When did you introduce solids to your Babies?

Liza - posted on 09/23/2012

shocking comments. introducing solids at 3 and 4 months??are u guys out of your mind?? learn a little about baby physiology ladies.don't listen to doctors, they don't know what real health is and they definitively won't give you a good advice. a child doesn't need solids until 1 y.o if he is breast fed.

Hollyanne - posted on 10/30/2010

My son is 5 and a half months. At his last apt. the doc. said to start on rice cereal or solids. Last week we tried rice cereal in the bottle, which I found out is a bad idea because of choking hazard (he didn't choke, just seen it online) so we made it thicker and fed him with a spoon. Today he started eating bananas. Which he did o.k. I was going to wait til he was 6 months but the doctor said it was o.k. to try them. He is 5 and a half months so he is close. We are only going to feed him once a day until his 6 month apt. and then see what the doctor wants us to do from there. I think you should wait until they are at least 4-6 months old or as directed by your doctor.

Daisy - posted on 10/03/2010

I waited till just before 6 months which was a blessing cause at 6 months we had a HUGE growth spurt and I swear we wouldn't have gotten through it without solids:) I would consult a Dr if you think that is the road you want to go down, but you know your baby best so you should go with what you believe is right for you:)

Trudi - posted on 09/20/2010

I would not replace any bottles with baby cereal for a long time yet. Speak to your health professional before introducing anything. 3 months old is too early for her little digestive system to deal with and also dangerous as she can choke. Just wait until she is older as I said, speak to your health professional and listen to their advice, they are the professionals.

Rebekah - posted on 09/19/2010

I think most babies will have different needs... and most mothers! My first, she wouldn't eat solids untill I crash weaned her at 18months. She'd just have a nibble and loose interest, leaving me rather distraught and skin and bones. My second I weaned early (11months) due to emotional distress (husband leaving me). My third is still feeding, and I plan to let him self wean unless it's too much for me - He's just turned two. I remember with him I gave him food from 6months, but he didn't really eat much until 10 or 11 months, when his first molars came in. I also have a 9 week old baby, so I'm tandem feeding a toddler and newbaby... it's working well.
I imagine that different babies are ready at different times, and while it was fine for my first to just survive off my milk for the first year and a half of her life, my boy really seemed to all of a sudden love food at 11months. This could be due to gut lining, arrival of teeth, curiosity, enjoyment of food, and maybe need for more milk, but I'd say that last one usually doesn't happen so much.
My advice would be to observe your child, see if they are interested, keep an eye on how they behave, if they are developing, growing...
And with the allergies, what I have researched basically says that introducing food earlier than 6months won't necessarily cause an allergy, but if a person was going to develop one, then keeping the food away until the gut has had time to develop can stop that happening. Basically, if you introduce something that the gut thinks is not supposed to be there because it can't handle it yet, then it probably will keep thinking that and create an allergic response to that substance.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/18/2010

Vicki, our boys sound similar! I still can get by not packing food if I don't want to! And he's nearly 1 1/2! I love my trusty boobs, they've done well :)

Vicki - posted on 09/18/2010

I didn't introduce solids early, we did baby led weaning. I offered him food from 6 months. He didn't really go for it until 10-11 months, and only started eating a significant quantity at 14 months.

Personally I don't think babies are ready until they are interested, can pick up food on their own, take a bite, chew and swallow. Spooning mush isn't necessary.

Frankly, I'm happy my boy waited so long to want solids all the time. I'm only now having to pack a snack bag when going out of the house. Fits in with my general laziness, just me and my boobs have been enough until recently, way easier!

In case anyone is wondering, my boy isn't suffering from starting solids 'late', he's a great weight, very active and outgrowing his clothes all the time.

Helen - posted on 09/18/2010

Laura - had a brief look and its contents are interesting and def worth considering!

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/18/2010

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/del...
Helen here's one site where I learned about delaying solids for a full year. There's a common saying, food is for fun until one! My son barely ate a thing other then my milk for his first year and at 1 he was 26lbs 32 inches. Walking for 3 months saying about 20words. Just an example to remember!

Helen - posted on 09/18/2010

I'm a bit scared by the post that says breast fed babies don't need solids until one year - be careful with that, I know a baby whose mum did just that and he's behind and visibly under developed. Again as others have said, all babies are different, but again, better safe than sorry! And as many have said, you are the mum and you do always know best!

Helen - posted on 09/18/2010

There's nothing wrong at all with a 'better safe than sorry' attitude and its not 'PC' to delay weaning. Some mum's I know did it more for them than the baby, just in the excitement to see them eating food because they couldn't wait. I still say, be careful and delay as long as possible. What harm can it do and the milk, especially breast milk, is essential. The longer you breast feed, the more the benefits in all areas of health. If they eat food of any sort, they will take in less milk. Yes, you can give milky food, but they still wont' want as much.

Loren - posted on 09/17/2010

I started my daughter on rice cereal @ 4 months for the same reason. She wanted more than just milk. She is 6 months now and as been eatting breakfest, lunch and dinner for 2 months now! She is on stage 3 foods because she likes the thick consistancy of it.

Helen - posted on 09/17/2010

Absolutely agree with Lana - wait as long as possible. She may well just be having a growth spurt, which my baby did quite regularly and was ALWAYS hungrier at those times without fail. If you absolutely must give her some food, make sure you do it after the milk, because the milk is the most important food source because she may be too full after the baby rice and not have her essential milk. As lana said the baby's digestive system isn't mature enough for food, and her stomach is smaller - be careful and good luck.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/16/2010

Yes it's a risk of causing allergies, as the stomach is not fully developed until 6 months. As with any risk, some are not affected, some are. You are lucky, but others are not so lucky and suffer from many allergies, intolerances, and irritants due to the bad practices a few years ago. Not everyone, but it's a risk.

Vicky - posted on 09/16/2010

this thing with it causing allergies??? to what and how, my mum weened me at 4 months and i dont have any allergies...? am i just being naieve?

Vicky - posted on 09/16/2010

i started my daugher on baby rice at her lunch time feed at 15 weeks, she was also showing signs of wanting more. i said if it upset her tummy or she didnt like it that would be fine and i woould put it off, however she loves it! and now at 17 weeks shes just tried butternut squash and sweet potatoe and LOVES both!!!! i think with the times and our PC attitude, this "no weening before 6 months" attitude could be considered over causious!

Michelle - posted on 09/15/2010

It could be that she is going through a growth spurt. I remember that as being one of the time periods my daughter wanted to nurse extra. Once she built up my milk supply, she settled down for a few months more. I waited until 6 months to do solids and plan to do the same with my one week old. Some doctors give the ok at 3 months, so it is pretty much up to you (and your doc).

Amanda - posted on 09/15/2010

I started adding 2 tablespoons of rice cereal to my daughters formula at 3 months in the morning and at night. Then at 4 months I started her on baby foods. she wouldnt eat the vegetables until later but all the fruits she was great with. good luck!

Geraldine - posted on 09/15/2010

If your little one is showing signs of wanting food just move her one to hungier baby or give her more formula, i would not listen to the experts though due to the fact we used to get fed when we were 4 months onwards. If anything i would wait until she is 4 months then give her rice cereal and not too much just 3 spoons in morning and 3 at night, My daughter had really bad reflux i tried everything with her dr browns bottles to baby gaviscon and carobel nothing worked apart from a little bit of rice pudding and she held it down, she is now 6 months and she is eating solids and doesnt have reflux at all. If she is ok at the minute and isnt up to a 9oz feed leave her be until 4 months. :D

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/15/2010

I'm going to aim for 8 months with my new baby. I started Eric at 6 months and it was WAY too early, he was not ready until about 9 months. So I'm not even going to try until my next baby is 8 months or so.
My milk is everything my baby needs for the first year. So I really don't need to give anything for 1 year! Obviously formula fed babies will need solids sooner, like at 6 months but breastfed babies don't need solids for one year.
One year is the recommendation for families with allergies, so obviously that first year is just great on only breast milk!

Bevin - posted on 09/15/2010

i started my daughter on soilds when she was 3 months, shes 6 months now and getting mostly soilds now, there was a time when you wore sapoused to start them at 3 months but know they say breast feeding is the only thing they need, dont listen to the expects and what is recamended do what your baby needs, thats all that matters, just start off slow a bit of oatmeal pablum is my choice it doesnt bung up like the rice

Betsy - posted on 09/15/2010

You really should wait until at least six months unless your doctor advises otherwise. My son is almost 2 and I did wait for him to turn 6 months. I know it sometimes is hard, but it is best for baby to wait. Part of it has to do with their little digestive systems are not mature enough to handle even cereal yet.

Sophie - posted on 09/15/2010

they reccomend that its 6 months but only since last year until then it was 3 months i know this as im a nursery nurse as well as a mum.
i gave dylan solids at 3 months and he took to them fine.
dont use hungry baby milk as it can interfere with weaning when you start

Danika - posted on 09/14/2010

my girl is 4 1/2 months she always wants milk even after 3 hrs. from 4 th month i begin the rice and she love it. i have two other kids and i always begin to introduce them from after the 4th month. and they never had problems,now thy are 8 &9.

Gina - posted on 09/14/2010

I was very lucky with my daughter, she was such a good baby and she slept through from about 6 weeks old. When she was about 3 months old, I just couldn't seem to fill her even though she had a feed every two hours. I tried the milk for hungrier babies, but that didn't work. She was even waking in the night every two hours again. I started her on baby rice then, but only a couple of spoons a day to start with. You have to build it up gradually, not start it full on right away - their digestive systems would struggle with such a big change so quickly. Give her her morning feed as usual, but then give her a spoon or two of baby rice to see how she goes. My daughter took to baby rice without any problems. She's now 19 months old and will eat pretty much anything except cheese. I bottle fed her as I was unable to breastfeed and started her on baby rice before she was 6 months old - she's a happy, healthy, intelligent little girl who is full of energy!!

Emma - posted on 09/14/2010

My son started showing sign of wanting more than just his milk at 3 months. I tried him on baby rice cereal just before 4 mths old and he loved it. It filled him up and he was much more satisfied. He then went on the pureed foods by 5mths. It's what suits your baby and what her needs are. The nurses at the clinic were all textbook - 6mths or older. But my son would have starved if I had listened to them! Go with your motherly instincts. It definitely won't harm her to try it.

Sheena - posted on 09/14/2010

Well I don't know if this makes me a bad mama or not but my 14 week old son eats cereal,fruits and veggies all off of the spoon. He's getting cereal with a fruit mixed in it in the morning with a bottle of course and then bottles of his formula all through the day with a juice bottle sometime in there and then at night with cereal and a veggie and afterwards another bottle. He's only a little over 13 pounds now and loves his food! But as far as replacing her bottle with the cereal, thats not a good idea. Babies need the formula/breastmilk to keep growing properly with all of its vitamins and nutrients. Also you should never put cereal in a bottle as this is a hazard to the babies health. The baby can choke on the cereal as it comes out of the nipple, it can cause reflux/Gerd issues and also infections in the ear. I hope this helps you a little bit. I'm by no means a perfect mom, just offering a little advice and letting you know that if you're going to do it how I did it and when and so hopefully you can have a good experience feeding and introducing your little girl to food...Enjoy

Kathleen - posted on 09/14/2010

My doctor had us start food at 4 months now wic says 6 months but doctors are still pushing for four months do what u feel is bets since u r mommy

Amanda - posted on 09/14/2010

Hey!! don't replace any bottle with food just yet as they still need the milk. just slowly introduce the baby rice between the first and second feed. what i did was give my little man baby rice mixed with pureed fruit mid morning and pureed veg mid afternoon. but keep the bottles. best of luck!! oh by the way i started this when my little boy was 4 months as he was a hungry baby!! do what you feel is best and never mind what anyone else says!!!

Emma - posted on 09/14/2010

I started Lily on a couple of spoonfuls of cereal (we skipped baby rice) about 2 weeks ago (21 weeks) shes taken to it like a duck to water. My main reason for starting her earlier than 6 months was cuz her weight gain really slowed down, she's now almost 6 months and only 13lb 12. Starting her on solids has made no difference to her weight so now i wish i'd held off until 6 months. However, my friend has a big boy and he was more than ready at 4 months so as soon as he hit 17 weeks she was feeding him up. I'd waid until 17 weeks if i was you but as soon as your there then go for it.

Heather - posted on 09/14/2010

I started giving my son rice cereal and applesauce at 3 months. Doctors will recommend rice cereal first and if your child can tolerate that then go to oatmeal. Also a lot of doctors will tell you to start introducing veggies to your child first. That is because you don't want them to prefer the sweetness of fruit. I didn't do that and my son doesn't have a preference but you may want to consider it. I think you should take your child's cues and offer her some rice cereal.

Dan - posted on 09/14/2010

2 years ago they said wait until 6 months, but I started my son with rice cereal at 4 months. He loved it. Now I have 4 month old twins and their pediatrician said the recommendations have changed. You can start at 4 months. Just don't start adding other foods right away. We are feeding the twins rice cereal with bananas. They are doing great with it. If there's a family history of food allergies, then stick with rice cereal only until 6 months.

Lacey - posted on 09/14/2010

At three months my little guy, Owen was acting the same way so I added a coupel more ounces of formula at each feeding.
I just recently started giving my little guy rice cereal. He is just over 4 months and he is still drinking a bottle during the cereal feeding. I actually introduced applesauce to the rice cereal yesterday because he had no intrest in the cereal plain. 4-6 months is a good time to start if YOU feel like YOUR baby is ready. Every mom is different and every mom has their own guidelines. No one person is right or wrong. I am a new mom and I have great moms around me that give me advice on how they did things but in no way should you let that dictate what you do with your babe. I dont put cereal in his bottle because I just dont want to. I feel like if he is going ot have "solid" food its going to be seperate from the bottle. Hope this helps and good luck. You're doing great!

~Lacey

Tonya - posted on 09/14/2010

You know your baby and if you feel that she needs more then do what you think is best. I wouldn't totally replace her morning bottle with cereal but after her cereal give her a bottle to wash it down. I started giving my son rice cereal at 5mths maybe a little before and he took to it very well. So I would give him his cereal in the morning and about 15-20 mins after that a bottle of formula or even water. I give him cereal 3 times a day and always give him a bottle after. He is now almost 6mths and I've already introduced him to real bananas, sweet potatoes and carrots from a jar, mixed in with his cereal of course.

Well I hope this helps. Good luck I'm sure your little one will love cereal.

Tonya

Tabitha - posted on 09/14/2010

My pediatrician is starting my baby on stage 1 baby foods in a week, on his 4 months.

Genevieve - posted on 09/14/2010

I went to the Dr. Newman clinic as I am having to supplement due to lack of milk supply. They recommend 6 months if the baby is breast friend exclusively but if they are getting formula they can start around 4 months (when they are showing interest). You should read up on the articles about it on the Jack Newman website.

Rebekah - posted on 09/14/2010

All of the research I have read suggests that if you introduce something too early, it can cause your child to become allergic to that food. It is generally recommended to wait until at least 6months before introducing anything other than breast milk.

Melinda - posted on 09/13/2010

I actually put cereal in my baby's nighttime bottle at 5 wks old. At 3 mos I gave him some pears and applesauce. He loved it. It helped keep his belly full and I didn't have any problems at all. I did tell my nutritionist and she said it was fine as long as it was introduced slowly and he didn't have any reactions.

Marija - posted on 09/13/2010

I STARTED WHEN MY SON WAS 4 MONTHS OLD(AS THE PEDIATRICIAN RECOMMENDED TO ME) AND IT WAS OK.

Chrystal - posted on 09/13/2010

My daughter just had her 2 month checkup a couple of days ago and the Dr. said to start her on rice cereal at 4 months of age, and solids at 6 months. You just need to talk w/ your Dr. and see what they say.

Vickie - posted on 09/13/2010

my son is 3 months old and he was never getting full off his bottles. he was drinking 6oz bottles every 2 and a half to 3 hours, and took 2 hours to drink them! it was a nightmare! he struggled and cried throughout his bottles and just neva got full! i had considered putting him on baby rice/cereal but believe in sticking to the 6 month rule so i weaned him onto hungrier baby food. it is fantastic! he is now taking 6oz every 4-5 hoursand even sleeps more now! he is happier and more content and life as a mummy has just got so much better for me. i can now relax, play with my eldest, clean up, eat and read the paper haha thats how bad things were. however you are the parent and id say do what you think is best but do research the effects they could have on your baby, best of luck!

Kim - posted on 09/12/2010

My daughter is 6 months old now and we started her on solids at 3 months; we never told the doctor cause everyone seems to frown upon it but the doctor says she is very healthy. We knew she was ready cause she always wanted our food and showed other signs also. I dont think its anything wrong with it as long as u stick to one food at a time for at least a week to check for allergies

Carla - posted on 09/12/2010

When I spoke with my doctor he said that solids can be introduced as early as 4 months. And premies should be started around 4 months because of the iron. We started at 4 months and my daughter is doing great with it.

Rachael - posted on 09/12/2010

I started my boy on solids when he turned 4 months - he was waking between 1-3 hourly and usually 2hourly from about 3 months and I was feeding him masses of milk almost hourly during the day and he was growing without any problems (he's 18.2lbs at 4.5 months). Personally I think 3 months is too early - thats why I waited until 4 but you know your baby best and noone can ultimately tell you what to do

Lara - posted on 09/11/2010

i started a week off 4 months... i couldnt handle the evry half hour breastfeeds... and was advised by my health nurse to start her on solids.... dont replace any milk feeds!!! they still need milk as thier main source though... just work it in with the milk feeds..so if she has a milk feed at 7 then give solids at 8 and go from there my daughter of 9 months is on this routine...... milk at 7, brekky at 8, sleep at 9, bottle around 11, lunch at 12, sleep at one, bottle at 3, dinner at 5, bottle at 6.30 then bed at 7... but because your girl is only 3 months she will be needing more milk than this... speek to ur health nurse at her next check up... or even make an app specially to talk about this topic..... health nurse wont tell you its wrong she will just give you all the info to help you out... :) good luck

Cheryl - posted on 09/11/2010

I too waited until my daughter was about 6 months despite pressure from family and friends. Studies have shown that babies started on solids too soon have a problem with obesity later in childhood. True or not why take the chance.

Kristie - posted on 09/11/2010

I have 3 kids and all mine have been on solids early cause milk just didnt satasfy them my eldest was having rice cereal at 6 weeks old and he loved it and it never hurt him he was a big eater from day one

Michelle - posted on 09/11/2010

i started feeding her rice cereal around 2 months in a bottle. it helped her sleep because she was full. i started feeding her fruit and veggies at about 4 or 5 months.

Ashley - posted on 09/11/2010

THAT IS RIGHT, YOU SHOULD GIVE HER A TABLESPOON FIRST, AND IT WILL FILL HER, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT SHE WILL SLEEP LONGER AND YOULL BE ALOT HAPPIER BELIEVE ME IT WORKS, AND IT HAS BEEN MY SOON HIS 5 AND A HALF MONTHS NOW AND EATING SOLIDS

Chanel - posted on 09/11/2010

I started my lil one out just before her 4th month, and she didnt poop for 4 days, we ended up giving her a supository. She loved the food though. Both of my boys started solids by this time and they did fine. I think it's worth a shot. Every child is different. Good luck.