Adventures On Sugar Maple: Yummy in her Tummy!

As much as it pains me to watch my sweet Miss O grow up, I do enjoy the new adventures. We get to experience so many of the "firsts" and it is so fun! At her 4 month check up, Miss O's pediatrician said we could introduce cereal at 5 months (which will be next week!) and so we decided to do it a little bit early. I did some additional research on the world wide web about introducing solids and I stumbled upon this checklist on babycenter.com about it. Here is what it said....

How will I know when my baby's ready?
Your baby will give you clear signs when (s)he's ready to move beyond liquid-only nourishment. Cues to look for include:
•Head control. Your baby needs to be able to keep his head in a steady, upright position.
•Losing the "extrusion reflex." To keep solid food in his mouth and then swallow it, your baby needs to stop using his tongue to push food out of his mouth.
•Sitting well when supported. Even if he's not quite ready for a highchair, your baby needs to be able to sit upright to swallow well.
•Chewing motions. Your baby's mouth and tongue develop in sync with his digestive system. To start solids, he should be able to move food to the back of his mouth and swallow. As he learns to swallow efficiently, you may notice less drooling – though if your baby's teething, you might still see a lot of drool.
•Significant weight gain. Most babies are ready to eat solids when they've doubled their birth weight (or weigh about 15 pounds) and are at least 4 months old.
•Growing appetite. He seems hungry – even with eight to ten feedings of breast milk or formula a day.
•Curiosity about what you're eating. Your baby may begin eyeing your bowl of rice or reaching for a forkful of fettuccine as it travels from your plate to your mouth.

After reading this and talking/emailing with a sweet friend, who eased my fears, I purchased some rice cereal and thought we'd give it a whirl. Boy, was she ready!! She enjoyed every last bit of her cereal.