Starting Solids

Aliora is 5 1/2 months now and we decided to start her on solids. While we were in NY, she was with us for every meal and watched every bite that went into our mouths. It's so hard to resist that hungry stare. I think she might also be in another growth spurt so her regular feedings haven't been enough. She's been waking up at 11:30pm and 4am (almost like clockwork... argh!) for the last week or so.

So far this is only day 3 of solids. Instead of rice cereal, I wanted to try something different so I decided to start her on kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin. It has orange flesh encased in a green rind and is rich in vitamins. We microwaved it until it was soft and mixed it with a little breastmilk for flavor and consistency.

The first day I only got a few dabs from the spoon into her mouth before she started to get upset. Yesterday she actually had a few mouthfuls before she decided she didn't want anymore. Progress! I'll try again today. Hopefully she'll eat a little more tonight.

Until she can eat actual meals, I'll be adding another bottle feeding in the late evening to try to prevent the 11:30pm and 4am wakeups.