According to the following symptoms, is our son ready for mash?

Question

It seems as if our six months old son has difficulties digesting his first lunch mash. We are using mash as it was described in several books:

• carrots mash
• carrots + potato mash
• carrots + lamb meat mash

all sieved with rape oil. He is breastfed for all other meals.

When being breastfed, he usually defecates once or twice per day, but he stopped defecating before when he got sick (peeing/flatulence only for four consecutive days).

With mash, he seems to show the same symptoms as if he was sick and produces excrement (much more viscous) with great difficulty (more crying, more pushing) after days without defecation.

Is it too early for mash for him or does he need to go through it? We've tried it for two weeks now. He continues eating normally (I wonder how that works... :D ).

Answer 1

It sounds like your baby is constipated. Carrots and lamb especially tend to constipate one, so a change in diet will probably help. Try introducing some fruit to his diet instead of the carrots and such -- apple sauce or pureed pears would be ideal at this stage -- and/or a little of that baby rice cereal that comes in tiny flakes (it can be mixed with water, breast milk, or formula, don't feed it dry).

After 1-2 days, things should loosen up and he should stop being constipated.

Answer 2

Your baby might need more water - breastmilk is a lot of water, and now he is missing that. So you have to add increase his intake of fluids. Some people give diluted 100% fruit juice - we just gave ours water with every meal. It's warm weather here now, so she gets dehydrated more as well - again, just offer more water.

Give more easily digestible food - bananas, mashed rice, and applesauce. For vegetables, try something like sweet potatoes or squash instead.