When Should you Feed Your Baby Food?

As most of you know my daughter started rice cereal at 2 weeks. She is now 6 months and has progressed to pureed foods. Breastmilk is still her main source of nutrition, but she definitely enjoys the satiating feeling of hardy solids. Today I made rice, baked chicken and italian beans for dinner. To prepare my daughter's food, I added water and pureed for 5 minutes. Although store bought baby food can be very convenient when you are tired or in a hurry, it only takes a few minutes to prepare food from your own kitchen. Every child is different due to health concerns and parental philosophy. Always consult your child's pediatrician if you are unsure of nutritional recommendations made by any one. Below are some general guidelines for beginning solids.

1. Start when baby can lift and hold head unsupported
2. Child has lost the tongue thrust reflex
3. Baby is 4 to 6 months
4. He/She stares at you and your plate during dinner time (LOL)
5. Baby grabs food from your plate and stuffs it in their mouth (My daughter did this to me)

Teething Remedies

* Please consult your child's pediatrician before trying any of these remedies

10 Teething Remedies

1. Wet 1/4 of a washcloth and allow it to chill in the refrigerator
2. Buy a gel or water filled teething ring and allow it to chill in the refrigerator
3. Infant Tylenol (Consult Pediatrician for dosage)
4. Teething Tablets
5. Teething Powder
6. Teething Pacifier
7. Chamomille
8. Baby Orajel
9. Rub your child's gum with your index finger until you hear them make a "squeaking" sound
10. If all else fails just let your little one eat the the sheets, your clothes and their clothes

Need help paying for baby milk formula?

I've been breastfeeding for 6 months now and do not have financial issues relating to the care of my child. However my neighbor recently stopped breastfeeding and realized that baby formula can be very expensive. Even with coupons powdered baby milk often costs $15 a can. Since she buys baby food and baby juice, the cost of feeding her child is skyrocketing. Her plight made me think about how many other women must be in her shoes. For those of you who may be struggling, a program named Women, Infants, and Children or WIC can be a life saver. Although my neighbor doesn't qualify for the benefit, I know many people who do. Not only do they receive formula, but they get gallons of milk, juice, cereal, peanut butter and other nutritious foods at no cost to them. I encourage every struggling mother to visit their local WIC office or the website to find out if you may qualify for the service.

Baby Monitors

My neighbor and I purchased very similar video baby monitors and discovered a very scary situation. She asked me the color my baby's crib sheets. After telling her she informed me that she could see my baby's crib. So last night I switched channels on my video monitor. To my surprise there was her baby boy looking snug as bug in his crib. The first thought that came to my mind was "What if a child molester can see our kids?" Yes I may be overreacting, but if we can see our babies and we are 2 homes apart, my fear is that someone else can see the babies. What do you think?