So, here we are, several days into Tori's new life with solid foods (of a sort. Does anyone really feel like rice cereal is solid?). Yeah! So far so good. She loves the rice cereal mixed with breast milk. She prefers it thick--more like pudding than gruel--and will eat, oh, a tablespoon or two at a time. She's been eating it twice a day (well, she did with me. Charlie feeding her didn't go so well the first time. But he's never fed a baby before. God bless all those years of babysitting I did). Other than pooping more often (yeefuckingha), she's showing no other changes. Oh--except for the first 24 hours she did spit up a little more, but that's subsided (she hardly ever spits up, so that was unusual. And it was only twice, both times on clean shirts. Because why spit up on a dirty shirt?).
She enjoys eating, it appears (like mother like daughter, eh?) and we got to set up the fabulous high chair and use it (the Bumbo was fun for feeding her but she was too grabby with the spoon, and besides, we really don't want to encourage her to eat in front of the TV. And yes, we put the Bumbo on the coffee table. Don't you?). And we're going to go ahead and pretend she actually fits in the high chair and that we don't have to stuff towels on either side of her to keep her from listing like a drunk in her seat.
So I'm taking a look at various source (a book at home, and, of course, Google) about what other foods to try and when and HOLY SHIT does my head hurt now.
From what I've read, I've learned the following:
1. She shouldn't get anything other than rice cereal in the next eight days before she turns six months old (in fact, I've probably scarred her for life by introducing the cereal two weeks early). Then a magical fairy will descend from the heavens, wave a magic wand, and she'll be allowed to eat sweet potatoes. And bananas. AND DON'T MIX THE FOOD until the fairy appears (other than using breast milk to moisten the cereal). The majority of websites say this, although about a third say she could be eating all this stuff any time after four months.
2. After she's eight months old, she can eat squashes, any non-citrus fruits, and meat. Some websites say she can have yogurt at this point to, but most say OH MY FUCKING GOD DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY COW MILK!!! UNTIL AT LEAST A YEAR OLD!!! OR SOMETHING REALLY BAD WILL HAPPEN!!!!!
3. Sometime between eight and ten months old, she can start eating finger food. One website recommended giving her crackers while she's teething, but most websites say the same thing about wheat that they do about milk. Only a little louder. After ten months, she can eat potatoes and legumes. Some folks also say you can start offering cheese at that point, but see #2.
4. After ten months, fish can be introduced (do you think they offer a baby food version of bagels and lox? OK, kidding, kidding. I know she could only have whitefish). And tomatoes. Maybe some pasta, but see #3 and #2 about the whole wheat thing.
5. Under no circumstances is she allowed to have peanuts or egg whites until she gets her driver's license, and then only if NO OTHER FOOD IS AVAILABLE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET.
Do you feel better informed? Cause I don't. I feel fucking confused as shit. I understand some of this stuff is about food allergies and that makes good sense. I don't want to fuck around there (especially after Jo-Ann's recent experience). Some of the sites say that you shouldn't eat peanuts at all, even while you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding. If that's true, Tori is well and truly screwed because I've eaten a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich at least twice a week for years now. Sigh.
Anyway. So, I'd love to hear about your experiences introducing solids. Please try to only relate your experience. Do not delve into advice. I beg you. Plead with you. And do NOT tell other commentors that they screwed up and gave something bad to their kids. Pretty please with a non-allergenic cherry on top. No one needs that, right?
