will recover from the lack of sleep that night feedings causes. Be sure to take a good vitamin supplement too, that really helps give you the energy you will need to keep up with your precious little girl.

D.

Hi J.:

My Daughter is the same age as yours. She'll be 5 months old the 16th of this month. At 2 months, I started putting rice cereal in her last bottle of the night. By doing that, it holds her over until the morning feeding. For every 2 ounces of formula, add 1 tablespoon of the rice cereal. At 3 months old, I introduced her to Gerber organic fruit and veggies. The first stages of fruits and veggies from Gerber is for babies who are 3 months old. The fruits and veggies come 2 to a pack and I give her 1/2 of the container at her 11:00 am feeding and the other 1/2 at her 6:00 pm feeding. I'll mix 2 or 3 tablespoons of rice with water to go with the fruits and/or veggies. My daughter is up to 5, sometimes 6 ounces of formula but during the fruit/veggie and rice feeding, she only requires 2 ounces of the formula. Give it a shot and let me know how it works out for you. Not only will your baby benefit from the healthy foods, you'll benefit more because you'll have a satisfied baby who will not need a feeding every 2 or 3 hours. Best of luck. C. T.

Go ahead with the cereal.Rice can be the gentlest to start with but may at times cause constipation,so then go to barley.Should not have a problem with that one.You can give her a little cereal any time during the day,but a little at night will fill her up more for better sleeping at night.
I am a mother of 7 and a grandma of 7.
You can also try baby fruits during the day.Single fruits,not blends.Only try one kind at a time for about a week to make sure there are no allergies,and if there are you will know what it is insted of giving different kinds and not being sure.
God bless you on your newfound joy!

My Dr. said for breastfeed babies ~4-5 months is ideal to supplement breastmilk w/ cereal

J.:
That is happening to me with my 4 month old son. He is starving and wants to eat every 2 hours. It used to be 3 1/2 hours. I give him cereal befor he goes to bed and he wakes up around 7AM.

I started solids at 5 months. My doula (who has 6 children) said that if they are starting to show interest in food, ie watching you eat, etc. then to go ahead and start giving food. Cereal is a great one to start because you can make it kind of watery. Make sure to put it in a bowl and not in her bottle. Cereal is wonderful too because it is full of complex carbs and vitamins needed for brain development. I buy the organic kind at Whole Foods. I also gave my son yogurt too at 5 months. He loved it. He is now a crazy eater! I started meat around 6 or 7 months. I think it did help him sleep through the night, but she also may be going through a growth spurt. I gave a bottle before or after giving food until about 8 months, when now the bottle is always after the meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am still breastfeeding so sometimes I pump or I supplement with formula. Good luck!

Hi J.:
thought I would respond by letting you know that my daughter @ 3 months was having cereal because I wasn't able to breast feed & milk wasn't enough for her. Cereal did help & if she was willing to try solids, then I would give it to her. My daughter has always been on the petite side & now that she will be 2 next week - as long as their is a variety of foods, she will most anything. Not in great quantity of course (god forbid) but she will eat. So if your daughter will take to cereal - then go for it; thats what was recommended to me by my pediatrician. Best of luck.
Momma D.

my daughter went through growth spurts at 3 weeks, 3 months and 5 months where all she wanted was to nurse and sleep. it was a rough few days each time but she evened out soon after. i didn't introduce solids until she was 7 months (and would have waited longer if she hadn't been asking for food) but even after that the food seemed more life fun than nutrition for several months. in my experience adding food didn't do anything to curb her appetite for the boob.

It's not uncommon for a baby to start waking more frequently around 4-5 months because they go their brain goes through a big growth spurt. You can try cereal at night but the idea that it helps a baby sleep longer doesn't hold up to clinical trials. She is probably hungry.

I know lots of people are going to tell you that cereal is going to make her sleep. Not always true. It didn't work for either of my kids. My daughter gets dinner at 6 and goes to bed at 7 and she doesn't sleep through the night. I know lots of other kids that didn't sleep through with cereal. So no, don't depend on cereal making her sleep.

Hi J.,
I started my son on cereal at around 2 months (by putting in his bottle at night). He was eating every 1-2 hours at that time so we had to do something. He started eating it at around 3 months with fruit. He loves his food. Your daughter maybe going through a growth spert and this is what happens, they need to eat more. So, I would suggest that you give her cereal. I would even suggest you give a tablespoon to her in the last bottle for the evening. I hope this helps.

I have 3 kids ages 5, 2 and 6 months and they have all started solids at 4 to 4.5 months. It definitely aided their sleep and made them much more contented during the day. Start with some baby rice, and then maybe some fruit puree like pear.

Yes! Start cereal. You can put a teaspoon right in the bottle with breastmilk or formula! A friend started cereal at 4 months and food at 5 months. You can also make the cereal really soupy with milk or formula and give it to her off a spoon. My son took a few tries to "get it" and we did cereal for 2 weeks before moving on to pureed apples. I make all his food. It's awesome. great baby food books are Top 100 Baby Purees and First Meals by Annabel Karmel. Good luck!

Everyone loves to say that solid foods will make your baby sleep better. Maybe it's sometimes true, but definitely not for us. At almost 6 months I started my son on some brown rice (because he's very interested in our food lately). He has never been a great sleeper, but now in addition to his normal wakings for nursing, he wakes up crying with pain from constipation so we're trying to figure out what foods work best for his system. I might start feeding him solids in the morning instead of at night. So for us, addition of solid foods has made things worse so far.

Hi J.,
I to had this problem with my son. I put cereal in his formula starting at 3mos and started him on solids at 5mos. He has quite an appetite:). Some kids just require a little more substance then others. She will let you know when she's ready for the next stage. Also when you do start her out on solids, if you buy the jar food (Gerber, Beechnut or other) a word of advice, try it yourself, I found my son ate it better if I added spices to some of them. I know they say you need to keep it bland but, some of those don't taste to great. Also try combining different flavors to create your own, that is after a trial run on the foods to make sure she dose not have an allergy to anything. Good luck.

I think you are on the track giving her some cereal. I have 2 daughters that I breast fed. I found they did sleep better once I started giving them a little cereal as they got a little older. Resources are wonderful things but they don't live with your baby, you do, listen to your heart.

C.

Go for it!! I have three boys and my youngest is going to be 6 months and we already started baby food when he was about 4 mos and the other two were the same way and the oldest was about 3 months when I started him on cereal. You should start with rice for a while, then try her on oatmeal and after that, try her on barley. You may want to make sure that she doesn't show any allergice reactions to any of those. There is less allergic reaction to rice than the other two. You can put breastmilk into it or formula whatever you would like. After trying rice, you can put mashed up fruit into it, but try the fruit with her for about a week to see if there is any allergy. My sons have been as babies exposed to organic foods and still eat some organic foods. I found that my second son has allergies to some things as I and we both haveto eat organic foods. Anyways, organic is expensive, but which is important, deprive him from eating healthy foods or pay alittle extra to have healthy foods in his body? Organic foods have no garbage on it!!
Go for it and don't worry. Take it slowly with her as it would be new to her and please note one important thing...don't give it to her in a bottle. Spoon feed her. Alot of advantages spoon feeding her and disadvantages bottle feeding cereal to her (she can choke on it) Enjoy the new experiences with her!! :)

When my children were born, I fed them cereal when they seemed unsatisfied with only formula. Keep the cereal on the thin side when you first start it. Once the child can tolerate it you can start to thicken it a little more. As a rule they start with rice cereal since it is the one least apt to be allergy causing. I also used the cereal to start with around dinner time. Hope it works for you. Enjoy your little one, they grow to fast.

It depends on which source you trust, your pediatrician & the AAP or others that may be less reliable and more on the fringe. There is a mommy here that will be telling you that the AAP doesn't recommend starting solids until 6 months but that is just not true. They state between 4-6 months as long as baby is exhibiting the readiness signs you have described above.

So if you trust your mommy instincts as well then go for it. I started mine at 4 months and it went very well. I am not convinced however that sleeping all night and having solids are related - just from my own experience.

Have fun and have the camera ready! That face she makes with her first spoonful is precious!

A.

I don't think it is permanent... The samething happen to us and it was only a few days that she did this. She is 5 1/2 months now. I started with just rice cereal at 5 months once a day and we are going to go to 2 a day next week, then some veg. My daughter sleeps 8-5:30-6, but once in a while does get up. I notice when things are off that day, or people were over etc. So write down when it happens and see if there is a pattern. Also, it just happened again this week, so I think about every month to two months they do this and then get back into the schedule. Hope this helps and good luck. Alison

J.,
I have been in your shoes. First, just because the doctor says her age is ok to give her solid food you do not have to. You know best when your child is ready and when you are ready. Don't rush, my daughter was 6 1/2 months before I gave her any solids. Second, your daughter is probably waking up starving because she is going through a growth spirt. I would give her a bowl of cereal for lunch and for dinner. If she has never has cereal before I would use half cereal and half formula to start her off. Start with two scoops of each. I breast fed so I didn't have the option of formula in that case if you can just use water. As my daughter got older I started adding jarred fruit to her cereal. This should help her sleep through that night. Hope this information helps.

J.

Hi
As a mom to 7 , I breastfed 6 of 7. I have found braestfed baby's can have a harder time to sleep through the night & get hungry more often. There are many growth spurts and sounds as if your baby is going through one. I would add baby rice cereal at night and sleeping may be better. Just be aware whne you add solids your supply may go down as the baby may nurse less. One of my baby's I suplemented with a formula bottle mixed with breast milk here & there & it helped with sleeping. I had no problmes iwth niplle confusion at all.
S.

J. it's ok to start her at the age u don't have to wait until she's 6 months old. You can boil an english potato very soft and crushed it with a little milk and butter also, baby carrots the same way and u can give her some cereal in the day it would not hurt her, by doing this u are making sure she feels full and will help her to sleep longer through the night.

When my son was her age i taught the same way so i asked his pediatrician what to do and she said it's ok to give him the food, and the cereal in the late afternoon. A bottle of cereal before she goes to bed should make her feel full so go ahead and give her that late bottle it's ok.

Good luck.

R..

Hi J.,
I started my daughter on cereal at 4.5 months. She was definitely ready! She would follow my fork or spoon with her face, open up for it, try to grab it. When we gave her cereal, she opened right up for it, took the spoon from my hand and tried to put it in her mouth herself. I have been told that some babies have a bigger appetite and are more ready for solids than others. I don't know if that is true. If she is going through a growth spurt, the it stands to reason she's hungry for more. You can also cluster feed her a little in the evenings and the mornings to see if that helps distribute the needed calories in a less "sleepy" time of the day. As far as when to start the cereal, I started when she seemed interested, and she was and there were no problems.

Follow your intuition. It sounds like you know that your baby would do well with a little food to get her through the night. Babies all develop at their own pace, if yours is ready for food at 4 1/2 months, then let her have it. Both my girls were different, but they were both eating rice cereal before 6 months. They were just ready.

Good luck!

I would definately start her on cereal. I had a similar situation when my son was 3 1/2 months old. He was up every hour or two through the night nursing and as soon as we filled his belly w/ cereal what a difference! We all could sleep through the night again. I don't know many babies that can make it to 6 months w/o solids. So I wouldn't worry you are past the 4 month mark. I would give her cereal about an hour before you start the bed time routine then of course nurse and then put her to bed. That's what worked for us. Have fun!

my Ped had me start solids at 4 months old. i did this with all 3 of my kids with no problems. this is only a supplement to bottle/breast, try it and see if it works.

I breastfed my son for a year and gave him solids at 3 months. He is now 2 and fine....give them solids and pray for sleep.

J.- I'm the Mom of three who are now teenagers. When I had my babies, my Mom (who had 8 children) told me rice cereal mixed with formula was the best way to get babies to sleep through the night. I actually started incorporating the cereal at about 8 weeks old. I started out just adding alittle bit, giving a few spoonfuls and then gradually made it a bit thicker as the tongue reflex got stronger. All three of my kids slept through the night (10-12) hours at age 8 weeks. To this day- they are great sleepers. This is a great time for you to introduce the cereal because your daughter is probably having a growth spurt now. A couple of ideas is to puree a very ripe banana and add it to a little bit of rice cereal with formula or breast milk,I also added baby applesauce to the cereal. She'll LOVE it. Good Luck- L.

Hi! My daughter will be 5 months on the 10th and my doctor suggested I start solids at our last appointment due to her size (15+ lbs and 26 in). She also thought it would alleviate her acid reflux some. I started with rice cereal (which she had already been getting in her bottles because of the AR) and then did pears and bananas. I found at first, it disrupted her sleep pattern for some reason. So I moved food into the morning and she only gets one thing a day. Rice cereal is definitely the mildest and I stayed on that for a while. I have just re-introduced pears and am only doing pears for about a week (or longer) to avoid any more sleep issues. I would suggest start small and with rice and stay with that for a bit if she has never had it before. It should make her feel more full. Hope this helps.

Hi J.,
I have a 4 1/2 month old boy and I have started him on solids. I give him all the 1st stages fruits and veges.I try to fill him up with rice cereal before his bedtime thinking he'll sleep thru the night but he still wakes up evry 4 hrs to feed!!!. I guess babies stomachs are so small ( the size of their fists)that they fill up soon and get hungry soon too!! So we have to keep feeding them at regular intervals and also yes they are at a growth spurt right now till 12months of age. Good luck.

She is definately ready for cereal. If you ever express your milk and bottle feed add a teaspoon or two of cereal to the bed time feeding and she'll sleep through the night. other than that you can begin making the cereal in a small bowl and feeding it to her when you set down to eat.

Hi-
YOu could try her on baby cereal (very dilute) first then work in a bit of maybe mashed pots, squash, very smooshed peas...I'm tylaking maybe a couple of teaspoons at a time if that depending how she takes it.
Just watch out for allergies.
As with anything new especially if they aren't used to it, it might take a while to get the texture thing down. Look into the "stages" baby foods, they are formulated to transition to more solid food. With that being said, her stomach, digestion will change too, so make sure you don't over do it too soon you could cause a system overload (gas/constipation)/backfires (poops)...!
J.

J.,

My youngest (of 3) will be 7 months old tomorrow and he started solids around 5 months only because he was having a problem with his stools and the doctor wanted him to have some Culturel once a day. The only way to do that is to put it in applesauce. I hate to say it but I have never found that solids help with the sleeping. My son sleeps no more now eating cereal and baby food a couple of times a day than he did prior to it. In fact, he sleeps less during the day and still gets up once or twice at night. I found that he began getting up a lot more often around 5 months but I think not only was it a growth spurt but him transitioning to a phase where he is just more alert during the day. I WILL say the solids have helped him get into a better schedule as while I think he naps less total, his naps are definitely after his meals.

Just remember to wait 3 to 5 days between introducing new foods to look for reactions but I wouldn't look at the cereal as a sleep aid because I think you will be disappointed.

Hugs,
L.

http://APerfectMoment.MyArbonne.com

I started my DD on solids around that age. She loved it. It did help to lessen the BFing a bit. She started sleeping better too. My DD went thru so many sleep patterns though. It changed every time she had a growth spurt or was sick, etc. My best advice is take your baby's ques, don't go by what "everybody" says is best. You and your baby know what is best for you.

I totally breast fed my youngest. Her twin siblings are 3 years older. It was the most convenient. I would say she followed the same pattern as your little girl. Only difference when I had breakfast with the twins she used to reach out and grap what ever was on my plate and eat it. I was really surprised the first time but it did happen at about 4 and a half months. Does she have any interest in food on her own?

Hi J.

I am a grandmother of a 5 year old that I have been raising since she came home from the hospital. I started her (as well as my three children) on solids at about 2 months. They slept better and didn't have the "starving" effect every couple hours. Each child is different, but once they start showing the increase in needing to eat I believe cereal should be started. Start with a mild one (rice is best) and don't put it in the bottle. Expect a mess--that tongue action is a lu-lu at the beginning--but she will get the hang of it. Make sure she is in the upright position to avoid choking. In other words--I say go for it!!!!

Vicki S.