First cereal

Personally, I’d just wait til 6 months and go in with BLW. Cereals have little to no nutritional value, they’re just filler.

@Katelyn If we choose to wait til 6 months I can skip over cereal then? I’m overthinking all of this! What re your thoughts/ experience with the push pop food things?

@Cherish yea just skip it honestly

@Daysha J. Oh I definitely agree, was torn over if I should start her with cereal prior to BLW. I’m trying to figure out where to start, I’m such a planner that I’m overthinking this.

@Cherish 1000%! Cereal isn’t necessary at all. Push pop food things? Like the silicone or mesh feeders??

@Katelyn yes, those mesh feeders! I was going to wait til she’s really teething to start sound breast milk pops or use them to introduce new food flavors (I’m a 1st time mom, I have no clue 😂)

We also got cleared by our pediatrician to start solids and are mostly doing cereal for now. It’s objectively not true that cereals have no nutritional value, look at all of the good stuff in oats: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal#nutrient-rich

I fed regular blended food for both my babies at 5 months. Started with single foods like carrots, Broccoli, avocado etc. would mix breast milk or water with it. They never had any issues but I would do some research. I have also just blended oats and then soaked them in water or breast milk. But they aren’t has nutritional. My five month old currently loves avocado

@Cherish haha it gets easier! Our August 2024 baby is our 4th! I like the silicone feeders, the mesh mold and get gross too easily in my opinion. They’re great once baby is strong enough to hold onto it - I hate using them if I have to sit and hold it😂 but that’s partly cause I have 3 other kiddos running around lol We just used ours yesterday with frozen breastmilk in it to entertain our girl while I did school with our oldest two. You can definitely use them. Or just do BLW and cut whatever you’re having long ways - like the shape of a French fry. Soft foods to start with, cooked veggies, soft fruits, etc. Small bites are more of a choking hazard than long pieces. Know they will cough and gag at first, that’s normal! Coughing/gagging is not the same as choking! Choking is silent!

@Katelyn thank you, you being a mom of 4 I appreciate your positive feedback 💕 My baby is strong and will hold it, but I’ll wait and go straight into BLW; I’m sure she will enjoy it.

@Cherish of course! I’m always here to help new mamas! ☺️ Remember food before 1 is mostly for fun and learning textures and tastes! It’s messy! But it’s fun!

@Katelyn I look forward to the mess and her exploring!

I started her off on oatmeal, but I also made some brown rice at home. I soaked it for 3 hours made it as instructed then blended it with her formula. After the first time I did some research and found oatmeal cereal that didn’t have anything extra in it which is “earths best oatmeal cereal” and then after a week or so I started her on mashed banana, after a week I did blueberry then carrots. All puréed. Sometimes she doesn’t want her bottle because she wants cereal or a carrot..

My LO is the same age and we also plan to do BLW. We dis start at 4mths because she showed some interest. We also give her the spoon and she puts it in her mouth. We did start with cereal. I made oats myself with breastmilk. Blended them before and after making it. We also use the silicone push paci things you mentioned. She likes those more as it gives her control. We have given her oatmeal cereal with cinnamon, avocado, banana, strawberry, green beans and chicken stock. She tolerates all of them and enjoys banana and avocado the most. I hope this helps

@Kiran whenever I do feed my LO cereal it will be from scratch, I’m not a fan of pre made items. And then I nurse so I intend to add in breast milk whenever I do mix the foods up. So you fed your baby the same thing for a week?

@𝓨𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓪 this does help. My LO is interested in food, I just knew that once I started I have to keep up with it. I gave my baby her spoon so she would be familiar when it’s time to eat, and I’ll be using breast milk too.

@Cherish we don’t do food everyday so don’t feel pressured to do it constantly. We try once a day, mid day and usually after she’s eaten. We tried once before but she was hangry lol. This first year is really an intro to food and they won’t really “eat” anyways.

I haven’t done homemade cereal but, I did make him some foods yesterday. I bought a steamer that also makes purées. I plan to only make all his foods from this point.

He loved sweet potatoes & apples together with a little pumpkin pie seasoning…