When should i introduce solids?

Tamara - posted on 03/31/2009

Quoting Melissa:

Quoting Tamara:

6 months minimum and if the little one has the following signs of readiness:

* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

 

6 months is to late Tamara that is what was believed in older times. now it is 3 months. helps to prevent allergies introducing foods earlier even peanut butter and eggs at about 9 months. the nurses have been making my daughter eggs for brekky at hospital.

Do you have a link to the organization that recommends this?  Last I was aware, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Amerian Academy of Family Physicians, and the World Health Organization all recommend solids not be introduced before the age of 6 months.

Mel - posted on 03/31/2009

Quoting Tamara:

6 months minimum and if the little one has the following signs of readiness:

* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

6 months is to late Tamara that is what was believed in older times. now it is 3 months. helps to prevent allergies introducing foods earlier even peanut butter and eggs at about 9 months. the nurses have been making my daughter eggs for brekky at hospital.

Mel - posted on 03/31/2009

3 months is just fine and as posted earlier recommended nowadays. i speak to alot of dieticians. i would do it maybe once on the first day but u can soon start doing it 3 times a day.try pureed vegies and fruits like apple. home made is the best and so much cheaper.

Tamara - posted on 03/30/2009

Quoting Ida:

check out babycenter.com You can put your baby on solids, now according to new rules of thumb. Gerber is a good site for info but remember they are pushing their products. The World Health Org. recommends breast feeding for the first six months. Your doctor may be the best source of information for you.

Do you have a link for the "new rules of thumb"?

Tamara - posted on 03/30/2009

6 months minimum and if the little one has the following signs of readiness:

* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

Anita - posted on 03/30/2009

btw 4-6mths ...at 4mths u can start feeding baby cereal..but its only like a teaspoon or so b4 a bottle..(health nurse usually tells u when u can..any other solid like pureed fruits and vegies or special baby yoghurt at 6 mths onwards...any dairy products like cheese or cows milk should be feed at 1yrs onwards...some babies can be fussy eaters...at the age of introducing solids the taste buds are still developing and have no taste so all foods are rather bland....babies go by food textures at these age..so it they dont like it they will spit it out by doing raspberrys..the trick is to dab a lil on the bottom lips and allow them to take it themselves instead of putting a spoon of it in their mouth....ask ur health nurse during the 4th month check up

Theres usually some sort of growth spurt and ur bubs might just be hungrier becoa hes growing at a pretty fast  rate..babies do most of their growing in the first yr...during the day u might need to up the bottle by 50mls or so..and in the middle of the night give him a bottle if needs be..but u need to make sure that it doesnt become a habbit of wanting a bottle to go back to sleep(if he wakes around the same time every night then its a habbit if its random and happens every so often then its something else like discomfort, teething, temperature(bubs might be too hot or too cold), soiled nappy, hunger (not eating enough during day), or sick...

Stephanie - posted on 03/30/2009

When you do start solids talk to your Dr about possible food allergies. I started my son to soon on wheat cereal and now he is allergic to that any much more. Try Rice cereal 1st

Alex - posted on 03/30/2009

Hi my sonwas thesame he wasnt getting enough from the bottle alone so i started him with runny rice cereal (PLEASE DONT PUT IT IN THE BOTTLE) spoon feed him once a day then when he is eating that u can offer it twice a day. my nurse said that most boys start solids early  cause they are ready for it. my son is now 4 1/2 months and eats puree fruit and veg.

Ida - posted on 03/30/2009

check out babycenter.com You can put your baby on solids, now according to new rules of thumb. Gerber is a good site for info but remember they are pushing their products. The World Health Org. recommends breast feeding for the first six months. Your doctor may be the best source of information for you.

Heather - posted on 03/30/2009

It seems like it changes.. The doctor told me to feed fruits, 1 at a time, when she was 4 months old.  Then my 2nd child, the SAME doctor told me 6 months old.  We used just 1 jar & used it 2 or 3 times along with feedings.

Sarah - posted on 03/30/2009

The Gerber website is a good source of info. It suggests that when your child is a "supported sitter" he or she is ready for cereals. Once they are sitting alone, they may be ready for stage 1 fruits and veggies. My advice is to talk to your dr. Together you can find the best solution.

Elizabeth - posted on 03/30/2009

We were told to wait until 4 months to start any type of solids, for the sole reason that the earlier you give them solids the higher the chance they will develop allergies. My daughter went through a growth spurt right around 3 months, so I wouldn't be too concerned with him feeding more often. Talk to your pediatrician and see what they recommend! Good Luck!

Emily - posted on 03/30/2009

Three months old is very common for a growth spurt.  He is also figuring out his surroundings and may want to suck for comfort more which could explain why he isn't finishing his bottle. Babies digest proteins pretty easily because they are smaller particles- carbohydrates are much larger and harder for their new digestive systems to break down. Check out these links for some good infromation about when and how to start. 

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids....

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/readyfo...

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.co...

http://www.babyzone.com/baby/feeding_nut...

Stacy - posted on 03/30/2009

When my children went thru this I did start putting a little bit of cereal in their bottles. It added just enough bulk to satisfy them. My pediatrician did say that your child will let you know when they are ready for solids after that.

Joy - posted on 03/30/2009

P.S. To add to my previous comment.  If you introduce solids too soon, you risk allergies.  Little tiny ones like your little man aren't ready to start digesting solids yet and it can cause other digestive problems.  When my son was 3 months he was having an 8 ounce bottle every 2 hours like clockwork, even in the night.  Just be lucky he's sleeping for 6-7 hours lol And maybe, since he isn't finishing the bottles, just start making less ounces.  You can always make more if he isn't satisfied but if he doesn't eat it all it's just wasted.  Hope this helps.

Joy - posted on 03/30/2009

You're gonna get lots of advice on this question but the general rule of thumb is between 4-6 months old.  Start with runny cereal.  The way you'll know if your little one is ready is if you put some in his mouth and he swallows it, rather than pushing it out onto his chin.  If he pushes it out, then this means he doesn't have the tongue control to get the food to the back of his mouth.  If that's the case then wait a few weeks and try again.  When I started with my son I only did cereal once a day.  We gradually went to two, then three times a day.  I do think that at 3 months your son is too young.  Really, it's something you should ask your pediatrician about.  Good luck :)