Introducting Solid food (ZT: Summer她爹)

Introducting Solid food is always a huge topic, every parent has own story. But there are certain rules:

A good rule of thumb is to start with rice cereal,which is gluten-free and less allergenic than other foods.Then give him one or two teaspoons of dry cereal mixed with enough formula or breast milk to make a semi-liquid. Use a rubber-tipped spoon when you feed your baby, to avoid injuring his gums. Start with just a small amount on the tip of the spoon.

Another rule is do not try to introduce the solid food, when the baby is hungry, always feed the baby with milk r formula first, then the solid.

If your baby seems do not like the cereal, you can mix with other solid food, like sweet potato, carrot or squash, get some flavor, she might like it more. just remember, gradually, one at a time, waiting at least three days after each new food.

From this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend to introduce fruits too early to the infant, but veggi, because the sugar in all fruits.

The following is the schedule we did for Summer when we introduced the solid food to her about 40 days ago, it went very well, it is a 14 days schedule:

first 3 days, around 10 o'clock in the morning, feeding her with milk first, wait until she almost finished, then feed her with 1-2 teaspoon rice cereal, mixed with plenty breast milk(more than semi-liquid), do not force her take everything, but try at least

day 4 - day 7, feed her with rice cereal in the afternoon, around 6 o'clock also after the milk, about 2 teaspoon, plus one teaspoon veggi(sweet potato, carrot or squash), you can mix them all or feed her seperately, just make sure to keep feed her with the same veggi for 3 days.

day 8 - day 11, feed her with 1-2 spoon veggi(now you could switch to another kind of veggi), in the morning(around 10 o'clock), then in the afternoon with rice cereal and 2 spoon veggi.

day 12 - day 14, feed her with 1-2 spoon veggi + 1-2 teaspoon rice cereal, in the morning(around 10 o'clock), then in the afternoon with 1-2 teaspoon rice cereal and 2 spoon veggi.

After two weeks, Summer became totally fine with solid food, actually she just love the solid food now.

About the weight of your baby, she is around 80%, so she is fine, it might looks like she eat less, that might just because she eat faster now.:)

About vitamine, you might want to talk to your PD about the issue, but here are some general infomation:

over the years, the medical community has gone back and forth on whether breastfed infants need vitamin supplements. Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), following the National Academy of Sciences' Dietary Reference Intake, recommends that you give your baby a supplement of 200 IU per day of vitamin D if he's exclusively breastfed or drinks less than 17 ounces per day of fortified formula. (That's because only small amounts of vitamin D are transferred in breast milk, while fortified formula does contain adequate amounts.)Once your child is weaned to vitamin D-fortified whole milk at age 1 and drinks at least 17 ounces per day, he won't need a vitamin D supplement any longer.

And if you're vegan and breastfeeding, it's important to have a reliable source of vitamin B12. If you're breastfeeding and your diet doesn't include a reliable source of B12, the AAP recommends that your infant receive a B12 supplement. Iron, zinc, and calcium are other minerals that you may need to make an extra effort to consume through your diet or a multivitamin-mineral supplement.


Fluoride, a mineral that helps strengthen teeth, is recommended for all babies 6 months and older who:
• Drink only bottled or filtered water that doesn't contain additional fluoride.

• Use tap water for drinking or mixing with formula that contains less than 0.3 parts per million of fluoride. Contact your local water department to find out the fluoride content in your area.

As your baby's diet starts changing from an "all liquid" diet to one that contains mostly solids, you might wonder whether a vitamin supplement is necessary. If your baby eats a variety of foods in amounts appropriate for his age, he won't need any extra vitamins. However, if your baby is a very finicky eater, doesn't eat enough solids for his age, or has chronic health problems that affect his ability to eat, you should consider a supplement. Ask your healthcare provider for advice.

Hope it helps and good luck