Veritaserum Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 We go straight to mashed up veggies and fruit. If I make oatmeal I'll feed that, but I do not use commercial baby food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I love this thread :D Be carefull giving ages like this. My son started reaching for my fork by 4 mos of age. At 3 months, he was opening his mouth like a little bird and following my fork. Finally, he just started grabbing for it. I tried to hold off feeding solids, but he would have none of it. I know it is way out of the norm but it was impossible for me to wait till even 6 months for solids, let alone 8. Every child is different and giving "norms" like this can make life very difficult for someone trying to fit a statistic her child just doesn't fit. ( Yes, he was breastfed only and on demand untill 4 mos at which time he was trying to steel my food. By 6 mos, he was eating 2 pieces of toast and 2 scrambled eggs every morning for breakfast. Never had cereal or baby food. Weaned himself completely at 8 months, graduating to ordinary people food and sippy cups of milk) FYI: This child did everything early, sat up at 3 months, walked at 7 months, ran at 9 months, potty trained at 20 months - even nights. Weight: Birth 10.10 oz., 6 weeks -15 lbs, 6 months - 25 lbs. I have the female version of this kid. At 5 months, she would scream her fool head off if you didn't share what you were eating with her. I finally bought some organic puffed rice cereal so she'd think she was eating what we were eating. That worked for about two weeks, and then she realized we were putting one over on her and refused to touch the stuff again. I'm all for delayed solids, and my first didn't touch solids until she was 8 months old. The second? Not so much. (She's still...shall we say...willful? Potty trained herself at 16-17 months, weaned herself at 26 months *sigh*) But Aubrey, I'll also chime in and give a thumbs up to the advice you've been given. I followed Kellymom's advice on which foods for first foods, and I held them off as long as I could manage, but beyond that, I didn't worry too much about it. I also nursed for 3 years and 2 years, respectively, so the rest of the food was just for fun, experience, and supplement. I owned a million little baby spoons, and I mainly fed them with the tips of our regular spoons. I didn't puree or process--I chopped up small and added some breastmilk when I needed to. I introduced new things one at a time and watched carefully for reactions (oddly, oatmeal made DD3 puke spectacularly, so we avoided that; she's fine with it today). Don't stress it. I don't think he NEEDS solids, and I agree that you should nurse him as much as you can. That's really the perfect food for him, and it's a myth that big babies need solids sooner. Obviously your milk has given him everything he needs! But if you choose to give him something, you've gotten great advice here. Don't let it make you crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Well...errr...with my first son, he ate cereal in his bottle from about 2 mos old. It was the only way to get him full enough to sleep. :) He currently weighs about 65 pounds and it almost 5' tall. He has NEVER been obese - Ha - I laugh even saying that. He looks like a stork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I personally wouldn't do baby cereal or formula b/c I don't think there's anything redeeming in it. My breasts don't contain any liquids with nutritional value -- never have, never will. Given that unfortunate fact, I find baby formula quite redeeming, thankyouverymuch. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 breastmilk is sweeter even than fruit. since the taste for sweet is already 'set', I'm not concerned about messing with the natural balance of things by adding fruit:)....it's just a continuation of the sweetness they're already used to, with the addition of new flavors to said sweetness. K Oh, I know about breastmilk being sweet - I tasted it :D No, it's not a requirment to be a LLL Leader - I just wanted to. I do think it's a different sweetness. It's def sweeter than cow milk but it's not as sweet as pureed apple. I don't think it's a big deal either way. Aubrey - you do not need to grind anything. Just mash things up with a fork. Sometimes you'll need to cook things a bit longer - you'll just know when you're cooking that whatever it is, is too firm. So you either cook it all a bit longer, or take out the stuff you like to have more texture, add a bit of water to baby's portion & continue cooking for a bit longer until it's more mushy. It's easy, easy, easy. Don't get carried away making separate meals for babies. Who has that kind of time?! Btw, my 2nd one's first food was a bit of that kind of artisan bread which is made with every known grain on the planet.... you know, $7 a small loaf with tons of seeds and grains and a crispy crust, all in a fancy paper bag with some artsy drawing on it? He swiped a piece of it when he was on my back in a sling at a LLL meeting & I didn't notice until another mom said 'um, is he supposed to be eating that'? Luckily he wasn't allergic to any of those grains! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philothea Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I make a big pot of stock an set aside a good portion for the baby, from that I make Baby Soup, which is broth with a 1 cube of bullion at first, next with tiny pasta stars in it, then some carrots chopped small and then later meat in teeny tiny pieces. I freeze it in the appropriate portions for each stage. I also do cheerios (cut in half at first), banana pieces and yogurt. And if I am nursing they get milk in between. Usually when they are weaned they are able to take regular milk and regular food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawn of ns Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Mashed fruits and veggies as well as porridge (mostly cream of wheat). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Don't stress it. I don't think he NEEDS solids, and I agree that you should nurse him as much as you can. That's really the perfect food for him, and it's a myth that big babies need solids sooner. Obviously your milk has given him everything he needs! But if you choose to give him something, you've gotten great advice here. Don't let it make you crazy. VERY true. It is really no one's business. You asked, most of us answered similarly, but all sorts of people do otherwise (I would guess that most of them don't even know differently). Most kids get solids before your ds has and the overwhelming majority survive. Once you make your choice, it's ONLY your (and hubby's) business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) Ah, so I'm not the only one who's kiddies have interesting taste. My daughter isn't even one yet and loves chilli beans and wasabi peas!I'm sure toddlers aren't supposed to do that! Proof, Aubrey, that they'll live whatever you feed them. Or whatever they pick up by raiding the pantry. I sure didn't give her the wasabi peas... :) Rosie oh yes, I remember those days. My son would eat the funniest things as a toddler. His favorites were blue cheese (and any stinky cheese!), olives, and anything spicy like salsa and chili. Then he turned 4 :001_huh: The only thing he still likes is olives. Now, the more plain it is the better. Carrot Sticks, plain chicken with ketchup, no butter, no cheese (weird, right?), no pasta, no rice. Oatmeal and cereal and anything with honey on it he loves. What happened? :confused: Daughter still eats almost anything (she is almost 5) My breasts don't contain any liquids with nutritional value -- never have, never will. Given that unfortunate fact, I find baby formula quite redeeming, thankyouverymuch. :glare: I couldn't nurse my son either (although I wanted to desperately and was quite depressed about it at the time) but formula certainly had enough nutritional value to keep him alive, healthy, growing, bright and energetic. I wonder if people have this vision of formula fed babies as sickly, pale, weak and not very bright? Edited January 30, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 VERY true. It is really no one's business. You asked, most of us answered similarly, but all sorts of people do otherwise (I would guess that most of them don't even know differently). Most kids get solids before your ds has and the overwhelming majority survive. Once you make your choice, it's ONLY your (and hubby's) business. I would guess you are right. I didn't know any differently when mine were that age. I would feed them so much differently now that I know. How did I not know any of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I didn't know any differently when mine were that age. I would feed them so much differently now that I know. How did I not know any of this? hee hee....we'll just have to have a few more so we can do it right :) (hoping that isn't offensive. I've been infertile for almost 14 years. I'd love the opportunity of a few more and doing so much better than I did the first time around) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 hee hee....we'll just have to have a few more so we can do it right :) (hoping that isn't offensive. I've been infertile for almost 14 years. I'd love the opportunity of a few more and doing so much better than I did the first time around) No offense! I smiled when I read your post. :D I'm torn about having more but I know I would do a much better job! I have learned so much in the past 5 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 VERY true. It is really no one's business. You asked, most of us answered similarly, but all sorts of people do otherwise (I would guess that most of them don't even know differently). Most kids get solids before your ds has and the overwhelming majority survive. Once you make your choice, it's ONLY your (and hubby's) business. You're very sweet. I think the variety of responses at this point is enough to give me courage to *try* something different than we did w/ the 1st 3. :001_huh: I mean, I've got an avocado in the fridge. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I know I'm late to the discussion, but my oldest ate some baby food. After that none of the others did. (Well, somebody gave me a case of baby food carrots when my fourth was a baby, so he did eat some of those.) I just fed them food, one thing at a time at first, whenever they showed interest. I used to belong to LLL and one of the best demonstrations my leader did was to buy a jar of good organic banana baby food and a real banana. She would mash the banana with a fork in front of us and then have a taste test of both. Without a doubt, across the board, everyone liked the real banana better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I mean, I've got an avocado in the fridge. Wish *I* did. I'm on the forced plateau part of my diet so CAN eat avocado. I'm just waiting for the money to run to the store to get some! And then they always need to ripen it seems. It may be days before I get one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 My breasts don't contain any liquids with nutritional value -- never have, never will. Given that unfortunate fact, I find baby formula quite redeeming, thankyouverymuch. :glare: Agreed, same here. We do whats best for our babies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I just went from breastmilk to table food. They ate quite a bit of oatmeal (normal unsweetened, not baby version & I'd mix it with smashed fruit) and smashed foods like sweet potatoes, squash, applesauce, etc. Oooh, and yes, my children loved avacado. My kids were exclusively breastfed until 6mths. By 9mths they were totally on table food. I never gave my kiddos milk either (gasp). They had calcium fortified orange juice and water. They just didn't like milk. Brain must have gotten enough fat because they are healthy and smart. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abreakfromlife Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I didn't say no one should feed their child formula :tongue_smilie: I said I personally wouldn't because I do make milk, and when I did dry up I switched over to food and milk. Obviously some people do need formula. Actually my first one was formula fed - I got mastitis when she was 1 month old and it hurt so bad to nurse her and everyone told me to just give up and wean her. That still makes me mad. But anyway, the OP is bf, and since I bf, in that context I was saying that since breastmilk is nutritionally better, I wouldn't supplement, or switch over to, something that was, in comparison, pretty much nutritionally void. Obviously if it's starvation or formula, formula is the choice, and it does feed babies and help them grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 .......From then (5.5 mo), she nursed and would then *feed herself* whatever we were eating (minus the grains until around 1 year of age). Given the critical nature of iron and zinc, I wish I'd paid more attention to those nutrients (think red meat, organ meats etc). Oh and of course vitamin D. Everyone needs more: adults, babies (breastfed or not), children, elderly etc.... :) K You are quite right. Iron and zinc are critical to babies. My dd's iron was at the low end for a breastfed baby, so we gave her pureed organic meat as a first food. Her system couldn't take iron drops. It worked very well and LLL and WHO articles are very supportive of meat as first food for breastfed babies because the iron is so much more absorbable than iron in cereal. I know that wasn't the Aubrey's concern, but just wanted to agree with you that iron is important. As for the cereal, we gave dd organic baby cereal to break up the meat. She loved the cereal, but now wants nothing but starches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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