Starting solids at 5 months
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Topic: Starting solids at 5 months
Posted By: whitewave
Subject: Starting solids at 5 months
Date Posted: 08 July 2009 at 8:50pm
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Campbell has been feeding every 2 to 2 1/2 hours for the last few days, and has been getting frustrated at the breast, and was making a lot of the signs that suggest a baby is ready for solids (like making little chewing movements when watching us eat); so we decided to try him on his first solids.
Last night we gave him a few teaspoonsful of apple, and he ate it willingly and seemed to enjoy it. I also gave him some this afternoon. However, now I'm worried I may have started too early, since I wasn't planning to start til he was 6 months old. Is it easy to misinterpet the signs that a baby is ready for solids? Is there a 5 month growth spurt? And for those who had premature babies (Cam was born four weeks early), how old were they when you started them on solids? I sound paranoid, please tell me if I'm worrying too much! |
Replies:
Posted By: kellie
Date Posted: 08 July 2009 at 8:56pm
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Loss of the extrusion reflex is usually a good sign they are ready for solids (pushing their tongue out if you try to put a spoon in)
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Posted By: crakars
Date Posted: 08 July 2009 at 9:00pm
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if you think he is ready - go for it! - even born 4 weeks early he would be officially 4 months by now - so should be ok - just remember to give milk first as that is still important.
We started DS at 5.5 months and he was born 6 weeks early - he was just ready for it and scoffs it like he is starving - just keep it simple - veges and fruit and baby rice -------------  http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: DJ
Date Posted: 08 July 2009 at 9:20pm
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sounds like he is ready - most people I know started a bit before 6 mths ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 08 July 2009 at 9:55pm
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Sounds ready to me too. Callum was 8 weeks early and we started him at 6 months real age because he was SO ready and is quickly catching up to his real age milestones anyway. I mentioned to our paed that we were going to start solids just before we did do it and she was supportive, I'm just taking things a bit more slowly than I would if he was born full term (sticking with fruit n veg and keeping it quite smooth).
Enjoy! This bit is lots of fun  ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 12:18am
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I was reading today to offer the milk feed & then offer food in half to 1 hour later.
I've just started this past week with plain homemade rice. Just blend til real smooth & then mix with water, kinda like making porridge & this keeps for 72 hours in the fridge. Reheats really well. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Mel&Kel
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 7:31am
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Whitewave it sounds like he is ready to me. We started Eva on solids about 2 weeks ago and am taking it very slowly in case of reactions etc. She LOVES it and can't get enough! ------------- Mummy to Eva born 11 Feburary 2009 and Charlotte born 18 April 2011 |
Posted By: Mel&Kel
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 7:33am
Aliasmum yay I am very keen to make my own rice and other cereals but wasn't sure how long I could keep them for. Are you blending the rice down to a powder and then cooking 1/4 cup of rice to 1 cup of water and stir constantly for 10 mins while cooking? ------------- Mummy to Eva born 11 Feburary 2009 and Charlotte born 18 April 2011 |
Aliasmum wrote:Posted By: Natalie_G
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 9:19am
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I started Arianne on soilds at 4 months just one teaspoon at a time, she is now on three meals a day about 2 tablespoons each meal. She only has solids after her formula, she loves solids. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 9:24am
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Joel started at 5 months...the only thing in the house was a couple of tins of pears I had just in case...he had about 6 teaspoons first meal, then later that day had the rest of the tin and the next day a full tin!!!! By the end of the week he was on 3 meals a day, a tin a time Leah was a month early and she was on solids at 5 months as well...they didn't consider her to be a prem baby so didn't adjust her at all. -------------  
 
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....no holding this boy back!Posted By: JessDub
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 9:42am
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Sounds like your son is ready!
I started DS at 4.5 months as he was hungry. It was that or formula top ups really. I have my Plunket book from 32 years ago and I was starting solids at 10 weeks under the guidance of Mum's plunket nurse. Six months is no magic number, it's just a general guide, baby dependent. ------------- 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 2:04pm
I started Kyle a week and a bit ago, he was right into it the first couple of days but has now lost all interest He much prefers to wake mummy up for 2 night feeds
The way plunket explained the age thing to me is that some babies are ready at 4 months but all babies are ready at 6 months, so they recommend 6 months so that babies that aren't ready aren't being force fed. Well that isn't really how she explained it but that was the general gist of it. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 2:22pm
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I started the girls at 4 and a half months they showed no signs of being ready. I just wanted to get the ball rolling. They took to it immediately. It was only a small amount of baby rice once a day so I never worried that it was too soon. Really it's only like getting a bit of thickened milk on a spoon. -------------  
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 8:00pm
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My DD is fully BF. I didnt think she was ready so only started her on solids at 6 months.
It took her a week to get into them, now she loves them. She has fruit for lunch and veges for dinner. Since introducing dinner this week she is sleeping through the night again so i am one happy mummy again lol.
I didnt even bother with farax. I made apples & apples/pear. Also kumera/carrot & pumpkin so far. I freeze it in ice cube trays. -------------  
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Posted By: whitewave
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 10:09pm
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Cool, thanks guys! Cam has had 3 days of 1 apple feed now, and enjoying it.
Aliasmum, I love the idea of making that rice meal, but was wondering about including iron in the diet. I bought some Farex to try, since it is iron-fortified, and I read that one of the aims of starting solids at this age was to start topping up the iron stores that are low in their body at this stage. Is there another option for including iron in their first solids? |
Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 10:17pm
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That's great that he's enjoying the apple!
Is Campbell full BF? If you're using formula with iron then you don't need to worry too much about this (according to our paed). If not, then you just include other sources of iron (meat, leafy greens, lentils, iron fortified cereal) by approximately the end of 7 months. Callum is still eating fruits, veges and just recently baby oatmeal and baby vanilla custard (both with fruit). I'll probably buy some chicken and puree that with some veges next week and maybe beef the week after .. we're taking things pretty slow for now  ------------- SJ Callum - Dec 2008 Daniel - Oct 2010 |
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 09 July 2009 at 11:20pm
Yep Melissa, that exact recipe I make it fresh for one lunch & then give 2 more after that & throw out what ever is left or give to the dog  as that is the 72 hours. I have a grinder & just keep going til it's smooth powder. I've used brown, this might be better than just plain white but obviously not as good as the fortified stuff but it's only a starter.
Oh 2 TB is a 1/4 cup basically ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |