When to start preemies on solids. Adjusted age? Actual age?

I have a while before I need to worry about this, but not too awful long! Did you start your preemies on solids at actual age, adjusted age, or somewhere in between? Why or why not?

Thanks!!!

 

We started ours on solids at 4 months actual The Dr gave us the go ahead so we did...we figured its just practice when you first start anyways

 

Did you start just rice cereal, or fruit and stuff?

 

I haven't adjusted, but all of my kids started solids at 4 months of age according to my peds recommendation. Not one of the 5 cared for plain cereal, so we moved quickly to veggies and fruits. Bottles first, and then solids about 1.5 hours later. I started with one meal, dinner, first, and by 6 months, they were up to 3 meals a day. Hope that helps!

 

Mine didn't lose their tongue thrust reflex until they were pretty close to 5.5 months (or ~4.5 months adjusted). I would put just a spoon with a drop or two of formula on it to see what they would do from about 4.5 months on. I didn't start solids until they had pretty much dropped that reflex.

Here's the article that kind of explains it: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

eta: we tried baby oatmeal for 3 days, and neither kid was that into it. I tried butternut squash and sweet potatoes next, and they LOVED them. After that, I've just been alternating a new fruit and veg every couple days, or trying a new mixture (like avocado and peaches together).

 

Mine werent preemies but we didnt start solids until 6 months of age.
Id go by their signs that they are ready to begin solids:

S/he is at least 4 months old.
S/he can sit with support, allowing her to lean forward when she wants another spoonful and backward to refuse.
S/he has control over her head and neck muscles and can turn her head to refuse food.
S/he has stopped exhibiting the extrusion reflex when you put a spoon in her mouth.
The time between feedings becomes shorter and shorter over a period of several days.
S/he can bring an object in her hand directly to her mouth.
S/he shows interest in others eating around her.

 

We started cereal once a day when our girls were 4 1/2 months actual age. Our girls showed many of the signs of being ready for solids. One DD started eating it right away and it took our other DD about 2 weeks to start liking it. They are just getting one serving a day of rice cereal. We'll up it to two times a day soon and maybe will try another kind of cereal and then move on to veggies.

I don't feel that I have enough knowledge yet on solids... I'm still searching.

 

When I took the girls in for their 4 month (1 month adjusted) appointment, the pedi said that when they watched us eat and seemed interested in food to go ahead and start solids. I never saw the signs so when I took them in for their 6 month appointment (3 month adjusted), she asked me what food they were on. I said, "You mean solids?" They were only 3.5 months adjusted age and I know their solids aren't necessary until 6 months. She said that we needed to go ahead and start solids though. That surprised me. She said that they go by their real age for when they start. We started on rice cereal about a week after that appointment and stayed on that for a month. Kate took to it right away, but it took about another month for Hannah to want to have anything to do with it. After that month, we started introducing fruits and veggies. I'm taking them in for their 9 month (6.5 month adjusted) checkup in 2 weeks and I'm curious if she'll say it's okay to serve them foods that most 9 month olds are eating or if we should be introducing foods according to their adjusted age. I don't introduce food (i.e. mango, carrots) until we have reached their adjusted age.

Hope that helps!

 

My boys were born at 33weeks 1 day too! We used their adjusted age and introduced a new food once a week. Our ped wanted to take things slowly so we did. We started with rice cereal for a week, then the rest in this order: oatmeal, mixed cereal, green veggies, orange veggies, yellow veggies, meats, fruits. By the end they were almost 10 months and starting on finger foods. It worked well for us, but there is no right way to do it!

 

our pedi told us we could start when they were just shy of 6 months actual which was 4 months adjusted. i felt like i knew them better since i'm with them every day and i could tell they hadn't lost the tongue thrust reflex yet, so we waited another month. so that was probably 5 months adjusted, 6 1/2 months actual.

 

We started trying at 4 months actual age with soupy rice cereal. Mason probably would have been fine, but Logan wasn't ready. He was still doing the tongue thrust thing. So I just kept trying every once in awhile until he was ready at just over 5 months actual age. They didn't ever really like rice and seemed to do better with oatmeal, fruits and veggies. It was after 6 months before they were eating enough to amount to anything. We started with dinner as well, then breakfast at daycare and eventually lunch.

I would also suggest introducing prunes early (just a bite or two to see if there is a reaction) if they start gobbling up cereal or bananas it's an easy way to help prevent constipation. We had a couple of episodes before we introduced prunes and then started giving them a couple big spoonfuls of prunes with each meal and had no more problems.

 

I waited until they were 6 months actual age, based on ped recommendation and my gut feeling. I wanted to make sure their tummies were ready for it. Nate was more than ready, but Jack was more reluctant, so I'm glad I waited.

By 6 months my ped wanted me to start solids to help them gain more weight, which kind of goes against what you read about breastmilk/formula being their main source of nutrition. But Nate has certainly gained quicker eating solids than he did on a liquid diet!

 

We just started with one of our girls last week. (4mths adjusted) She is doing so well, once a day after a feed we did rice cereal for 3 days and she loved it! I have just introduced her to cauliflower and parsnip today and she totally noticed it tasted different..abit unsure at first but then cleared the whole portion so so far so good.
I too am a little lost when it comes to weaning but am taking things very slowly so there is time to learn lol (I am secretly glad that my other daughter isn't ready yet, i will have it down by the time she is he he he)