Solids question...

[ann_of_loxley]

He (DS2!) is by no means ready and will probably be EBF for many many more months to come - but I was wondering about one of the signs that they are ready for solids and that is sitting without support. I am wondering about this because DS1 could not sit without support until he was ten and a half months old. That is quite late. I always felt that some of his milestones were that much later because we have long torsos in this family and that would make him more 'top heavy' - other parents I have talked to that also have very long torsoed babies also feel that their child developed late (with things like sitting up and walking) because of this.
So - since that is one of the signs of rediness (from a baby-led-solids point of view - which is what we intend to do this time around)... would one really hold off on allowing their child solids if they were that late in being able to sit up without support? - Or would one, in this case, offer solids regardless (espeically if they ticked off all the other boxes for solid rediness)?

[Knitting Mama]

Sitting unassisted is only one of the three that I am going to be looking for in Cecilia to determine when she's ready. The other two are a pincer grasp (able to pick things up using thumb and forefinger rather than scraping them up whole hand) and the loss of the infant tongue thrust reflex that makes them spit out stuff that goes into their mouth.

Personally, though, I think I would hold off on solids until my baby was sitting unless it was making life hell, like she was completely and utterly inconsolable every time food was around. I think sitting is really important from a choking hazard perspective.

[sunnygir1]

My ds couldn't sit unassisted, but could sit up fine in his seat at the table. He had long lost the tongue thrust reflex. He didn't have the pincer grasp...he just developed that around 10 months, but had no trouble getting food into his mouth. I guess I didn't feel like I had to be super-firm on those things because he was mostly just exploring and at first actually consumed very little of the food.

[Llyra]

No, with a late sitter I probably wouldn't hold off on solids if otherwise the child seemed obviously ready. I wouldn't offer solids before six months (adjusted age if dealing with a baby born prematurely) but once we'd reached six months, I'd be looking at the total picture. My DS had some motor skill delays in his first year, and was a late sitter, but I couldn't see depriving him of the sensory experience of eating foods just because he was a little late with his gross motor development. I think actually that the enriching experience of sitting up supported in a high chair and feeding himself probably was a positive thing in boosting his development. He's 3 1/2 now and fully caught up in his milestones, actually.

He sat up at about 8 1/2 months, but I offered food about seven months onward.

I wouldn't offer solid food to a child with very little head support, or a child who needed a LOT of support and bolstering in order to sit, though, unless I had the advice of a good physical therapist or OT. I would worry that a child with so little muscular control might be at risk of choking. But a child who still needs just some minimal support is a different story.

[tzs]

not an expert here but as far as we were concerned the sitting part meant that she could sit well in a high chair and not so much that she could sit unassisted really well on the floor or whatnot.
we did blw pretty much from the start and i don;t think they say you should wait for the pincer grasp for that either. most foods you just give in big chunks and they grab them with their whole hand anyway. i did give her cheerios with every meal to give her a chance to use it or practice it and she had the pincer down-pat really early anyway though.

so IMO i'd say wait until they can sit steadily in a chair, loss of tongue thrust, interest in food...i feel like i'm forgetting something.....some people say wait for teeth and i have no clue what that has to do with anything either. my babe was eating corn on the cob with nothing but her gums and she could do some serious damage!

[ann_of_loxley]

I don't think teeth have anything to do with it as babies can be born with teeth! hehe DS has two teeth now and he is only 16 weeks old so I still think teeth have nothing to do with it!

Thanks for all the replies so far!

[LadyCatherine185]

lots of good advice from PP's.. regarding the long torso issue-- my DS has a long torso and was early on all milestones (sitting unassisted at 5 months, crawling at 6 months, walking at 9 months). But, I think for me the most important "signs" of readiness would be loss of tongue thrust, showing interest, sits in highchair, and can self-feed, after 6 months of age. Even though my DS had all of the "signs" early on and we started letting him self-feed at 6 months, he didn't do more than play with the food and eat a bite or two a day until closer to 14 months old. With this baby, I am not going to rush solids at all.. just one more thing to worry about and one more mess to clean up!

[tzs]

and don;t forget the nasty poops. another reason to hold off!
(no...but go with the kid...if they're ready you'll know)

[ann_of_loxley]

Thanks. I shall be looking at the whole picture. Chances are, his first solids will probably be something he snatches out of my own hands and eats! lol I will honestly have no interest in sitting him down at the table with some food stuffs in front of him until he tries to do that frequently and shows that he is very determined to eat actual food rather than just bm. I wouldn't mind having a baby who had nothing but breastmilk for the first year of their life - though he may have other plans! hehe

[Knitting Mama]

Ann, I feel the same way. I won't be arbitrarily offering Cecilia purees, I figure she'll grab stuff off of my plate when she's ready to eat solids! Seems more natural and in tune with the baby's needs that way.

[tzs]

watch out for that! ada's first food was meatloaf when she pulled the whole pyrex tray to her chair and grabbed some!

[Knitting Mama]

That's hysterical! I will remember to keep regular plates near Cecilia rather than entire trays of cooked food.

[Oliver's Mama]

I'm a little confused- I guess I always thought people started solid feeding by spoon-feeding rice cereal and other liquidy mushy baby foods; it never dawned on me to start with finger foods that the baby would grab himself, though that seems to make sense.
What kind of foods would you start with if the baby's first foods are self-fed?
I guess I'm not in a terrible hurry, but my 4.5 month old insists on sitting at a booster at the table when we eat, and drools as he follows the food from my plate to mouth!

[Knitting Mama]

I hadn't heard of baby led weaning until I was pregnant with Cecilia, Oliver's Mama, so don't feel badly!

As a diabetic, I know for a fact that things like rice cereal (and plain white rice in general) are nutritionally useless, so I never planned to use them.

Some good first finger foods are avocado slices, baked sweet potato "fries" and bananas. Be careful with bananas, though, they can constipate. I personally get sick when I smell bananas, so they won't be in our house. I'm thinking avocado will be Cece's first food (she's about the same age as your Oliver. )

Cece is the same way though, she watches us eat like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. She's been doing that since 2 months, though, so it's definitely not a readiness sign for her! I'm going to try to wait as long as possible.

ETA: The expectation is that very little of that first food actually gets eaten; it's more about experimenting with the taste and texture and feel of the food. Some will probably end up in the baby's mouth, since most things end up there , but it's ok if it's only a taste. He'll soon learn how to feed himself.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by sunnygir1

My ds couldn't sit unassisted, but could sit up fine in his seat at the table. He had long lost the tongue thrust reflex. He didn't have the pincer grasp...he just developed that around 10 months, but had no trouble getting food into his mouth. I guess I didn't feel like I had to be super-firm on those things because he was mostly just exploring and at first actually consumed very little of the food.

Yeah, I agree. My little guy is 5.5 months and is exploring, too. He sits wonderfully in his highchair - no problem. And is working on sitting unassisted - getting much better. My first sign was that he was excited by what I was eating, would follow every bite I took, would try to grab at my fork or spoon. He gets excited now when it's time to eat!