introducing solids...Yikes!

I don't know why, but I am just not looking forward to starting solid foods, I guess it is just too convenient to bottle feed. But it is about that time, and I have a few questions. I have given them some soupy rice cereal a few times, and that went okay, but how often do you give them solids? With every bottle? Should I decrease the amount of formula? Do I give the bottle first then give some solids or solids then bottle? Also the teacher in the twins daycare suggested that maybe I should go straight to veggies with Sam since he has been getting cereal in his bottle for reflux. I'd like to be able to introduce foods at the same time, so should I give Emily cereal for a bit them start them both on veggies? I know there is a lot of questions, I guess that is why I am so weary about this whole solid food thing, can someone point me in the direction of some good info, especially on doing this with twins, or help me out a bit?

Thanks so much!!!
Catie

 

I don't know why, but I am just not looking forward to starting solid foods, I guess it is just too convenient to bottle feed. But it is about that time, and I have a few questions. I have given them some soupy rice cereal a few times, and that went okay, but how often do you give them solids? With every bottle? Should I decrease the amount of formula? Do I give the bottle first then give some solids or solids then bottle? Also the teacher in the twins daycare suggested that maybe I should go straight to veggies with Sam since he has been getting cereal in his bottle for reflux. I'd like to be able to introduce foods at the same time, so should I give Emily cereal for a bit them start them both on veggies? I know there is a lot of questions, I guess that is why I am so weary about this whole solid food thing, can someone point me in the direction of some good info, especially on doing this with twins, or help me out a bit?

Thanks so much!!!
Catie

 

For my guys, the ped told us that at 4 mos, they were a bit tall and a bit thin for their age, so she suggested starting solids at that time. Here is what we have been doing for about 1 1/2 months:

6:30 AM - 2 to 3 Tablespoons Rice cereal or Oatmeal cereal mixed with 3 Tablespoons of formula, or as much as needed to make it a cream-of-wheat consistency. Then 6 oz of formula in a bottle.

10 AM - 6 oz formula in a bottle.

1 PM - 1 container of stage 1 sweet potatoes or another orange/yellow veggie. (For the first month they only got 1/2 a container each.) Then 6 oz formula in a bottle.

4 PM - 6 oz formula in a bottle.

8 PM - 2 to 3 Tablespoons Rice cereal or Oatmeal cereal mixed with 3 Tablespoons of formula, or as much as needed to make it a cream-of-wheat consistency. Then 6 oz of formula in a bottle.

They don't always finish all 6 oz of formula, but most of the time, they come pretty close (within an ounce or two).

Yes, adding solids does increase the over-all feeding time, but my guys are drinking their formula so much faster now than they did when they were first born that the timing all kind of balances out. You might want to think about moving up to a nipple with more holes so that they can eat the formula faster. I have one using an Avent #3 and the other using an Avent #4.

Good luck!

 

Our ped's stance is very casual about solids. No rush to start, anytime before 9 months is fine so we've been trying off and on but don't even really give them solids every day. I do follow the rule about only introducing one new food every 4 or 5 days to be sure they don't have an allergic reaction. So far we've tried bananas, sweet potatos and apples with or without rice cereal or baby oatmeal mixed in.

My girls aren't wild about any of them and still tongue-thrust quite a bit so rather than frustrate them (and me!) we just try occasionally and see if they seem any more ready.

One thing we do that I know alot of other folks here do is use just one bowl and spoon for both babies. I've been feeding them sitting in their Bumbos on the kitchen table. This is easiest for me since I can sit right in front of both of them and also feed myself at the same time.

Bottom line is they are getting all the nutrition they need from formula and/or breastmilk until they get closer to a year old so there is no reason to stress too much about it right now.

eta - i usually try solids before a bottle or about halfway thru so they aren't too full and i've been letting them dictate how much formula they want. Erin has been taking less (It's a struggle for her to finish 7 ozs) and Annie has been ramping up (takes 7 ozs easy, sometimes will take 9.

hth!

 

My pedi recommended starting with rice cereal - even though both boys have it in their bottles for reflux - then after 3-4 days, try a new vegetable for 3-4 days, then a new fruit and so on until they had 6 fruits and vegetables, then introduce oatmeal, then 6 more fruits and veggies, then barley...and so on.

He said just make sure that when they are trying a new food to test it several days, and to not let them have more than 2T per day until you are sure there is no allergy. After that time period they could have as much as they want.

For the first month I only fed them once a day - now they get it twice, I try the new food in the morning so I can watch for allergic reactions, about an hour after their first bottle - and at night they get two of their previously tried foods about an hour before their last bottle. If we are trying a fruit in the morning - then they get a cereal and veggie at night. If they are trying a veggie in the morning they get fruit and cereal at night. I don't worry about feeding them everyday if they are not interested as long as they try new foods for several days - and now that they are teething they are not as interested as much.

I make my own babyfood and they started out with an ice cube each (2T = 1 oz) in the morning, then moved to one in the morning, one at night. Now they each get a cube in the morning and two cubes at night.

We've tried (in the order we introduced them) Rice Cereal, Apples, Yams/Sweet Potatoes, Pears, Butternut Squash, Bananas, Peas, Oatmeal, Carrots, Peaches, Grean Beans, Plums, Cauliflower, Avocado (currently).

There are many different takes on how to introduce, in what order, what food, alternating v/s doing all veggies, then all fruit, find a book or method that works for you and your babies... just remember no citrus, pineapple, or tomato in the first year

 

My girls started with Rice Cereal at 5 months (ped oked for 4 months, but I wasn't ready). After doing rice for a couple of weeks, we started adding fruit & veggies, 1 at a time for at least 3 days. (I did them on one meal a day (evening)to begin with)

Then we switched from rice to oatmeal because of some constipation issues.


After we got thru all of the fruits & veggies, we added a meal (breakfast) At supper we added the meats/dinners (around 7 months)

We just kept adding on from there. Once they were comfortable with breakfast and supper and got into a predictable routine, we added lunch.

Now we are doing all table foods for supper and getting ready to transition lunch. (I'll miss sending baby food to the sitter, so convenient!)

Best of luck!

 

Thanks so much for the tips. I think I'll try the one meal at a time thing. It seems like we have a lot more time in the evenings, so we'll try the cereal thing for a while, and go thru the different foods in the evenings then add on a meal at a time. That sounds a little less intimidating!

I don't quite know if they are even ready yet, they both do quite a bit of tounge thrusting when I put the cereal in their mouths, but they eventually seem to get it down. It is quite a site!

Thanks again!!