calling all the moms!

[Judy]

My experience was also that I needed to feed the baby what worked and got him full (which breast feeding did not.) I did not have insurance or a pediatrician, only a FP doc who concerned himself only with routine exams and shots and such, but I am a nurse and we also worked together. We did chat about food at one point, and I learned that he believed in switching them to whole milk much younger than my reading was telling me to. (No, not two weeks; I don't remember any more; 7 or 8 months, I think; probably different now, anyway.)

A bit of cereal won't make her sleep better if it gives her a tummy ache. I have heard this claim before and have my doubts about it. Try it if you want, carefully. You'll get annoyed at the nipple problem, too, as someone else pointed out. I think my poor kid started drinking from a cup as young as he did because he got annoyed with nipples that either didn't work or drowned him.

 

[cheryl98117]

Ok now that the little one is asleep... hehe

Every child is different, what works for one might not work for another. My best advice would be to try it, and if it works then GREAT! And if it doesnt, well chalk it up to a learning experience. My DD has been eating mushed up solids sence she was 4 months old... And BOY does she LOVE to eat real food... I think the only thing that I have not given her is honey... And thats because of botulism(sp?) risks... I did BF but unfortunatly I dried up when DD was 3 months old.

Just keep trying different things to find out what works for your little one and also for yourself...

Im so glad for you that she has been an easy baby, not everyone gets to be that lucky. Enjoy your little one, and never be ashamed to ask for help if you need it. It can be VERY diffacult with a new baby, one day things will be fine, and the next, well you just might not know what to do.

 

[card5640]

I've always followed the no food in the bottle rule ( asperate) and no food till 4-5 months old. My 10.5 pounder and 9.6 pounder and my 7.5 all grew fine and were fed on demand ( breast only) until they were about 5 months old. Congrats and good luck.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Quote:

 

[speckledhen]

Ok, let's not get too snippy with each other, folks, please.



Not disagreeing or agreeing here, just telling what I did:
I was a rebel. I never fed my babies commercial formula at all, but made my own from a health food book (Adele Davis's "Let's Have Healthy Children"). They didn't eat till about six months or so. That said, there are different ways to do this baby-feeding thing.

 

[fowler_chick]

Breast feeding is the best but yes that's not the point here......my youngest son was a nicu baby, he was very little when we got out of the nicu and brought him home i did keep a can of formula on hand and yes..rice cereal too! on a 8 oz bottle i stuck in about 4 table spoons of cereal.....from 8 pm to 8 am jacob would only wake up twice to nurse and be changed.......at 18 months he's a bottomless pitt.....jake just polished off 3 home made corn dogs and a 2 cups worth of tator tots!!!

 

[mom'sfolly]

I think the big issue with very young children is undeveloped digestive systems and the risk of developing food allergies. I breastfed, and started giving my children "solid" food at about 5-6 months. By that time they were actively watching us eat and wanting something other than milk.

Do what is right for you, but keep in mind your friends' experience is limited to the few children they have raised and your pediatrician has been through the raising of thousands of kids, but not first hand. Also keep in mind colicky babies start at about 6 weeks, so this might not be the best time to start a new food.

It looks like you have few issues now. Why rock the boat?

Most babies don't sleep through the night until they are about 8 weeks old, some older. Best for baby works out to be best for mom in the long run. The short run can feel like hell's fury.

Good Luck.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Actually, I did, too. Probably from the same book; I don't remember any more, but it sounds very familiar. I remember buying huge quantities of real plain yogurt, and lactose from the pharmacist. He finally asked me why I was buying all that lactose, saying he needed to know. (He had guessed I was making formula.) That's how I learned it is also used to cut heroin.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Mine got cereal at 3 weeks old...all 3 of them. They just didn't seem satisfied on my breastmilk alone. I am top heavy anyways but when I was nursing they were engorged like elephants but none of my babies still seemed to get full so I put them on cereal and that worked like magic. Never had any complications from it and my babies seemed to do 100% better on cereal than breastmilk alone.

Our pediatritian will tell moms to add some cereal at a couple weeks if they don't get satisfied from milk. I know of a baby who was put on it at one week and she is just fine and a fat little piggy

 

[Judy]

oops, double post, sorry