when did you start solids...?

[mommariffic]

And the biggest question: I already have a 3 year old and why can't I remember???? Hello mommy brain!

So I am just wondering - I want to hear from real mommas and not Google searches that say some really bizarre, random things. My DS is only going on 4 months but he's a big big big boy and I think it's 6 months eh?

[Knitting Mama]

For me, it wasn't about age (as long as it was past 6 months) so much as it was about readiness signs: loss of infant tongue thrust, sitting independently, able to pick up pieces of food by herself and an interest in food. Even with all 4 of those signs, Cecilia still hardly eats anything; nearly as much as she puts in comes back out again in interestingly colored and textured drool! But I don't mind in the slightest. "Under one, just for fun" and all that. And we're doing BLW, so no purees. We're also only doing fruits and veggies for the foreseeable future, definitely no grains before a year (hopefully more like 18 months). When she's a bit older and has gotten used to actually eating, I'll help her eat stuff like soup and yogurt, if she wants the help.

[Llyra]

I started when they could sit up steadily, and were interested. Then I just followed their cues. The mainstream medical advice these days is to start at six months, but there are plenty of breastfed babies who don't eat solids until a lot later than that and do just fine. I don't think I'd offer before six months.

1. DD1 I actually first started around five-and-a-half months, mostly because the advice I was getting back then was to start at four months, but she hadn't lost the tongue thrust yet, and wasn't eating anything, and was actually getting kinda ticked off at me about it, so I stopped, and tried again later. I think she was past nine months before she ate more than the tiniest bits of food. I actually think that starting too early kind of put her off the idea of food.

2. I started DD2 at seven months, when she could sit. She took to it immediately, and ate with a great deal of enthusiasm right from the start.

3. DS I waited until 8 1/2 months to start. He was a late sitter, and a slow gainer, and I didn't want him to fill up on lower-calorie solids and get less milk as a result. He did LOVE him some food, though. He also took to the food quickly.

[JudiAU]

No tongue reflex/sits well with modest support/good head control/ shows interest + at least 6 months.

We started around 7 months "so I could be difficult" and do it later than the AAP recommends. =)

[ErinYay]

We started V early for here, late for "the real world," at 5 months. Her tongue-thrust was mild and disappeared in under a week. She was sitting alone at 4.5 months, though.

At 10 months she has 8 teeth and eats everything but honey. She likes everything and other than some mild constipation when I forget and give her too much cheese, she's doing great.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by JudiAU

No tongue reflex/sits well with modest support/good head control/ shows interest + at least 6 months.

We started around 7 months "so I could be difficult" and do it later than the AAP recommends. =)

[ShwarmaQueen]

He started getting 'tastes' around 5 months, but nothing substantial until much later (8-9months) and that was mainly BLW style. Now, at almost 12 months, I started giving him mini-meals when we are eating, his beverage BM of course.

[3crunchycarrots]

We started early about 4.5 months.. I have had a very low milk supply through out and have had to supplement with formula, needless to say I was looking for signs of readiness from DD to begin solids. But had been a firm believer of the 6 months rule.. with that said, she showed all signs that she was ready for food at 4 months! So we did what all of us parents do and experiment with love and with out agendas. She took to food eagerly, I nursed with the SNS til she popped off and then will/have offered her fresh from the tree organic mashed pears, avocado, bananas, cooked apple and some homemade brown rice cereal and oatmeal. About 1-2 tablespoons a serving and she eats how ever much she likes. Using the 3 day rule between foods and observing, she enjoys being able to eat with mama and papa and her body has responded well, not even a spit up (surprised me) Each baby and situation is different, you just got to feel it out.

happy messes!

[november]

We started a week or so before she turned 6 months old.

[tallulahma]

we delayed with all of them
dd1 was close to a year. she tasted some things around 10 months, but didnt "eat" until after a year.
dd2 was about 10 or 11 months as well... but she loved food so ate more faster. by a year she ate more than dd1 did.

ds is 10months now and he only tastes food about once a day... most veggies or fruit from our plates.

[MJB]

My earliest showed all the readiness signs at 5 mos. so we started then. He developed food allergies (most of which he's outgrown).
With #2, he showed all the signs of readiness at 4 mos. but we waited until 6 mos. He wasn't happy about it but has no allergies.
#3 is 3 mos. old and is starting to eye/grab at my plate and is close to sitting independently, but we'll wait until 6 mos.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by november

We started a week or so before she turned 6 months old.

Same here! He loves it and gets excited about it. Solids are so much fun!