Feedin’ the Bambino
When Gracie turned three months old, we started putting a little cereal into her bottles during the day. We did this with Bean to help him sleep through the night, but for Gracie it was to help with her reflux. She spits up so much that we put her on soy formula at the suggestion of her doctor. That formula is thicker and is supposed to stay down a little more. But the soy tore up Gracie’s tummy.
After trying it for a couple weeks, we went back to regular formula instead of the soy and started adding a little cereal to the bottle to thicken it up. We also cut her bottles back from 6 ounces to 4 ounces. We had to feed her more often, but the combination of smaller feedings and thicker bottles worked perfectly. She stopped spitting up so much and her digestive system went back to normal.
At four months old, we started giving Gracie cereal from a spoon. She took it like she’d been eating with utensils for years. Bean always had that darn tongue thrust that made feeding him a messy, frustrating ordeal. But Gracie instinctively knew what to do. After a week of just plain cereal, I started adding baby food to her routine. I remember with Bean I was so lost and worried about feeding him cereal and baby food. I was afraid I’d make the cereal wrong or that I’d mess up the order of the baby food I introduced to him. This time around, I’m much more laid back, but I thought I’d still document what and how we’re feeding her for any first-timers out there who are like me and need a step-by-step manual.
There are a lot of different methods and ideas for introducing your baby to solid foods, but Chris and I always default to whatever our pediatrician recommends and I strongly suggest you do the same. Pediatricians are great resources not just on healthy habits, but on practical ways to do things (like feeding your baby), so just ask if you have questions. Another great resource for advice and suggestions on feedings are your childcare providers, if you have them. They not only know your baby, but have fed lots of other babies, too. I always ask our daycare teachers what they recommend when starting a new feeding routine.
Gracie gets cereal and baby food twice a day (in addition to the 1/2 spoonful of cereal in each of her bottles to thicken it). We try to space them out so that they fill her up at optimal times. Here is her current feeding schedule:
7:00am – Wake up, 6 ounce bottle (bigger bottle because she hasn’t eaten all night)
9:00 – Cereal and fruit
10:00 – 4 ounce bottle
12:30 – 4 ounce bottle
3:00 – 4 ounce bottle
3:30 – Cereal and veggie
6:30 – 6 ounce bottle before bed
When she eats cereal and baby food, I start by putting one scoop of rice cereal into a bowl. I use a scooper from an old formula can just so we’re consistent with measurements.
(Side note: I keep her cereal in a Tupperware container because I like it to be airtight. Plus, it’s a lot easier to dip into it in the container than try to pour it from that little spout, which I always end up spilling…)
Once the cereal is in the bowl, I add a little bit of formula from a bottle.
You hear a lot that you shouldn’t make the formula too thick because you don’t want the baby to choke, but I make mine a little on the thick side for two reasons. First, it seems easier for Gracie to gum it when she can feel it. If it’s too runny, it just dribbles out of her mouth. Secondly, I keep it pretty thick because I add baby food to it and that adds more liquid and thins it out some. I’d suggest trying several different consistencies and seeing what your baby prefers.
Then, I add 1/2 a small container of baby food to the cereal. I mix them together because the cereal tastes pretty bad on it’s own and because the cereal gives the baby food a thicker consistency that seems easier for Gracie to eat.
Mix it all up good. When it’s done, it looks like the consistence of cream of wheat.
When feeding Gracie, I sit her in her Bumbo, but you can also put them in a bouncer seat or non-moving swing. Gracie sits on our kitchen table and eats during Bean’s two snacks (morning snack and afternoon snack), so we’re all sitting together. She likes to be part of the crowd. Also, I find using paper towels to clean her as she eats to be neater than using a burp cloth. When the baby food gets on the burp cloth, I end up accidentally dragging it across everything, getting baby food everywhere. With the paper towel, I just fold it over and wipe, fold it over and wipe, fold it over and wipe, and then throw it away. It seems to make clean up easier for me.
I put just enough in each spoonful that she can gum it, but not a whole spoonful. Otherwise, it’s too much and she just spits it out. She takes a little bit at a time and eats the whole darn bowl!
It’s a little messy, but Gracie loves it!
Every baby eats differently at different times, but this is what works for Gracie Girl. With her reflux, eating has never been a pleasant experience for her, even on good days. But she has taken to cereal and baby food like a champ. She laughs and coos all through her meals and it is really helping to keep her bottles down, too.
I can’t believe how fast Gracie is growing. Rolling over, cereal, baby food… SLOW DOWN, PUFFALUMP! YOU’RE MAKING MY WOMB ACHE, KID!
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22 Comments
Nicole (Piper_E13)
She IS growing up too fast! She just got here it seems. I’m so glad to hear that, like me, you started her at 4 months with baby food. It was right for Kendall at that time also and I got so much flack for it! Of course her doctor was on board but it seemed every other mother in the world had to add their 2 cents because the “rule ” is 6 months, or whatever that manic number is. Well, ours was 4 and is worked perfectly for us and now she is the most awesome 3 year old I know!
Jen @ Caved In
We had to use the soy formula/rice cereal combo for reflux as well. The soy was mostly due to a sensitivity to something in my breast milk though. Sullivan also liked the baby oatmeal better than rice cereal for eating. We mix that with a mashed banana or pears and some papaya or mango nectar and he inhales that. It’s good enough I finish it for him if he doesn’t eat it all. Some of that baby food is pretty darn tasty! It’s pretty impressive, you don’t even have a bib on her. We have to double up, one cloth one on the bottom and a plastic huge bib on top, otherwise I’m changing him after every meal. Thanks for posting this. I remember reading your first post about making baby food for Bean and you showed me how easy it can be. It’s always nice to see what other people are doing.
Betty
She looks adorable. That is so helpful, you posting this schedule, thank you!
Sarah @TheExPatBride
oh my, look at that face! precious!
Sarah@Crazy Love Gamble-Style
My girl is 7 months and we are on the exact same feeding schedule & plan (minus the extra rice cereal in the bottles) One question though? Why don’t you just buy a big container of applesauce that is not sweetened out of the regular section? It is so much cheaper! I wondered if anyone bought those little baby food applesauces. : )
Tara
We started Moose on food at 4 months, too. Actually, he was a about a week short of 4 months. 😉 Anyway, he did fine, and I just ignored those that said 6 months was the “only” time to start food. We also ignored the introducing food slowly rule, and at 10 months he has eaten darn near every kind of food there is. He is a VERY well rounded eater!
Alyssa
This is helpful info for us FTMs 🙂 I know the bottle routine but not the cereal/bottle routine 🙂
Alyssa
you keep saying how crabby she is, doesn’t sleep, spits up. But she sure looks like one happy little cream puff!! I love seeing her smile 🙂
Talia
I LOVE your posts….useful and hilarious….the one in my Reader that I always read.
We fed our colicful second soy and had troubles too, goats milk worked for us.
I was wondering if you were share how do
decided to bottle feed instead of breastfeed…I breast fed my first and love it.
Jenna@MomofManyHats
I’m always saving your posts! A question: is this when babies normally start solids or is Gracie advanced?
Katy @ MonsterProof
It’s so great to see a real-life breakdown! Like #1 said, we had heard 6 months a million times, but I think we’re going to go with the 4 month recommendation (assuming the pedi approves it next week when we go in). He’s just needing SOOO much food (he’s HUGE) and is VERY interested. Obviously, I’m a first time mom, and just felt so enlightened when you said you mix the baby food and cereal. Angels might have sang.
Jenny J
I love that in the picture with the bumbo on the table, you can read the warning on it to never use it on a table.
Jess @ Diary of a Misplaced Kiwi
I am always amazed at how different each of our babies are but that they are all so similar, if that makes sense. My Eilidh loves her food like Gracie, and her favourite food at 8 months is toast, I like it too because it takes ages for her to eat it!
Alaina
I love that smile! She is such a doll!
Laura @ Casa del Hansen
Poor Gracie with her reflux! Just out of curiosity, have you tried any other brands of cereal than Gerber?
Also, thanks for another cute smiley picture. Starting a day with a baby smile is amazing.
Lynsey W
Aww she’s so cute! We don’t have kids yet, but hope to soon if we are able (I have endo so it’s not certain we can)- I love reading your stories about your kiddos, for a little glimpse of what we hopefully have to come in the future 🙂
Rachel
Thanks, as a first-timer Mom this post is very helpful! My little girl just turned three months…but I’m so scared and hesitant to try anything new. Something’s got to give somewhere though…because she refuses to sleep!
Andriani
For a different perspective I personally chose to forgo rice cereal all together since it is a simple refined carb and doesn’t have much nutritional value (think mushy white rice). Since I only eat brown rice I didn’t want to be feeding my baby worse than I would myself. My doctor also preferred this method. I introduced fruits and veggies at six months. I know different doctors recommend different things but wanted to give an alternative to the rice at 4 months, fruits and veggies at 6 months that you typically hear.
Kat @ living like the kings
Uh oh kid #3?? lol Peanut started solids around 6 months but it took us about a month or so to stop all the tongue reflex stuff and actually keep things down. Now we can’t shuffle food in there fast enough.
Amber @ Amber in Paradise
What a cutie! My little guy LOVES to eat and I’ve had so much fun introducing new foods to him and mixing up all kinds of yummy meals!
Abbie
Thank you so much for this post. My daughter Emma is about to be 6 months and I was planning on starting solids with her tomorrow! My mother in law pressured me to do it sooner but our pediatrician always recommends to everyone to wait until 6 months so its nice to see someone else listening to their doctor.
Bellah
I love this. I love seeing the day to day routines if other families, so I can hopefully make mine better. But, and I hope i done get murdered by the mob for saying this, bumbos are not supposed to be on raised surfaces. It’s actually really dangerous. They are only supposed to be in the bumbo when it’s on the floor.
I hope you continue to post the day to days like this and I’m so glad to hear that you have gotten gracie’s reflux under control. Thanks for allowing us a look into your life.