We Started Solids!

Last night was the big night...we started solid foods! We started with the recommended rice cereal mixed with warmed breast milk. In the beginning, it is suggested that you serve up smooth and fairly runny foods so I am not sure whether my daughter realized there was rice cereal in there or if she thought I was just feeding her breast milk with a spoon! Anyway, Lilah gobbled it right up (about a tablespoon) while her daddy caught it all on video. I had a hunch she was going to be an eager eater...she didn't even make any strange faces!

I had originally planned on lunchtime feedings for the first week (it is suggested you offer solids once a day for the first week), but because both my husband and I wanted to be there, we decided to start out with dinnertime feedings. The literature out there is somewhat confusing when it comes to the timing of starting solid foods. Some books note that you should wait until after a milk feeding so as not to reduce the amount of milk baby is eating. Others suggest feeding before milk so baby is hungry (but not too hungry). I didn't do either. I breastfed Lilah and served up the rice cereal about 45 minutes later. The rice cereal must have kicked her metabolism into high gear because she wanted a top-up of milk shortly after the cereal. Introducing the cereal certainly did reduce the amount of milk she had because she then fed again at bedtime as usual.

We are going to stick with rice cereal for the next couple of days and then move on to carrots, sweet potato, rutabaga, pears, and applesauce. I plan on making all of my own baby food and can't wait to get cooking!