11/6/11

Baby Milestone: Is She Ready for the First Solid Meal?

It was such good news to hear when the pediatrician advised us that SI can already eat solid foods! JF have been asking me a few months back, when would be the right time to proceed. From my experience with SJ, we started feeding her when she was 6 months old and that instantly became my benchmark. So, it was a really pleasant surprise when our 5-month old already got the green light to chow down.

Another milestone: SI's first treat

Due to the early permission from the doctor that SI can now start eating, I've gathered information with regards to this topic.  I learned that besides the 6-month-old age factor, your baby can have solid food as soon as she reaches 4 months. Below is a checklist of the other factors in order to determine the readiness of your little one. Join me in trying to find out if our babies are certainly ready for the first tasty experience.

Getting ready to eat

1. Your baby's weight should now be double as compared to her birth weight. Additionally, she should be at least be 13 to 15 pounds.

- Check! SI's birth weight is more than double. She was 3.5 kg at birth and now she's weighing 7.5 kg. This current weight when converted is equal to 16.5 pounds.

First try at eating

2. Your baby should be able to sit with your support. At the same time, she should have full control of her head and neck. Being capable with these will enable your baby to show you if she still likes to be fed or not. If she wants to continue feeding, she can lean forward. If she doesn't, she can instantly turn her head and body away from the food. 

- Check! SI can definitely sit on my lap with her back being supported by my torso. It is noticeable that her neck and head muscles are strong! I remember that despite being only a few days old, she was able to move her head from right to left and vice-versa when lying down.

Getting the hang of mixed veggies

3. Your baby should have gotten over the Extrusion Reflex. If this is still being exhibited by your little one, you might assume that she doesn't like the food because she is spitting the food out of her mouth. Try to spoon feed her several times and if this is observed, she might not be ready yet.

- Check! I tried spoon feeding SI with dry cereals and was so delighted to see her enjoying her first eating experience. She was even chasing the spoon which indicated that she likes what she's having.

SI's third spoonful

4. Your baby can't get enough of either formula or breast milk. If formula fed, she won't be contented with 32 to 40 ounces of milk per day. For breastfed babies, on the other hand, 8 to 10 times won't be enough on a daily basis. She also demands for milk more frequently as compared before. Three-hour interval now seems like eternity.

- Check! SI is really a formula milk monster. She can down 8 to 10 feeding bottles with 5-ounces of milk in a 24-hour period. Sometimes, she complains and still asks for a 3-ounce bonus. We would often find her asking for more even after more than just an hour or so had passed. 

5. Your baby can hold an object and bring it towards her mouth.

- Check! SI grabs and tries to bring into her mouth bibs, toys, wash cloths and even her hand.

6. Your baby is very attentive when she sees other people eating or drinking.

- Check! When SI sees us eating, she can't keep her eyes off us. She would even imitate the way our mouths move.

SI's expression after her first tasty experience

Going through this checklist, I am certain SI is ready to have her share. There's just one thing I am hoping would happen.  I truly hope SI would inherit the eating habits of JF and not mine. I have been a picky eater who prefers meat over veggies. It's unfortunate SJ was able to adapt this, though I hope there's still time to fix this up. We've already agreed beforehand that JF would be the one responsible in setting a healthy eating example to the kids. Maybe, I'll be converted too... in time.

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