Search Results for: starting solids

Starting Solids: Alternatives to Rice Cereal

I have a lovely photo of my daughter tasting her first solid food. It was just after Christmas, and she was just over 6 months old. Me: neurotic about potential food sensitivities. Her: eagerly reaching out for the bowl of the stuff that she was actually allowed to put into her mouth and swallow! We began with sweet potato, and the photo shows my daughter eagerly reaching for the bowl, then looking mystified at the sweet and gummy texture of the food. At least that’s what it looks like she’s thinking. Rice cereal is often recommended for babies. Mostly this … Continue reading →

5 Cultural Myths About Starting Solids

Believe it or not, much of what we do as parents, is culturally dictated. If we lived in another part of the world, we may not use diapers or cribs. We may walk around with our babies strapped to our backs or even breastfeed not only our own children, but our neighbor’s as well. So it is also with starting solid foods. When the twins were ready to start solids, it pained me to feed them jarred food. It’s different when you’re feeding one baby (or at least it was for me) but with two, I just watched the money … Continue reading →

Introducing Solids Part II

Since I tend towards the unconventional and more researched based health and diet guidelines, I had no interest in giving my daughter (or son for that matter) the standard rice cereal which is overly refined and enriched. Instead, I wanted her first tastes to be as pure and clean as possible, hence the organic produce. Once my daughter sank her new bottom teeth into a soft sweet organic nectarine, her demand for solids only increased. I slowly began to introduce new foods to her diet in the form of little tastes. She was very excited to taste most of the … Continue reading →

Introducing Solids Part I

I had a plan. I was going to try to wait until my daughter was closer to a year to introduce solids into her diet. I felt like I forced my son into eating solids before he was ready. Even though he ate most of the baby foods that I made for him, he never really showed an interest. When he did start to really want foods, he only wanted foods that had a smooth texture, like the purees I made him. Regardless of when my daughter started eating solids, I had decided that I am not going to puree … Continue reading →

When To Start Solids-Part II

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A couple of days ago, I discussed a little about starting solids with my babies. You can find that article here. When you have issues with food allergies like my children have had, it is important to stick with introducing one food at a time. This will help you determine if there are any issues with the foods you are introducing. Otherwise, with infant led feeding, the idea is that you go slow, and let your child eat what you are eating so that they slowly learn what real food is all about. In our family, we have decided to … Continue reading →

When To Start Solids-Part I

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Every family is different and every baby within that family is different too. Often, you will hear conflicting information on when it is appropriate to start solid foods for your child. I know some parents who are putting a little rice cereal in the bottle from a very young age to help with reflux issues. Some parents start their kids on solids at around 4-6 months old. And, others rely on a baby led solids approach where they skip over baby food altogether and let their child lead the way as to when they are ready for solid foods. When … Continue reading →

You Are Now Entering the World of Solids

We decided to start giving our daughter some “real” food last month. We previously had decided to wait until she was about a year old, but our curiosity got the best of us. Shortly after she passed the 8 month mark, we began the journey into the world of solids foods. We bypassed the rice cereal and canned baby foods and went straight to making our own baby food. We had read online and heard from trusted acquaintances that avocados are the perfect food, for both babies and adults, so we decided avocados would be the first food hitting her … Continue reading →

Should I Give My Baby Solids?

Our daughter is approaching the age when solid foods can be introduced. She’s 5 1/2 months old and is exclusively breastfed. I’m going back and forth on when we’re going to start giving her solids. She’s gaining weight fine on breast milk alone (hello, I think weighing 17 pounds at 4 1/2 months probably means she’s getting enough!), and I hesitate to mess with something that is going so well. I know there are people who believe that breast milk alone isn’t enough for a baby once they reach six months of age, but I’ve witnessed cases where babies consumed … Continue reading →

Going Back to Work: Starting To Pump

Whether you are returning to work soon after your baby is born or nursing an older baby, pumping your breast milk is something that helps you continue your nursing relationship, even when you’re at work some of the time. • Do you need to pump? How often is your baby nursing right now? If she is an older baby, eats solids, drinks water, and nurses every few hours, you might be able to work for several hours and not need to pump, unless you’re feeling engorged. Half days are great for the mom who is returning to work. • Why … Continue reading →

Myth: Your Baby Will Sleep Longer If You Feed Her Solids

If your baby has been having a hard time sleeping through the night, you’ve probably had more than one well-meaning person tell you to add cereal to your baby’s bottle or start solids. “Think about it, it’s hard to sleep if you’re hungry,” they’ll say. There are several problems with this myth however. First of all, there is no evidence that solids increase a baby’s total sleep. They may fall asleep a little quicker if they are stuffed, but babies wake up for many reasons which have more to do with their biological clocks than their tummies. The circadian rhythms … Continue reading →