when to start food....

K - posted on 08/10/2010

I started my five month old on rice cereal almost two weeks ago now because every time I went to the doctor they asked if I was feeding solids yet, my son started wanting to eat my food and basically just seemed bored. I went in to talk to the nurses at the office where I get him weighed about when to feed, how much etc and they said I should have waited until six months and acting like it was the worst thing ever. I think they just make rules so there is some sort of guidline but obviously different moms will do different things at different times and I don't see how anything can be "wrong". If you think of the olden days do you really think they waited until six months? Even as close as twenty years ago, we grew up in a rural area and were fed mashed potatoes before we were two months old and I think we turned out fine lol. In the book I have about starting solids it says juice is not necessary for baby which could be why you haven't heard much about it. It also says if you decide to give juice choose 100% unsweetened, pasteurized fruit juice and give it in an open cup as part of a meal or snack. They should have no more than 2-4 oz a day and it shouldn't be given in a bottle as it can lead to tooth decay. I don't see the problem in letting baby taste certain things but from what I understand you are supposed to give a couple days in between trying new foods so if there is a reaction you should better know what it was from. Sometimes after we eat supper I let my son have a little taste of what we are having. Sometimes I just hold it in his mouth so he can taste the flavor and sometimes I let him actually swallow it depending on what it is. I really don't see the problem in starting your child a little early if there are no issues or anything and you could talk to your pediatrician or something beforehand to get a better idea of what you "should" do.

Stephanie - posted on 08/09/2010

The twins had their 4 month check up today. The doc said cereal first. Starting with one tablespoon then add feedings in weekly increments till you are at 4 feedings a day. She said you can add stage 1 fruit and then do veggies. I always thought veggies first or they won't eat them after fruit. The vitamin C helps the babies absorb the iron in the cereal better. All moms do things different and many docs do things different. I think much has to do with the babies themselves. It is so neat to see them learn and grow and I think food and the way we feed it to them is so important. I breastfed my three year old till 9 months and started cereal right around 4 months. I plan on breastfeeding the twins for 12 months and we have already started cereal.

Jennifer - posted on 08/09/2010

its best to wait closer to the 6 months mark to let their tummies and digestive system develop more...i think a lot of doctors say 4 months is okay for rice cereal. once you start rice cereal, if your baby tolerates it well it is good to go on to more complex infant cereals like oatmeal, and barley as they have fiber in them...rice cereal doesn't have fiber and tends to constipate little ones.

juice really has no nutritional value...it is pretty much just sugar and is bad for the teeth. personally, we don't plan on giving our son juice until he is at least a couple years old because we want don't want him to prefer juice over plain water. it is also recommended that you wait to start juice until 6 months, and it needs to be diluted at least half water, half juice and no more than 4 ounces in a day because you don't want it to interrupt them having formula.

Angela - posted on 08/09/2010

I think when they are interested let them try it incourage curiosity. they say to not give them honey, strawberries and shellfish until they are a year but I everything else is fine. My daughter started trying little bits of things when she was like two months old and she is the smartest healthiest little kid I know I also Brest feed though its the best thing you can do for your child my daughter is almost 2 and she has only been on antibiotics 1 time and thats only because her cousin was in day care and constanlty brought things home. I always go with Incourage Curiosity will make your child a more intelligant person.

Jennifer - posted on 08/09/2010

Here in the UK it's recommended that weaning starts no earlier than 17 weeks (4 months) and if possible sticking with just formula or breastmilk until 6 months. Solids shouldn't be started any later than 6 months because this is when they need extra minerals and vitamins in particularly iron, plus they are ready to eat solids.