Solid foods for babies

[dlaciv12]

Hi,

I am not sure where to post this so this seems as good a spot as any.

My wife and I are expecting our first child, a boy. We met with our pediatrician who gave us tons of reading material. Most stuff we have read recomends cereal for baby's first solid food and we would rather not. I was thinking ground almonds but really have no idea if that is right or what other options there might be. Anyone with real life experience here? We feel like our Protein Power pregnancy is experimental enough (still tough to kick that cultural habit) so we would love to hear from people who have gone through this too. We spent most of last night wondering what our prehistoric ancestors might have had and we figured their babies went right to whatever the parents were eating.

Thanks for all the help,
Dave

[laughingW]

Our 3 kids went right from breastfeeding to table food. I would cook everything "plain" and the adults could add spices and salt at the table. I could use herbs and things in moderation but no super hot things. The babies just reached for and tried everything (finger friendly). I even had one of those baby food grinders for the really tough things like meat but even that they enjoyed gumming.

One started solid food at 9 months, one at 6, and one at 5.5.

La Leche families are usually good support for this, at least they were back then.

[Mitra]

Dave, congratulations to you and your wife. There was some discussion of infant feeding recently in the PP Families section here (http://www.proteinpower.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2406).

[msgq]

Hello and CONGRATULATIONS!

Babies are amazing. I have three boys, with my third one celebrating his 6 month birthday today!

I invested in a baby food grinder, actually 2 were given to me. And, I just ground up whatever we were eating to give to the boys. (I do use cereal but only to thicken the fruit and veggies so they don't dribble down the chin as much. One box last a LONG time!) And, once they reach the point of baby food, it is okay to go straight to table food. (Also, I make my own baby food from fresh and frozen veggies. Very easy to do. Cheap. Healthy.)

One thing I can say is that as a parent use your judgment. You will get a ton of advice and that is all it is, advice. You are under no obligation to follow it. You will know what is best for your child. Go with your gut. And, when you are in need of true advice - call on the people you trust most. There you go, a piece of advice!;)

[pelhamga]

barley is better than rice cereal but not necessary
at about 6-8 months ,babies can eat just about any table foods
some parents start w/ scrambled eggs
I wouldn't do ground almonds til later

[Lucille]

there was a doctor on tv (Dr Philshow) who recommended mashed banana for first food, but i think you can use a blender and feed almost anything, mosty veggies and feeding meat a little later on.

[Relief]

I did put this in the other thread but will reinterate here: do NOT start with cereal. hard or soft boiled egg yolk mashed with a little cream is a great first food. aformentioned banana is good. scraped liver ( you scape it into a mush with a sharp knife) or other barely cooked meats ( use organic if at all possible of course). applesauce, though a scraped fresh apple is better . Avocado is also superb.

when they star to want to feed themselves ( much sooner than you think!) some good finger foods are mixed carrots and peas ( just thaw the frozen ones out --no need to cook!) avocado cubes, blueberries. stay away form the cheerios!

If you wait to start until about 6 months ish, then anything you eat is fair game. mashed up veggies etc. I NEVER used prepared baby food or cereal. I have 8 grown kids and 22 grand kids!

[msgq]

Dave, I've been thinking about this question of yours, and I have been reminded of my first few days as a parent. The one thing that I have learned from my short time - less than four years - as a parent is that everyone does it different.

You can have convictions about how to feed your child and I encourage you to follow them, but what if someone - maybe grandma - gives your child cereal or baby food? I had to realize that children are resilent. They will be okay if they eat something you may not agree with. They will learn to walk, play, have friends over, potty train, get into Kindergarten, go to college - even if they eat carbs as a child. Really, they will.

I was shocked at my third child because he is allergic to dairy. Where did that come from???? Long story short, I could not continue nursing and I had to switch to a hypoallergenic formula. That was hard, and costly, but my child is growing, happy, loving and he is fine. It would not have been my first choice, but it is what he can tolerate. Yes, I have to watch feeding him stuff like dairy, eggs, strawberries, nuts, etc, but in the end, he will grow and he will be fine.

So, take what you can from what you learn. Agree with some. Disagree with others. Then make an informed decision for you and your family. In the end, it will be okay.

I think the jist of your question is, "Is PP okay for my child?" I don't see why not. (I went against the flow of feeding children and gave my kids REAL milk at 8 months. Really. And you know what???? They are all just fine. Much to my SIL's shock!)

Good Luck and again, Congratulations. The fact that you are concerned with this and seeking guidance shows you will be incredible loving parents. And, in the end, that is what will make more of a difference than what is eaten!

[snapdragon]

A lot of the guidelines are just to be on the safe side for allergies. Egg whites, milk, honey, strawberries and peanuts are highly allergenic foods that you might want to avoid until your LO is older than 12 mos. The main thing to remember is that a baby is growing incredibly fast for the first 12-18 mos. and need extra vitamins minerals and fats. It's important to feed them plenty of Breastmilk/Formula along with the PP foods so that they don't become deficient in those first fast growing months. My youngest is almost 9 mos. and only this last month started wanting to eat solids and is still unable to chew anything not pureed to stage 2 jarred level. See what your baby wants and is ready for & keep in mind what they NEED and you will be fine! Congratulations!

[lczeledoc]

My 6 month old daughter, is very picky. She doesn't like fruit much. But she loves the meat and veggies puree that we blend for her. We make a stew with some beef or chicken and add squash (various kinds) or yams, peas, or carrots. And a little cod liver oil. She loves it. She didn't like egg yolk. She likes to suck on lemons!