4 month old REALLY wants to eat solids. Should I let him?

[trimommy2009]

I know that most people say not to start solids until baby is 6 months old, but my almost 5 month old is DESPERATE to eat whatever we are eating. He tries constantly to grab our food and watches us eat, drooling (it's really kinda cute). I've let him suck on frozen watermelon, cantaloupe and plums because he really loves it and it helps his teething gums. He is exclusively breastfeed now and seems satisfied after feeding and is gaining weight well.

We didn't start solids with my oldest until he was close to 10 months because he wasn't really interested. When we tried solids around 6 months he got constipated so we gave up and waited till he showed interest in it. It worked out well as I've never really been interested in feeding my kiddos commercial baby food so we where able to go straight to table food.

Anyone given a LO solids so early? If so what did you try? Or should I just wait?
Edited by trimommy2009 - 8/13/12 at 11:35am

[heatherdeg]

Well, you don't have to give them commercial baby food.  You could start with fresh avocado or other veggies.  Boil or steam some carrots and mash them with a fork.  It doesn't need to be commercial and it doesn't need to be a grain.

I would say the most glaring concern (on a list of concerns) would be family history of diabetes and introducing grains.  About 3 or 4 years ago I saw a study that showed that introducing grains under 1yo to children where there was a family history of diabetes would increase their likelihood SUBSTANTIALLY (I don't remember if it was 4x or 14x greater).  So when we adopted my daughter and there was no real family health history, we didn't introduce grains to her until after 1yo.  In our case, she wasn't so much into solids anyway.

[Heather Lyn]

You know your baby. IMO the problems arise when babies aren't expressing interest/aren't ready and parents semi-force feed them. Try a very mild food mixed with breastmilk first. Kellymom.com has some good tips for introducing solids in a way that supports continued breast feeding.

[Bokonon]

I wouldn't, personally.  Behavior does not equal internal readiness.

[katelove]

Originally Posted by Bokonon 

I wouldn't, personally.  Behavior does not equal internal readiness.

I agree. At that age they're interested in everythIng you do. They don't know what eating is or that the stuff you're putting in your mouth has different tastes/textures and will relieve the feeling of hunger. They just know that it is brightly coloured and their favourite people pay lots of attention to it do it must be something really exciting.

[AllisonRH]

My DD didn't do this, but I've heard from other moms who had babies really interested in food early that they gave the babe a spoon to play with and this totally worked. They are really interested in the utensils and giving them one to play with keeps them happy.

[Bokonon]

Another thing is that there are always going to be situations where your child wants to do something and you need to decide if it's safe and/or in your child's best interests.  You are the parent and make the decisions.  An infant wanting something does not mean they need to have it or that it is safe for them.  The 6 month recommendation exists because it is based on the best, current information we have about babies' guts.  Giving solids too early can have dangerous and lifelong consequences, and unfortunately, we don't know until it's too late.

Baby wants what you have, even if that is a set of keys, a steak or glass of wine.

[Tara Borin]

Originally Posted by AllisonRH 

My DD didn't do this, but I've heard from other moms who had babies really interested in food early that they gave the babe a spoon to play with and this totally worked. They are really interested in the utensils and giving them one to play with keeps them happy.

I think this is great advice. I'd try giving your babe a bowl, spoon, and maybe a sippy cup with a bit of water, to let him "play dinner" with you. Good luck!

[stik]

We couldn't stop my 5-month-old.  She grabbed food off our plates.  IMO, that's the best sign of readiness.  More and more research is showing that introducing solids between 4-6 months is OK, and even beneficial in some cases.
 

[Mama2mc]

I know many see grabbing food off plates as a sign of readiness... it might be, but at the same time, I know that my LOs at that age would also be capable of chewing on a habanero chili if given the chance, and just because they try to put something in their mouth, doesn't mean they should eat it, or that their digestive system is ready for that particular food. While EBF, my children showed sensitivity to certain foods I ate, so I prefer to wait, but that's just us, every child is different.
 

[foxintheforest]

My LO was the same way and I started feeding him some solid foods around 5 months. He still is mostly breastfeeding, but he loves his pureed veggies and rice cereal too! I don't see a problem with it if he seems ready and you are still breastfeeding as well.

[rainface]

We do baby led solids, except I started offering at 4 months, instead of six months. I would say in the first 3 months, she actually ingested maybe 2 tablespoons of food. Even now, at 10 months, she eats very little and nurses on demand. It's just not a big deal for us, I offer her food when I eat. She plays with it. Sometimes she swallows some. I would just put a few things in front of him, and see what he does.

[mamazee]

Babies are very sensory seeking, so wanting to sense and experience the touch and smell and even taste of food doesn't mean their body is ready to accept it. The 6 month age is given because at that age you can be sure the gut is no longer open. Here's info about that: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/delay-solids/

He might like playing with a spoon or something while you eat, but would not assume reaching for food, or even drooling (common in babies due to teething), means his body is ready for solid food.

[montessorimama1]

We started very early and it's been wonderful all the way.  Maybe this will help: http://thefullmontessori.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/montessori-weaning-food-and-independence-with-video/

[thegoodearth]

I know this is an old thread - but I still want to respond. I agree with the pp's who say let your child's readiness determine when you start solids and be judicious with what you feed them. I disagree with the comparison to it being like letting them play with a steak knife.

My son did not want, nor did we start, solids until past 12 months. I wish he wanted to start sooner (it was a lot of pressure on me as he was EBF), but he just didn't want to. He never touched puree - ever. While he was a great nurser, he was and still is a very picky eater. My daughter on the other hand, who is now 5 months, loves solids. She has sweet potato, winter squash and pear. We started out with only sweet potato at 4 months - and she really loved it. I would not stress too much about it. I would just stay away from grains, as someone else suggested before. Heck - my friend's mom told me today that 39 years ago they wanted you to start rice cereal at a few days old. The most current recommendation is to start between 4 and 6 months (i know i was just at the pediatrician for my DD's 4 month appt). Recommendations change all the time - so don't sweat it. You know your baby best.

[trimommy2009]

Thanks for all the replies!  In the end I just trusted my gut and let him start eating, the funny thing was once he started trying different things and playing with the spoon and cup the less he wanted solids.  He is 8 months now and only really wants the little puffs because he can feed himself.  Otherwise he just isn't interested, which is getting a little stressful because I'm barely making enough milk to keep him happy...but he will eat on him own soon enough.  

[frioct3]

My pediatrician now recommends starting at 4 months as well.  We started a few weeks ago at 5 months, we wanted to wait until DS could sit up unassisted.  I think he's manged to swallow something once but he certainly has fun.
 

[MichelleZB]

My son grabbed at everything around 4 months too. I didn't want to deny him something he was into, so we just gave him bits of our dinners to play with and mouth. He started "eating" dinner with us at about that age. I really doubt he got much food for the first few months. Mostly it all ended up smeared on his face or on the floor, lol. But he was so chuffed to have dinner that we just went with it! Now he's nearly a year old and a great eater.

[treegardner]

At 4 months, it seems like DS was ready for solids, but he wasn't, he just wanted to be involved in what we were doing. OUr pedi said to wait until 6 months, but if he could sit unassisted and we wanted to start, it wasn't a big deal.