Thoughts about when to start solid food....?

[MediumBrownDog]

My son is 4 1/2 months old and is breastfed. My pediatrician says that we should start solids when (1) he is drinking more than 6 oz per feeding AND (2) he's starting to backslide on sleeping through the night. Well, it's a little hard to tell #1, since we're breastfeeding, but for #2, I'm starting to see that happen. I was getting a good solid 8 hours from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. out of him, and now he's starting to wake at 5:00, then at 4:00. Some of this is of course being off schedule with the holidays, but I was just wondering when you guys started your kids on solids and why?

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

1. I started my son at four months.

He was 9 lbs when he was born and about 18 lbs by the time he was 4 months. I breast and bottle fed him. He seemed to be hungry all the time, so we decided to start him on baby food. He took to it right away. He also seemed to be interested in the food that my huband and I were eating at that age.

[MediumBrownDog]

2. My son is about the same weight now

He was 7 1/2 lbs when he was born, and is 18 lbs now. He's also much more interested in what's going on at dinner time, good point! Hmmmmm...

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

13. By the way, my son did a great job at eating solids

when I started him at 4 month.

[trotsky]

3. 4 months here, too.

Our son was a voracious eater. He never took to the breast, but he guzzled formula like it was going out of style. By about 4 months we were so worn out because he wouldn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time and would wake up hungry. So we started to "thicken up" his formula - adding rice cereal and then applesauce. It helped a lot with his sleep, though he never really slept through the night regularly until he was a year old.

[cally]

4. My pediatrician insisted we start at 4 months

Since this Dr. was the one who literally saved my child's life, I followed her advice. I wouldn't do it again. Basically, neither child ate much and just made a huge mess. It didn't change their sleep habits at all. I would wait until at least six months.

[rbnyc]

7. I feel inclined to wait...

...despite my doctor's advice as well.

[The empressof all]

5. It's time

4 months is when we started solids with our daughter. I started her on vegtables before the grains or fruits. It worked well for us. If I remember I think I did green beans or squash first with her.

[rbnyc]

6. Our ped says we should start thinking about it at 4 months.

Keep in mind, my son weighed 15 pounds at 3 months. He weighs about 17 pounds now. He'll be 4 months on the 13th.

But we're going to look for other things too. First, that his tongue reflex has gone away. If he is still pushing out with his tongue, he's probably not ready for solids.

Also, if he starts to show interest in our food.

Does your son show interest in solid food, and has he stopped pushing out his tongue all the time?

[wildeyed]

8. I started both my kids at around 4 1/2 months on solids.

With my daughter, it was probably the right decision. She was hungry all the time and loved the cereal the first time we gave it to her. I started my son earlier, more due to his disorganized sleep patterns. It didn't help and he didn't like it very much. Oh well, live and learn.

I thought the most recent thinking was it is better to wait until almost six months for solids. It helps the babies immune system develop or something. But I am, I hope, done with the baby thing, so I don't follow the recent research so closely anymore.

Is he having a growth spurt? That might explain the night feedings, too. Good luck!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

12. I have read that 6 months is a preference with some doctors...

maybe becasue they think that the baby will not be breast fed as much after they start eating some solids. I'm not really sure why. My son got just as much breast milk after he started eating solids at four months as he did before that point. I can't see how it would have a negative effect on the immune system as long as the child continues to get mostly breast milk.

Most doctors seem to say 4 to 6 months and let the parent's decide when their child is ready. Basically, you shouldn't start before 4 months but you definitely should start your child on solids by 6 months.

It doesn't hurt to try some baby food at 4 months (usually a cereal) and if your child don't seem into it after trying for a few days, then wait a few weeks and try again.

[abelenkpe]

9. My little guy is 5 months

and his doctor recommended that we begin feeding him solids at four months. However, because he was six weeks premature we have decided to wait. He's only 14 pounds, but he does seem very interested in eating. So we have been giving him bites of milk on a spoon. He loves chewing on the spoon (it has a soft coating) and tries to hold it himself. I figure it is a good way to get him use to the idea of eating without exposing him to food his little body might still be unprepared for.

Connor is sleeping through the nite just fine without adding any food. However, he wakes up at 5:00am every morning. It doesn't seem to matter if he goes to sleep at 9:00pm or 11:00pm. He just wants to wake up early. Maybe your son is just a morning person?

[SarahB]

10. When he seems interested.

Seriously. Anytime between next week and four months from now, you'll see your son try to grab your food when you eat. Then you'll know it's time.

[fortyfeetunder]

25. I agree, they will show interest

Our ped said 4-6 months as well, but said babies will let you know when they show interest in solid food.

The introduction to solid food was shortly after 4 months, the kid was grabbing at the garlic mashed potatoes I was preparing and glommed on to them. After that, the kid ate just about everything per the recommended introductions (cereals, veggies, fruits, meat, yogurt, cheese)

As for losing interest in breast milk.. the kid didn't like formula, or cow's milk. He was at least 18 months OK before he decided it was OK to drink cows milk.

Enjoy this early exploration stage because you may be doomed to years of picky eating; we are on year four....

[davsand]

11. We were right around four months.

Tried the cereal thing and the response was "Blech" with that head toss that made certain it dispersed ALL over...

Tried applesauce next and that was much better recieved but still not anything that excited her. What I noticed was that she wanted what WE were eating. She didn't care what it was as long as she saw one of us eat it.

I talked to the Doc about it and he made the observation that sometimes BF kids refuse baby food completely. I have talked to other Moms who nursed and they seem to echo that, so maybe it is more common that I realized.


Laura

[LeftyMom]

14. I'd wait until he shows an interest in solid food

by reaching for what you're eating.

Breastmilk has all the nutrition he needs so I son't hink it's a good idea to fill a kid up on rice cereal or other foods of minimal value. Four months is a normal time to get hungrier and wake for a few night feeds as he's about due for a growth spurt.

Other than a few teething cookies (I made some more nutritious ones, rather than using the Gerber kind) LeftyKid showed little interest in solid food until about 13 mos when he devoured a bowl and a half of garlic soup of all things. I started him on a vitamin supplement when he was six months old as a backup though.

PS Early solids are thought to be a risk for allergies, which is why more doctors are reccomending six months these days.

[gollygee]

15. You can see if he's interested

All kids are different and want to start solids at different months. 4 months is the youngest they should be given them.
I guess I'm one of those who generally likes the idea of waiting for introduction of solids because starting too early can cause food allergies.

On the other hand, if your family doesn't have problems with food allergies, maybe try and see if he's into it? My daughter wasn't into it until she was a bit older. But my nephew was definitely ready and interested at 4 months.

[MediumBrownDog]

16. Thanks for all of the responses!

My husband had real problems with allergies of all types, so I'm weighing that against the fact that my son is a big boy for 4 1/2 months and he may be ready earlier than some. And he's sitting at the table with us at meal time now, so we'll look for signs of interest -- all he's interested in eating right now is his fist. :silly:

[phylny]

24. My girls were all huge

and as I stated earlier, I waited until 6 months with the younger two, and it ended up being just fine.

[rbnyc]

17. Well, we ended up starting Garrison tonight!

Garrison had his first solid (somewhat) food. He had a tablespoon of rice cereal with breast milk.

We weren't planning to try this yet, and I think it's funny that this would all happen right when this thread is active. But he's been VERY hungry lately, and he's been interested in our food, grabbing a spoon right out of his dad's hand even.

So tonight I gave him some rice cereal. At first he was upset and confused by it. But then he gabbled it all down fast, grabbing my pinky and pulling the spoon toward his mouth. He wanted more when it was gone, but instead I nursed him and now he's sleeping.

We got his first fussy bite on video, then my husband had to go play a show, so he missed the part where he really liked it. :(

But it was really cool watching him figure out what was going on.

And he didn't spit up at all.

:)

[MediumBrownDog]

18. Started my son on solids tonight, it went great!!!

Even after getting back on schedule, he was waking up hungry at 4:00 a.m. So tonight we did it, and it was hysterical! The first bite he looked at us like we were trying to poison him, and most of the rice cereal ended up on his chin, but he did swallow a few spoons worth and by the end, he was less alarmed by it.

Thanks so much all of you for your thoughts and support! I felt much more comfortable after consulting this group! I've been around DU for a few years, but don't post much. I may well end up posting more with these new groups!

[rbnyc]

19. Congrats!

That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you all, and so glad this topic came up.

[amandae]

20. Our ped said solid foods at 6 months and cereals at 4 months

I know she gave this advice with our last baby but I can't remember if the advice was the same with my middle daughter. I think it was. My first daughter was given solids at 4 months because that's what the peds were saying at THAT time.

I think the reason they keep pushing it back is that babies generally get all they need from formula/breast milk and early introduction to some foods can lead to allergies. It's really good to talk to your doctor about your concerns though. Especially because he was pretty unclear about when to start him on solids. If you're unsure you could talk to your doctor about just easing him onto cereals until he hits six months and then go to solids?

Good luck with the feedings. :) It would be a whole lot easier if these kids came with instructions!! :hi:

[abelenkpe]

21. How much is everyone feeding their babies?

How often to you feed your baby cereal to begin with? Twice a day, or more often? We will probably start our little guy next week. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[rbnyc]

22. 1 TBS of rice cereal...

...once per night. Our baby is quite young, but also very big and strong. So far, he's sleeping through the night on this instead of waking up starving.

When I'm home, I seem to be breast-feeding constantly. When I'm at work, I'm usually able to leave 12-18 oz of breast milk, but it often doesn't last and he gets some formula.

Hungry boy!

[phylny]

23. I breastfed all three.

We started our oldest on solid food at 4 months of age. She ended up developing allergies to milk and to peanut butter, and had eczema, all of which cleared up later. I waited until 6 months with the next two.

Interestingly enough, 19 years later, the oldest one is obese, the other two slim. Am I blaming earlier introduction of solid food on this? No, just mentioning it.

[Book Lover]

26. I think we started around 6 or 7 months

Little fella was hungry more and more often, and was clearly in a growth spurt, so we started him out with applesauce, and after a week or so started adding baby oatmeal to it. After the first bite, he gave us a look that I swear said, "Geez! You've been holding out on me! Food can be like this!?"

[Ilsa]

27. A few little spoons at this age is probably all he needs.

I would recommend going very slowly, watch the baby. I tend to agree with "six months" for the reasons of allergies and making sure the baby gets more of your superior food, breastmilk.

Also, I would encourage any new mom to wait until the baby is interested, has decent head control, and the tongue thrust reflex disappears. Sometimes all they need is another week or two. Otherwise, you are feeding the bib and floor more than the baby. I also think meats (unless you are vegetarian) and banana make a really good start versus the starches.

My second baby wasn't interested until 7 months, and then after learning how to eat all these pureed foods, he went back to only breastfeeding until he was over nine months old, at which time he went to soft, chewy solids, no more pureed stuff.