When & how to introduce solids

[Benandrewsmum]

Hi All

My little guy is 16 weeks this week and I am starting to think about the whole solids thing. I weaned him off the boob last week and he is now on formula ( 6 x 150ml per day).

I have noticed that he seems very interested when my hubby and I are eating....almost like he is stalking us....mouth open and watching the food go into our mouths!!

I was just wondering if many of you started your kids on solids before the six month mark....most things I read seems to say not until 6 months but then other stuff I read says after 4 months??

Also, could I get some tips on how to introduce solids ie do you start with rice cereal??? and if so how many times a day....when do I move to veges....do I go veges or fruit first etc etc.

Also, can anyone recommend a good, but very easy, infant recipe book??

Cheers

Ben's mum ;)

[belinda]

hi bens mum
great topic i am also thinking of introducing solids and i dont have a clue where to start either. sorry i cant help at all but it will be good to know the questions u asked aswell...

thanks

[kaydensmum]

I really wanted to wait till Kayden turned 6 months to start solids but by 51/2 months he was rolling all over the place & having 7 bf during 7am - 7pm which left me exhausted. He started on rice cereal with a small amont of puree apple at dinnertime - we did this for a week then started a second meal at lunch for a week then the third meal at breakfast. Kayden has loved everything he has been offered - it was suggested that we always offer savoury b4 sweet otherwise he would be reluctant to have the savoury. You can start with potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, pear, apple & that will get you going for a good couple of weeks as each new food needs to be introduced for at least 3 days in case of a reaction. Most of my recipies came from internet searches, i always kept it very basic & now at almost 10 months, he can eat what we eat (within reason of course!!!). Good luck!!
Carole.

[jembelina]

my DS is 6.5 months and i have been giving him solids for about 5 weeks. when startingout, the rule of thumb is to always offer solids AFTER a milk feed, about an hour is good. also, do each new seperately and for 3-5 days - i have also read that if bub rejects a food, that you should persevere with it for 10 days before decideing bub doesn't like it. though with the couple of things my DS really didn't seem keen on i just gave them a miss for a week or two then tried again. we started out with rice cereal given mid morning(i have never added anything to it, like fruit puree because i want him to accept cereals as they are without any sweeteners. but that is just me, i'm positive it doesn't matter). then moved on to pumpkin, potatoe, carrot, apple, pear, brocoli, banana, cauliflower - in that order, i think. now he eats any combination of those vegies and i am just about to introduce zucchini tomorrow. i was told to introduce savoury first, but have discovered he enjoys both sweet and savoury equally. i started with the veg at night then started lunch - he now eats a big lunch and dinner but isn't too keen on breaky - just not ready for 3 meals yet, i think. he was breastfeeding very often, but has now cut down to 5 bf. hope this gives you some insight!

[JessandKirra]

its all very daunting isnt it. YOu really want the best start for them and basically you dont want to stuff it up!. My baby is nearly five months and I am about to start her on solids. After talking to my lovely nurses we think its best to start early. I am going to start rice cerial for the first 2 weeks and the next week, with pumpkin. Yucko. Hope she likes it more than me. lol.

I found there is a few recipes in the little booklet I got when she was born. They look pretty easy.
Hope all goes well for you. best of luck.