Introducing solids... I'm so confused, where do I start?

So I've been getting excited about the prospect of introducing DS to solids and have been doing a bit of research on the squillion different recommendations out there. I'm beginning to think that BLS is the way to go, but not sure where we should start. I was hoping you ladies might be able to point me in the direction of a good book or website and maybe answer some of my questions...

- What food do you start with?
- Should you start with or give any rice cereal (for iron) at all?
- Do you need to wait 3 or 4 days in between introducing each food (as per rec's for traditional introduction of solids)?
- Is there a particular time of day that is recommended?
- How often do you offer solids and when do you start increasing the number of times?

I'm sure I've got more questions, just can't think of them right now, but I would love any advice anyone can give me and to hear how you went about it. TIA

we are intending to offer DD something that we're eating each night (so long as it's appropriate - don't think she'll be getting curries for a while!) - but we're testing her with what she has for reaction - so we're only giving one new food each day. she's had carrot, spud (didn't like that one much), banana and cucumber (loved this!). she is still getting the bulk of her nutrition from breast milk, so we're just letting her experiment

i'm not planning on giving her rice cereal at all - she should be getting enough from the BM for now - and i want it to be entirely led by her - spoon feeding her something like that doesn't gel with my thoughts on it (if she needed it, sure, but i want IMO it isn't needed)

everything has at least been tried - she liked the banana but wasn't keen on the slimey feel in her hands so we're thinking of breaking it down and putting it on her spoon for her to feed herself (she's been putting spoon in her mouth since 3 months with scary accuracy!)

miss e - i'm getting excited as well! i know everyone says it's easier when they don't eat solids but it seems like such a milestone :)

we're planning on doing BLS as well - i think we're quite lucky though because our council actually promotes it & run info sessions on it. i got quite a good handout that i'd be happy to share - i can post it or scan it & email it to you if you'd be interested? let me know :)

i'm planning to start with vegies rather than fruit just because i've read so many times that babies may end up preferring sweet things (fruit) over vegies if they get them first. no idea if that's right, but it does seem to come up alot! i don't think we'll bother with rice cereal because you can offer other foods that are iron-rich instead

Miss E, it's such an exciting time experimenting with solids!
The way we started was just to introduce a vegie at dinner time. We did carrots, sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, broccoli, cauli, beans mainly. After 2 weeks he was having breakfast and dinner (mostly fruits and veg with some meat), and by 7 months 3 meals a day and eating pretty much whatever we have. He doesn't always eat it, it's completely up to him but it is there if he wants it.
I didn't feel it was necessary to have any rice cereal.

As for waiting 3-4 days between each new food, we didn't feel that was necessary as we have no allergies in our family at all. We just started out with one new thing each day for the first couple of weeks. Do what you are comfortable with with regards to how fast you introduce things. Everyone seems to have a different idea of what is right when it comes to solids, and it can be confusing when you first start.

As for when to increase the number of meals per day, I just followed DS's lead. He got the hang of getting his dinner in his mouth after a couple of weeks and then wanted everything I was having, so I started offering breakfast at 6.5 months and then lunch by 7 months. We eat all our meals together (the 2 of us, and with DH at dinner) and he loves it. There are days he barely eats and then days where I can barely keep up with him and he wants to devour everything in sight. Just follow his lead and before you know it the confusing early days of solids will be over!

Good luck with it :) The BLS general chatter thread has some very helpful members in there as well who will be happy to answer all your questions!

Sloane, which council is that? I wish mine would do the same.

megan - it's kingston. i was so surprised - i'd already decided the BLS were prob the way to go but got such a nice surprise when i found out they suggest it as the way to introduce solids. but then my nurse also made a point at my 4mth appt of telling me that if DS got teeth before my 8mth appt that biting didn't need to mean the end of BFing & just to give her a call if it happened so we could talk about strategies to avoid/stop it which i thought was pretty cool as well :)

I wish I had a MCHN like that. Mine just goes through the motions at each appt and seems very set in her ways. I just nod and leave! lol

Thanks ladies! Sarah I'll PM you my email address, it would be fantastic if you could send me that handout.

BG just wondering if you need to remove the seeds when you give things like cucumber and tomato?

Megan we don't have any alergies in our family either so I think we'll follow your lead and just introduce a new food each day.

Sarah - can you pm me that handout too...
what a fab council you have!

i'd appreciate the hand out too

we didn't removed the seeds from the cucumber - i just cut a length, then sliced it really thin (on the grater) and gave her the bits with minimal seeds anyway - was a good cucumber so i ate the centre bits! i think with tomato i will remove the seedy bits, but cucumber i doubt i will. i guess i'm looking to try to make it as "normal" as possible with what she eats, so in a month or two when she starts hounding me for stuff off my plate i don't have to sift through for just the right piece!

my mchn was really supportive of BLS - said it was the best form of lazy parenting!

BG & mamapan - no problem at all! once i've scanned it, i'll send it off. can i send it by PM or do i need to do it by email?

miss e - thanks for the email addy, will get it off to you later today :)

megan - i've been really impressed so far. she's quite happy to admit that when she had young children (i think hers are mid to late teens) that things were quite different so she's learning about new approaches as well.

my email addy is in my profile for contact details for msn i think

While you're going can I have a copy too please Sarah if that's ok. It sounds like a great hand out. I'm interested in learning about BLS. Really don't know much about it and didn't do it with DD.

im just subscribing :)
some great info in this thread :)

If anyone has a copy of this handout I would love to read it??

pandora - i'd be happy to email it if you want to pm me your email addy? i've since worked out that it comes from the BLS 'bible' - the gill rapley book :)

Thanks, Ive pm'd you.
I will see if my library has the book, they're fairly progressive in what they have available.

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i've since worked out that it comes from the BLS 'bible' - the gill rapley book

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Which bits of the "bible of BLS"? I need to give CC some info as to what Blake's doing with BLS.