Solids | Imamother

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 8:02 pm

I need help to know what to feed my baby to really start solids! She is 8 months and I feed her a couple of tbsp of rice cereal once every two days.... I know I should be feeding her more but I don't know what to feed her! Just feeding formula was so much easier, I don't know how to introduce any real pieces of food because I'm so scared of her choking and I'm so overwhelmed and don't make proper meals for myself so how am I supposed to make meals for my baby?
I've tried giving her pieces of cooked carrots and sweet potato but she gags/vomits even though it's soft! I'm too scared to try anything else but I also don't want to just feed her Cheerios and rice cereal every day because then she will get constipated.
I think I'm just asked for reassurance from experienced mothers of what exactly to feed her and how much and how small to cut up the food.
Please help me figure this out
I don't know what I'm doing...

Woman of Valor

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 9:17 pm

Try a week of JUST baby cereal twice a day, morning and evening.
Next week, mix in a pureed (baby food) vegetable, twice daily in baby cereal.
Next week, mix in a pureed fruit.

Once baby eats cereal with fruit/veg, I introduce yogurt. Eventually baby puffs and other stuff with doctor's okay.

Then slowly add other textures. I really liked a handout I got from the pediatrician. Gave me so much reassurance I was doing what baby needed at each stage.

chatz

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 9:49 pm

Not all babies are interested in solids at that age. Just keep that in mind. You offer but they set their own pace.

What you can try:
Avocado, banana - scrape with a spoon (I find this very convenient - no prep)
Soups, cooked vegetables - puree
Apple sauce (unsweetened)

Oftentimes, you can find something from your own supper that can be mashed for the baby.

Baby jars are convenient but you can also make your own purees from cooked vegetables or fruit.

Eta: an immersion blender is great for this.

Last edited by chatz on Wed, Jun 06 2018, 9:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 9:51 pm

She eats anything mushed up and pureed, that's not the problem so much it's more how much to feed her and how often... Also she has to get off of purees at some point and I keep reading that the later you do the more likely the baby will have sensory issues. I'm just scared of even letting her try real food like pasta or cheese or fruit... I just feel like I'm failing because I'm so behind in the process of introducing real solids. I've heard of baby led weaning and I wanted to try that but I'm just too scared of the gagging and choking. I actually did try it for like a week but she gags a lot and I'm very scared. She ate things like avacado and cantelope but I as too nervous to try chicken, bread and stuff like that. She is definitely interested in solids I'm just too scared to give her anything.

amother

Slategray

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 9:54 pm

Baby led weaning is really preferable imo. A small amount of gagging is normal with any new eaters. Gagging during meals at this stage is usually related to the new sensation, nothing to do with choking. Does your baby have low muscle tone? If not, and you're giving small pieces of soft foods, baby should manage well after a few tries.

amother

Seafoam

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 9:57 pm

amother wrote:

Relax mama. You sound very anxious. You need to give her more solids by now, but it’s ok, get on a regular schedule of meals working up to 3 meals a day plus formula. Stick to the purees for now they have levels on them. There are many guides online for starting solids.

SuperWify

Wed, Jun 06 2018, 10:04 pm

My baby wasnt interested in solids until about 10 months. What helped transition quicker was feeding him lots of baby jars twice a day with cereal mixed in. Snack was applesauce with cereal.
Slowly slowly I introduced real food and learned to feed him at his own pace- not the textbook or yentas opinions (which I got a lot of BTW).
Main thing is to stop stressing- he’ll eat when he’s ready too!