Begining solid foods -- which foods and how much?

Question

My son is 5 1/2 months old. We've been giving him a little rice mixed with formula, but truth-be-told I haven't been too dilligent about it. It makes him constipated, so I'm not loving this, but he should probably be off formula before he becomes a teenager (lol), so... Is oatmeal less binding? When do I start other baby food, and in what order/how much/for how long. i.e. vegetables for a couple weeks then fruit? I appreciate the advice.

Answer 1

Rice cereal is usually recommended as a first solid food for babies because there is little chance of allergies with it and it is easily digested. Perhaps his system isn't quite ready for solids just yet and you may want to wait a few weeks and then try again. There is no rush to begin solids if his formula is satisfying him and his nutritional needs. My youngest was just shy of 7 months when she began eating solids and her doctor was just fine with that. We actually did very little of pre-made baby foods for her and by 9 months she was eating most of what we were eating either mashed up or cut into tiny pieces. When both you and he seem ready, try the rice cereal again, but mix it with warm water instead of formula, it may constipate him less.First feedings are just a supplement to his formula so don't worry too much about getting in the habit quite yet of feeding him solids on a regular basis. After you have given him cereal for a few weeks, then move on to vegetables. Stick with one vegetable for a few days to watch for any signs of reaction. If he develops a rash or diarhhea, this is not likely an allergy, but just a reaction to a certain food and you can try it again in a few weeks. After he has been introduced to vegetables, then try fruits followed lastly by meat. Grains such as Cheerios, whole wheat toast, whole wheat pastas, and whole wheat bagels are all good finger foods when he is old enough to sit in the high chair well. Just give him one or two small pieces at a time. A lot of babies like to play "chipmunk" and will stuff a bunch of food in their cheek and it can pose a choking hazard. You are right to take a laid back approach to eating, just let him lead the way. Always offer him healthy choices, let him choose how much he wants (try to avoid the "just one more bite" trap) and don't worry if he doesn't eat sometimes. Children will not starve themselves. Make meal time a happy time when he is little and he'll have less eating issues when he is older. Yeah - by the time he is a teenager he'll be eating whatever isn't nailed down and you'll be thinking seriously about buying a cow because of all the milk he'll go through!

Answer 2

My baby doesn't like rice cereal that much either. But she gobbles down oatmeal. It doesn't seem to bind her up. Usually they recommend going through the cereals (rice, oatmeal, barley, mixed, etc.) first. You can go anywhere from a few days to a week between foods (depending on family history of allergies).
To be honest, I didn't follow any "particular" order. Different expert associations say different things regarding starting off with veggies vs. fruit, or how long to do "just" cereals, etc. My baby just started solids about a month ago, but I've stuck with oatmeal, veggies (orange/yellow are more nutritious, and, *bonus* sweeter than green), and a *little* fruit (bananas and prunes). I introduced rice cereal, then bananas, then oatmeal, then sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, prunes, and that's about it for now (she didn't like squash, so, that's back on the burner for now :-) I wait at least three days between new foods, but, I don't worry if I don't have a new food on Day 4 or whatever.
Let your baby eat as much as he wants, as long as he's still getting adequate amounts of formula. Some days my girl has no solids at all (or maybe only a tablespoon or so); other days (I kid you not) she's taken 35+ oz of formula in the day, and (that same day) had about 1/8 C oatmeal followed by almost a full jar of veggies at one sitting.
Binding foods: bananas, apples, some cereals. "Loosening" foods: prunes, peaches, pears.
Some sources are listed below.

Answer 3

Rice cereal is the best to start with and then gradually introduce maybe a barley or oatmeal cereal. When he turns 6 months old then start him on stage 1 veggies. Start with one food each week. That way if he has an allergy to somethign you know what you have given them and its easier to pin point the cause. Once he's been on veggies for a while then introduce fruits. Usually 1/2 a jar or 1 jar a day is suffient enough at first.

Answer 4

Personally I skipped all grains until 8 months as there is evidence that babies can not digest them before that. Make your own infant cereal if you want and that will solve the constipation problem (probably) as it is most likely cause by the synthetic vitamins and iron.

Personally I do baby-led introduction to solids. Which means I just offer whatever I am eating if my baby is hungry (of course I do not give him anything that contains honey, dairy, or nuts. I also avoid wheat but that is just me). If not we just stick to breastmilk. Sometimes if he keeps biting me I give him fruit so he will leave my toes alone. My baby loves steak, chili, pineapples, apples, potatoes and broccoli best of all. Though it changes all the time. Just try to cook with less salt (which is better for you anyway) and include lots of fruits and veggies (which is also good for you) Mostly now he eats every day (at 8 months) at 6 months it was more like ever 2-3 days.

Here is the info on baby led introduction to solids:
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

Otherwise this is some reasonable info on the baby food thing:
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html

Best of luck! And always remember until at least age 1 and probably closer to age two food is for fun not nutrition. So if it isn't fun for baby why bother? Breastmilk/formula is all your baby needs.

(Oh and for those that say acid and broccoli are bad I haven't had any problems even when my baby ate pineapple and tonnes of it for two days straight. Watch your baby, not the rules. )

Answer 5

I'd start him on some baby food vegetables to relieve the constipation - peas, green beans, carrots, and sweet potatoes to start. Also some juice, not more than 4oz per day, diluted in water may help relieve the constipation. Apple juice I think is supposed to good for this.

Every source you check may say something different about what order to start them on the foods, but I don't think it matters that much. My opinion is that fruits should possibly be later on your list so they get used to the taste of non-sweet items first. I have a 4 1/2 month old, and we're starting with cereals (I will add juice if she gets constipated), then veggies, then meats, then baby yogurts, then fruits.

One more point of advice: baby foods with broccoli can cause a lot of gas, so I'd hold off on that until they're nine months. Ditto for spinach, tomatoes, and citrus, due to a particular acid content that could irritate their bottoms.

Answer 6

Do you breast feed as well, or formula feed? If you breast feed but give him the cereal you mix with formula, the formula may be constipating him. Also, do you buy the cereal that states to "add formula" or the one that states to "add water"? Maybe try the "add water" one, it might be more settling on his stomach. Try a few of the different brands of cereal to find out which one works best for you. My 8 month old daughter prefers the Heinz cereals.

The general guideline says to wait until they're six months to start introducing the other solids. The "Feeding and Nutrition Guide: Introducing Solid Foods" says for cereal, introduce rice infant cereal, followed by other single-grain cereals, such as oats and wheat. Feed cereal from spoon not from bottle. Start with 1 to 3 tsp once a day and gradually increase to two feedings a day of 2/5 tbsp each; for veggies, after single-grain cereals are introduced, offer pureed and unsalted cooked vegetables. Start with two feedings a day of 1 to 3 tsp each and gradually increase to 3-5 tbsp daily; for fruits, after first vegetables are introduced, offer pureed and cooked fruits or very ripe mashed fruit (e.g. banana). Start with two feedings a day of 1 to 3 tsp each and gradually increase to 3-5 tbsp daily.

I have included a link this document from my website http://ca.geocities.com/__geri/FeedingAndNutritionGuide.xls

Answer 7

Not to be rude to your first answer,but nine months that is too long. You are doing the right thing. try putting cereal in his bottles once a day. you may have to cut a lil slit in his nipple so he can get it but not too much. As for the foods the number one jars are of a smoother consistency which is what he needs. try a jar of veggies and fruit with the cereal only a lil this way you will learn what he likes. But if you are worried about him being constipated add a lil kayro syrup to one of his bottles, not too much or he'll have the runs. You have to be consistent either give him brkfst every morn or lunch every afternoon or dinner. but try at least one meal every day at the same time so he developes a pattern.

He will let you know when he is full. By turning his head or by not eating any more. Follow by a good burp. At nine months he should be getting ready for table food. This is with your help. Try chewing up your food good enough for him to gum it and give it to him he will love it. Great way to get him started on non processed foods. I hope this helps. You can also try other websites like Similac and see what else they have to add, or say.
Good Luck and have fun with your new baby.

Answer 8

Start giving vegetables and fruits... don't mix a lot, that way your baby can get used to the flavor of any veggie or fruit. For example, you can do your own green beans and give that for a day or two... next some carrots... etc. The two benefits are, like I said before, your baby will get used to the flavor, and also you can notice if he/she is alergic to any food. If you mix too much, you will not know which gave an alergic reaction... am I clear?

Answer 9

I assume you have talked to your pediatrician about starting solid foods and were given the basic advice to start with cereal and introduce one food at a time, then wait a few days to introduce the next one.

I found rice cereal to be constipating with my son too. Oatmeal was a better choice for us.

There is some controversy about introducing veggies or fruit first, but I still started with bananas. Some people believe that introducing fruit first will give your baby a sweet tooth, but I did it with my first son and his favorite food is broccoli so I don't buy it.

Some good first foods to try are bananas, avocados, pureed peas, pears, apricots, sweet potato, winter squash, green beans, and cauliflower.

I was told to introduce one food for four days to make sure if my baby showed any signs of food allergies we would know which food caused it. I liked to introduce one fruit, then one veggie so he got a range of flavors. Even if they seem to reject the food at first, keep trying. I have read it takes up to 15 tastes of a new food to decide if they like or dislike the flavor.

Answer 10

I started giving my daughter cereal/fruit/veggies when she was 3 1/2 months old! The cereal will change the way his poop is or if he even poops at all..This is because he is not used to it at all..Its new for him. For constipation you can try a drop of white corn syrup into his formula! I give my daughter her formula first for she is soo hungry she wont wait to be spoon fed and then her cereal with a fruit or veggie! I heard rice cereal is the easiest for them to digest so I would contact your health care provider for more options if he continues to not be able to pass his food!! You are going to want to do 1 at a time for at least a week each to see how he handles them and make sure he is not allergic!! Good choices to start off with are carrots/peas/sweet potatoes/squash/apple sauce/peaches/pears and then go from there!! You can give him formula in the morning,a fruit and formula at lunch/just formula/then formula and a veggie at night once you find out what he likes and that hes okay to eat it!! Babies are very picky when it comes to trying new things so he may spit out the food at first and not get any...Drop the food and give him formula and try again later...When just starting you can give the same food twice or three times a day...Its trial and error but soon you will see what he likes..I give her 3 tbs of cereal right now at each feeding and about 1/4 of a jar of veggies or fruit at each feeding..Good luck and if you have any other questions you can e-mail me at [e-mail]...Good luck hun!