Solids... An Update

My pediatrician is probably about ready to renounce me as a patient. I'm not the most compliant of moms, but I'm working on it. At our 4 month check-up she gave me a clear plan for starting solids: 2 weeks of rice cereal, 2 weeks of baby oatmeal, then veggies, then fruit (so he won't develop a "sweet tooth"). She also told me to start sometime before Z turned 6 months. 6 month check up-the first question she asks, so how did he do with the rice cereal? Wellll... (I had been thinking for weeks about how I would tactfully tell her I didn't listen to a word that you said/wrote down so I wouldn't forget it) we didn't start with rice cereal. Why, you ask didn't I start with rice cereal? Because being the kellymom, LLLI, babycenter, consult the internet on every little thing person that I am, I came across several articles that said it isn't necessary to start with rice cereal and that it may even be better to start with some real whole foods. Well, of course the internet is smarter than my doctor. I know I love it when patients try to tell me how to do my job. But this is my child we're talking about here. I think I should be in control, right?

So, we began our journey. Bananas... bananas were the clear best first choice for breastfed babies, followed by sweet potatoes, applesauce, carrots, and at some point avocados (which I personally think are disgusting). Okay, so disregarding aforementioned advice we began on his 6 month birthday with... bananas, day 2-bananas, day 3-bananas, day 4-sweet potatoes and bananas. Enter doctor, telling me I must incorporate rice cereal to ensure babe is getting enough iron. Internet check: false... Now, what do I do? Because I know I will have to answer to her again soon, I put my internet research to the side, and I begin incorporating rice cereal in with the bananas. Note, this is still in opposition to the advice I was given, which was to start him on an iron supplement, which in the kellymom world might as well be poison.

What no one, internet, doctor or otherwise, told me was that I was putting my poor helpless child on a path to constipation. You can stop reading now if you care nothing about baby poop, but if you are a mom of an infant, you probably care a lot about it! Change up my search words in google a bit and I find out that almost everything he has been eating, including rice cereal, leads to constipation. HA! Now, I have the perfect come back for my next appointment when I'll get the inevitable question. How has he been doing on the rice cereal? Well, doctor, not so good, he's constipated. Then, I'll ask what should I do? Knowing that I will likely disregard whatever she says if it doesn't coincide with my trusty internet findings. In my defense, she is basing this iron deficiency solely on the fact that he hasn't been eating rice cereal for 2 months, and it is documented that the iron babies receive from breastmilk is the iron that is absorbed the best by their little bodies.

So, back to the food. After our bout with bananas, sweet potatoes, applesauce, carrots, it was mission: poop. Hearing that avocados have a laxative effect, I decided it was time to introduce them. Now, what you should know about Z is that whenever he begins a meal, he gives me the I smell poo face, and usually gags a couple of times. I believe this is part of his dramatic personality, but I digress. I knew avocado was going to elicit a similar response because when I tasted it myself (which I always do), I felt the pain, but as soon as I mixed it with the sweet potato (which is arguably his favorite new food), the boy went to town, and I have to admit it was a tasty combo. No results yet, but I'm hopeful, and I made enough for him to have for the next few days.

So, mom knows best? Well, at least we think we do ;)

Here's my big boy with carrots on his face