Moving onto Solids at 6 mos

Current wisdom is to start babies on solids at age 6 mos. When Peanut turned 6 mos, we started her out on baby rice. We chose Gerber's and were thinning it out with water. No go. She hated it. Then I read several articles about the changing wisdom of starting out on baby rice - it has virtually no nutritional value and little taste. But, it is least likely to cause allergic reactions.

We quickly moved onto baby oatmeal. Yummy. She really gobbled this stuff down. Its still diluted with bottled water - on rare occasions with mama milk. And, the trick, its heated. A 5 - 6 second zap in the microwave makes it thhe perfect temp. I know some say that babies don't care if the food is cold or warm, but Peanut clearly does. Its easy to see why - the milk she is used to drinking is a nice warm temp.

I have to confess to using food in jars for the first months. We were still on the go and not yet settled in our own home. I opted for Gerber's Tender Harvest organics (available at most grocergy stores) and Eathe's Best (available at Tom Thumb). The cost of baby food in jars is outrageous when you compare it to what you can make on your own for the price, but the convenience is undeniable. I also felt confident that I was giving Peanut safe ingredients.

I'm now making Peanut's food, but more on that later...

The doctor here in Texas recommended the following list for introducing new solids (the ascending order of causing a reaction):
> squash
> carrots
> sweet potatoes
> bananas
> oatmeal
> beets
> spinach
> applesauce
> barley cereal
> pears
> peaches
> chicken
> peas
> green beans

They suggest giving as much solids as desired, but making sure baby consumes the same amount of breast milk or formula.

The Neuvola in Espoo suggest this daily menu for 6 mos olds:
Meal 1 - Breastmilk
Meal 2 - Breastmilk + meat/fish/egg and potatoe/veggie
Meal 3 - Breastmilk
Meal 4 - Breastmilk + 'puuro' (porridge) + berries/fruits
Meal 5 - Breastmilk

For 7 mos olds:
Meal 1 - Puuro + berries/fruits + Breastmilk
Meal 2 - Meat/fish/egg and potatoe/veggie + Breastmilk
Meal 3 - Berries/fruit + Breastmilk
Meal 4 - Potato/Veggie + Breastmilk
Meal 5 - 'Puuro' (porridge) + berries/fruits + Breastmilk

I also got some handouts (dated from 1995) about how to make my own baby food for phase I (veggie purees) and II (puuro and the meat/fish + veggie purees).