When to feed the baby solid food?
Its hard to tell when to start solid foods? This is a hard question to answer and you should ALWAYS start with your doctor. There are some signs that he or she is ready though.
When to feed the baby has always been controversial within my family. My mom fed me applesauce at 2 weeks old, YIKES! I started my first around 3 months partly from my mom pushing. Zana, number 4 didn’t have anything solid until 6 months.
My little grandson (and his mama) is living with us. He is 4 months old and showing signs of being ready to eat. Cassandra talked with the doctor and he had told her that he was fine to start eating them. Make sure you do this. Some doctors say to wait until at least 6 months.
One sign is what I call mouthing. Mouthing looks like they are trying to chew or mimic chewing. That little mouth just keeps opening and closing like a little bird.
Unexplained fussiness is also another sign. Our little William was screaming for no reason. The more solid food he eats the happier he is. He is over 17 pounds (bigger babies need more obviously) and breast milk alone wasn’t cutting it any longer.
I always started my kids on rice cereal. It’s the easiest on the tummy and you can adjust the thickness. Mix a little with formula or breast milk until it’s a runny paste.
To feed the baby, get a small amount on the spoon. Gently insert just the tip of the spoon between the baby’s lips. Gently push down the lower jaw and move the spoon forward. Some of the food will come back out. If more than half comes out baby is probably not ready for solid food yet. Wait a few more days and try again.
At first mom just needs to know that a few bites once a day is enough. Slowly increase how much you give each day. About a week after starting food, add another meal. So now you’re feeding breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner. Keep slowly increasing.
Don’t rush in feeding all kinds of foods now. Wait at least 3 days in between each new food. I prefer to start with veggies or fruits but the choice is yours. Our next food is avocado which he liked. Banana is another one that is good for the beginning. Both of these can just be mashed with a fork and feed raw. Avoid any chunks though.
Enjoy this special time and remember you can never start family meals to early! William now joins us at the table for dinner. We always eat dinner as a family!