Dear Twins,
I’m a first-time mom with a 2-month-old baby. I’ve been getting all kinds of different advice as to when I should start feeding my baby solid foods, and now I’m totally confused! When should my baby start eating solid foods?
Jacqueline says: Current research indicates that the best age to start a baby on solid food is between 4 and 6 months; up until then, all of his nutrients should come from breast milk or infant formula. Therefore, once your baby is in this age range and has sufficient head control to turn away when he’s done eating, you can try solid foods. Coincidentally, this time frame correlates well with what’s also occurring at this age: the beginning of teething and the appearance of the first baby teeth.
Kerry says: Jacqueline is correct…but what should you feed your baby, you ask? Begin with rice cereal, as it’s easiest on his tummy. Mix it with breast milk or formula, and make it thin to start, so the change in consistency is less surprising. Feed your baby this for about a week before changing to something else.
Next, try feeding your baby a steamed or pureed vegetable for one serving a day; good foods to start with are carrots, squash, green beans, or peas. You can also feed your baby Stage 1 baby food.
Give each new food by itself at first and wait a few days before trying another one to make sure your baby isn’t allergic. Then, start adding one serving of pureed fruit a day (except citrus), like pears, peaches, or apples. You will need to wait until your baby is 7 to 9 months old before trying pureed or strained meats, starting with chicken and turkey, before moving up to red meat. Then, at around 9 months, you can start introducing your baby to table foods, such as mashed potatoes, pasta, and yogurt.
Beware, as there are four foods to avoid during your child’s first year: honey (which can cause infant botulism), strawberries, nuts, and eggs, which are all common allergens.
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Dear Twins,
I have a newborn who keeps me up all night. I’m simply exhausted, as I work a 9-to-5 job. When will my baby sleep through the night?
Jacqueline says: There are as many answers to that as there are babies! As you probably now realize, newborns can sleep as much as 16 hours a day, but in much shorter stretches. It takes time to settle into a consistent nighttime sleeping pattern, as a baby’s nervous system matures, and he’s able to go longer between feedings. By the time a baby is 3 months old, he may sleep for five hours or more a night; a 6-month-old may sleep as long as eight to 10 hours at night. Some babies don’t sleep through the night until they’re at least a year old. You can help your baby develop good sleeping habits by establishing a bedtime routine, such as nursing or giving a bottle, reading a bedtime story, and singing a lullaby at the same time every night; this signals to your baby that it’s time to sleep. Be sure to put your baby to bed sleepy, but still awake, to learn to associate falling asleep with being in bed.
Kerry says: Agreed. Also, be sure to put your baby down on his back for safety, and keep toys out of the crib. Some other advice: don’t jump at the first noise. You shift positions during the night, and so does your baby. Wait a minute to see if your baby settles back down before picking him up. Lastly, keep nighttime feedings quiet. If you need to feed or change your baby in the middle of the night, don’t turn the lights on or play bouncy games. Use a dim nightlight and speak softly, so he’ll know it isn’t time to wake up.
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Dear Twins,
I’ve always been a pleaser. I do let my kids have their way, because I think that if I don’t, they won’t love me. I know that’s not true, but that’s how I feel. That said, they are becoming more and more demanding and difficult every day. Am I wrong about the way I am raising them?
Kerry says: So you grew up being a pleaser, and now that you’re a parent, you are still unable to put that pleasing nature and inability to confront on a back burner. You still need people to like you, especially your children. However, as a parent, your job is to love and discipline your children, not to be liked by your children. There will be times when your children won’t like you. But when they are older and wiser, hopefully they will realize that you were right in disciplining them to become respectful and gracious adults.
Jacqueline say: In my opinion, you should see a therapist. To believe our children won’t love us if we don’t give them whatever they want is ludicrous. The fact that you let your kids “have their way” is a poor way to raise children and even borders on dangerous. Of course your children are becoming difficult and demanding. Did you expect anything different? Get help right away.
