April 17, 2009
Justice's first feedings;
Justice had his very first baby food yesterday evening. He is only 3 months old. Usually that is kind of early to start solid foods. I have had a real personal debate over this. Most doctors recommend starting solids at 4 months. Hippie super moms swear by waiting until the 5th or 6th month. What to expect and a few other sources online say to look for the signs that my baby is ready to start solid foods and go with my instincts. There is all kinds of research, facts, and opinions from all over the place to support and negate all of these suggestions. What is a mom to do?
I ended up going with my gut and his behaviors. I decided to get some rice cereal and some sweet potatoes and give them a try and if he rejected them that it was a sign that it was too soon. I actually expected him to reject the solid food. Here are some of the signs, according to What to Expect, that your baby is ready to eat solid food; 1) he can hold his head steady (Justice can do that)
2) He shows an interest in food (Justice has been watching me eat lately)
3) The tongue thrust reflex is gone (this is the reflex that causes baby to thrust his tongue forward and push out anything that is put into his mouth)
I mixed some breast milk in with some rice cereal and a bit of warm water until I got the consistency that I wanted, and strapped him into his new highchair, and gave him the first bite. He took to eating solids right away. When I started Griffin and Keira on solids, it took some practice on both our parts, but not Justice. He sucked down several bites of food, and then went on to eat an entire jar of sweet potatoes. I couldn't believe it. I was afraid he might get sick, but after he was through he nursed and went to bed without a complaint. Here are some pictures of his first dinner.
Today I fed him a lunch of a jar of squash and a few bites of pureed banana before his nap time, and he is, at this very moment, taking his first real nap. He has been quiet for half an hour now!!!! This is very exciting!!!! More on that later. I just wanted to share our somewhat unconventional first feedings story because I am sure there are other mothers out there with some of the same questions that I had. So far nothing about our little guys has been inside the lines. By the way, we have decided to feed him all organic, since we have gone mostly organic. It makes me feel good.
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