Our dd is 6 mos now and I feel as though she has all of the developmental characteristics to start solids, but I am trying to decide which foods to start with. Dr sears says rice cereal is a good place to start, but I think it's too refined. I guess I could look for a recipe to make wholegrain rice baby cereal.
Banana is what most people have been saying, but I am also worried about sweet tooth. I tried avacado once, briefly, on Thanksgiving (family here) , but you should have seen the faces she made, if she could've she would've been saying "YUK".
Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance!
FinnegansMom
12-05-2007, 06:27 AM
Banana is actually a great starter food. Rice is pure sugar (simple carbs) too. That's what babies eat, sugar/carbs, little protien, and fat.
Mashed banana is yummy and i don't think there are any allergies to it.
You can buy an organic whole grain rice cereal, we did but didn't introduce cereal until closer to 8 months. You can always start the banana, then mash some of that into cereal or avocado. Babies like sugar, I'm not saying to give her koolaid but they do tend to like a little sweetness - breastmilk is sweet so I guess that's why. My son gagged on avocados....HATED them.
He really liked pureed peas, was and still is his favorite food.
AmandaNickie
12-05-2007, 06:57 AM
I am in the same postion. Just starting to research first foods for my dd. Besides avocado and banana, I also keep reading that sweet potato is one of the best options. Still a little sweet to please an infants taste, but also more nutritious than just refined rice cereal and very few allergens. I am also considering using brown rice cereal if I do use cereal just because diabetes is prevalent in both of our familes.
HaleysMommy
12-05-2007, 07:55 AM
Sweet potatoes.
Apples.
Once you've determined that avocado or apple are ok then mix them together. It makes it easier for baby to eat (sweeter) and they're getting the good fats from the avocado.
www.wholesomebabyfoods.com
eringobragh
12-05-2007, 08:50 AM
Thanks mamas, I hear bananas are so good, I guess I'll go with them. I also read somewhere that there is an organic brown rice cereal from earth's best, should that be second or first? How many feedings of solids do you offer per day? 1? 3? Very exciting milestone!
logansmomma07
12-05-2007, 09:27 AM
We had rice cereal for 2 months, started at 4 months as recommended by his ped, and then went to barley. He now prefers barley to rice. I can't find any around here, so I order the organic kind off the internet- I think the store is called "Healthy Times". I have heard bananas are good starters also.... its very tempting to eat them myself when I am mushing them up for him, sometimes I sneak a little :blush: He hates avocados, and sweet potatoes give him diarrhea. Now he also LOVES his veggies (carrots, green beans, peas, and squash-that is a veggie right?) At first he hated everything I tried to give him, and would only eat cereal with bm in it (he is FF). Their tastes change as you introduce new things and they get used to them. A book I found helpful was "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. We are certainly not vegetarian or "organic" but there is lots of wonderful information in there!!
avidreader
12-05-2007, 10:32 AM
My guy just started on Monday on solids (he is over 6 months and was so ready!). I bought the Earth's Best organic whole grain cereal from Target and mixed expressed bm with it and he is liking it so far. I have only fed him in the am after he's been bf (for us this works best as he still needs loads of calories) and he's taken about a tablespoon each time. they also have Earth's Best organic baby food in jars at Target -though it is way cheaper to make your own. I'm waiting a week in between introducing each food so I can make sure he has no reactions. I hope this helps! Have fun!
donnamarie
12-05-2007, 10:40 AM
I did Bananas first, I used Gerber but it's so simple to just blend up some. I didn't introduse other fruits (like apples, pears and peaches) until she could eat rice or oatmeal cereal with it - the apples caused very loose stools!
Rice cereal is so easy for the baby to digest.
We started giving dd some bananas and rice cereal around 4 months b/c she was always so hungry!
~sarah~
12-05-2007, 12:25 PM
We started with rice cereal which he didn't really care for. Now he eats baby oatmeal which he loves. His first fruit was prunes and his first vegetable was carrots.
ScrappyCat
12-05-2007, 12:43 PM
Peas and sweet potatoes here!
eragsdale
12-05-2007, 12:50 PM
If your baby has a sensitive stomach:
Here are the first foods to give
STEAMED
Pears
Blueberries
Brocolli
Sweet Potatoes
NOT STEAMED
the outside of the bananas (no not the peel); don't give them the middle where the seeds are; it has a higher acidic value and they will have mucous issues.
nini02
12-05-2007, 01:08 PM
Sweet potatoes and avocado are what we will start with. :goodvibes:
eragsdale
12-05-2007, 01:30 PM
every book i've read it says don't give avocados until 9months. :headscratch:
jausten
12-08-2007, 10:09 PM
Well, we've yet to find a food that Emma doesn't like :giggle: but we started her out with veggies first and then moved to fruits. I know people say that's not necessary, but we felt more comfortable doing that.
Sweet potatoes is still her favorite, but she loves all food. Can you tell by my avi?? :laugh:
AngelW
12-09-2007, 12:36 AM
We started my little one with baby oatmeal and he liked it very well. You cn now get brown rice baby cereal and DHA enhanced rice cereals.
peacefulj
12-10-2007, 06:52 PM
Bananas for sure, they are rich in enzymes so easy to digest. Other tropical fruits are also good starters for the same reason. Avacados are good, but are harder to digest bc of the fats.
eringobragh
12-11-2007, 12:41 PM
We started with organic brown rice cereal by earth's best, mixed with bm, and she's actually eating it (she just spit the bananas out). DD eats about half of the 1 tbsp serving. I did see that one that is dha enhanced, but it has rasberries, not too sure about those...hmmm. I bought it anyway, just haven't tried it yet.
lulusmom
12-16-2007, 05:05 PM
3 feedings per day is way too many to start with. I would go with no more than 1 at first, I know some mamas only feed every other day or every few days solids at first too. Remember, at this young age up until about 1 yo, solids replace the calories they would be getting from ff or bm, not supplement them. Solids at first are about trying new textures and flavors, not about getting a lot of nutrition. They are empty calories compared to the nutrition in formula and especially compared to bm. Also, when you start feeding solids and notice that your lo still has a tongue thrust reflex that makes them spit out most of the solids, they are still not ready.
ThatLinGirl
12-16-2007, 05:12 PM
every book i've read it says don't give avocados until 9months. :headscratch:
Very strange -- everything I've heard recommends it as a first food, including the AAP and LLL. I'd also be pretty strong against giving blueberries since berries are at the top of the allergenic scale.
blessed.mama4
12-16-2007, 06:58 PM
Very strange -- everything I've heard recommends it as a first food, including the AAP and LLL. I'd also be pretty strong against giving blueberries since berries are at the top of the allergenic scale.
We started with rice ceresl and avacados. We have now added sweet potatos, green beans, oatmeal, and applesauce. We will be adding carrots this week.
ThatLinGirl
12-16-2007, 07:08 PM
We started with rice ceresl and avacados. We have now added sweet potatos, green beans, oatmeal, and applesauce. We will be adding carrots this week.
Sounds good!
I realize this sounds strange, but try a meat before long. Meats (shredded chicken or beef, ideally) are now being recommended by the AAP, etc, early into the solids schedule because they are low on the allergenic scale and will give a nice bit of iron.
geckoed
12-17-2007, 06:24 AM
all over the world babies learn to eat. They learn to eat regardless of what is offered. My own children have a strong preference for paper, crayons, and lint.
Try good rice on the tray. Babies should have a well developed pincer grasp before embarking on solids so this helps develop that skill. Most veggies and fruits can be steamed until soft and then offered diced onto a tray. No reason at all to spoon feed since babies don't really digest solids yet, its just for the fun and social side and enjoyment of tasting new things.
I don't feed daily for the first couple months of solids, just a couple tastes a week. Then as they demand more I offer more. My 9.5 month old likes to sit at dinner with us almost every day now. Her brother was a year and a half before he ate solids every day (but another demanded and enjoyed twice daily romps in the high chair by 7 months) follow the baby's cues
rice
plain chunks of potato
sweet potato
blueberries
carrot
peas
lima beans
green beans
spinach
purple potatoes (they grow purple- lots of antioxidents)
all beans cooked soft
bits of meats
etc
eragsdale
12-17-2007, 08:51 AM
all over the world babies learn to eat. They learn to eat regardless of what is offered. My own children have a strong preference for paper, crayons, and lint.
Try good rice on the tray. Babies should have a well developed pincer grasp before embarking on solids so this helps develop that skill. Most veggies and fruits can be steamed until soft and then offered diced onto a tray. No reason at all to spoon feed since babies don't really digest solids yet, its just for the fun and social side and enjoyment of tasting new things.
I don't feed daily for the first couple months of solids, just a couple tastes a week. Then as they demand more I offer more. My 9.5 month old likes to sit at dinner with us almost every day now. Her brother was a year and a half before he ate solids every day (but another demanded and enjoyed twice daily romps in the high chair by 7 months) follow the baby's cues
rice
plain chunks of potato
sweet potato
blueberries
carrot
peas
lima beans
green beans
spinach
purple potatoes (they grow purple- lots of antioxidents)
all beans cooked soft
bits of meats
etc
:yeahthat: I definitly take cues from Daniel. Now to just get the MIL in understand that and STOP forcing him to eat.
eringobragh
12-18-2007, 01:51 PM
Thanks geckoed, very informative! I was getting into this routine every day with brown rice cereal in the am, and now getting ready to add sweet potato, and i thought we needed to keep it up every day. it's nice to know that it's just for fun and enjoyment, it takes a ot of the pressure off. I sort of sense that she isn't that into it, so maybe we'll back off a little. I am still giving her a taste of sweet potato tonight though...YuM!
eringobragh
12-29-2007, 08:11 PM
Things are moving along nicely now...dd really eats and is into it, esp the evening feeding...she's loving the oatmeal and sweet potato, and carrots. I have heard that salmon is a good thing to start, but that just dosen't sound right to me....seafood?!! I guess it is high in dha, but I would rather grill it then serve it out of the can packed in oil. sticking to fruits and veg for now. Thanks everyone for all the help, we are over the hump!
jjaelovesenglish
12-29-2007, 08:24 PM
Things are moving along nicely now...dd really eats and is into it, esp the evening feeding...she's loving the oatmeal and sweet potato, and carrots. I have heard that salmon is a good thing to start, but that just dosen't sound right to me....seafood?!! I guess it is high in dha, but I would rather grill it then serve it out of the can packed in oil. sticking to fruits and veg for now. Thanks everyone for all the help, we are over the hump!
My DD LOVED Salmon. hehe
hollydlr
01-06-2008, 05:07 PM
Some people give soft-boiled egg yolk as the first food...
I tend to agree with the rationale, but I also tend toward starting solids later rather than earlier, personally....
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/feeding.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/nourish-baby.html
dagnydagny
01-12-2008, 10:38 PM
Just mushed up some organic bananas. That was her first food, at just past 6 months.
