poop, solids vent..

My 5 month and 1 week old dd has started solids about two weeks ago.
She has all signs of readiness for solids. I've been giving her about
2 tablespoons of rice cereal only once a day. I have two questions.
(She's exclusively breastfed/ebm fed)

1. She's been pooping once in 3 days before I started solids. Even now
it's the same. Isn't the rice she's getting supposed to change this
poop pattern? I'm worried that she's constipated. Will the poop
pattern change or not with introduction of solids? Should I give her
water to expedite the pooping process?

2. I'm really frustrated with the whole solids deal. Everyone I talk
to has some advice or the other about what to give and how much to
give her. I checked out "Feed me I'm yours" but it doesn't say
anything about what to give and how much to give. I don't know if
I'm reading the old edition but.. Am I giving the right amount? How
often should I increase it? I know the order should be rice cereal,
oatmeal/barley cereal, Veggies and at last fruits. Fruit juices only
after one year. My schedule is crazily busy and as much as I would
love to, I can't google for this info. Could you please fill me in or
atleast recommend a book that talks about what and howmuch of solids
to give. Some book that doesn't assume I know everything.

Thanks as always.

ted wrote:

1. She's been pooping once in 3 days before I started solids. Even now
it's the same. Isn't the rice she's getting supposed to change this
poop pattern? I'm worried that she's constipated.

Solids can change poop pattern right away for some although it didn't with
mine. Luke was about 9 months and Hunter was over a year. Rice can be
constipating so you may want to skip the rice cereal and switch to oatmeal
or barley. I actually skipped all cereal and just started with mild veggies
and fruits. Things like sweet potatoe, potatoe, carrots, babyjars of fruit.
I did not pay much attention to veggies before fruits. I do not think water
will do anything one way or another. If you fear constipation I'd switch
the rice cereal and perhaps mix a small amount of babyfood prunes into
something else she is eating. I've also heard pears can work as a laxitive
and they are more mild so perhaps introduce those.

2. I'm really frustrated with the whole solids deal.
Am I giving the right amount? How
often should I increase it? I know the order should be rice cereal,
oatmeal/barley cereal, Veggies and at last fruits. Fruit juices only
after one year.

I fed mine one meal a day until they started demanding more. They demanded
more by pointing at my food and hollering. I fed them until they stopped
eating and that is how I gauged how much to give them. Some days Luke would
eat a lot, and then other days barely a bite. Hunter would skip entire days
and not eat and he was healthy and grew fine. I always followed the childs
lead. This is really the most stress free way to go IMO.

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Well let me tell you what I have done with Izabella. I started cereal when
she was a little over 5 months old. I gave her rice, 2 teaspoons for
breakfast and 2 teaspoons for supper. She ate this right up and her pooping
pattern did change. I gave her rice until she had the whole box gone. I than
moved on to Barley cereal, I did as well for the 1st week 2 teaspoons 2
times a day than I saw she was wanting more she would keep her mouth open
thinking there was more cereal but there was not. So now shes up to 3-4
teapsoons 2 times daily. And that seems to fill her up. Since we started
this barley she poops now almost every day where as b4 it was once maybe
every 3 or so days.
I followed Izabella's cues for cereal, I knew she was ready for it, and I
knew when she wanted more. She now has tried Rice, Barley and now started
Oatmeal and than onto mixed cereal next week.

--
Laura
Mommy to Izabella **Feb 10th, 2003**
And 2 felines *Ashes(2) & George (4)*
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/i/izabellawelburn/


"ted" wrote in message
om...
My 5 month and 1 week old dd has started solids about two weeks ago.
She has all signs of readiness for solids. I've been giving her about
2 tablespoons of rice cereal only once a day. I have two questions.
(She's exclusively breastfed/ebm fed)

1. She's been pooping once in 3 days before I started solids. Even now
it's the same. Isn't the rice she's getting supposed to change this
poop pattern? I'm worried that she's constipated. Will the poop
pattern change or not with introduction of solids? Should I give her
water to expedite the pooping process?

2. I'm really frustrated with the whole solids deal. Everyone I talk
to has some advice or the other about what to give and how much to
give her. I checked out "Feed me I'm yours" but it doesn't say
anything about what to give and how much to give. I don't know if
I'm reading the old edition but.. Am I giving the right amount? How
often should I increase it? I know the order should be rice cereal,
oatmeal/barley cereal, Veggies and at last fruits. Fruit juices only
after one year. My schedule is crazily busy and as much as I would
love to, I can't google for this info. Could you please fill me in or
atleast recommend a book that talks about what and howmuch of solids
to give. Some book that doesn't assume I know everything.

Thanks as always.

"ted" wrote in message
om...
1. She's been pooping once in 3 days before I started solids. Even now
it's the same. Isn't the rice she's getting supposed to change this
poop pattern? I'm worried that she's constipated. Will the poop
pattern change or not with introduction of solids? Should I give her
water to expedite the pooping process?

In my experience, if introducing solids changes bowel patterns, it makes
them spread out even more, at least initially. The solids make the stool a
bit thicker and more difficult to pass, so some babies tend to go only when
the bowel becomes *really* full. It's only as they get older and have solids
as the greater part of the diet that bowels tend to move on the order of
once a day (i.e., around a year).

I wouldn't *necessarily* assume or even worry that she's constipated if
she's going as long or slightly longer between BMs than she was when
exclusively breastfed. To the contrary, I'd *expect* frequency to decrease
somewhat. That said, rice cereal is *notoriously* constipating and 2 tbsp
seems like quite a *lot* to me. My oldest *definitely* got constipated from
rice cereal when that was the only thing in his diet other than
breastmilk--but the way I knew he was constipated was that his stools were
hard, gray pellets when passed.

So I guess my recommendation would be to add *something* to her diet other
than rice cereal (two weeks on it and nothing else is a long time--you can
definitely introduce a new food at least once a week) and preferably
introduce something that is less constipating. Squash would likely be a good
choice--lots of fiber and quite watery. Any fruit that starts with a "p" is
also typically not constipating. I'd stay away from apples and bananas, both
of which are constipating. And I might be inclined to try a cereal other
than rice that is less likely to be constipating--oat and barley cereals are
both good choices.

2. I'm really frustrated with the whole solids deal. Everyone I talk
to has some advice or the other about what to give and how much to
give her. I checked out "Feed me I'm yours" but it doesn't say
anything about what to give and how much to give. I don't know if
I'm reading the old edition but.. Am I giving the right amount?

Keep offering it until she doesn't want any more. As long as she opens her
mouth eagerly to accept more food, she wants more. Just be sure you are
breastfeeding *first* at this age so that you don't fill her up with solids
in lieu of more nutritionally complete breastmilk.

How often should I increase it?

If you're speaking of how often you should increase the *amount* you offer,
then you do it as she shows she wants more. IOW, if after the first portion
you set out is finished, she seems to want more, you make/set out another
portion and offer that until she isn't interested or it's gone, and so on.

If you're asking how often you should add *meals*, then I think you really
just have to go with your gut. If she seems to be eating a lot of solids at
the one meal she has, it's probably time to add another solid meal.

I know the order should be rice cereal,
oatmeal/barley cereal, Veggies and at last fruits.

This, IMO, is BO-O-O-GUS. As long as a food is not known to be highly
allergenic, the order of introduction doesn't matter. You can do it in any
order you want. The reason for this recommended order is the idea that
babies will reject vegetables if introduced to sweeter fruits first. I don't
think there's any data to support this.

Also, I'd like to add that 2 of my 3 kids were initially fairly enthusiastic
about solids but then lost interest once they started teething in earnest
(7-8 months). After they decided they wanted solids again (around 9-10
months), they didn't want anything to do with pureed baby food--they wanted
the real McCoy. So don't be especially surprised if you go through the
trouble of introducing a variety of foods that she seems to like only to
find she starts rejecting everything. It's normal.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [17mo] mom)
"Nobody died when Clinton lied." -- freeway sign

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
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Union Tribune

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