my pediatrician says.... time for food?!?!??

[JordanKX]

Today was Rowan's 4month appt. and the pedi says... "let's introduce veggies". Wow - what? He says he's opposed to the cereals, and to watch anything with sugar. But yeah, start with carrots and sweet potatoes.

not sure that I'm going to do this - I'm still opting for BLF when Rowan is ready, not just when the doc says go for it. But I found it interesting that he suggested it so early.

Anyone else heard this from their pediatrician?

[lach]

Post crashing, but I thought you might want to read this thread for some more info about when to start solids.

[Julia24]

my ped breifly mentioned it, but I promptlt squashed it! I start them sometime after 6 moinths, skip cereal altogether, and do mostly table foods....and infrequently (at MOST 1x a day for quite some time! (and NO MEAT until they have teeth to chew it with!)

[Kailey's mom]

yep, it's pretty standard around here that the peds start encouraging solids around this age, sometimes earlier You don't have to, your lo doesn't need vegis at this age, all he needs is breastmilk

[KikaKika]

Wow, that seems early...
On that topic - there are so many different "timetables" out there, just follow your baby and your instinct and you should be fine!

Read about "baby led solids" online, check out: Article on BLS

I'm going at the end of the month that's when DS turns 4 months (wow, already!!??), I'll let you know!

[karika]

I don't understand this at all. Even mainstream central AAP says exclusive bf till 6 mo... my babies didn't really eat until they were 10 mo and 9 mo respectively, I too agree with starting with pure foods like avocado and carrots... but no way this early.... I like what kellymom site says about this, once you introduce anything other than breastmilk you change the flora of the gut, and this should not happen too early to prevent later problems... http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

[tzs]

i read something once about starting the more uh..."green" veggies like peas etc... before the sweeter ones like carrots and sweet potatoes. any pros have advice on this?
and no, i'm waiting until 6 mo. she's so not ready yet although my chef of a husband can"t wait to start steaming for her!

[lach]

Originally Posted by tzs

i read something once about starting the more uh..."green" veggies like peas etc... before the sweeter ones like carrots and sweet potatoes. any pros have advice on this?
and no, i'm waiting until 6 mo. she's so not ready yet although my chef of a husband can"t wait to start steaming for her!

That's a myth... it's the idea that they'll develop a "sweet tooth" if they start with sweeter foods. But it's total BS, because breast milk is basically the sweetest thing in the universe (seriously have you tried it? It's gross! I thought it tasted like an extra-sweet vanilla milkshake). So if it were true, kids would never eat ANYTHING.

[Tashakittie]

my first ds would not go near food till 8 mos by his own choice. at that age, he was almost walking, and decided to sit with me as i ate oatmeal with cinnamon. he beckoned, so i gave him some, and he loved it. been a total foodie ever since. as he got accustomed to food, he blatantly refused baby food of any kind- jar or otherwise. when he ate, it had to be with me and dh, and off of our plates. 4 mos seems so young, when bm is such a perfect, ready-made meal!

[cristeen]

I actually started the thread linked in the first response, because my ped said at his 3 mo visit last week that we need to start thinking about starting solids soon - and to start with gluten containing grains. I questioned her, but didn't tell her she was full of it.

A- my little guy is still working on body control, he sure as heck can't sit up yet.
B- his tongue thrust is in full force as evidenced by his ability to spit out his teething tablets half the time.
C- he can't even reliably grab anything yet.

Those are the 3 milestones babies need to have before introducing solids, and that's one (three) of the reasons you shouldn't start until 6 mos.

And add in the fact that I'm sensitive to grains (gluten?), AND the fact that babies of that age are not able to digest grains, there's no way I'd start with them.

My little guy has already had formula though, so the virgin gut thing went out the window at 2 weeks. But, he did show signs of sensitivity, another reason not to start so early.

[StrongFeather]

We do a group out of office "Well- Child" visits. It keeps us out of the sick patient filled office and it's nice to be around other babies Sam's age (even if it's adjusted) all in the same room. Our Pedi starts it out as a general info, milestones, etc, and then opens it up for questions.

This is the way she started our 4 month visit:

"I kindly ask that you do NOT start solids until at least 6 months"

The best info she gave us why we should wait, is that a babies gut is loose, designed that way to help breastmilk flow through easy and to be digested easy. The problem is when you feed a baby solids before that gut closes up (around 6 months) the solids flow right through the loose gut and don't even digest. So what's the point, if you ask me? She also encouraged us to wait until our babes could sit up.

My pedi also said there is proof that introducing solids too early leads to allergeies as well.

There is lots of info on Kellymom as well.

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by StrongFeather

We do a group out of office "Well- Child" visits. It keeps us out of the sick patient filled office and it's nice to be around other babies Sam's age (even if it's adjusted) all in the same room. Our Pedi starts it out as a general info, milestones, etc, and then opens it up for questions.

What a great idea! So it's kind of a like a play group with a dr on hand, and a few topics to discuss. How is it billed I wonder? And how do (or do they at all) they do things like the physical exam, weight/height, etc? Is it just assembly-line like, or does the dr only do it if there's a concern? Give info!!!

And yes, Kellymom is a great website, I didn't discover it until Connor was born, wish I had known about it with Ian!!

[JordanKX]

whew! I thought I was losing it, my brain rather confident in everything I've read/heard about 6 months at the earliest... and really surprised me that he suggested this yesterday. I'm in NO rush. Seems like the change in food should definitely left to the child. I agree that if, developmentally, he can't calm his tongue, and can't grab food... uh, he shouldn't be eating. not to mention their digestive systems. Thanks for agreeing with me and letting me know I'm not crazy!

Why would doc's recommend so early if there's SO much research against it, I wonder?

[lach]

All of the research actually says between 4 and 7 months, when the child is ready (the readiness signs have already been listed). The AAP moved it's recommendation back to 6 months for public health reasons: unfortunately, some parents wean their child from BM or formula (honestly, it's usually formula: parents who do this tend to be poor and uneducated, the demographic most likely to use formula and the demographic least likely to be able to afford it). Until 6 months, BM or formula should be the primary source of nutrition. Absolutely no one disagrees with that. (And yes, before everyone jumps on me, the recommendation is until a year, and it's a good idea beyond that, but it's the first 6 months when it's absolutely necessary for developmental reasons: I am in no way saying it's okay to wean from BM or formula at 6 months: it's just not nearly as dire for mental and physical development as if you weaned before about 6 months.) So the 6 month recommendation is actually based on studies about BM/formula, and not on the studies about food introduction... which are pretty clear that 4 months is fine for most babies.

Individual pediatricians vary in their recommendation based on: 1) how familiar they are with the studies v. the official recommendation from the AAP, and 2) how familiar they are with their patients and their likelihood of weaning as soon as solids are introduced.

[darcytrue]

I know my pediatrician is going to bring this up as well. We have our 4 month visit next week. The pedia mentioned it back when we went for our 2 month visit that at the next visit we would discuss feeding her solids. I don't think so.

[StrongFeather]

Originally Posted by 2boyzmama

What a great idea! So it's kind of a like a play group with a dr on hand, and a few topics to discuss. How is it billed I wonder? And how do (or do they at all) they do things like the physical exam, weight/height, etc? Is it just assembly-line like, or does the dr only do it if there's a concern? Give info!!!

And yes, Kellymom is a great website, I didn't discover it until Connor was born, wish I had known about it with Ian!!

It IS pretty cool.I am happy just to keep him out of the office where the sick patients are
We open up as a group, and our DR. goes over milestones to expect, what is considedred "normal" for this time, answers questions, and gives advice on how to help our little ones (like with sleep issues, and teething). Then we do weight and height checks, then off in a side room the DR. sees each child and answers any personal questions we might have.

The insurance is just billed regularly, and I get a bill in the mail from the office for the co-pay I might owe.

We are loving this type of "well child visit!" MUCH more fun if you ask me.

[Beanjeepin]

I love our ped and have her well-trained after my older two. I did mention that one of the babies is more physically advanced than the other (the other is much more talkative!) and is watching us eat carefully and is starting to grab. She took that and ran with it, suggesting I start solids. I don't start till after 6 months and even then not until signs of readiness, which even the interested baby shows so few of! He cannot sit, has a tongue thrust, (not to mention open gut), has never had a drop of anything but breastmilk, cannot reliably grab and bring to mouth...

She did admit I'm the first mother she's had in her practice to exclusively breastfeed twins this long and she was basing her advice on the fact my singletons started dropping like rocks in percentiles at this age. I have a history of supply issues, and I think she's nervous - the babies are already low percentile-wise and dropping would put them off the bottom of the charts. I did ask how low calorie, low fat solids would help them gain weight when it was replacing breastmilk intake (as I've asked her before!) and she had no good answer.

I WILL freely admit that I'm looking FORWARD to introducing solids with the twins. I did NOT look forward to it with the big kids, I was very proud all their growth was from me. I'm still proud, insanely so, but SO ready for them to sit at the table and play with food tastes and textures so I can eat too!!

[MichelleAnnette]

You will know that he is really ready to start solids when:

* he is about six months old
* he can sit up without any support
* he continues to be hungry despite more frequent nursing which is unrelated to illness or teething
* he has lost the tongue-thrusting reflex and does not push solids out of his mouth
* he can pick up things with his finger and thumb (pincer grasp)

Babies who are ready for solids can usually feed themselves. Mothers often report that they knew their babies were ready when they picked up food from a plate, chewed it, swallowed it, and wanted more.

Listen to your baby! Babies with a tendency to allergies may refuse solids until later in their first year. As long as they are growing well and are happy and healthy, there is no need for concern.

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/solids.html