Advice pls: Starting on Solids

crystalmum,
if you wanna cook 2 portions and keep 1 portion for dinner, you need to keep it in the fridge, then when time to eat you warm up in microwave till very hot then let it cool down a bit. not good to leave it in the slow cooker at room temperature for too long cause there will be bacteria growth. another option (if you don't want to keep in fridge) is immed after cooking, while it's still piping hot, you keep it into a porridge thermos (eg thos Tiger brand ones). I beleive it will be kept warm till dinner time, then just nice the temp of the porridge can feed for dinner. i know somw mummies use this method when they are going out whole day.
 


Lani - thanks for your advice!
happy.gif
the tiger brand thermos can keep so long hah..tink me gotta get one liao..
 
crystalmum,
i'm not sure if it can keep that long, but a few mummies told me they will cook in the morning, then when it's piping hot they will put in the thermos, then once time for dinner just nice the temp of the porridge is warm so can feed immediately. i also bought one many mths ago. when it's on sale it's very cheap, about 50% discount (taka or isetan).
 
Hi Lani,

My girl is about 5.5mths, is it ok to feed her green peas, green beans and spinach? Icame across some websites saying that peas and beans might cause allergic reaction if bb takes them too early on?
 
Hi all,
I've been trying to find those porridge thermos (Tiger brand) but can't find in ntuc or best denki. Where do u get a gd one that can keep the porridge warm from lunchtime to dinner time? Thanks
 
Hi LSM,

I bought mine from Takashimaya. Tiger brand. It is for soup and porridge. This one can keep the porridge warm for a couple of hours.
 
hi tigger88, how much did u buy the thermos fr Taka? I think I miss the x'mas sales..heard it was going for 19.90 only..
 
Hi LSM
I bought mine at Tangs sale. $59.90 for 0.9ltr and free one hot water thermal flask. Isetan also selling. Sale price at $39.90 for 0.7ltr. Very good very hot. All was during the year end sale.
 
Hi,

I am looking for one too.
Can advise which one is better, the one where the inner is stainless steel ( i think so, not sure how you call it) or the one where they have a plastic container, you can take it out.

Which one did you gals buy ?
 
llynn,

I think the 19.90 shd be for those thermal flask for water right? The one I bot shd be around the price that bbrooster mentioned ~$60. That one is for soup and porridge.
 
Funny,

I think the stainless steel one will be better. Able to keep the food warm for a longer period than the one with plastic container.
 
hi

i read that u guys use microwave on food taken out from fridge...i mean is it ok for bb to see microwaved food? i know that we shd not do it for milk, what abt these food? and do u have to microwave for some seconds, stop ans stir, then continue for more seconds so that all portions are evenly warm?
 
btw, forgot to intro myself. i have a bb 4mths + and has juz started her on cereal...would like to get more advice here...


and for those who bought pureen fruits that comes in bottle jar:
1) can we juz open the jar and feed bb w/o "warming" it up?

2)if we cant finish...do we juz put in the fridge, upper or lower door?

3) when we take out fr fridge, do we warm up in microwave too or can eat as "cold" dessert?
 
mybabydream,
it's ok to microwave baby food. when you microwave, just make sure you stir it thoroughly after it's done to make sure the heat is distributeds evenly, and test it to make sure it's not too hot. it's not advisable to microwave milk because of the fear that there might be pockets of very hot milk and it will burn baby's mouth/throat.

yes you can just feed the jar food direct without warming it up. but if you feed directly from the jar you cannot keep the food anymore to feed later, as the spoon would have already introduced bacteria to the leftover food in the jar.

if you want to only feed some of the jar food and keep the rest for later, then you need to scoop out the amount you want to feed into a feeding bowl, then you can keep the rest in the fridge (normal fridge, not freezer).

once you take out of fridge, you need to warm up the food before feeding. remember any leftover jar food can only be kept in fridge for max of 48hrs. after that need to throw out already.
 
Hi Mummies
Havent been on this thread for a while. Wishing all a Happy & Prosperous CNY and May all BBs Pai Pai Pang Pang..

I bought a pkt of raw Multigrains from NTUC. It consists of pearl barley, barley, unpolished rice, black rice, etc.. Anyone tried this b4? I fed this to my bb last nite n I mixed it wiv cod fish. She seemed to love it.

Btw, I bought a mini slow cooker to cook porridge for my dd. So, If I wanna add fish, I add to the porridge bout 30 minutes before served rite? Or do you add at the start? And also how long should I cook the porridge in slow cooker? Havent tried using it.
 
Hi mummies, what kind of snacks do u give to your babies? besides fruits and yoghurt? i can only think of giving my bb (coming to 9mths) wholemeal bread and baby biscuits cos they are so easy to "prepare" (actually no need to prepare haha) but cannot eat too much too mah.... any other healthy snacks to recommend?
 
funny,
my dd also eats bread regularly. you can give just like that, or toast lightly. she likes it toasted with cheese. they can even self-feed themselves the bread/toast - just slice it into thin strips (1 slice of bread can be sliced into 3 pcs).
 
Lani,

what type of bread can we start introducing to our bbs? My son is 10mth+ now. I tried bb yogurt but he puked all out. Maybe the banana flavour is too strong.
 
Lani,

My gal is 10mths now. She only have 3 front upper teeth and 2 lower teeth. Is she able to bite the bread ?
 
Hi, im new here...

can someone help me... my girl is 4mths plus now, i have juz started her with cereal mix with her milk. Her usual 3 scoops similac + additional 1 scoop frisocerm cereal. Is this way correct??

She doesn't seem to be full after tat cos still asking for milk regularly after 3 hrs. Thot cereal suppose to last longer??

Heard that frisocerm is kinda sweet, is that true??
 
tigger,
you can start with normal white bread, then when she's a confident bread eater can try giving wholemeal/wholewheat.

funny,
i think w/ those 5 teeth can eat bread already lah. my dd was eating bread w/ just 2-3 teeth.

ling,
the cereal is usually mixed w/ milk that is already made, and not milk powder. btw, do you just feed her ONLY the cereal/milk combination during her feedings? if so that would explain why she is hungry, because that won't be enough to fulfil her hunger and allow her to last for 3 hrs leh. at that age she still needs her regular milk feedings (approx 20-24oz per day). you need to feed the cereal AFTER she has a proper milk feeding. cereal can substitute a milk feeding only after she is able to eat a substantial amount of solid food at each feeding (maybe approx half rice bowl full).

btw, IMPT note regarding frisocream - it already has milk powder added to it, so the correct way for you to prepare it is to add water, and NOT milk.

if you are feeding other types of cereal (eg Heinz or Gerber) then you add milk to it.

and yes, i also heard frisocream has sugar added.

if you need more detailed advice then you should speak to your PD.
 
lani:
i dun get u...what u mean by "the cereal is usually mixed w/ milk that is already made, and not milk powder"? coz i add water in the milk bottle, followed by cereal then milk powder, is that correct?

btw...r u a sahm?
 
mel, how old can give cheerios and raisins already? the raisins are those type like "sunmaid" brand is it?
 
Im wondering since I hv juz started bb on rice cereal w milk, shd I spoonfeed her or shd I use milkbottle? I did try spoon once but she pushed away will bb have diffculty swallowing fr spoon the 1st time? Do we juz put the tip of the spoon near her mouth let her suck in herself?

I think lani mentioned abt feeding bb with milk, followed by cereal right? I have been adding cereal in the milk and feed her in the bottle directly. Wondering whats the purpose of the mtd u mention?

When shd we start introducing 2 meals a day to bb? Shd we still start with cereal for 2 meals.or 1 meal cereal, another meal pureen food?

After the pureen food is being freezed in icecubeare we suppose to transfer it into ziplog bag? After we have defrost, do we mash it before giving bb or we juz use spoon to dig out bit by bit?
 
Mybabydream
Hi! I think Lani meant the cereal you bought has milk powder in it already. So, don't have to add milk powder. The cereal that I bought were all milk added so what I did was juz add water. I've tried Dumex, Gerber n Nestle.

Cereal is meant for spoon-feed not bottle-feed. So, this is a start for bb to take solids. You can offer to her few times till she has the drift. Or maybe she's not ready for solids yet. For my case, I only introduced my gal solids when she was around 6 months. U can start by offering a bit at a time. Then you slowly increase to one full meal. Then 2 meals a day.
 
mybabydream,
ok i get what method you're doing. btw, that is the very old fashioned method you know, the kind our grandmas would use. it's no longer recommended anymore nowadays by medical practitioners. cereal should be spoonfed, and not added to the milk in the bottle and fed.

also when weaning, there are several reasons for 1st feeding the milk then followed by the cereal. you normally give milk 1st so that your baby gets all the nutrients she needs from the milk 1st, before she gets too full from the cereal. this is especially important if your baby is below 6mths old. and the purpose of feeding the cereal seperately from the milk (ie not mixed together in the bottle) is to introduce you bb to solids (this is called "first tastes"). if you always feed your baby cereal mixed with her milk in the bottle then she will never learn the difference b/w solid foods and milk, and she may take a long time to get used to eating solids.

if your bb 1st rejects the cereal, then stop and you can try a few days later. you spoonfeed your bb the way you would spoonfeed any child, but it's important that your bb is upright and that you use a proper weaning spoon. don't just put the tip of the spoon near her mouth and expect her to "suck" the cereal. this is not the proper way to eat solid foods.

you can start introducing the 2nd meal (ie dinner) once your bb is more or less well establised on eating cereal after her lunch milk feeding. i introduced the 2nd meal to my dd about a week after she started weaning. for the 2nd meal, you should also use the same method you used for afternoon feeding, ie start off w/ 1 tsp cereal after her milk feed, then every 3 days increase the amount of cereal by 1/2 tsp.

as for pureed food, yes, you can transfer to a ziplog bag (or tupperware if you prefer). since the food is already pureed (which means it is blended very well), there really isn't a need for you to mash anymore before feeding. just stir to distribute the heat evenly and to ensure there are no lumps, then can feed as per normal
 
Hi Lani, thx for the explanation, it really helped me alot. I tink now I will not mix cereal with milk. Will oso stop using Frisocrem. Will try to use Gerber or Heinz.. Any good cereal to recommend for my bb??

So now she shd hv her regular milk plus some cereal after meal... how often shd I let her hv cereal after meal per day??

That time I mix cereal & milk together, the flow is difficult to get pass the teat hole unless bb suckle.. so tough for bb.. anyone experience this??
 
Hi
my dd coming to 9mth soon. She has only 2 lower teeth. I hv also tried giving her small pc of white bread but she gagged on it.
uhoh.gif
So i gv baby biscuit & rusk for snack instead. Her pincer grasp is not vy good, i hv to feed her the small pcs of biscuit. How to encourage her to self-feed? When i gv her Heinz biscuit as finger food, she bite off a big pc and choke on it. (It was too soft)
kao_scared.gif
would also like to know what other snacks mommies are giving to yr little precious?
 
jennise,
thanks so much for helping me explain!
happy.gif


ling,
i'm glad my explanation helped. with regards to feeding cereal after milk - you ONLY do this at the beginning of weaning, maybe in the 1st 1-2mths only. after that a proper solid meal need to fully replace the lunch and dinner feeds. a full meal would approx be about half or three-quarter rice bowl full (of either porridge or cereal mixed with pureed veggies and meat).

ultimately, maybe by the time your bb is 7-8mths old, you should be aiming for baby to have 3 milk feeds a day and 3 solid meals a day, something like this:

wake up milk
an hour later breakfast (solid food, maybe cereal or toast or yoghurt)
lunch (usually porridge or cereal with pureed veggies and meat)
mid afternoon milk
dinner (same as lunch)
before bedtime milk

other good cereal brands you can try are Healthy Times and Earth's Best from Brown Rice Paradise at Tanglin Mall.
 
Hi Lani,

So when should we replace a milk feed with solids only? my girl is 5mth3wks and she tends to prefer cereal/solids to her milk during lunch and dinner feeds. She will keep eyeing her cereal bowl when she's drinking her milk, and when i'm feeding her solids, she will try to lunge for the bowl and grab my hand to pull the spoon towards her mouth, and will protest everytime i finish feeding her the solids, like not enough like that...so I'm thinking of just giving her solids during lunch and dinner, is that ok?

now her feeds is something like this:-

breakfast - FM (180ml water + milk powder)
unch - FM (180ml water + milk powder)
and 3 tablespoon rice cereal with 2 cubes of puree
tea - FM (180ml water + milk powder)
dinner - FM (180ml water + milk powder) and 3 tablespoon rice cereal with 2 cubes of puree

Can i eliminate the FM for lunch and dinner and just give her more cereal/puree? If yes, how much more cereal/puree should i give her?
 
i'm a mummy,
try to hold off replacing it till she is past 6mths old. that's like 1-2 weeks away only right? heehee!
happy.gif


then you can maybe increase the amount of cereal and puree a little bit, and just observe how much she will eat. your dd seems liek she can eat quite a fair bit! so maybe the total amount of solid food should be b/w 1/2 to 3/4 rice bowl. use her as a gauge - once she is full she will prob give off signs that she doesn't want to eat anymore. good luck!!
happy.gif
 
Lani
Thanks! I get a better idea too. like the new mums, I also feel stressed abt introducing solids. If I feed bb milk from milkbottle halfway, then spoonfeed the cereal from bowl followed by milkbottle again , how much % of milk should be in the milkbottle and in the bowl? Currently, I add cereal in 150ml of milk.


when u 1st start bb on cereal, is yr bb able to finish the whole pack? it states 28 days...how to finish...haha, can put in fridge?
 
my babydream,
you're asking about the tier method of feeding. make a full bottle of milk (ie. 6-8oz) then feed your baby 1/2 or 3/4 of the milk, or as much as she wants to drink. then feed (spoonfeed hor) the cereal (you scoop out dry cereal into bowl, then slowly add in milk till you get the right consistency, ie not too watery and not too thick). some babies like the cereal thicker and some prefer more watery, so you gotta experiment w/ your bb lah. once she finishes the cereal, can continue feeding the milk from the bottle.

actually i can't remember how long my bb took to finish the 1 pack of cereal leh...heehee!!
 
hi lani,
how many tsp of rice cereal and cubes of other food did you give your baby at 6-7 months? I am slowing replacing one milk feed with solids and am not sure how much to give without taxing her digestive system... currently, i give her 5 tsp of rice cereal with 3 to 4 cubes of something else for lunch and 4 tsp of rice cereal with 3 cubes of something else for dinner.
 
Any mummies know where I can buy oatmeal cereal? Thot of changing to oatmeal cereal for my boy cos he seem to have problem with his bowel after starting lunch and dinner on rice cereal. Heard oatmeal cereal is better w more fibre.

For oatmeal cereal, is it prepare like Heinz rice cereal, i.e. just add milk?
 
Hi, when do you start giving baby bread? like sandwich??

ix, i got my oatmeal cereal from healthy times. very fine one. i add rice cereal to the oatmeal. my bb likes it better. also need to give your bb more water. just give him water every few hrs between feeds.
 
ixwong,
can find oatmeal cereal at Brown Rice Paradise in Tanglin Mall - either Healthy Times or Earth's Best brand. the method to prepare oatmeal cereal is exactly the same as rice cereal - just add milk.

tuffy,
at 7 mths onwards, my dd was taking 4tsp dry cereal + 4 cubes of veggies + 1 cube of meat for lunch, and dinner was 6tsp dry cereal + 4 cubes of veggies + 1 cube of meat. and dinner she also usually eats fruits. she is a big eater lah! different babies will eat different amounts, so just feed your bb until she is full and won't want to eat anymore.

but eversince i started my dd on porridge she eats a little less, i think it's because porridge makes them alot more full. so now her fruits she takes after breakfast.
 
thanks lani. what types of veggies have you been giving? 4 cubes of the same type of veggie? am running out of ideas here...
 
hi mommies, I'm hoping to start my boy (5mths 1wk) on solids now and hope you can help me understand if basically the steps are ...

Steps :
Do at One feed only
1) Bottle-Feed regular amt of milk first - currently only abt 90ml
2) Spoon-Feed Rice Cereal (Heinz Plain)
Question- (One teaspoon cereal to how many ml of formula milk & water to get the semi-liquid consistency ????)

3) Abt every week, increase thicken the consistency of the cereal, and maybe every 3 days, introduce different kind of puree (one at a time) into cereal.

4) By 7 mths, then introduce 2nd meal of cereal/solid ???
 
Thanks, Orchid and Lani. Will check out Tanglin Mall. We have been giving water to my boy, but he refuses to drink water via bottle so must spoon feed. He's not really constipated yet, but can see his bowel getting more firm (and stinko, of course). This morning, tried feeding him prune juice and he gave me the frowning look. ha ha.

My boy is coming 6MO, but takes quite a lot of solid. Lunch and dinner is usually 4 tsp of cereal + 2 cubes of veg puree. He will finish 1 box of Heinz baby cereal in 1 week.
 
tuffy,
of course all 4 cubes different types of veggies lah. if all 4 the same then surely very sian for her right? aiyoh, the list of veggies is endless, leh, sweet potato, turnip, carrot, green bean, sweet corn, brocolli, cauliflower, peas, spinach, zuchinni, etc, etc

rayray,
yes, you got most of it right. just to recap, when you first start weaning, give the solids AFTER your bb's milk feed (start w/ the lunch milk feed). you can start introducing 2nd meal of solid (after dinner milk feed) around 1-2 weeks after you start weaning, you don't have to wait till 7mths old.

as for amount of milk to add to cereal, i cannot gauge how many ml it is, as i don't measure it myself. i just keep on adding bit by bit until i get the right consistency.

aside from introducing a new veggie every 3 days, you can also increase the amount of cereal by 1/2 tsp evry 3 days, until it reaches a max amount of 4-6tsp + 2-4 cubes veggie.

just a reminder, the tier method of feeding is NOT suitable if you are just starting on weaning. you can only use tier method of feeding from 2nd mth onwards.
 
tsp is teaspoon or tablespoon?

lani...
are u saying when we 1st introduce solid to bb, cannot assply the tier mtd till another mth later?
 
hi lani,

u mentioned to give milk b4 solid when starting off. what's e reason for doing so? can we do the other way round, solid follow by milk?
 
jkids,
when bb is less than 6mths old, their main source of nutrient should still be milk, and solids are still considered "first tastes". if you immed start off w/ the tier method of feeding at the very beginning, your bb will cut down his intake of milk very abruptly, and this can cause him to drink much less than what is required (they should get ard 20oz per day at that age). that's why tier method of feeding is recommended in the 2nd mth of weaning, so that the intake of milk is reduced slowly and not drastically.

just a note - tier method of feeding is when you give your bb about half his milk feed, then stop, followed by solids, then the remainder of his milk feed.

cookies,
the reason for giving milk first before solids is more or less the same as above, ie you want your bb to drink most of his milk 1st (so as to ensure he gets all the necessary nutrients) before giving him his solids. if you give solids first then he may be too full to drink his milk. remember this applies to babies below 6mths.
 
hi, lani,
I've been reading this thread & learning a lot. Thanks very much for patiently explaining things to all of us here.
happy.gif


My bb is 6.5 mths now, we started him on cereal when he 5 mths 1 week old, then intro 1 vege per week. He's eating very little solids, still 1 tsp & 1-2 cubes puree once a day in the evening after we return from work. We mix milk in his cereal & puree and feed him between his milk feeds.

His milk intake has been low since he 3 mths, he often refuses to drink or finish his 4oz milk. His feeding interval is between 1.5 to 2.5 hrs. Lately the problem has become worse, so my in-laws told us to stop feeding him solids. We hv stopped for a few days but he's still like this. What shld we do now?
 
sp,
your situation sounds quite complicated. i doubt i can give any advice. why don't you seek your PD's advice on this? at 6.5mths old, he should already be well establised on solids (ie 2 meals a day) and taking 3x milk feeds a day (around 16-20oz per day).

it could be your feeding interval is too short, only 1.5-2hrs! it could be he's not hungry yet and therefore eats/drinks so little at each feeding. when i started weaning my dd her feeding interval was 4hrs leh! then now that she is taking 3 meals a day and 3x milk feeds a day, the interval is 3hrs. btw, is your son gaining weight normally (ie according to what his age should be?). if he's not then you MUST definitely see a PD and ask her/him on what you can do.
 
Hi, Lani,
Thanks for yr comments. When we brought him to PD for his 6 mth jab, we told the PD he's not taking much milk. PD just smiled & said his weight 7.44kg is ok & we can feed him porridge. I still remember his exact words: "make his porridge interesting, can put fish, marmite..." PD was not concerned at all & did not offer us any tips on how to make him drink more milk.

My MIL takes care of my bb. She determines the feeding interval to be 1.5 hrs (ebm) or 2.5 hrs (fm). She said he's not taking much milk so must feed more frequently. My in-laws suspect that feeding him solids made him feel bloated or lose interest in his milk so they stopped solids.

My MIL helps to take care of my niece too, she's 10.5 mths already but only gets 1 meal solids which is porridge at 8+am. She gets 6 milk feeds a day, each feed up to 7oz. Some days when my niece is not well (eg got flu) she won't get her porridge & whole day only drink milk. MIL doesn't intro 2nd solid meal for her becoz doesn't want her to reduce her milk intake. Btw, she's totally different from my bb, she loves her milk.

Lani, sorry for the long story. In short, I worry that my bb will not hv enough nutrients if he continues taking less milk & we r not allowed to feed him solids. I estimate he shld be taking abt 20oz a day nowadays but without solids.
 


can anyone tell me the shortform for teaspoon and tablespoon? i saw alot of tsp for shortform...is it the baby scooop (used for milk formula) or the metal spoon?
 
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