Adventures in solids... So far!

Well when Jackson hit 5 months I really was back and forth as to when to start him on solids. I was not (and still am not) in any hurry. I think often people are so anxious to start solids they end up starting too early setting their babies up for problems like diabetes and obesity/overeating. A lot also believe that rice cereal will make their babies sleep through the night. The research I have done though says that is not true. Originally I had not planned on any at all until 6 months.

My doctor gave us the ok to start cereal at 4 months but I prolonged it and finally decided to start him at a little over 5 months old. He was showing signs of readiness for a while now so we thought we would try and see how he did!

We started with what is generally recommended and that is rice cereal. Well big mistake-- it made him sooooo gassy. I'm talking MAN farts. So smelly lol. So I switched him to oatmeal after about a week and he has done MUCH better ever since! We just give him about a tbsp of cereal mixed with an ounce of breastmilk. (We did an ounce and a half at first making it really soupy)

I've also given him some "real" food on occasion to chew on. So far he's had a bit of watermelon (with my mom holding it for him) banana, and bell pepper, all of which were hits lol. He also had some apple in his mesh feeder. He never actually ingests much if any of the real food. Usually my dogs get the majority after he has thrown it in the floor!

When he turns 6 months in a couple weeks we are planning on introducing some purées as well as more "real" foods (we are doing half of a baby led weaning approach-- google it if you haven't heard of it it's really interesting). Breastmilk is still his primary form of nutrition and it will be that way until he is 1. (Though if he wants to keep breastfeeding past 1 I am ok with that, I would like for him to be weaned by 18mo though).

As the saying goes... "Food before one is just for fun" and we are having fun with it!