When did you start feeding your baby food?

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lorioz

Saved 9/16/08 to The Mommy Club

When did you start feeding your baby food?

Here is the situation- my daughter is four and a half months old and I have just gone back to work- I can't seem to pump enough at work for her. We are almost finished the stock pile that is in the freezer. My doctor wants us to try to go six months of only breastfeeding- but I don't think we are going to make it. Has anybody got any suggestions or advice?

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justanerd1975 4 years 34 weeks

You breastfeed as long as you can and you don't let anyone else tell you how long you can or should do it, that makes me so irritated when doctors try to guilt women. I had 2 babies who were hungrier than I could provide for so I started thickening up their bottles with a few tablespoons of infant rice cereal to make a milkshake. At bedtime I would add in a couple more tablespoons. That made them happier :) No more screaming! :) I also started them on pureed fruits, and then vegetables, at that same time-- one at 31/2 months. The doctor we were going to said this was a horrible idea and would constipate him(it was my mother in law's idea and she had used it with all her kids)and when we switched doctors the next one said it was a great idea and to adjust the cereal amount and type if he ever got constipated(less cereal, switch to oatmeal or barley,etc.) I never had to switch from rice cereal or reduce the amount. It got to where they were eating the baby foods with instant mashed(made with breastmilk or formula)or with oatmeal(made the same way,with a bit of sugar instead of honey). These were the "recipes" our pediatrician gave us and they worked great. Good luck :)

karmasabitch 4 years 34 weeks

Jonah started eating Gerber barley and oatmeal at 5 months and he was fine with it.. lurved it, actually. A few weeks later he started all the usual stuff sweet potato, banana, etc. and he hasn't had any problems.

eu 4 years 34 weeks

Just like me, I had to give-up on the bottles. Anyway my daughter is 7 now and very tall and skinny. We steel have problems during meal time cause she doesn't particularly like to eat or drink water for a matter of fact.

sofi 4 years 34 weeks

Keep it up GirlC. That is very doable. I know many people who just skipped right over any bottles :)

GirlC 4 years 34 weeks

Wow seems like there is a lot of babies that won't take bottle. I gave up on Baby J and the bottles. Now at 5 months we figure it's only a matter of time before we start solids etc. I'm trying to transition her straight to sippy cup and having some success.

sofi 4 years 34 weeks

eu- I hear you. My daughter would only suck on me and nothing else for 3 months. I expressed milk at a month for bottle feeds and so I could get out- but nothing. It took a long time. she refused every type of nipple and even pacifiers. When we stated with cereal and spoons, she wouldn't even take the spoon for a long time. Off topic, I know, but many, many of us have been frustrated with feeding our little ones-especially in the early days. Hang in there, talk to your husband, and do what is best for all of you. Baby knows when mommy is frustrated and it doesn't make a good situation for anyone. :)

eu 4 years 34 weeks

lorioz consider yourself lucky your baby accepts to drink out of a bottle. My daughter almost starved during the 15 days prior for me to go to work because she refused to drink out of a bottle. Believe me we tried. We bought every available teats in the market and both my husband and my mother-in-law helped in the task, with no success. So I found myself travelling back home every lunch time to breast feed her. Anyway she began to eat baby cereal mix when she was around 4 and a half months. Hope this comment is of some help to you :baby:

sofi 4 years 34 weeks

Good luck! You have to do what is best for baby AND you! 5 months is perfectly fine for cereal. My son started a bit earlier because he was huge and was just hungry all the time. My daughter was a bit older because she was just fine drinking all day and didn't need anything else. I did use fenugreek which helped me produce more milk. Easy to find at a vitamin or natural foods store (Whole Foods). :)

lorioz 4 years 34 weeks

After talking it over with my husband we thought that it would be best to use formula when there just isn't enough milk throughout the day. Also we have got a nine day holiday coming up (in a week and a half) so we are going to us that time to start with the baby cereal.(She'll be five months by then) Thank you very much for your suggestions!

GirlC 4 years 35 weeks

J's 5 months and I'm going to try and hold out to 6 months but I don't see anything wrong with starting solids at four. Have you seen the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron? It's a bit overwhelming but the first chapters are great, along with a table of when to introduce what foods. At the back she tells you how to make your own food and how long it will last in freezer. Only part that I'm not fond of is the "nuts" chapter as doctors say not to introduce until a year. Also, not sure where you live but there's a product called More Milk + by mother love that I used and it helped increase my supply. Other helpers include Fenugreek, Thistle seed and yes beer! Not a lot of beer but one a day isn't bad.

lorioz 4 years 35 weeks

Thank you so much!

Brendelwoman 4 years 35 weeks

I was going to suggest formula as well. I think it is fine to start on cereal at this age, but it definitely won't be enough to feed her the whole time you are at work. At 4 to 6 months they can do 2 to 4 tbsp of cereal or pureed stage 1 baby food and 5 to 6 nursings. So try the cereal for one meal and formula for the others while you are working and then nurse/pump at night. Good luck! Let us know what you do.

bluesuze 4 years 35 weeks

Well, my kids had issues with starting solids. I think we started mixing cereal with formula around 4 months? Also if you have to supplement your breastmilk with formula, it's fine. I know your doctor wants to go the full 6 months, but your baby got so much nutrition all these months on breastmilk, don't worry if you have to switch to formula. You can still breastfeed at nights and pump and store when you can, although your milk production will go down the more formula you use. I nursed my kids for 5 or 6 months, then switched to formula. Let us know how it turns out :-)