Baby Solids
How did we know Aria was ready for solids?
She was able to sit up (supported), was interested in our food, opened her mouth wide for bites, and could hold her head steady. She was also reaching for objects and bringing everything to her mouth. This happened for Aria at around 4.5 months.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests waiting until 6 months but our pediatrician said 4-6 months is ok to start. We were given a list of instructions at our 4 month visit.
What did we start off with?
We first started with organic Gerber baby oat cereal. We introduced that a few weeks ago (when she was 4.5 months old) and mixed it with breastmilk. Aria got very gassy so we bought some gas drops per our pediatrician’s recommendation, did leg exercises and belly rubs, etc. Really what helped the most was time. She got used to it slowly but surely.
This can be quite a challenging journey and is very time-consuming. We were told that we need to serve her the same food 10-12 times for a few different reasons: to see if she has any kind of allergic reaction, to see if she loves it (or can grow to like it or tolerate it), and to have them practice with eating properly with a spoon.
We are going to be making everything for her at home: homemade with love. We will be buying organic vegetables and fruits to blend. Elan learned in school that we need to start with vegetables because if we introduce fruit first - she will crave sugar and not want the vegetables.
Our Rough Schedule at 5 Months
This is a ROUGH schedule if everything were to go perfectly to plan.
Wakeup: Bottle of Breastmilk (I pump at the same time)
About an hour later: Organic Oat Cereal
Wakeup From Nap 1 / Lunch: Breastfeeding Session
About an hour later: Veggie puree
Wakeup From Nap 2 / Lunch: Breastfeeding Session
Before Bed: Breastfeeding Session
* I do want to note that Aria eats roughly every 4 hours. I pump in the morning when I first wake up since I am very engorged. I also pump right before I go to bed so I empty out before bed. There is NOTHING wrong with formula - fed is best in my opinion.
* We also don’t feed Aria solids or oat cereal before bed since her stomach doesn’t have as much time to digest the food and she gets gassy. It would cause her to wake up at night.
