It does sound like your daughter has constipation. Constipation is defined by hard stools (sometimes "small balls" or "rabbit pellets"), that often are difficult to pass. There are many causes of constipation, but most commonly it is due to the child's diet. When solids are introduced, the consistency of the stools may change. Foods such as rice cereal, bananas, and apple sauce, which are popular "first foods", may increase the hardness of the stools. I suggest two things: 1) reduce the amounts of these three foods to a lesser amount and 2) add prune juice (start with 4-6 ounces per day).

Most pediatricians recommend spoon feeding cereals and other pureed foods so that the child learns how much to eat and drink and which foods he or she prefers. When the cereal is mixed in with the milk in the bottle, the child has less choice: if he/she is hungry, he/she also has to drink; if he/she is thirsty, he/she also has to eat. Although most pediatricians recommend giving solids with a spoon, I'm not aware of any harm from putting cereal in the bottle. In fact, for some infants with GE reflux (spitting up with pain from stomach acid in the esophogus), we recommend thickening the milk feedings with cereal in the milk.

The directions on the cereal tend to be guidelines. My recommendation is to mix the cereal with formula (you don't really have to measure amounts, just add formula until the consistency is like your own oatmeal or one that your baby is comfortable with), let her eat as much as she wants, and then when she is done, offer the bottle. Allow her to take as little or as much formula now as she wants. It may be the amount you expect, but it would also be normal to be much less or even more than that.

At this age (5 months), a nursing infant may get quite a lot of breast milk in just a few minutes. It is most likely that your daughter is getting all the milk she needs. If she needed more, she would feed longer at the breast and perhaps indicate that she wants additional feedings (by crying). I recommend giving the cereal and solids first and then nursing. Once a child begins receiving calories from solids, they may need less calories from the milk. As for fluids, breast fed (and bottle fed) infants who do not yet take solids get much more fluid than they require (note how many wet diapers there are!) to get the calories they need.

Small pieces of soft foods (finger foods) are o.k. at this age, but I would only give foods that he has had before as jarred or pureed food or else one new food at a time. Introducing many foods at once may make it difficult to detect which one an allergic reaction is from.

There is no concern if you wait another month or two until you introduce ?finger foods". Probably one or both of the following issues are at work: 1. Some children just prefer softer, mushier foods at this stage. So your son may just not like the feel of the more solid foods. Eventually he will. 2. Some children, as part of learning to swallow small pieces of solids, induce a gag reflex in themselves (which is not choking but looks like that to us). This is a normal part of learning to eat solids. If this is happening when you feed your son, it does not mean he doesn't like or is unable to swallow the solids. With a little more practice, he will no longer gag when he swallows.

The American Academy of Pediatrics ([www.aap.org | http://www.aap.org]) can give all the help you need. Between 6 and 12 months of age, vegetarian diets pose no problem for infants. If you use cereal, fruits, vegetables, milk (breast milk or formula), cheese and yogurt, all nutritional needs are met (if most milk is breast milk, vitamins A, C, and D should be supplemented). The protein comes from the dairy products (breast milk and formulas are 20-30 % protein). The body can also make amino acids and protein from carbohydrates (milk, solid foods).

It is common for infants who start eating solid foods to decrease their intake of breast milk or formula. As more and more of their daily calories come from baby food, they need less calories from milk. Your daughter gets her fluids from breast milk, the juice and the water content of the solid foods. So the fact that she takes less milk may be normal.

If you would like to increase your milk supply, nurse or pump more often to stimulate milk production. Drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest (as much as possible).

If your ten month is developing normally (he should be sitting up, saying syllables such as ma-ma-, da-da, perhaps crawling or pulling to stand or waving or clapping), the fact that he doesn't put objects in his mouth means very little. It would only be significant in the context of a child who has other developmental delays.

To teach him to enjoy finger foods, try (on several occasions) putting a cheerio or a similarly sized, soft piece of food in his mouth. If he doesn't seem to like it now, try again in another few weeks. Eventually, he will prefer pieces to pureed foods.

Teaching a child to feed himself can be accomplished by providing him with a spoon (for soft foods) and access to the finger food pieces when he has a pincer grip. Don't feed him. Stay nearby but don't feed him yourself. Only feed him if he is getting very frustrated. If you do this often enough, he will begin to feed himself. Expect a mess!

Your problem is a frustrating one, but not a serious one. Children may start to enjoy finger foods (small pieces of solids) at a wide variety of ages. It is certainly not unusual for an 11 month-old to prefer softer textures and gag at more solid foods. Eventually, he will learn to swallow and also like the finger foods. But in the meantime, just give him the foods he does well and seems to like.

It is common for feeding difficulties to show up at this age. Here are some tips (try them and use whichever ones work)
1. If your daughter doesn't want strained foods, don't offer them. If she likes only some strained foods, only give her these.
2. If a child wants to feed himself/herself, encourage it.
3. At this age, too much juice, water, and/ or breast milk is filling and leads to eating less. The liquids fill you up, but with less calories. Weaning a child from the breast (or bottle) usually results in the child drinking much less and eating much more.
Having said all this, try feeding her yourself (spoon for strained foods or with finger foods) while you allow her to attempt to feed herself also. If she is gaining weight well, there is no need to wean her, but if she is gaining slowly, I would wean her and cut down on the other liquids as well. Give her only foods she likes.

Children often get sick! They put objects in their mouths and also transfer germs to themselves by rubbing their eyes and noses and putting their fingers in their mouths. The more children your son comes into contact with other children, the more likely it is that he will catch an illness.

It is a good sign that when he is ill he is active and playful. When an illness is severe, infants are lethargic, hard to get comfortable, not playful, and don't drink. Even children who have a cold or viral illness eat much less. As long as your son drinks enough, do not worry. When he gets better, he will begin eating again.

It is common for antibiotics to cause an upset stomach or diarrhea. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections (ear infections, a sore throat that is a strep. throat, sinus infections, pneumonia, etc.). Most illness in infants are caused by viruses, not bacteria. For these illnesses, antibiotics do not help. If your child has a bacterial infection, using the antibiotic is correct, but if it is just a viral illness (most colds and coughs, most stomach illnesses) the antibiotic should be avoided.

Yes, but there are important points to be considered. First, fish and especially shellfish are high on the list of foods that cause allergies in children. So if your toddler's family is particularly prone to allergies, it might be wise to put off introducing these foods until he or she is older (some say 24 months. Second, there are infections that can be transmitted from uncooked shellfish (hepatitis, infectious diarrheas). Occasionally raw fish can also be a problem (parasites). Lastly, some fish contain high levels of mercury and the amount consumed should be kept moderate. Ask your child's physician for specific recommendations on these points.

There are kids just like your daughter who prefer jarred foods to finger foods. I suggest: 1) give meals as jarred foods for now. 2) periodically offer some finger foods as well. 3) avoid all food struggles. (give her only foods she likes and never push her to eat when she doesn't want to.) 4) encourage her to use the spoon to feed herself. Eventually she will eat table food.

Since you didn't mention otherwise, I will assume that your daughter was born full term (and not premature). What was her birth weight? Sixteen pounds is on the small size for this age, but this certainly can be normal if the child is growing steadily and "following the curve" on the growth chart.

I agree with you: give her only foods she enjoys, even if the selection is limited and means giving the same foods over and over again.

Many kids are not crawling or pulling to stand at 11 months. Again, if she is consistently gaining new skills and reaching developmental milestones, this is not a concern.

I am sure your pediatrician is following both her weight gain and her developmental progress, but continue to ask him/her about these subjects when you are at the doctor's office.