Solids not before 6 months old...really??

Kim - posted on 10/31/2009

Some babies do just fine when you feed them before the six month mark, but realize you are taking a chance. Not every baby's gut is closed before that age. You risk food allergies or intolerance. Case in point, I decided to try a little early at around 5 months.... my son ended up getting diarrhea 5-6 a day for three days straight until I figured out it was the cereal. As soon as I took him off the cereal, the diarrhea stopped. Started again a month later and there was no reaction. That's the reason for the 6 month mark. They know that ALL babies are ready by then, but that doesn't mean that ALL babies aren't either. They are just trying to play it safe and prevent what happened to my kiddo under their watch.

Octavia - posted on 10/31/2009

I had started giving my baby solids but soft foods she could chew on like rice bread crackers, soft veges like peas cabbage not really meat but gave her a chicken bone or turkey to chew on for her gums, but not all the time and i still breast feed. its best to blend the food up in a blender at 3 1/2 months. Rice cereal was her first meal mixed with breast milk is the best to try. Now I'm feeding my baby straight baby food at 6 months and slowly introducing her to fruits and vegetables and meats 1 week at a time and still breast feeding in between. You want to keep track of what you feed your baby just in case of alergic reaction.

Glynnis - posted on 10/27/2009

I guess this just bothers me in general. One, your child should not be completely weaned off of formula or breast milk until age one and even after one, they should have at least 2 cups of milk a day. My 6 month olds diet is still mainly formula, but she does have oatmeal w/ some kind of fruit mixed in after her morning bottle, and baby food with almost every bottle. It's not that a baby's digestive system can't handle the food, it's that, they're bodies are not as advanced as ours and are not going to absorb as much nutrients from the food that they eat. Not only that, but protein, fat, iron and many other things are the basic ingredients in all baby formula and breast milk, these are things that are essential in the growth of your child and they just aren't going to get that from baby food.

And NO, you shouldn't take the advice of the Midwife if your child is showing you signs that he/she is ready for solids. It is your child and you know that child better than a midwife will ever know. Do what you think is best for your baby, but please, don't completely wean your child off of breast milk or formula until age 1.

Marta - posted on 10/26/2009

I always started out my children slowly adding a little bit of rice cereal to their bottles then gradually they started wanting more so they received very runny cereal. My daughter just turned six months and gets a large variety of foods (fruits, veggies and cereals) and we're just waiting on teeth before we give her chunkier foods (still baby food but not pureed). She still gets bottles of formula in between meals and before bed and usually once she's finished her meal. She's a very big, but proportionate, girl and she's been sleeping through the night since she was 2.5 months. I think every child is different and for some children 6 months is right while others need more sooner.

Lacey - posted on 10/23/2009

also all of my sibling and my self were started on solid foods at 3 months

Lacey - posted on 10/23/2009

i say give it to them in small doses... my son would take 2 8 oz bottles in an hour and still want more so we started giving him purees once a day and started mixing rice with his bottles and now he's 6 months and takes food off the spoon 2 - 3 times a day and we put rice in all of his bottles and he's a happy healthy baby

Amy - posted on 10/22/2009

I have an 8 year old who I put on solids at around 5-6 months. Now, with my second one who will be 6 months on the 27th, I have had her on baby food and cereal since she was about 2 and a half months. I would still nurse her but I was one of those women who couldn't produce as much as baby needed so I had to supplement and formula wasn't cutting it. Just follow baby's cues. Baby will let you know when they are ready.

Kathryn - posted on 10/22/2009

I believe Midwives are just trying give the overall best advice they can, the midwive i have told me that all children are different and really all they can say are guidelines, she told me that over the years as the research outcomes change so do the guidelines, as a mother i think you know your child best and you need to do what is best for your child.

Tina - posted on 10/22/2009

i put my son Ryan on solids at 13 weeks and he is perfectly happy i was also on solids at 3 months, just a little tip midwives and health visitors are there only as a "guide" you know what your baby needs not them

Tamara - posted on 10/22/2009

i started feeding braydon solids at 2months only cos he was hungry all the time and goin through heaps of bottles and when i told my doctor he said that he was healthy and there is nothing wrong with feeding them solids braydon now 6months has solids morning noon and nite and only 3 bottles had his check up on monday and he above average in height weight and length for his age and is totally healthy

Erin - posted on 10/15/2009

It's your child and your decision. If you felt that your child was ready to be weaned and started on solids, than that's your choice. In my opinion, doctors and midwives are there for guidance. What they say is not the end-all, be-all of childcare. They can offer you their preofessional opinion based off what they were taught. You can either take their advice or not. Again, it's ultimately up to you. If your child is thriving eating 3 meals a day, then you made a decision that was really good for her.

Janine - posted on 10/14/2009

I started giving my boy solids at around 4.5 months. I think that some babies are not ready before 6 months, but if they try to grab your food and open their mouth when a spoon approaches, then they are ready. Why putting up with a grumpy and hungry baby?

Laura Zoey - posted on 10/14/2009

i took the recommendation of the american acedemy of pediatrics and the world health organization and exclusively breastfed for 6 months and my son is happy healthy and 23 lbs at 6 months we have just started baby food and he is doing great

Jackie - posted on 10/12/2009

My daughters pediatrician recommended I start her on solids at 4 months. It was perfect timing. She needed the different calories to keep up her strength as she was beginning to REALLY explore her world. She is 6 months old now and healthy as can be! She never had any trouble adapting to solids and she loves to eat! She is also still breastfeeding at every meal and between meals.

Sarah - posted on 10/07/2009

I def think that ur baby will give you signs when they are ready. I have five children ranging from 8 years to 5months plus another on way. My eldest was breast fed for 3days every half hour, nearly killed me then i put him on a bottle and went by the box as is was my 1st baby oh 4oz how sweet- he slept for an hour then began to wail for more by the time he was one week old he was on 9oz bottle every 3 hours without fail you could time it so at 3 weeks old i started baby rice managed to get him to sleep 4.5 hours between feeds and he was happier and more settled by 3months he was having 3 proper meals a day, 4months he sat up alone, 6months he started toddlerling round the furniture and talking and just b4 7months he walked all by himself. I dread to think how i would of coped had i not given him the rice he was hungrey and probably would have bitten my arm off lol. my eldest daughter didnt have anything til 8months she was just happy to have her milk and wasnt interested in anything else, the next girls was 3months when she started rice and the like, she was very interested in our food and mostly had what we did, as with the next child she also showed interest at 3months and the last has been having bits and bobs since 3 months. Yes ive had many lectures from my lastest health visitor who seems to had swallowed her manual and recites it word for word, you would think that after having 5 children that i probably know what im doing now without having to be told but alas she doesnt agree and told me i would make my child ill in later life. good job im not a 1st time mum or else she would have really scared me! she has been convinced that there is something wrong with my youngest daughter and even reported me to the doctor!!! told me she couldnt beleive i would do what she said as when she tells people to do something they do it! I told i didnt agree there was anything wrong with my daughter and that she was no longer welcome to come see me anymore am now in the process of changing doctors lol To all mums old and new- You as a mother know your child better than ANYONE!!!!!!! do not back down if you dont agree with what a health care professional is saying do what you think is best only you know your child if you think they are ready for some food try it it wont hurt them and if they dont like it wait some then try again no harm done listen to your instinct and your heart. Every child is different and special they will tell you in their own little way, At the end of the day Mother knows best xxxxx

Shannon - posted on 10/06/2009

Absolutely, every baby is different and you'll know what is right for yours. Noone knows better than you. My now 2 year old son was started on rice at 5 months and he loved it and was eating like a pro right away. My daughter who is 5 1/2 months old, we've been giving rice to for a couple weeks and she doesn't seem to want it like my son. She's just not ready, the most important thing is not to rush it. We still try once a day and she just isn't interested so we don't push it.

Rebecca - posted on 10/05/2009

Rice cereal is the first foods at 5 months then at 6 months vegtables then fruits.

If your baby doesn't eat the rice cereal well. Try again later your baby has to be ready and also your baby can get very gassy and constipated if you are in a hurry and start to early you will have problems. My daughters both have gas issue so I just graduly start solids slowly becouse of constipation. When you go through this you will know.

Scarlett - posted on 10/05/2009

My Baby is 5 months and strictly breastfed but at 6 months I plan on starting him on solids - but he is the 96th percentile for weight - so he is not hurting any. If He were under weight or I was concerned with his growth I would def. have him on solids - at least cereal. I think Mother knows best - you have your baby's best interest at heart and you should do whatever you feel necessary to take care of your baby. Nobody knows or loves your baby like you do!

Tiffany - posted on 10/05/2009

Every baby is different. I started my son on cereal at 3 1/2 months and baby food at 4 months. He was always hungry and he has reflux so a lot of his formula would come up after eating. Once I started him on food, he gained weight and his reflux has died down. My son was ready to eat. I have a friend who did wait until her daughter was 6 months but then again one 8 oz bottle was enough for her at feeding where at 3 months mine was eating almost 8 oz every couple of hours. I would tell your friends to get a second opinion from a pedi dr. Especially since they're having problems with their babies.

Melanie - posted on 10/05/2009

I had the same thing, the clinic sister sitting there say no no but then oh wow her height and weight were perfect. We have gone from struggling to gain weight to perfect weight.

Kelsey - posted on 10/05/2009

Oh haven't we all had endless conversations with the midwife or health visitor telling us not to feed our child until 6 months? WHAT i started my Daughter on food at 3 and a half months so took to it straight away now she has 3 meals a day and loves it. From being basically talked to like a child and told i was doing wrong my daughter is supposidly the perfect height and weight. I do not think i could have lasted until she was 6 months to not feed her, i cant imagine how hungry she would have felt at that point. My boyfriend took our daughter to get weighed last week and the Heath visitor said don't feed her before 6 months she was 5 months and 2 weeks old. Supposedly she would never stomach anything and she would never like anything sweet until around 9 months. You what, to be honest i think i know more than what they do

Kimberly - posted on 10/05/2009

Every health professional has a different recommendation here. I started adding solid foods to my son's diet at 4 1/2 months as he was watching us eat, reaching for the spoon, etc. He told us when he was ready, now he has dinner with us every night, and I'll start adding other meals as well. Do what you like, and follow you kids cues. They are the expert.

Melanie - posted on 10/05/2009

I started my daughter at 9 1/2 weeks. Best thing I ever did for her. It didn;t make her sleep through or anythign like that and that is not why I did it (my sister started her baby on solids at 4 wks to make her sleep through - didn't work) My bub had reflux and colic and a bit of food in her tummy solved all the problems. The clinic sisters are very strick with 6 months. However, I think it is now becoming more "when your baby is giving signs they are ready" and not just "only at 6 months" The signs normaly start anywhere from 4 to 6 months. My daughter was not givin gany signs but she still took the food well and as I said it was the best thing we could have done for her.

Brianna - posted on 10/04/2009

I attempted breast feeding with my daughter who weighed in at 9lbs 2 oz at birth. I wasn't able to produce enough milk to keep her full and happy, and by 2 1/2 months was eating almost 6 full 10 ounce bottles of formula a day and still was cranky. I started adding a little cereal to her bottles and that seemed to help a lot. She's been eating solids since 4 1/2 months and now at 6 months weighs in at 20 pounds and 27.5". It depends on your baby but if weaning is helping at anything earlier than 6 months, I don't see why it would be a problem....

Beth - posted on 10/03/2009

I started introducing solids at 5 months and continued to nurse. You know your child best. Do what feels right...

Kami - posted on 10/03/2009

I started my son on solids at 3 1/2 months. I noticed a change in his sleeping habits after I started him. I think midwives go by the book. I think you should tell your friends to see what works best for their child.

Kris - posted on 10/03/2009

i started giving my son solids at 3 months, he was still on brest milk as well but he was just drinking me dry each fed....he was aslo not sleep soon as he started solids he went to sleeping twice a day.we r so much better off for it...i didnt ask my health carae nurse/midwife is she thought it was okay knowing she would say no i found the best way to know if my son was ready was to get a spoon with a lil amount of water and see if he could eat off the spoon...

Rebecca - posted on 10/03/2009

Well they should talk to their pediatrician and not the midwife. My first daughter was weaned at 3 months and her Dr. said for her to start cereal at 4 months and start green veggies at 5 months. Then at 6 months she could eat all the veggies and fruits. Now my second daughter is 5 months and she is still breastfed. The same Dr. said that since she is nursed and not drinking formula, she should not have solids until 6 months and she is still growing fine on just breast milk.

Jackie - posted on 10/03/2009

I agree.. my Doctor acutally told me at 4 in a half months I should start giving my son food as he is HUGE over 100% in weight and lenght and the calories in formula were more then in most his food so I should try it out! Hes been doing GREAT

Nicole - posted on 10/03/2009

My doctor said to try CJ on solids if he was interested in them. We've tried cereal once but he wasn't interested in it, the blanket got more than he did. All kids are different, go by the signs instead of the age. If they're interested in what you're eating, can hold their head up, and are making chewing motions, try them on cereal. (that's what my doctor said, anyways) We'll be trying him again on them soon, since he always wants what we're eating.

Kerry - posted on 10/03/2009

I think the midwives are following the latest medical research which suggests that a baby's digestive system isn't ready for weaning before 6 months. I weaned my first daughter at 4 months, which was the advice at the time and she was fine. I started to wean my second daughter at 4 months as she was becoming very unsettled, but introducing food just made things worse. We are now waiting until she's 6 months.

Amanda - posted on 10/03/2009

Well with my first baby I started feeding him baby cereal at 4 months. He did just fine but as for my 2nd baby who is 5 1/2 months he still doesnt get how to eat cereal yet. I would jsut tell your friends to try and feed their babies cereal just to see if they like it yet and if they do just stay with it.



Amanda

Tish - posted on 10/02/2009

the midwives all go by the book they told me not to give noah anything till he was 6 months but at 2 and half months he was on a full bottle and it just wasnt enough so he was weaned to baby food then. id say to any mum if u feel comfy and ur baby is ready y not start them,