Rice Cereal or Rice Milk??

Today was the big day! Carly got to try her first taste of "big" girl food. I have been anxious about this day for the past few weeks (mostly because it means my baby is growing up). I've read the "introducing solid foods" chapter(s) out of our various baby books multiple times, read sections of library books, and surfed the internet looking for information in preparation for this big day. In my reading I learned that we shouldn't make more than 2 tablespoons at a time while she is learning how to eat solids, that if she spits out then she isn't ready, and stage 1 food should come after rice cereal. Beyond those three pieces of information many of the books vary and contradict one another and sometimes themselves. So after the doctor asked us our opinion and told us to try it when we were ready, we decided to give it a whirl today.

This afternoon we made a trip to the store to purchase a pack of baby spoons and a box of Brown Rice Cereal. Unfortunately Carly fell asleep on our way home so our big adventure was put on pause. After she awoke and had her normal late afternoon/evening feeding we began our preparation. We mixed a 1/2 batch of the "infant's first meal" recipe making rice cereal. However, while Dave was stirring (i.e. playing with it) he pointed out that it was more of the consistency of rice soup rather than cereal.

With the cereal made, Carly all ready in her Bumbo chair, and the camera set and ready Dave fed her the first spoonful of rice cereal. She didn't push the spoon back with her tongue and she didn't spit it out; however, I'm not really sure she was sure about what to do with this new flavor in her mouth. She did allow Dave and I both to give her a few more tastes; however, not too many. (We threw out more 1/2 of what we made even when cutting the recipe in half. Which means we threw out probably 1.5oz of "liquid gold" aka milk.)

When we try tomorrow, I'm thinking we shouldn't try immediately after a feeding, but when she isn't completely full. Dave is also thinking it may work better if it is just a little thicker and not just rice flavored milk on a spoon.