"Modified" Rice Cereal

Started Isaac with iron-fortified rice cereal and ended up with serious constipation. As sweet potato is a very good source for relieving constipation, I added sweet potato puree to his normal iron fortified rice cereal. Real effective! One day later, his bowel went back to normal.

This is not really a recipe, but I guess a "modified" version of plain rice cereal to really help fight constipation :

2 tbsp of rice cereal, mix with BM to a thick consistency cereal, add in 1 tsp of sweet potato.

On top of that, I give apple puree in between feeds as well as fruit juice.

His constipated days are finally over....I HOPE!!

The Poo Finally Arrived!

After starting Isaac on rice cereal, he was constipated for THREE DAYS!!! I was worried sick and finally, his poo arrived today!!! Not that I want to be disgusting, but the poo sure smells now! It is less watery now and harder to clean, Yucky! It must have been a tough time for Isaac, he was moaning all the way while trying to poo. After the whole episode, his usual active self is now "sedated"....he is just lying there probably in relief and I must say that he is really sweaty all over. What a tough task! Heehee!

Feeding Schedule

It's not an easy phrase now. Introducing solids entails discipline and frequent feeding of liquids. My whole day is all about feeding Isaac with milk, cereals, fruit juice (diluted), fruit puree and water. As he had a serious case of constipation after introducing him the rice cereal (as it's iron fortified), I really have to make sure he gets enough liquid to help him ease his constipation, that's where the water, fruit juice and fruit puree is really important.

Upon waking - milk feed
9am - rice cereal, followed by water or milk
12pm - milk feed
3pm - fruit puree/juice, followed by water or milk
6pm - rice cereal, followed by water or milk
9pm - milk feed

That's the current schedule, it's even more hectic than his previous 4 hourly milk feed, 8pm, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm (+ 5am milk feed, if he wakes up).

Anyone any advice/suggestions about the new schedule? Just submit your comments....thanks.

(Update : Decided to mix the fruit/vegetable puree into the rice cereal and currently, I am adding sweet potato into his rice cereal....so, let's see if his constipation will go away)

Not too happy with these food...

So far, Isaac is quite happy with his rice cereal. I tried introducing some fruits and vegetable puree as he experienced some constipation after starting his solids but so far, he wasn't too happy with what he was given.

Bananas - REJECT!
Sweet Potato - REJECT!

Apple Juice - still ok, but I think I will start giving him prune juice instead to ease his constipation.

PD's recommendation

Given all the "complications" I experienced on this weaning journey with Isaac, I have decided to consult his PD to get more advice and suggestions.

I have started his rice cereal again this morning, and right after that, I gave him water. I have also bought some Heinz baby apple and pear juice as well as some pureed fruits, just to try out and see if he likes it. I guess all those streaks of blood were caused by constipation given that the cereal is iron-fortified plus the lack of fluid in his body.

So now...Isaac's weaning journey will begin again and I will update on his progress, new food introduced to him and how he is taking it.

Cheers!

So, lessons learned :

1) Water is really essential now that solid food is introduced, water content in breastmilk is not sufficient.
2) Introduce fruits (either commercially pureed or freshly made ones) at this stage to prevent constipation.

Wish List - Book

I am heading down to the bookshop this weekend to get this book, Feed Your Child Right, The First Complete Nutrition Guide for Asian Parents. I have seen this book before Isaac arrived but didn't buy it then. it's been recommended by an IBF (Isaac Blog Fan) and even my sister-in-law thinks that this is a great book. So, another shopping trip this weekend to get myself ready to feed Isaac right.

P/S : Decided to stop Isaac's solid food as there were traces of blood yesterday again after I started him with his cereal.

Rice Cereal Saga Continues...

After days of regular bowel movement, I have started his rice cereal again.

1 Tbsp of iron fortified rice cereal + Breastmilk to get a slightly thicker runny cereal.

Isaac finished all his cereal and drank some water after that. I have to make sure I give him regular water intake as the cereal, given it's iron-fortified, may cause constipation.

Will increase his cereal tomorrow and check to see if he has constipation again.

Rice Cereal STOPPED!

To my horror, I found some traces of blood in Isaac's stool twice. He seem to be constipated as well and I worry that he may not be ready to take the cereal yet. I have stopped his rice cereal as I think his "system" is probably not ready for solid food yet. I am also giving him more water, hopefully to stop his constipation.

Usually, small streaks of blood in the stool are usually not that serious, but it calls for immediate attention if it's dark red jelly or are streaked with mucous. For Isaac, he seems to be perfectly fine, he will grunt a little when trying to poo and the streaks of blood is very very small. So, I just have to monitor to make sure there is no persistent bleeding.

Is Your Baby Ready for Solids?

Milk is still the main food source for babies for the first year, so there is really no hurry to introduce solids to them. It's best to introduce one type for a few days to make sure there is no allergy and it's accepted by the baby.

Some of the cues when baby is ready for solid food besides being at least four months old :

• Show interest in your food
• Feeling restless after the usual milk feed
• No change in weight

It is also important to introduce gluten free food to your baby until your baby reaches 6 months old.

To sterilise utensils or not? Well...once they are four months, there is not really a necessity to do so. What's more, you will notice that whatever they get their hands onto, they tend to put it in their mouth and they are perfectly fine. So, to sterilise all utensils is not really required.

It's best to avoid peanuts as they may be choking hazard, besides, there are more cases of nut allergies in small children and by the eight month, children can eat virtually the same diet as their parents. However, you will need to check to make sure that fish is bone-free, fat is removed from meat. You will need to mince or mash the food to a smooth paste (puree) and as they grow older, make the texture to be more solid and slightly more lumpy.

Day Eight - Isaac's Solid Food

After one week, Isaac is still on Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal and there is absolutely no sign of any allergy. That is good news!

I have increased to 5 teaspoons of cereal and prepared with a slightly thicker consistency. Isaac is very enthusiastic about the food today. In fact, so enthusiastic that I have to feed him continuously to keep him happy! I think he must have taken close to 2 tablespoon of cereal, that should be quite sufficient for now.

Day Seven - Isaac's Solid Food

This is the 7th day taking Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal. I have increased to 4 teaspoons of cereal and prepared it with a slightly thicker consistency. Isaac finished everything and was actually is more excited now when the spoon is placed near him. Looks like he is getting used to having cereal and slightly more comfortable having fed through spoon. Look forward to more exciting feeding times with him.

I have also found another place that sells organic rice cereal and once I finish with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal , I will probably switch to Earth's Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal.

Day Six - Isaac's Solid Food

Continued with Heinz Iron Enriched Rice Cereal for the 6th day and today, I increased to 2 teaspoon of cereal, to see if he is able to finish all. I have also made it slightly thicker and realized he enjoys a thicker cereal rather than a watery one. I finished off his breakfast cereal with another 80ml of milk.