Porridge OK for 7 month old?

Hi All,

I'm having some difficulty getting solids started with DS#3 which is baffling me because solids weren't a problem for either of my other boys.
I gave him sweet potato for three days, home made rice cereal for three days, carrots for three days, and one serving of mashed banana and he got seriously constipated.
So I ceased all solids and gave him pureed prunes once a day and continued to demand breastfeed him.
It took 5 days for him to start pooping properly again.
Now though, every time I give him any solids (even fruit) he only poops once a day and it will be very small and formed (though soft).
I guess my question is... is this normal? Am I just freaking out for nothing?
I'm wondering if he would do better if I offered more solids rather than less?
And is it okay to offer him porridge at the tender age of only 7 months?
Thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Cheers,
Heidi

Ds was only really pooping once a day on formula so we didn't have any change in that respect but he was fine with porridge the really fine one apparently pear is good in preventing constipation and apple and bananna make them more constipated

I'm by no means an expert, but regarding porridge... I don't see why not. My DS has been having porridge from about the same age with no issue. He tends to get blocked up too so I give about 2/3 oats to 1/3 stewed/finely grated pear. I probably only give him 1/4 of a banana every week or two as this is a major culprit for constipation - poor little love, he LOVES bananas and would have them every meal if I let him! Really pushing the fluids and avoiding too much starchy foods and meat has generally helped. And he eats enough fruit to feed a small nation!

As far as I know, pooing once a day is fine as long as they're fairly soft and not causing too much pain to get out. My DS still makes enough noise doing a poo to silence a crowded play centre with his grunting!! But he gets 'em out and seems happy enough, so it's all good!

Oats/porridge is an awesome food for babies! it's low GI and much better than rice cereal, or god forbid, weetbix. It doesn't matter what you feed them and when you start feeding solids, but the transition from purely breastmilk to solids is always going to take an adjustment period for their little digestive system to get used to the bulk in their bowel etc. It sounds like he's doing OK to me.

Thanks everyone - he LOVES his pear so might see how pear and porridge go down later today!!

Trillian: What is wrong with weetbix? I wouldn't give it to him yet but my two older boys (3yo and 6yo) LOVE them!!

Older kids it's OK, but for babies it's not - it's too high in salt. even the kids weetbix which is lower in salt is still too high for a young baby that age. Sanitarium even say that they don't recommend it in babies under 12 months.

Porridge is ok, but not the satchels. They are so high in sugar and salt!

Thanks so much for that... I don't think I gave it to my older two until they were past the age of 1 but truthfully cannot remember. I loathe the fact that I gave the other two boys commercial rice cereal but such is life - they mainly ate that and porridge until they were one and then breakfast branched out to include the ever popular weet-bix ;-) hopefully by giving DS#3 more solid foods rather than less I'll fix this bowel problem we seem to be having because it sure is a pain!!

Rice cereal isn't the devil ;) but it's just not as good an option as oats IMO. the rice cereal is generally processed to within an inch of it's life too and all the goodness it apparently contains has been added back into it, if that makes sense.

Yeah I did a lot of research about it after DS#3 was born and decided that it would be good to make my own rice cereal... but really if he is old enough to have porridge and likes it I would rather he eat that... I eat it almost every day because I love it and also because I know it helps keep my milk supply up! Don't know if you (Trillian) or anyone else has any ideas about my other problem I'm having with DS#3 at the moment... he wakes at around 4am and cluster feeds until about 7am which I know is very normal but lately it almost seems as if I don't have enough milk for him as he will nurse for a few minutes and then let go and cry. He co-sleeps with us so I don't get up and therefore don't drink through the night... and last night he didn't go to sleep for the night until 10:30pm and I spent easily 2 hours trying to get him to sleep when normally I would be snacking and drinking to boost me for the night time... but could it really be a supply issue? Or something else entirely??

Could be that he may need a little more - not a supply issue as such, but more that you just haven't caught up to him yet? or it could just be one of those things that will pass soon enough

My DD loves porridge, i introduced porridge since she was 7 months for breakfast. She enjoy her breakfast best and eat all very quickly.

Porridge is great - are you making it with EBM, water or something else? I agree that adding a little pear would be good too. When DS started solids he went from 6-10 poos a day down to 2-3. By the time he was eating well, it was 1-2 poos a day. :)