Feeding baby

I never thought feeding a baby would be one of the hardest parts of having one. I thought it would be the lack of sleep or the constant attention my baby would command.
Really, the only element about feeding a baby I was worried about was breastfeeding. They teach classes on it. They have books dedicated to it. They warned me it’s not easy.
But my baby and I had no problem. In fact, she got along so well that she decided she wouldn’t drink from a bottle. We tried so many different kinds my cupboard looked like a bottle store. We also tried a few techniques, including me staying away for hours leaving only my husband to feed her. No luck. Only one very mad baby.
Oh well. We got over it. Luckily my babysitter is close to my work and I’m able to feed her a few times a day. Phew. I thought, that problem has worked itself out.
Now we’re on to solids. This will be easy, I thought.
But there are a lot of rules when it comes to feeding a baby solids. Give them cereal first, then oatmeal, then barley. Huh? Are we making beer?
And introduce each item individually for 3-5 days before beginning the next, my doctor says. That way if there’s an allergic reaction you’ll know what from. And do vegetables before fruits. Or they may not take the vegetables after having fruits.
But don’t start at all until your baby’s ready. My doctor said this most likely will be at 4 to 6 months. But according to my unscientific poll of the moms I know, this is the most commonly broken rule.
You see, babies can digest milk, especially breastmilk, very quickly, hence, many late night feedings. Give them a little rice cereal though to fill their tummy, and they’ll sleep like a … well, like a baby.
I found out this secret while talking to a momof a newborn at a Superbowl party last spring. I asked her the question everyone asks a woman who has had a baby in the last six months. “So, are you getting any sleep?” Her response caught me off guard. As if she was telling me she was hiding a body in her trunk, she leaned in and whispered, “I give him a little rice cereal at night.”
Rice cereal? I thought. What the heck is rice cereal? And why is this so top secret?
Well, I would find out later that doctors don’t recommend this for a few reasons, but many moms bend this rule. (Ask your doctor to find out more.)
But I waited until she was about 5 months old, and with a little excitement and a trepidation (after the bottle dilemma) I gave baby her first food — a little rice cereal mixed with breastmilk. She seemed excited. She grabbed for the spoon and quickly put it right in her mouth. But then out it came. She pushed it out of her mouth with her tongue. Bite afte bite, she’d push it out. With the food left in the bowl, on her face and bib, I was not sure she was consuming any of it. Oh boy, this is going to take a while.
Just weeks later though my baby had become a champion eater, wanting more the second she swallows every mouthful. And there’s been no food she’s turned down. Ironically, now I worry she’s eating too much. She’ can’t possibly have a big enough stomach for all that, I think. What if her tummy gets too stuffed?