cgan
hi, my baby started rice cereal last week at 6 months old, was on it for 4 days and started diarrehea on day 2. I stopped food for a couple of days and resumed on carrots. today is day 4 and she started diarrehea again. Should I continue food? Should I change food? Did she start solids too early? She doesn'r really show signs of wanting to eat. Can I stop food for a week and let her bowel motions return to normal and start food again?
it seems increasingly common for bubs to experience reactions to rice cereal, we used to think it was very low allergenic but this may not be the case. So, potentially the rice cereal didn’t sit well, reactions of this sort tend occur more in certain ethnic groups also. I am just wondering if you gave carrots and rice cereal or just the carrots on their own and they too caused an upset tummy?
You have done all the right things and baby is absolutely of an appropriate age to start solids. Around 6 months most bubs begin to run low in stores of iron and hence iron-fortified foods become important. I am just wondering if baby is breast or formula fed also?
Consider as a starting food avocado, its fats are similar to breastmilk and it is also more sustaining. If that goes okay then try sweet potato as it is a lovely nutrient rich veggie which is low GI and again sustaining. Perhaps try just 3 days and then move on so that baby’s system isn’t getting too much of a good thing.
Yes, hold off on solids until baby’s bowel motions return to normal, but do keep in mind that food will change them considerably. For example a breastfed bub has mustardy unformed poos, but once they move onto solids they can become more firm and green or dark, so don’t be surprised by any of this.
It’s also common for some bubs to show little interest in solids even at 6 months, that’s fine. It is very much a case of ‘leading a horse to water’. Keep offering and if baby rejects it that’s okay just persist gently as it will one day just click with her. If you get beyond 7 months and things aren’t improving or if you notice baby’s growth rate changes it would be a good idea to pop into your ECN or plunket nurse for a chat.
If you would like more information on solids, it can seem a bit of a mine-field at first, I have some tip sheets on Huggies on starting solids and also a book, the links are:
Solids
http://www.huggies.com.au/baby-care/baby-feeding/solids
Book club
http://www.huggies.com.au/benefits/book-club
(it is at the end as the books are listed in alphabetical order)
Plus a great little fridge chart I did with Organic Bubs on solids on my site:
Www.sneakys.com.au under the nutrition resources page.
If you find that things don’t improve with the new starter foods, I do recommend that you pop into your ECN or GP and have a chat.
You are going great, having been thrown a bit of a curve ball makes it a little tricky, but keep going
All the best
Leanne