So many ?'s about starting soilds. Thanks to anyone who answers :-)

[BaileyB]

Ok, so I did not grow up knowing anyone who breastfed and I only know one person who is successfully bf-ing and I am bf-ing for the first time so I have a lot of questions.

DD is almost 9 weeks old (yay!) and she is a great nurser and bf-ing is going great. At her 2 month old Dr. appt. the doctor talked about starting solids at 4 months if I wanted to. (Why does it seem that everyone around me is trying to 'give me an out' of bf-ing by-the-way? Really weird and annoying since everybody knows bf-ing is best! But that's another story.)

So here are my questions:

1.  I thought babies weren't suppose to start solids until 6 months old?

2.  How long can baby thrive on bf-ing alone?

3.  What are the benefits, etc., of starting solids later than 6 months, if any?

4.  When did you start your baby on solids?

5.  How much and how often do you give cereal when you first start solids?

I'm not really considering starting solids with her at least 6 months but, like I said, I am new to this so I just have no idea what to expect.

TIA!!! A LOT!!!!

[Adaline'sMama]

So here are my questions:

1.  I thought babies weren't suppose to start solids until 6 months old?

New research has shown that starting solids earlier than 6 months may help to prevent allergies.

2.  How long can baby thrive on bf-ing alone?

I know a baby who refused to eat solids and was nursed on demand for 18 months. She was fat and healthy. Mama Milk changes to fit the baby's needs, however, I think that a 12 months a child should really be eating some food.

3.  What are the benefits, etc., of starting solids later than 6 months, if any?

I know here at MDC it is popular to say that allergies are less prevelant in babies who wait to start solids, but I dont really agree with that.

4.  When did you start your baby on solids?

5.5 months, when she was able to sit up alone and her thrust reflex was gone. It didnt slow breastfeeding down at all. We still nurse on demand at home (when we are out, I do sometimes make her wait now that she is over a year and is totally capable of getting something to drink elsewhere)

5.  How much and how often do you give cereal when you first start solids? 

We did Baby Led Weaning, which is more geared towards not giving cereals and purees.

There are tons of good threads about this topic in the forum Life with a Babe, so you might want to cross post there (or the mods will move it for you since it is more about solids than breastfeeding). You can also do an MDC search about BLW and you will find lots of great info! Good luck, and my main advice to you is try not to overthink it, let your babe eat when he/she wants to eat.

[IngaAnne]

1) The general recommendation is to start solids between 4-6 months, but I lean more towards the 6 month end of it. Honestly, if you waited until say 8 months, I wouldn't consider it a problem but you wouldn't want to wait until they are 2.

2) When babies first start solids, they aren't really getting much nutrition wise, it's just a means of getting them used to the process and textures of eating. I think most of a child's nutrition should come from breast milk until they are about a year old,  but the optimal age would really vary with mom and child. There's no definite age. If your child is healthy and thriving, and you are both happy that's the best indication that you are doing the right thing.

3) If your child is showing interest in trying foods and you are still breastfeeding on demand, I don't see any benefits of waiting much beyond 6 months to start solids.

4) My son started with rice cereal, fruits, and veggies around six months.

5) I think we started with just 1T of rice cereal mixed with breastmilk once or twice a day and worked up from there as my son showed more interest.

[Anna Phor]

We had a ped who brought up starting solids much earlier than I had anticipated. We started at 5.5. months and followed developmental cues rather than the calendar:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html#developmental

First foods were bananas, applesauce, pureed carrots, pureed sweet potato. We never did rice cereal.

[KristyDi]

1.  I thought babies weren't suppose to start solids until 6 months old?

That's what I think too, though I have heard about the study a PP mentioned.  I like Kellymom's solids readiness check list.  I like having objective measures of readiness, rather than a one size fits all age.

• Baby can sit up well without support.
• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby is ready and willing to chew.
• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

2.  How long can baby thrive on bf-ing alone?

Not sure, but I do know that breast milk (or formula) should remain the majority of baby's diet until at least a year.

3.  What are the benefits, etc., of starting solids later than 6 months, if any?

I've heard lots of stuff, but haven't seen any hard evidence.

4.  When did you start your baby on solids?

Right around 6 months.  Though she enjoyed tasting and playing with food, she didn't regularly eat more than a tablespoon of solid food until around 15 months.

5.  How much and how often do you give cereal when you first start solids?

We skipped cereal all together.  It's just so gross tasting and smelling. Since she pretty much refused to be spoon fed,  DD's first foods were baked sweet potato fries, steamed carrots, banana, steamed apple slices, dark meat roast chicken and turkey, whole wheat pasta with butter.  Stuff she could hold and gum to mush a la Baby Led Solids.  

I liked doing it this way and probably won't even attempt purees with future kids.

[PatioGardener]

congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1.  I thought babies weren't suppose to start solids until 6 months old?

Yup - that's what all the major medical associations say from the WHO on down. The latest research a PP was referring to has not convinced the WHO to change their recommendations. Plus, many mamas wait until their babies show signs of readiness for solids - able to sit up, no more tongue-thrust, able to reach for food and put it in their mouths. My little one was not ready until 7 months old.

2.  How long can baby thrive on bf-ing alone?

That depends on the baby :)  If baby's iron supplies are good from pregnancy and birth (born at term, cord left to pulse rather than clamped quickly) then I would think at least 12 months. But I see no reason to keep a baby away from solids if s/he is ready and if there are no allergies in the family.

3.  What are the benefits, etc., of starting solids later than 6 months, if any?

For a baby from a non-allergic family, I have not seen any benefits (in peer reviewed literature) from starting later. The allergy issues are still debatable either way.

4.  When did you start your baby on solids?

I gave him solids to see if he would eat them at 7 months. He had lots of fun, and I think probably about a week later actually ate some, and about a month after that ate enough to change his poop. (Baby led weaning).

How much and how often do you give cereal when you first start solids?

He's almost a year and never had rice cereal. I prefer for him to have non-processed foods, and not "white" foods with a high glycemic index and very little nutrition. For iron I encourage him to munch on sweet potato (great because it has iron and vit C), egg yolks, lentils, etc, and if I were not vegetarian I would offer red meat too. I also always nurse before solids - at least until 12 months.

Kellymom has great info on starting solids. Have fun reading, and when you do start enjoy those funny solid food moments!

[TheGirls]

So here are my questions:

1.  I thought babies weren't suppose to start solids until 6 months old?

A lot of doctors still recommend 4-6 months, for whatever reason, and a lot of parents are very eager for solids, so they tend to start at 4 months.  I think that 6 months is better for most babies, but it depends on readiness cues, also (posted by a PP)

2.  How long can baby thrive on bf-ing alone?

Well beyond a year.  My DD wasn't interested in solids until past a year.  Some kids go as long as 18 months.  Milk is the most important thing for the first year, but by two most kids are predominately eating solids. 

3.  What are the benefits, etc., of starting solids later than 6 months, if any?

Some folks feel there are allergy benefits.  For families without a history of allergies, I don't think there's much benefit to waiting if the baby is showing signs of readiness.

4.  When did you start your baby on solids?

I allowed my DD solids starting at 6 months.  We did baby-led solids, so I gave her things like a whole peach.  She played with them until she was about a year old, then started eating.  Her poop didn't really change until closer to 18 months.  She is large for her age, strong and healthy.

My boys are 5 months old, and are nowhere near ready.  But they are preemies and a bit behind on some stuff too.  I will wait until they are sitting up better and lose the tongue thrust, at least. 

5.  How much and how often do you give cereal when you first start solids?

I never did rice cereal, because I think it's not very valuable.  I prefer for my kids to eat real foods not processed stuff, especially at first.  The first food my DD really devoured was Chicken Tikka Masala (she was 13 months old).   I generally gave her pieces of what was on my plate or plain fruits and vegetables.