What food do we start with?

We went for the 4 month visit, and the doctor said we can start solids - to start with rice cereal mixed with formula or breast milk, but I read that rice cereal can lead to obesity. Others say they started with fruit - any Moms speaking from experience have a preference of what to start with?
They're definitely ready for food - they watch me eat food and look interested - and they have great head support. They still do some tongue thrusting but I guess all infants do that at first, until they get used to being spoon fed?

I appreciate your inputs!

 

Our pedi recommended to start with rice cereal and then go with vegetables. I started off with carrots after a couple of days with the rice cereal. The tongue thrusting is normal until they get used to the spoon. Good luck! And take pictures!

 

We started with rice cereal, then moved to oatmeal pretty quickly because of the constipation issue. And I started all of the kids with veggies before fruit.

Don't forget the camera!

 

We started with rice cereal, then carrots. After that, I alternated adding new foods between fruits and veggies.

 

I also started with rice cereal, then veggies. My ped had told me that sometimes starting with fruit first gives them a taste for the sweet stuff and then they don't want to eat veggies.

 

I started with sweet potatoes but none of my kids were ready until 7 months.

 

We started with carrots, then we added a few more veggies (pumpkin, parsnip, potatoe) and fruit (apple, pear, peach, apricot), and only then did we start with oatmeal or millet cereal with fruit. For us the first stage of solids was more about textures and tastes and learning to eat from the spoon than any serious amounts of nutrition. Rice cereal is rather bland - mine never liked cereal without fruit. It can also lead to constipation issues for some babies which is why I prefer veggies and fruit as first solids. BTW: We also did not start with solids until they were nearly 7 months.

 

We were 4 mos, started with rice cereal and squash. As for the tongue thrusting, when you put the spoon in their mouth, gently put a lil pressure on the tongue, sort of holding it down. This encourages them to use their lips to clean the spoon off. I also did a spoon-paci method, putting the spoon in and and paci immediately following so that they would suck the food down. After a few feedings with this method, the would automatically suck and swallow when the spoon went into their mouths.

 

We tried cereal but it is so bland and I read also that it isn't as highly recommended as it once was. I doubt it 100% leads to obesity or most of us would be obese since it was such a standard around 30 years ago. I think we did orange veggies in the beginning but avacado very early. It has been called a perfect first food because it is so healthy and easily digestible. My kids loved it, especially mixed with banana. I used a food mill for mashing until they were older and could handle the chunks. You can mix in milk/formula to liquefy if necessary. I made all of their food after the first month or so.

 

I started with rice cereal for all 3 kids. When talking about obesity and cereal they are referring to cereal put in bottles. Not cereal fed by spoon. My girls hated the cereal and never really took it. But my son loved it. My girls didn't really take to the spoon very well so I would try every now and then, but didn't start offering them food consistently until 6 months. My son was totally different and took to the spoon right away, so by 6 months we were already giving him a stage 2 food 3 times a day.

Both times I started with a veggie after the rice cereal.

 

Thanks!
They've gotten the hang of the spoon-eating thing - we're still doing once a day - rice cereal mixed with either banana or applesauce. They seem to like it! I'm still using it as a supplement to breastfeeding though. They turn 6 months in a couple of weeks so I'll start with sweet potato and see how it goes. I guess I can try oatmeal and see. We have a few boxes of the rice cereal so I'll keep using that until they finish it, then we'll try oatmeal. It's exciting to start food, but I can hardly believe they are old enough to start eating real food! Time flies!

 

Glad it's going well! Just be careful with the rice cereal as it tends to bind them up. But with them once a day it shouldn't be too bad. When I noticed that was happening I just switched to oatmeal instead.

Wait til you start the other foods. What a mess! But worth it! Enjoy the new adventures!

 

My boys didnt do well with rice cereal (major constipated) so I switched to oatmeal. I started my daughter around 5 months 1 week on rice and had to switch to oatmeal. I also am breastfeeding. So I did oatmeal in the morning for a few days and then did oatmeal and a veggie. Around 5 1/2 months, I did oatmeal and veggie in morn and oatmeal and veggie around 5 before her 7:00 nursing session. Now I do oatmeal and a fruit in the morn and oatmeal and a veggie in the evening.

 

We started a week ago when they turned 4 months with rice cereal in the evenings. Mostly it ends up on their bib But that's fine, we're trying to get them used to a spoon not replace calories. After four days on rice cereal, I started them on oatmeal and we're going to stick to that for three more days. Then I'm thinking avocado and sweet potatoes. I've also heard that starting them on fruit can lead to a "sweet tooth." I don't know if it's true or not but I figure it won't hurt to start them on veggies.

I've been using the plum organics brown rice cereal and oatmeal and so far so issues with constipation. But we only feed once a day and only one teaspoon per baby (and most of THAT ends up ON them not in them).