Tips for Starting Baby on Solids

Harper is 7 months old now. I delayed starting her on solids because I just wasn't ready for one more thing to do. But then I noticed she was really breastfeeding vigorously and sometimes she didn't seem satisfied. Then, she started waking up more from naps and such, so I decided it was time. I started her about a week ago. The first few days were very slow going. She pushed her tongue out a lot and didn't really know what to do. I had to kind of shove the spoon into her mouth. Then, suddenly, on the third day, it just clicked. Pop! She opened her mouth like a little hungry birdy. (So cute!) I am shocked at how much she is eating already (probably around 2 tablespoons of dry rice cereal and then I add formula to make it a good semi-runny consistency).

I think it really helped make things easier by waiting until she was a little older. With Z, eager to follow what the books say, I started him on the day he turned six months old. He was a little slower in most developmental milestones (sitting up, crawling, etc.) so now I can see that if I had waited a little longer he might have caught on more quickly. He had more trouble with gagging; I had to get the consistency just right for him. So far, Harper has gagged only a couple of times when I made the cereal a little too thick.

Anyway, I thought I would use Harper's solids milestone as an opportunity to write down some of my tips for new Moms just starting baby on solids.

1. Breast, cereal, breast? Breast, wait an hour, cereal? I spent quite a bit of brain power on when I should feed Z his cereal. It seemed like every book said something different (as usual, right?). There are lots of good reasons to do it just about every possible way. I'll just share what I decided. For Z: For the first week or so, I fed him on one breast, then did cereal, then finished with other breast. I wanted to make sure he was hungry but not starving. After I was confident that he was interested in the cereal, I just fed him at the breast (both sides) then did the cereal. It was just a heck of a lot easier that way. Also, the breast milk or formula is the number one priority for babies, so I wanted to be sure he was getting enough of that. For Harper: I feed her as usual (both sides), then when I can get to it, I sit her down to eat her cereal. This is usually about forty-five minutes to an hour after she breastfeeds. I would rather get it a little closer to when I feed her, but that's breakfast or lunch time and I'm busy getting everyone else fed. I haven't noticed any decline in her appetite for the next feeding, so I'll stick with it for now. There is the potential that the baby will get used to eating more often rather than being able to eat enough to wait for the next feeding (for us, four hours later).

2. Do not view solids as a nutritional necessity. As soon as I started with the solids I started getting really anxious about Z getting enough and getting the right variety of things. Although solids do add all kinds of great nutrients to your child's diet, they really don't need it. A child can get everything they need from breastmilk or formula for the first year of life (isn't that amazing!?). Everything else is icing on the breast, er, cake. The solids do give them extra calories, so you will likely see a change in consumption of breastmilk/formula, however don't stress about how much of the solids they are eating. Follow the guidelines for how much they should be drinking of breastmilk or formula, and then give them solids to their heart's desire. Babies don't overeat. Really. They will stop when they are full; just be sure not to feed them so fast that they don't register their fullness soon enough. Be aware of their signs for "all done," such as turning away, closing their mouth, getting restless or whiney.

3. Do view solids as a developmental exercise.
Just think of all the things your baby is learning... sitting up at a table, opening her mouth for the spoon, mushing things in her mouth, swallowing (without sucking). That's just the physical stuff.... Then you can start to teach her table manners - no grabbing the bowl/spoon/bib, no throwing food, no tantrums, no rubbing food in hair. At first I taught Z those things just by guiding his hands and saying no. Eventually, when he was bigger and more insistent, I flicked his hands as a physical conditioning to go with the "no" that I'm saying. The hand thumps are a type of repetitive conditioning training (like you might do with a dog- I know, bad analogy, sorry). The child has to learn what you expect, but it is not a matter of right and wrong or disobedience. With all of these things your baby is learning, be patient with them!

4. Don't, I repeat, DON'T clean up until you're really done.
Get ready for a mess. All the training in the world won't stop your baby from smearing peas in her hair again. The most gigantic bib in the world won't prevent her from lifting the sweet potato sodden cloth and dumping it on her arms and the floor. Absolutely don't bother to really clean up until the spoon is retired from active duty. I still struggle with this. I obsessively clean up mid-meal and then get frustrated when there is more mess to clean. Don't do it! Save your wipes, your knees, your sanity. When baby is done, wipe her first (hands then mouth then hair, as the case may be), give her a toy and then, only then, proceed to the table and floor.