March 05, 2015
Our Plan for Starting Solids
Before I even knew I was pregnant, I was excited to one day be able to feed our baby food. Eating is one of my favorite things to do in the world (probably #1 to be honest). As a dietitian and food lover, I could not wait to share this with my future child. Fast forward about a year and my daughter Adalyn is 5 months old.
We first planned on waiting until she was 6 months old to start solids (per the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation). At Adalyn's 4 month appointment, her doctor said try to wait until 6 months but if she seems super hungry, you can start solids. I was pretty dead set on waiting until 6 months and then everything changed.
See, it is easy to say that you are just going to go by the books for everything. Baby won't sleep in bed with me ever. We will absolutely get her to sleep through the night starting at 10 weeks old, etc., etc. With a baby, following the exact textbook way does not always work out.
The reason that we decided to start solids early is because Adalyn went from waking up one time per night to eat to about 3 times. I was completely drained and exhausted. I was going a bit crazy because of sleep deprivation (my poor husband..). Even though my milk production is fine, she still seemed to need more. Also, Adalyn really started grabbing for our food at dinner which is another sign that they are getting ready for solids.
On Valentine's day, when Adalyn was 1 week shy of 5 months old, we started her on solids. After some research, I decided to skip typical cereals and go right to vegetables. Her first food was carrots which she loves!
For right now at 5 months old, Adalyn receives one meal per day at dinnertime while we eat. She has had carrots, avocado and green beans so far. My plan is to stick with the non-sweet vegetables (besides the carrots) in the beginning before moving onto foods such as sweet potatoes and fruits. I think that her next foods will be broccoli, spinach, asparagus, etc. She is still breastfeeding 6-7 times per day. Nighttime sleep is going better (right now at least...) since starting solids and increasing tummy time each day.
The first time that Adalyn ate, she seemed to like it but was pushing the food out of her mouth. Within about 2 days, she became awesome at eating. When she saw the spoon coming toward her mouth, she would open her mouth up wide and take the food in really well. Right now, she is eating maybe 2-4 tablespoons of food per meal.
I think that Adalyn likes being part of eating during dinnertime. She opens her mouth for more and shuts her mouth once she is done.
We love our high chair that we chose from Evenflo and are using the spoons with silicone tips. We were sent these super cute personalized spoons from the Etsy shop Distinctly Ivy (pictured in all these pictures!). These spoons have Adalyn's name on them and are affordable at $12.58 for a set of two. These would make a nice shower gift and would be especially good for babies who go to daycare.
This is what is working for our family. Please consult your child's doctor before starting solids.
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