Breakfast of Champions

Miles and I breached the cereal threshold this morning. His pediatrician gave me the green light to start experimenting with solid (solidesque) food- basically, bland old rice cereal. I wanted to get a head start on solids because I am worried that Miles will have a harder time with the proper muscle coordination for eating. My motivation came from reading something yesterday said some child with Down Syndrome don't eat solids until after their first birthday; this really threw me for an unpleasant loop. Even if Miles doesn't master rice cereal anytime soon, he'll at least be exposed to the spoon. the bowl, and the yummy glue-like snack. I want to give him a chance to try solids. Most children start eating rice cereal around 4 months of age. We just took a few weeks head start. Hopefully, this early beginning will help keep us on par for reaching his developmental milestones. Since it is going to take Miles longer to learn how to eat, I simply introduce the concept sooner- seems logical, right? This culinary venture made me feel like a teacher again. My goal for eating solid foods is to scaffold the process. Bit by bit, and bite by bite, Miles and I will build his knowledege base every day. This was more of an exercise in task analysis rather than a simple mid-morning snack. But hot damn, my boy opened his mouth when he saw the spoon! He stuck out his tongue in anticipation of the food. And best of all, the majority of the cereal remained inside of him- for now. I am so pleased and encouraged. Baby steps. . .I know. I was able to snap a couple of pictures in-between bites. He looks so much older, sitting up in his Bumbo chair, with his rice cereal doubling as lip gloss. Can you believe he is already 3 1/2 months old???