Solid food crazed 4.5 month old

[CBall]

So I had every intention of waiting the full 6 months to start solids, and then we were going to do BLW. But my 4.5 month old Dd is grabbing anything she can get her hands on and inhaling it! At first I thought she was just curious and imitating her daddy and I. That's what all the books said she would do. She grabbed a piece of tortilla yesterday and gummed it to death. That night I gave her some baby cereal, (mostly to prove to Dh that she wasn't really hungry, I thought she'd spit it out.) and she grabbed my hand and started shoveling it in!! She's EBF and there's more than enough milk. She just loves food. If we're eating then she wants to eat too. I offer to nurse but she'll have none of it. Our pediatrician said it was fine. But he acted like I was wanting to feed because of "social or cultural concerns." I'd actually rather not. It's too soon, I'm not ready yet. Has this happened to anybody else?? I kind of feel like an AP failure.

A slightly crunchy mama, loving my experiment crazy Dh, and now sweet little miss goo

[kavamamakava]

She might love the whole idea of eating at this age but her system may not be ready to digest and process these foods. It would be best to wait. Can you give her a spoon and let her hold it? Or let her gum something that looks like food but is really a toy? Or a washcloth dipped in breastmilk that she can chew? I did let my youngest have some pear when she was around 5 months old because she was so intersted in the food we were all eating. She is the youngest of 3 and now that she is 5, she still wants to see and taste what everyone else is eating and do what everyone else is doing. When I gave her the pear I used one of those heat sensitive sort of soft baby spoons and just scraped at the pear so bits of the pear got on the spoon and then let her gum the spoon. She was generally happy with this set up and I didn't really give her solids until she was more like 7 months. Until then I sometimes let her have tiny nibbles of avocado or plain yogurt or banana.

[pbjmama]

I don't think I would count the tortilla. Same thing could have h append with paper, no? Part of AP is about following your baby's cues...your baby is interested in trying food. That is okay. Some kids are ready earlier, some later. Just take it nice and slow, let her experiment.

[Happiestever]

Some baby's do things earlier than others. Just like everything else. It may be best to give her easy foods to digest and go from there. Listen to baby, not to books.

[Alisse]

Wow! Some babies are just earlier bloomers! If she's actually able to swallow the food and isn't gagging and she's happy, i'd agree with pp, and go with baby's cues instead of forcing her to NOT eat until whatever time is written. And in fact, going by baby's cues is probably more AP than the 6month "rule".

[akind1]

DS is 5 1/2 months and is the exact same - loves food - did the tortilla yesterday! for the last month or so, I've just let him hold on to food (lemon slices, asparagus spears, carrot sticks, etc) and if he puts it in his mouth and wants to gum it, that's fine. This last weekend I more or less really started feeding him. Sweet potatoes, mashed butterbeans, and banana.

follow your baby's cues, right now is more for experimenting than anything anyway, most of her nutrition is and should be coming from your milk. i think our next food will be mangos!

[blessedwithboys]

yes, its early so you will need to pay more attention to protecting the gut. dont spoon feed, just offer small soft chunks she can pick up herself. if she cant even sit up (mine could at 4.5 mos, for maybe 10-15 mins) and if she doesnt have a pincher grasp, prop her as upright as possible in a bouncer or bumbo (sitting upright = better digestion) and let her use one of those mesh feeder bag thingies with a hunk of banana or avocado in it.

be extra careful to keep it to one ingredient foods, and try to wait a good 2 wks between new foods. avoid grains at all costs, they will break down the gut so fast she could end up with allergies she would have otherwise avoided.

[karika]

This perplexes me also and since I am not there I can only say this... I think it is too early. I agree with boobie milk soaked cloths to chew on and other things... if it is to continue (which I think it shouldn't since the baby is not yet 6 months old), I would suggest what I suggest to anyone starting solids, offer only pure foods. A tortilla is made of grains and counts as a processed food to me, so it is bad for the gut. Use avocado, cooked carrots (which you take the 'skins' off of and mash) peas (which you skin, I fed them raw) applesauce that is only organic apples... but honestly I would try to eat away form the child if you think it is only imitation, or do the pretend play food someone else suggested. A newborn gut has the correct flora at birth and the first food changes it forever. Since I am not there, all this is difficult. I am trying to put myself in your shoes. I do believe that our babies know more than us, they just came from the place of all knowledge... so I do agree with listening to them also. I had always read that EBF babies should not need any water until solids are introduced and was a firm believer. But dd2 nursed constantly and wanted water, starting at 3 mo. I held a glass to her lips and she drank it. It never diminished her nursing however. I do remember both dds showing an interest in food early, but it was a fascination, not genuine need or hunger and it was short lived.

[SunshineJ]

Honestly while I understand the concerns on starting solids too early, I personally think this is one of those things that has been made to be more significant than it may really be. My dd had no real interest in solids or food until she was around 8 months old, and that was totally ok. My son, on the other hand, was a HUNGRY kid and very, very interested in foods from an early age. We used to joke that we were going to make him get a paper route by age 5 to help support his food costs. Simply put if we'd waited until the magical 6 month mark to give him solids he'd have been a mess. Now he's a slender (though no longer skinny) almost 8 year old who still inhales everything in sight with no tummy troubles, food allergies, etc. We still consider that paper route on occasion! It sounds like you're listening to what your child is telling you she needs, and imo that's the way to go.

[CBall]

Hi again!

I wanted to thank everyone for the help and ideas. I just wanted to update you guys. I have tried offering spoons, toys etc. and she'll have none of it. My gut tells me that letting her have some food is fine. I think she's ready, even though I'm not. She has always had good neck and back control and can sit for a few seconds at a time. The pediatrician has commented that she seems advanced physically wise so maybe that has something to do with her early interest? I agree that cereal is a bad idea. It totally made her constipated. So no more cereal for her. We've decided to stick to BLW principles even more so because of her age. If she can't pick it up and put it in her mouth herself then we feel that she's not ready to eat it. Also because of her age we're going to closely follow the reccomendations regarding allergies and avoid grains due to constipation issues. Hope this helps somebody else who's little one is convinced "too early" that they want big people food.

[Norasmomma]

Originally Posted by Happiestever

Some baby's do things earlier than others. Just like everything else. It may be best to give her easy foods to digest and go from there. Listen to baby, not to books.

That's what I say too. Both my kids have been advanced pretty much across that board. DD ripped food out of my hands and had teeth at 4.5 months, DS did pretty much the same thing. Neither is messed up because of it. The "average" time when the baby can digest food is 6 months, IMO that means there are those who are going to be earlier and those later. I go with my gut on this one.

[tzs]

Originally Posted by CBall

Hi again!

I wanted to thank everyone for the help and ideas. I just wanted to update you guys. I have tried offering spoons, toys etc. and she'll have none of it. My gut tells me that letting her have some food is fine. I think she's ready, even though I'm not. She has always had good neck and back control and can sit for a few seconds at a time. The pediatrician has commented that she seems advanced physically wise so maybe that has something to do with her early interest? I agree that cereal is a bad idea. It totally made her constipated. So no more cereal for her. We've decided to stick to BLW principles even more so because of her age. If she can't pick it up and put it in her mouth herself then we feel that she's not ready to eat it. Also because of her age we're going to closely follow the reccomendations regarding allergies and avoid grains due to constipation issues. Hope this helps somebody else who's little one is convinced "too early" that they want big people food.

sounds like you have great instinct. i find it interesting that we follow the rule of "follow the child, not the calendar" when it comes to delaying solids but we seem hesitant to follow babe's cues when he is obviously showing early interest and ability.

[Mirrormonkey]

Ds1 was dive bombing our forks by about 4.5 months so we let him eat. He is now a incredibly picky eater at 4 yrs old but healthy and strong, no allergies, no issues.

I agree with other posters to follow your baby's cues, if she is ready there is no sense in driving her nuts by refusing to give her food. Have fun!

[FullMetalMom]

Originally Posted by CBall

Hope this helps somebody else who's little one is convinced "too early" that they want big people food.

Yes, I am so glad to see this thread as my 4.5 month old is exactly the same way. I was having some guilt over considering letting her have a bit of food now and then, but this thread makes me feel much better about the idea! She has been trying to grab food and drinks that are within reach for quite some time now. I have let her gum some banana and some peach recently to see what would happen. It seems to make her happy to be included in meal time. She is like this when she sees us eating . Lol. She always tries to pull my water glass to her mouth, so now when I go to get a drink I get her a glass and express some milk into it, so she can feel included. She won't take a bottle for anything, but she'll chug from a glass, lmao. So cute.

[akind1]

DS just seems to like the cold glass on his gums. he didn't like it when I let him have a little water.