Baby's First Year

Hi ladies,

I'm new to this board and I am desperately seeking BTDT advice.

My daughter will be six months old tomorrow and I recently started to introduce solids.  I started with Gerber rice cereal (mixed with breast milk) - she only managed to eat 2 tiny spoonfuls, which I feel isn't too bad for a first-time attempt. 

Several hours later, though, she started screaming uncontrollably in pain.  I'm assuming it was tummy pain by the way she was behaving.  She was pooping normally, but I figured it was trapped gas pain.  I gave her Mylicon for the very first time and, two hours later, the incessant screaming had stopped and she was sound asleep.

I was hesitant to give her rice cereal again, only because of the pain it caused.  So the following week, I introduced homemade yams.  She ate a couple of tiny spoonfuls and, sure enough, the tummy pain started several hours later which was accompanied by unconsolable crying and incessant screaming.

I'm not sure why every food I offer causes this problem.  I hesitate to give her solids again because it's obviously not agreeing with her - and it's so hard for me to watch her scream in pain for hours on end.  However, I feel that she should be eating solids at this age (6 months).

Does this mean that she's simply not ready for solids yet?  Is there another food you can recommend?  Has anyone else's baby reacted this way to solids?

I am so scared that something is wrong, and I'm even more scared to give her solids again.  I'm really stressed about this and I desperately need some advice/suggestions.  Thanks!

hi there,

when you first introduce solids, always start with rice cereal first. it's important that you start slow and wait about a week between the introduction of new food types ie. rice cereal, then oatmeal, then barley; wait for a week, then introduce veggies, then wait a week then introduce fruits etc.

perhaps it's the brand that she is not tolerating well? have you tried switching to heinz instead of gerber? i've read that can help as well. btw, rice cereal can be pretty constipating but it's the one that causes the least allergic reaction so once you find that she's ok with rice cereal after 3 days or so, switch to oatmeal. then barley

i would cut out the yams and start slow - cereal, then veggies, then fruit. check out the heinz website and use their menu - it's very helpful.

HTH!

Have you tried oatmeal? It is better for you than rice. She might not react well to starchy foods yet. I would also suggest perhaps making it very thin. almost liquid. If she her tummy isn't used to solids, it won't take much to fill her up at first.

   

Melissa, what a cutie you have! And it must be so frustrating having her react that way to solids.

Is your gut telling you that she's not ready yet? If so, it's all right to wait. Especially if you have food allergies in your family, your baby may be telling you that her gut is just not ready yet for food other than breastmilk/formula.

We actually skipped all the cereal and pureed foods for Isabella. She started a little after 6 months, after she hit all the readiness signs (started pincer grasp, lost tongue reflex, sat by herself without toppling over, over 6 months old) and we got a high chair. :)

We do what's called self-feeding, or baby-led weaning (It's the British meaning of weaning, which is to wean onto foods, rather than the American meaning of weaning, which is to wean off breastmilk/formula). Here's a couple of links about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning
http://www.askmoxie.org/2008/02/qa-baby-led-wea.html

These vids have a good explanation. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVBdMDl4RXo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV0Xtdhhc0c

We started with avocados and beans. She loves her solids and loves nursing both. We've never had to make her eat solids and she enjoys a variety of foods, from chickpeas, tofu, and green beans, to yogurt, watermelon, and potatoes.

Remember, until one food is for fun! Enjoy this time and follow your baby's lead. She's a smart girl and has a good mom. If you have any questions, feel free.

Loral

 

don't forget your purpose...