Starting Solids

Sebastian just turned 4 months old last week, and he went for his 4 month check-up yesterday. After discussing how his ability to nap during the day has disappeared in the past several weeks, our doctor advised us to start feeding him rice cereal (with a spoon!) once in the morning and once in the evening to see if this helped him to sleep better both during the day and at night. I was surprised that we would start with a spoon because I have heard so many stories from people who mixed the cereal in with breast milk or formula and then fed it through a bottle. It makes sense to start using a spoon as soon as you start solids, though, to get your baby accustomed to swallowing so that it will ease him into solids.

Our first attempt was this morning, and Sebastian was able to swallow a good amount of the cereal, but a lot ended up finding its way to his clothes. I did put a bib on him at first, but then he started to grab the bib and stick it in his mouth, creating an obstacle between me and the spoon and his mouth --so off came the bib. For now, it's fun to get all messy while we're exploring something new.

Also at his appointment, he weighed in at 17 lbs 6 oz. and measured 26 3/8 inches long! He grew two full inches since his 2 month appointment and gained over 3 lbs. I forget what his head measured, I'll have to get those stats at his next appointment. All very proportional though.

Oh, and he's napping right now -- so far so good. :)