Ambivalence about starting solids

[cww]

Our daughter is just over 5m old, and our pediatrician said that around 5-6m we should start solids by just taking whatever we are eating and blending up a bit for her to try.  So theoretically it's about time for us to start, but I'm finding myself really ambivalent.  I like BFing and don't really feel like introducing anything else into that relationship (we've had some BF problems that took months to solve, and she's finally gaining weight well this last month or so, so I feel like our "real" BF relationship just started!).  I'm also not nuts about getting smelly and really sticky poops (we cloth diaper and self wash right now - no diaper service here) - her EBF poops are totally easy to clean an smell mildly of yogurt - totally inoffensive!

I've read the research about this topic and it seems to be all over the map - there was that landmark study in the 80s that said that delaying solids decreased allergy risk, but then that study has since been seriously questioned, and several recent studies suggest that actually starting solids early (particularly before 4m), especially of allergenic foods, lowers allergy risk for kids from families with a history of allergies.  My husband's family has no known food allergies, but we have lots of milk and wheat allergies in my family, so I'd like to minimize my daughter's risk.  So I'm a bit concerned that delaying solids might be bad for her. 

If I knew nothing and had no access to research or expertise, I would probably just keep EBF until she got teeth and was able to feed herself some bits of food on her own, because that is what would seem most natural to me.  I have let her lick an apple, an orange, a banana, and a piece of homemade whole wheat bread, since she's seemed to find this fun, and I'm perfectly happy to let her have a miniscule taste of things - but I just can't figure out if I should actually be feeding her pureed veggies, etc at this point. 

I guess I feel like I should be doing that, b/c the most recent research suggests that there's a chance it will lower her allergy risk, but I don't actually want to do it.  But I'm trying to base my health decisions for all of us on rational choices rather than just my own preferences. :)

Anyone out there have advice, or want to share what you did?  Thanks in advance for reading my post!

[crunchy_mommy]

Have you looked into baby-led weaning (also called baby-led solids)? You can basically do what you just said -- offer whatever food you're eating (not pureed) & let her choose whether to eat it, feed herself, etc. And actually she doesn't need teeth to be able to do that... their gums are really hard, as you know if she's ever clamped down on you while nursing!! Most around here advise waiting 'til 6mos for 'virgin gut' reasons but I'm a big believer in following baby's signals...

[cww]

Thanks for the reply, crunchymommy.  I didn't know that this was a known approach!  If you tried this by giving your baby foods to eat on their own, how did you know if the pieces were small enough to avoid being a choking hazard? 

Our daughter has been trying to take food off our plates since about 3.5 months (she's managed to bring a few plates and cup of warm tea to the floor this way!), but I wouldn't have wanted to give her solid foods then - how do you really tell if a baby is "ready"?

[katelove]

We did baby-led weaning. When you start to read more about it you will find that the idea is not to give pieces which are too small to choke on but rather that babies are unlikely to choke if they're allowed to feed themselves without interference from parents 

You usually need to provide pieces of food which are longer than your baby's fist so they can grasp it easily and munch on the bit that sticks out the top.

Gil Rapely's book Baby-Led Weaning is excellent IMO and explains the physiology which makes choking unlikely as well as signs of readiness for solids, safety advice and suggestions for first foods.

My LOs first food was mango (a bit too slippery) then watermelon (great texture). 2cm thick x 10cm long (-ish) was a great size for her.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by cww 

Thanks for the reply, crunchymommy.  I didn't know that this was a known approach!  If you tried this by giving your baby foods to eat on their own, how did you know if the pieces were small enough to avoid being a choking hazard? 

Our daughter has been trying to take food off our plates since about 3.5 months (she's managed to bring a few plates and cup of warm tea to the floor this way!), but I wouldn't have wanted to give her solid foods then - how do you really tell if a baby is "ready"?

We were cautious about some foods at first, especially small round slippery foods (grapes, frozen peas, etc.) BLW does involve some trust on your part -- most children have very good gag reflexes and will push or gag the food out if it's not something they can handle. This isn't the same as choking, but it can look scary at first since so many people associate gagging with choking!! The gagging is a protective mechanism and as long as your child is able to be in control of their food, it should be safe. You can google Bill Rappely (sp??) for more info. In some ways, spoon-feeding purees is much more dangerous, because it teaches babies to override their own gag reflex, making them MORE likely to choke.

As far as how to tell a baby is ready -- generally, they are sitting unsupported, no longer have a tongue-thrust reflex, use the pincher grasp to pick up food, able to feed themselves... usually this is around 6-9mos, but obviously can be a little earlier or later! Many MDC members wait 'til 6mos minimum because that's the time when the gut it thought to be mature enough to handle food... If they are able to get food into their mouth, chew, and swallow it, they are doing good. OH also there is some evidence that BLW children will tend to avoid foods they are allergic to, so that's another plus...

Some good things to start out on: homemade sweet potato fries, whole bananas (or you can cut in long strips), slices of avocado, strips of bread that can be dipped in soup, spears of steamed broccoli, pasta like rotini spirals... I did do a lot of soft foods at first, more to develop MY confidence in him than anything else, but pretty quickly he was able to hold & bite from his own apple, dip raw carrots in hummus (he still, at almost 2.5, sucks off the hummus & chews and spits out the carrot lol!), and eat whatever we were eating. He was NOT a big eater until well after his first bday and rarely ate more than a bite or two... he really enjoyed playing with, tasting, experimenting, and practicing with food though! He nursed a ton until he was 2 then started eating more and nursing a whole lot less. The saying is "food is for fun until they are 1" (and obviously nothing magical happens at age 1, it's just a guideline, especially if you are going to continue BF'ing longer than 1!)

[cww]

Thanks for the responses, crunchy mommy and katelove. :)  I have downloaded the Baby Led Weaning book to my Kindle and read through most of it - thanks for that recommendation.  I think we would like to try this, but will just need to go slowly so that I don't get too paranoid about the choking.  Thanks so much to both of you for the really detailed and specific suggestions - this is really helpful!