ARE YOU READY FOR SOLIDS BABY?

It was one fine morning I got up to realise that, OMG! Giselle slept through the night. Yes, she did! My little girl used to get up every 2 hours for feeds at night which made me think that I would never be sleeping again. Have you heard the saying "Mothers don't sleep", Oh yeah! ask me :). Then one FINE MORNING, I got up to notice that it was 8:00 and my daughter was still asleep. I had not heard a single squeal or crying at night and for the first time after I had her, I got the best sleep ever.

But wait... before my excitement could reach any further and after almost half the world got to know that my daughter was sleeping through the night (Hell yes! mothers like to share these things to the world) Giselle wakes up again, 3 times at night :(.. So much for the excitement. I could not figure out what the problem was. I kept thinking that probably it was the gas that was waking her up, or is she feeling cold, or is she having a bad dream, or maybe she's teething, when my mother told me - 'I guess she's getting hungry, start solids for her' (in a demanding tone).

Giselle was exclusively breastfed till then, so introducing solids to her was kind of freaky to me. I was all alone in this foreign country not knowing what to do next. Should I really start solids for her? Is she ready yet? What if it causes a reaction or what if she chokes? Questions, questions questions... Why do I have so many questions all the time????.... So I decided, 'lets go online and see what the world has to say'. So I browsed through all the websites, blogs, forums. I got a number of views, comments and advices on starting solids. But none of them told me what was good for 'Giselle'... Damn!

I was such a skeptic when it came to feeding her solids that it took me almost 3 weeks to get a spoon of rice cereal into Giselle's mouth. So I started off with rice cereal. Oh yeah, before that, the sites I had checked on when to introduce solids to an infant, gave me a lot of pointers. But I went ahead with pure instincts - 'motherly instincts'. All I looked for in Giselle was if she was a supported sitter and if she could digest her food. After all my baby was hungry and I needed to do what was right for her.

When your baby is ready for solids (based on Giselle and the way she took it). Again remember all babies are different.

Here I go again, 


When your baby is ready for solids:

• See if your baby is sitting well when supported - her head is still gonna wobble and if u leave her she for sure will fall. All you got to see is if she is sitting when u support her.
• She is hungry even after a normal feed of milk or formula - if you think your baby is still hungry even after u have fed her milk or formula. 
• She can swallow food - yes she is going to have a pushing reflex when she takes her first bite. Remember babies are so used to sucking for their food so they are gonna do the same when u introduce a spoon to them. Just listen if your baby is making a gulping sound and have patience.. she's gonna get the knack of using the spoon some day soon.  
• She poops well - if your baby is having a bowl movement once a day after she has eaten solids then she is good to go. Remember that baby poop can change once you introduce solids to them. They become a lot more stinky, the colour will change and yeah its gonna be a little hard, not as runny as it used to be.

Things to watch out for:

• After introducing a new food to your baby, wait till she poops. See if she is taking it well. If the food comes out as is then your baby isn't digesting the food well. Stop then and there, wait for a week or two and try introducing it again.
• If your baby's poop is frothy in nature then its time to call your pediatrician.
• If your baby is pooping black. Call your pediatrician immediately.  
• Look for any allergy like symptoms. Allergy's occur within 24 hours after you have introduced a new food. I would wait for 2 days to see if my baby is allergic to a certain food or not.  It could be anything. If your baby is reacting in an unusual manner then it could be the food.

Do not worry about:

• Your baby's poop colour will change. It used to be a very nice yellow colour before, but not any more. If you feed your baby carrot she is gonna have some orange spots in her stool, If you feed her spinach, you'll see green poop. What more variety, try feeding her beetroot's :)...
• She is not eating everyday. Yes! babies sometimes tend to not be in a mood just like we adults. So cut them some slack ;). Giselle would be a very good eater today but tomorrow she will not even look at food. Very normal!. Don't force them. 
• My baby eats everything, I fed her spinach today, she loved it. Wait, don't blow the trumpet yet, their are chances that she may not eat it tomorrow. Babies have moods too, lolz. Don't worry.. if she is not taking it today, give it some other day
• My baby does not eat anything. There is a time where your first attempt with a new food may be disappointing. She will make a big fuss and refuse it. Don't worry.. She may not like it today, but there are all chances she will like it tomorrow... Babies and Moods, are you Serious!
• If you have given your baby spinach she may have runny stool. Remember spinach regulates bowl movement. So introduce spinach in a very small quantity. Please wash spinach properly before use. If not clean it can cause your baby to fall sick.

What food do I need to start off with:

There are loads of foods in the market today. Start off with:

First foods or stage 1 foods: These food are all pureed and are single type foods

Under these you can find veggies, fruits and cereal (no dairy or meat)

• Fruits: Banana, Apple, Pears, Prunes
• Veggies: Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Green beans, Peas, Squash
• Cereal: Brown Rice, Oatmeal and Barley

Do not feed honey or cows milk to your infant till the age of 1 year. They can 'coz allergies and make your baby every sick. (Thanks Natasha for reminding me, its an important point)

Many mothers like to go the safer route and introduce fruits first as there is less risk of allergy.

So what did I introduce first to Giselle. I did rice cereal. She did pretty well with rice cereal the very first day so we continued with that. When we visited Giselle's pediatrician he told us to start her off with some veggies. So I gave her carrots. Today Giselle eats - Carrots, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, spinach, Squash , Banana and Avocados (yes! try them, they are a big hit in our house) and of course rice cereal.

We started Giselle on solids when she turned 4 months, but many parents wait till after 5 to 6 months to introduce solids to their babies. It all depends on you as a mom and whats good for your baby. Trust me, trust your 'motherly instincts'

Giselle's schedule at 5 months:


8:00am : Breast milk
10:00 am: Fruits  (introduced only banana for now)
1:00pm: Veggies 
3:00pm: Breast Milk
6:00pm: Breast Milk
8:00pm: Rice Cereal or some veggies
10:00pm: Breast milk (thats 'coz she sleeps after she drinks a little bit of milk)
Night wakings: Breast milk


I started off by feeding Giselle rice cereal once a day. That was at 4 months, then gradually increased it to two feeding. I just introduced fruits to her in the mornings.

I will be posting a few homemade baby recipes for you. I Promise, soon :)

If this post has helped even 1% of the mothers out there. I will be the most happiest mother out here. Do leave comments moms. And if you have any knowledge to share please go ahead a do so.

Note: 

• Breast milk or formula are the main source of nutrition for babies till 6 months old. So do not substitute solids for milk or formula.
• If your baby is not eating the food when you introduce it for the first time, try pureeing it with breast milk or formula. Chances are she may eat it.
• Try introducing 2 tbsp at the beginning and then increase the quantity
• I give Giselle water (say about 1oz) after every feed. It helps regulate her digestive system. I would suggest you give water to them as solids can be a little hard on their system. Rice cereal can get babies constipated and water can help.
• Everything I have written here is based on how Giselle did with solids. I say it again, all babies are different. 
• If you think something is wrong and you are not confident to start solids for your baby, please don't. You need to be confident when you take this big step.
• Ask your pediatrician before you start solids for your baby. An added advice wont hurt.
• I used 'she' as a gender in this post. Its only because I have a daughter. If I had a son then for sure it would be a 'he' :)