Day 84: Starting Solids…don't judge!
I’ve been thinking about writing this post for like a week now. I know there are so many opinions out there on when to start solids, and I didn’t want those of you with strong opinions on the issue to judge me. But then I thought that I’m now pretty ok with the choices we have made for Abby and that should not hinder posting about said choices. So yes, Abby started solids at 4.5 months, and I don’t have a problem with it….after a bunch of doubting and a lot of reassurances from one of my mommy blogging friends. We’ve been giving tastes of solids for 1.5 weeks now and before I show you some cutie pictures of these adventures, I want to explain why we made the decision not to wait until 6 months.
All the current research out there says that a breast fed baby should wait to start solids till 6 months. I mean even our pediatrician goes by this. This is b/c once you start solids, a baby might want to nurse less and it’s very important for a baby to get as many nutrients from breast milk as possible at this young age. (And something important to remember is that solids should not replace breast milk and/or formula consumption.) But once we told our pediatrician that we’ve been having to supplement Abby with formula (about 4oz a day b/c Abby ate through my freezer stash, which was not that much since my boobs are broken at times) she even said that perhaps we could give Abby some rice cereal in the middle of the supplemented bottle. But if you remember from this, the pediatrician wouldn’t give us a definitive answer on what we should do b/c she wanted us to feel like empowered parents who could make decisions ourselves (something I’ve come to realize I appreciate about her).
So two weeks passed after the 4 month check up, and I started reading my Super Baby Food book, (I won this from Once Upon A Baby …she always has killer giveaways) and looked into what foods Abby could have now and how to prepare them ourselves as well as determining when it would be good to start. And I also read that it wasn’t imperative for Abby to have cereal before 6 months and that sweet potatoes, bananas, and avocados were great first baby foods.
Then one night about a week and a half ago, while I was giving Abby her formula bottle, she was more so playing with it after having 2 ounces, than consuming it. I looked at the hubs and said, “Do you want to try to give her bananas?” He shot up from his chair and quickly got to mashing a naner up. As expected, she spit out most of it and put her fingers in her mouth and played with it.
After we gave them to her, mommy guilt set in. Had we made the right decision? So we waited a couple more days before offering her any more…once we were confident in our decision that is. This was our reasoning:
Abby obviously wasn’t getting enough breast milk since we’ve had to supplement and she’s been obsessed with our food and she didn’t scream her head off with her first taste of solids and it’s not like we’re going to forget to keep her breast feeding/1 bottle a day schedule the same (see here…I write this b/c I still feel like I need to convince myself why we did this…).
So the next meal we tried sweet potatoes (no pictures to show of this one). Abby wasn’t down.
Then we tried rice cereal with a ton of breast milk making it almost soupy. We thought why not give it a try even if it wasn’t a necessity with solids before 6 months. She wasn’t a big fan and was more into chewing on the spoon, so we haven’t given it to her since.
So we are just going to continue with small tastes every day and watch Abby’s cues. And if we notice she isn’t breast feeding as much/having 1 supplemented bottle a day, we will pull back on this introduction and get back to the basics.
And for all you Judgey McJudgertans, keep your judgments to yourself…or at least don’t leave a comment with your judgments 
.
16 Comments to “Day 84: Starting Solids…don't judge!”
Leave a Reply
Lots of new mommies like to judge (heck! i did it way back when!) but I think it’s good to really understand your baby and understand what works for your family. Sounds like you guys are doing great.
by the way, that Abby is freakin adorable.
No judgement here!! My son is 4.5 months and has been having a little oatmeal mixed in with his nightly bottle. He does more playing with the bottle than eating….so I plan on starting some veggies soon too. Go with your gut girl!!
Well, if anyone wants to judge you, go ahead and send them my way. I started solids at 3.5 months and I EBF/pump. Our pedi was very supportive. I think (as a parent) you have to follow your gut. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you are doing. If she couldn’t handle the solids, she would let you know and then you could adjust as needed. You are wonderful parents and don’t let anyone tell you differently.
Abby is soo cute! You always have to do what works for you and what is right for your daughter, do not worry about people judging, they need to mind their own business!! Cute photos!!
I gave my daughter rice cereal @ 4 months old, Stage 1 foods by 4.5/5 months, and she was eating table food by 10 months.
I seriously think its ridiculous to follow the “guidelines” for all babies. I watched my daughter reach for my plate @ 4 months old and I knew she was ready for something more than milk. You cannot raise your child through a book because every child is different.
Way to go for following your mommy instinct.
I am SO judging you. What a bad mom. I can’t believe you are FEEDING your child.
You do what’s best for your baby… not all babies are the same so they clearly don’t eat on the same schedule. If she’s ready, she’s ready. Better solids than starvation, I always say. Okay… not always. Whatever. Go you.
we started alex on solids @ 5 months- i say meh to those that question it.
No judgement here. 4 months was the guideline for a very long time, I don’t see any epidemic of screwed up adults as a result. As long as she’s down, and you have no family history of food allergies, I see no problem. Glad to see she enjoys it so much!
None here. We started cereal at 3mo because it was either 1T of cereal or suppliment with formula (at the advice of our pedi). He still nurses the same amount each day. And he is a much happier baby!
Good for you Metta! You know what is best for your baby! I wish Teva liked avocados, but so far she’s not into it. She does like nana and sweet potatoes though!
Hi there! I’m not sure if you follow me or if you saw this post already but I just wanted to share it with you http://amothersworkisneverdone.com/2010/03/im-not-a-judgy-mcjudgerson/
I am NOT a judgy person and I can’t stand people who are. We do what is right for us and our children and that is all that matters. Keep it up and stick to your guns!
I read this and did a happy dance (no really, ask my fiance) because I don’t want to tell anyone that I have started feeding William rice cereal once a day for the past almost 2 weeks. Our pedi said that as long as there wasn’t a history of allergies we could go ahead and see if it helped his reflux. Some days he’s into it, and some days he’s not… so we don’t push it if we don’t have to. Hell, we may even try stage 1 foods by 5-5 1/2 months if he’s down (Gerber says that stage 1 foods are for supoorted sitters lol)… Every baby is different and has different needs. So if Abby needs solids now, give em! Just stay away from the peanut butter
I’m very anti-judging and anti-high & mighty. You do what’s best for your sweet baby and who cares what other people think! I nursed my baby until a few weeks ago at around 8 months and had been supplementing with formula at night since she was about 5 1/2 months. Every baby is different and it’s our overwhelming responsibility to figure out what they need and give it to them. Don’t feel guilty at all!!
How could anyone judge you on doing what Abby is cueing you to do? It seems like the time is right. Our ped told us to wait until 6 months too, but if Cedella is feeling up to trying an avocado at 4 months, I’m down!
Thanks for sharing and making the rest of us feel good about our decisions!
You know what? Vivian is 3.5 months and I’ve given her a couple of bites of rice cereal already. I feel she’s ready. She has also been doing more playing with her bottle than actually drinking it, she watches our every move while we eat, and she has little tooth buds. I figure every baby is different and so are their needs. I still won’t introduce “real” solids until 4 months (2 more weeks) but I don’t think very formula’d down cereal will hurt a bit.
We started solids (organic rice cereal) about a week before our daughter’s 5 month b-day. She was SO into it and loved it. Now she’s almost 6 1/2 months and we’ve had sweet potato, avocado, green peas and beets. I am making all her food, too! My only suggestion… take it or leave it… is that you often need to try something new quite a few times before your baby will know if they like it or not. So, if she turns up her nose to banana (or whatever), don’t give up on it. Try again the next day, and the next day and see if she changes her mind. Good luck and have fun!