Introducing solids at 4-5 months.What to give?

sanjuruby3 · Nov 4, 2014

Hi all,
I am planning to introducing solids to my baby's food near the end of her 5th month.

I asked ped and she did not say much. She said I can do small qnty of rice cereal or oatmeal with water or milk. For real cows milk, she did not like it. She repeatedly said Formula has real cows milk and much more.

In US, so different. In india they start food/real milk early.

I was thinking homemade applesauce, daal-pani, sooji - water, mashed potatoes, mashed bananas . But hear different versions everywhere for not to give citrus or tangy things or salt like in daal- pani so confused.

Also curious if someone tried real milk/organic store brand or real-real milk (from farms) to their babies.

I have heard so many (indian) babies getting allergic to real milk here which does not happen in India. Little irritation in the beginning is possible for baby's stomach is getting ready.
Ladies , plz suggest.

viki123 · Nov 4, 2014

Hi sanjuruby3,
For solids Wholesome Homemade Baby Food Recipes | Make Fresh Baby Food, Healthy Homemade Baby Food, it's easy with new baby food recipes, solid food tips, baby nutrition & more! website is good, she has age by age guide on what food are good, how to start and some recipes. I like it and planning to start solid for my son based on this website. Two of my friend have daughter 8 months and 7 months, they said babies need different taste, same food they are not accepting and are preferring homemade foods to store bought. Their advice was to do as baby likes & all babies different.

In us milk is from Cows and they are mostly Corn fed, in India it buffalo and are mostly grass fed. I think this makes the different. I have seen some Indian adults allergic to milk in USA where they were fine in India. Also I think it better to wait till 1 year to start milk as by that time, babies digestion would improve.

sanjuruby3 · Nov 5, 2014

I found a website realmilkfinder.com where you based on your location, can find dairy/farms which sell real milk. But that too is not real like in india ..i think. Its boiled...i guess.

My friend tried ( do not know which one) on her baby and had some issues.

crazymom · Nov 6, 2014

My son is 6 months old and I started him on rice/oatmeal cereal at 4 months. I mix breast milk with his cereal, I also started with mashed rice first. His ped said to start giving him vegetable puree around 4.5 -5 months. She also said to start with yellow vegetable first then green vegetables and avoid giving fruits right now. Cow's milk is heavy on baby's digestion system so it should be avoided until baby is 1 year old(Cow's milk: When and how to introduce it | BabyCenter).

Here is the list of food my 6 months old enjoys...
- Boiled tuar dal (boil with just turmeric in it and mash it up a little). I don't puree it as he can exercise chewing!
- Boiled mung with turmeric in it.
- Roti mixed with breast milk, as it will become soggy.
- Squash puree, Green beans puree.
- I also roast murmura with turmeric and break a piece and feed him one murmura at a time.

I plan to introduce Indian sweets like Sheera with very less sugar, fig halwa etc when he turns about 9-10 months old.

With my older son i stopped pumping at 8 months so I used to send goat milk at daycare until he turned one. I used to breast feed at home.

sanjuruby3 · Nov 8, 2014

Hi crazymom -
I know goatmilk is very thin so might be good for babies stomachs. Did u give him store organic brands sold in US or real-real milk like in India we get?
what I got to know from freinds/family
-yellow moong daal soup with very less salt, turmeric and less zeera.
-mashed potatoes, guacamole
-rusk with milk
-sooji paani
-same - roti soggied in milk
-veggie puree

crazymom · Nov 11, 2014

I bought organic goat milk from grocery stores here in US.

Nowadays my son is more interested in solid food and I feel like my supply is also dropping! I do have several bags of frozen milk that I pumped while I was on maternity leave. I also introduced avacado and sweet potato puree -mixed with BM this week. So far he loves eating solid food and did not have any tummy issues! I hope it continues this way.

crazymom · Nov 11, 2014

Oh yes, I also started giving him water! Pediatrician recommended limiting water to 2 Oz a day until he turns 9 months. Also, she told me to keep giving him BM along with solid food so he does not get constipated. He can get as much water he wants after he is 9 months old.

shari2003 · Nov 12, 2014

I began semisolids with ragi porridge and dried banana powder with palm sugar when my LO was 4 month old. Then slowly started idli, mashed moong dal with rice and home-made butter, roti sogged with milk, kozhukkattai, cerelac, banana, boiled nendran banana, apple boiled and mashed by the time she turned 6 month old. I did not feed cow/goat milk to the elder one until she turned 1-year old and plan to follow the same for the little one as well.