Saturday, September 29, 2007

First Bites

Before Sophie was born I read in a few books that babies don't need solid foods for six months and that all their nutritional needs can be met solely from nursing (or formula). I was determined to wait the whole six months because of this and because I didn't want the smell of her dirty diapers to get exponentially worse.

Well, over the past month or so we've been having a few problems nursing. My milk production and let down is very temperamental and more often than not the milk doesn't come soon enough or fast enough to Sophie's liking. She's usually a calm baby, but when you mess with her food -- watch out. Several times a week I'd literally have to put her to sleep, then wake her just enough to feed her. She's a lot more patient when she's sleepy. I didn't want to supplement with a bottle because I was afraid my milk supply would dwindle and make the situation worse. I also wondered if she was getting enough because she would act mad when she was done eating. After she burps, she's just fine, so I'm wondering if she can tell the difference between hunger and gas pains.

Sophie had her 4-month check up right before we moved and the doctor said that she was probably ready to try a little rice cereal. "Ya right," I thought. I was determined to wait the six months. But as I watched her over the next week or so, I noticed that she really did seem to be ready. Developmentally, she's doing everything on the little "readiness checklist". She especially stares at us, totally enthralled, when we're eating or drinking something, and she loves to suck on ice cubes.

See what I mean:



Ok, this looks like we're being facetious. I really do try to feed her before we eat, but she really looks at us like that every time we put something in our mouths.

So this week we took the plunge, and I mixed her up some rice cereal. I used breastmilk, which made me feel a little better and I made it really, really soupy. Here's what happened...





Here's the second day. I think we have a winner. :)




So far I haven't noticed any change in diaper smell or frequency of feedings. She's still getting enough from mama with some extra treats on the side. :)

By the way, my friend (and fellow Etsyian) Chelsea made the bibs. Aren't they cute? I may have put them on backwards. I'm not sure, but they're cute either way!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't worry, the change in diaper smell/consistency will come. :)

With Jonathan, I'm pretty sure we waited the full six months before starting him on solids. Part of the reason for that may have been that he was 3-1/2 weeks premature, so he was developmentally a little "behind" others his age. I think the other reason was Cassia's absolute, no-holds-barred, steadfastly firm refusal to even think about starting him down the solids route before 6 months of age. I thought he was ready for quite some time, though, and was subtly pressuring Cassia to give in and begin a little early.

I think I wore her down with Emma: we started her at 5-1/2 months instead. :)

Now just wait until they figure out there's a difference between the food they eat and the food YOU eat. All of a sudden the grey stuff doesn't look so appetizing anymore.

Chelsea said...

those are the cutest videos of her. looks like she loved the rice cereal :) Yum.

As for those bibs, i don't really know which way is right or wrong to put them on, as long as they stay on, right?! I'd personally put them on that way so the softer part is touching their skin (i plan on feeding my kids in their diapers and a bib...)

She's looking more like you every day!

Mary said...

She loved it! That's great! What a cute girl! How is the unpacking going?

Unknown said...

Sophie is just adorable!!

My 7 1/2 month old daughter Annelie began solids at three months. I was going to wait until she was 6 months, because her older sister wasn't ready until 6 months, but Annelie would grab Gracie's food and shove it into her mouth. At 4 months, she even ate a meatball (which fell out my sandwich as I was holding her-- I couldn't believe my eyes, but she loved it!)

Now she eats anything you put in her hand.

As for diapers, its not that bad. I prefer these solid food diapers to new baby diapers any day!

Anonymous said...

Using breast milk for the rice cereal is a good idea. That's what I did, and both children loved it (like Sophie!). I had a friend that did just water, I think, and her baby wouldn't even touch the food. Though maybe that was also the baby's idea... :) By the way, Sophie just seems to get cuter and cuter all the time. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, and good luck with the nursing! It may be that she starting a growth spurt--sometimes it takes the milk a little bit to get used to the extra demand. :)

Dave & Chels said...

I was so excited to get Bentley on cereal, I gave him some the day he turned 4 months. I am still 80% breast feeding, but it's nice to have a break sometimes.
I love the second video where she is all giddy. (Or was she tired? Same thing, right?)

Andrea said...

Hey, I just bought a book called "Super Baby Food" and I like it a lot. If you want to go the whole natural route with food and make sure Sophie's getting all the nutrients, check it out. Congrats on the move by the way, my friend Jackie wasn't in town to help, but have you met her yet?

Julia said...

Sophie sure seems to be doing fine with adding the cereal. Its so cute to see their reactions to new things at that age.