Starting Solids

"Don't give your baby ANYTHING but breast milk for the first six months." I was told this over and over before I had BC. Now, I was very determined not to give BC formula - not that formula is "bad," but breast milk is better. However, six months? I was not sure about that.

1 Corinthians 3:2

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready.

I did lots of research.

According to Mayo Clinic: 

"Breast milk or formula is the only food your newborn needs. However, by ages four months to six months, most babies are ready to begin eating solid foods as a complement to breast-feeding or formula-feeding." 

It is important to remember that every baby is different. That is why there is a range of months for when to start solid foods. Before four months, babies mouths and tummies typically are not ready for solid food. But after four months, it is time to start looking for "signs."

• Can your baby hold his or her head in a steady, upright position?
  CHECK
• Can your baby sit with support?
  CHECK
• Is your baby mouthing his or her hands or toys?
  DOUBLE CHECK
• Is your baby interested in what you're eating?
  TRIPLE CHECK
  (BC had started to try and grab my food from my hand - and mouth : )

To me, it looked like we were about ready for solid food. At BC's four month well baby appointment, which was actually at four and a half months, I asked his pediatrician when we needed to start solids. After looking BC over and going through the above checklist, he told us to go ahead and start when we were ready. I asked about waiting until six months. The pediatrician shook his head and said, "The longer you wait, the harder it typically will be to get your baby on solids."

That night, my Heroic Husband and I decided to wait two more weeks - BC would be five months. A few days later, we changed our minds. BC started to get fussier. He would consistently get fussy one hour after eating breakfast. I began to think he was just really hungry, especially after sleeping through the night. He just needed more calories.

HH and decided to go ahead and start BC on brown rice cereal. We use Earth's Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal - which we bought at Walmart for less than $3.

BC was pretty excited. He carried the box of cereal around the entire store.

Day 1 - 2

I mixed one tablespoon of brown rice cereal with 4-5 tablespoons of breast milk. It was so watery, we put it in a bottle. BC LOVED the taste. He attacked the bottle, and typically, he will not take a bottle at all.

He did not even give us funny faces the first time he tried the cereal. He just devoured it!

Day 3 - 5

I thickened the cereal up a little bit and fed it to BC with a spoon. You have to be careful that your baby does not get in the habit of thinking solids are to be drunk from a bottle. It was like soup though - messy and frustrating to eat. BC still loved the taste, but did not enjoy eating the brown rice cereal as much. I increased from one tablespoon a day to two tablespoons a day.

He preferred the brown rice cereal in "mush" form.

Day 6

I made brown rice cereal "mush." BC  really LOVED it! He ate three tablespoons throughout the day! And I bet he would have eaten more : )

One "serving" of brown rice cereal is four tablespoons. I am now giving BC one full serving a day, but spaced out in three parts throughout the day.

We are going to start BC on his first vegetable this week - squash. My Physicians Assistant sister-in-law gave the tip to introduce veggies first, and then add in fruit - so BC does not get used to the natural sweet fruit taste. I am making most of my own baby food, so I looked at some websites to see how much veggie to give him. Most sites said for five-six months, start with half a baby food jar. One jar is seventy-one grams - so, in my Munchkin Freezer Cups, I measured out thirty-five grams. Half an acorn squash made four servings.

When deciding when to start what food, just like the "what not to eat while breastfeeding" lists, every single one is different. So, I combined three lists and my own personal research to make my list. Since BC is blood type A, the red foods are "avoids." We will limit those foods for him.

I am still breastfeeding. The solid food that BC eats are "supplements." The breast milk is still his main protein, nutrient, and calorie source.

It is hard to believe that my little baby is already eating solid food! But I am confident that it is the right time - and I love watching him grow up into the man that God has prepared him to be.

Hebrews 5:13-14

Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature — for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

In addendum:

Acorn squash success! He loved it!