Read Introducing Solid Foods To A Breastfeed Baby Part 1 First before you read this part 2.

Happy birthday baby! Six months old – time for your first bowl of cereal? Not so fast! Follow your baby’s cues. Is he interested in the foods you eat, and reaching for them? Is he sitting up unsupported? If so, go ahead and mix up some rice cereal. A tiny amount is all that’s needed for the first feeding; mix it with expressed breast milk. Place it on baby’s tongue, and watch what happens. If he swallows it, great! Give him some more.

If instead of swallowing the cereal he shoves it back out with his tongue, you may need to wait. It’s certainly possible that he just doesn’t like rice cereal, but it’s far more likely that his tongue-thrust reflex is not yet gone. The presence of this reflex tells you he’s not ready to be spoon-fed. Try again in a week or so, but don’t push him.

It’s certainly true that not all babies like rice cereal, the recommended first food. Try oat cereal, or progress onward to bananas – most babies like bananas, especially the homemade variety. Many parents prefer to make baby food at home rather than using the jarred foods; others invest in special foods certified to be organic,chemical-free, and free of additives. Use your own judgement.

Homemade baby food is less expensive than store-bought jars, but keep in mind that unless your produce is certified to be organic, it’s just as prone to chemical contamination. Depending on the source of your ingredients, jars may actually be safer. No matter what type of food you choose, introduce one ingredient at a time, waiting several days before introducing a new one. This allows time to monitor the baby for possible food sensitivities.

Whether you feed the baby before or after nursing is a personal choice. Some babies prefer to nurse first to take the edge off their hunger; others dive right into the solids then enjoy a nursing session to top them off. It doesn’t really matter, as long as the baby continues to get plenty of breast milk. For the rest of his first year, the baby should receive most of his nourishment from the breast – solids are incidental. At this point you’re giving the baby solids to teach him to eat other foods, stimulate his tastebuds with the different flavors, and give him a new opportunity to express himself by dipping his fingers in a bowl of strained peas. Playing with food is an important part of this experience; the textures are as fascinating as the flavors.

When the baby develops a “pincer grasp” – the ability to pick up small objects between his thumb and index finger – he’s ready for chewier items like oat cereal or crackers and other finger foods. The presence of teeth isn’t an indication of readiness; even a baby with no teeth can gum these foods if he’s truly ready for them, and a toothy baby who isn’t ready may choke and sputter. Never leave a baby unattended when eating finger foods, even if he seems quite proficient.

Don’t be in a rush to offer solids to your baby. They’re rarely needed before six months, and aren’t essential for up to one year of age. Let the baby be your guide; follow his lead and pay attention to his reactions and possible food sensitivities. Babies nurse because they need the milk – increased nursing demands happen for a reason and shoving a spoonful of cereal in the baby’s mouth can interfere with a successful nursing relationship. Be patient. Before you know it, the baby will be eating everything in sight and you’ll look with nostalgia upon the days before you were buying Happy Meals.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. “Exclusive” means that not only does the baby not receive formula, but he isn’t supposed to get any solid foods either. What happens next? What solid foods should be introduced to the baby, and when?

Many people think that six months is a long time to wait before introducing solid foods to a baby. It’s quite common for parents to thicken a bottlefeed baby’s milk with cereal in the hope that he’ll sleep better, spit up less, or go longer between feedings. The desire for a better night’s sleep is understandable, but this practice interferes with a baby’s natural feeding schedule and may trigger allergies. Solid foods should be just that – solid. If a baby is too young to eat cereal from a spoon, he’s too young for cereal. Babies demand to be fed because they need milk to help them grow.

Breast milk, as you might have heard, is the perfect food for babies. It contains everything they need for the first six months, and solid foods are not required. Some parents may rush the introduction of solids because the baby seems “too hungry” – this is generally due to a growth spurt, and what he really needs is to nurse more frequently to build up the supply. Pushing solids can sabotage the breastfeeding relationship, because it interferes with the natural process of supply and demand.

Even the innocuous rice cereal can trigger allergies because babies’ digestive systems are still developing and don’t have the defense mechanisms to fend off potential allergens. No food is completely hypoallergenic, but breast milk is the closest you can get. In fact, if there’s a history of food allergies in your family, you might even want to wait longer than six months before introducing solids. Has your breastfed baby shown a sensitivity to items in his mother’s diet? Some babies who seem prone to allergies thrive on an exclusive diet of breast milk for up to a year of age!

Continue to Introducing Solid Foods To A Breastfeed Baby Part 2

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