How long did you wait to introduce solids to your babe? - Page 2

[The Lucky One]

We started trying at around 6 months.

He has only recently (and I mean within the last week) really really started showing interest and is eating a modest portion of food. He will be 10 months in a week.

lisa--mama to solid food eatin' Aidan (1/11/02)

[EllasMama]

I didn't know what to vote. DD "showed interest" in food at around 5 months, so we tried giving her some then. Her interest was just in what we were eating/doing, though, not really in eating for herself. We kept trying every once in a while for the next several months. Finally at about 10 months, she became able to pick up finger food and eat it, and that was the first true interest she had in eating. Her eating was still only a few morsels per day until about 18 months. She has multiple food allergies, so she probably "knew" she should not eat solids. It was really hard, though, because all the books say that kids should be merrily chowing down on gobs of food so much earlier. I even read kids wouldn't develop the proper chewing and swallowing skills if they don't eat earlier than DD did, but guess what, she now likes food (as much as most toddlers) and it doesn't dribble down her chin for lack of jaw control. She can chew and swallow as well as any early eater.

Carol

[Evergreen]

i voted on a similar poll at babycenter. on that one, more people voted less than 2 mos, than voted 8 or above:

[sevenkids]

When the baby is ready, which is different for all babies.
Out of my seven, solid food ranged from 4 months (earliest, my third) to 22 months (my second)
Each baby develops at a different pace. My 3rd was already 19 pounds and crawling at 4 months, was picking up food bits and feeding himself, and sitting up by himself. My second was not interested in anything but me (and turned out to be highly allergic to EVERYTHING) until he was nearly 2. He is now 18 and is not sensitive to anything at all, and his ped agreed it was because he was exclusively breastfed, in fact, he encouraged it. The others generally started between 6 and 10 months.
Whatever feels right to your baby!
Oh, and smearing your entire body with avacado sounds like great fun!

[OctoberAngel]

I think....

That whenever the baby is ready, but he can be ready, but is his digestive system? My son wanted solids, but he had a hard time with some of them, like, banana's & apple's. If you introduce solids, do the orange colored foods first like, carrots, sweet potato's etc.etc. their easier to digest & pears.

~ OctoberAngel

[NoraB]

We introduced solids at 6 months but DD showed no interest until around 9-10 months. I'll wait until baby is really ready next time around!

[DaryLLL]

I see most people saying they gave solids when baby showed an interest. While this makes sense, and is sure more baby respectful than what my mom did (force solids at 3 weeks!), it is not the only indicator of readiness. sevenkids saw how it varied from child to child, because of allergies, teeth, and ability to sit unsupported. Sitting unsupported is a good indicator of gut maturity. You don't want to give solids if they just come out in the same form they were in going in. This is undigested food and is just a big waste, stresses the gut and actually uses calories to be passed thru.

When you do start table foods, only give 1/4 tsp (just a fingertip full) the first few days, then 1/2 tsp and so on. Too much too soon can cause problems. Take it easy!

(Even the vet will tell you, when you change your pet from one diet to another, mix in the new food in gradually increasing amts, over a week or so, or risk digestive upset. And that's just going from one kind of kibble to another, not from a liquid diet to solid.)

Studies have shown that babies who are fully breastfed until 7 mos have the best hemocrits (indicating absorbing enough iron) at one year, as compared to babies who get ABM supplements or earlier solids.

[EmmalinesMom]

I voted that we introduced at 6-9 months since we offered cereal at about 8 months, but she wasn't really interested till closer to a year.

[3miraclebabies]

We introduced rice cereal with breastmilk at 6 months but our daugther wanted nothing to do with it, so we followed her lead. She's now 9 months and is eating small amounts of rice cereal and pureed veggies and fruits - we just introduce a little at a time and wait a few days before trying a new variety in case of allergy.

[BusyMommy]

I don't mean to be controversial here, but if so many people intro. solids before 2 mos. (that other poll) then why don't their babies have any troubles. KWIM? I'm being so careful and it was such a heart wrenching decision to let my son try yogurt at 5 mos. (pure bliss for him ). I worried about allergies, loss of nutrients, etc. But, I followed HIS lead. So, what's up w/feeding your baby at 2 mos? I doubt they demand it. So, do moms do this to make them sleep longer? It must work or they wouldn'd do it, right?

I mean, really, why do they do it? If it didn't work, wouldn't they stop?

And, if so many moms are doing it, it can't be wrong. I know that sounds moronic , but I don't get it. Is it just the #s and that % of kids who would have allergies are more prone if they're exposed earlier but can avoid them if intro. later?


I look fwd to reading Mothering this month-diet and ADhD.

Another issue, flip side, I let my kids play in the dirt at a young age. Lots of those other moms would be shocked! But, my kids are, and will be, just fine despite the grime and germs.

: :

[3miraclebabies]

I think they (the moms on the other poll you are talking about) do it because of the old wives tale that feeding cereal will make babies sleep longer, which is totally ridiculous. Babies little systems are just not ready to digest cereal at two months old. Why rush the baby on solids, they grow up fast enough~
Just my .02

[thepicklednickel]

I voted 6-9 months because we are still "introducing" foods but not so much "eating" foods!ild At 5 months, ds was staring intently as we ate, grabbing for our food and showing so much interest I was afraid we weren't going to be able to wait until 6 months to introduce solids. But, the actual experience hasn't lived up to his expectations. He makes the most awful faces! So, we wait a few days or a week or so and try again. Oh, and he's no longer grabbing for our food!

[MommaSeed]

DD is 6 months and has been reaching for our plates and really watching what we do for the past month, but the few times I tried giving her anything, she turned her nose up at it! Recently I have started making breastmilk popsicles for her and she REALLY seems to enjoy those and it also helps her gums!
My DH is so anxious for her to start solids because he would like to start being involved in her meals, so the popsicles have given him the opportunity to help her "eat."
~Tricia

[IfMamaAintHappy]

Grace didnt care about food at all. She was not interested in being spoonfed one bit. She didnt even care about playing with a spoon! She ate about half of a very small (like stage one) jar of food per day (or one or two frozen cubes of homemade stuff). Loved that mommy milk!

Lily, however, has been a different story. She started grabbing my fork or spoon before she turned 5 months old. Irritated, mad, frantic sometimes if you didnt evne offer to share. So from 5 to 6 months I have been giving her tastes of stuff, even putting some on the high chair with a spoon and telling her to have at it! I just didnt want to start spoon feeding her once a day until she was 6 months. She just recently lost her tongue thrust and still cant sit unassisted for more than a few seconds.

But man, she sees that spoon coming and she just about goes ballistic. She is all about food! Her whole little body quivers in anticipation and she shrieks for more as fast as you can shovel it in. What a sight.

LOL!

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I wanted to wait 6 months, because I have a lot of food allergies myself. My doc wanted me to start of 4 months. I ignored him, but I didn't ignore my dd. She was sitting unsupported at 4 months, and started showing interest in our food at around 3 mos. By 5 months, I was wondering, "Why follow a calendar?" "How is her gut going to magically be different on March 17 than March 18, when she's 6 full months?" And she was getting more and more upset with us for not sharing. She was even making chewing motions, mimicking our eating. I started by spoonfeeding her water and breastmilk, which was a fun game, but by 5 months 1 week, I gave in. We went extra slow, starting with rice, then waiting till almost 6 months before introducing the next grain. We held off on wheat until 8 months, and started veggies and fruits around 7.

[Peppamint]

We introduced solids between 6.5-7 months. My dd broke her first tooth at 6.5 months and it wasn't until then that she showed any interest in solids. Even then a bite or two was enough. She didn't eat more than a bite or two at a time until about 10 months. After ten months she started refusing the mushy foods and would only eat table foods. :

I didn't want to push solids at all, because my dh has a very sensitive gut. He gets the runs from eating out and stuff like that- you just never know what will set him off. My dd unfortunately shows signs of having the same kind of gut. At 28 months she still has nasty mushy poopies. :

[TalkToMeNow]

I planned on starting solids later than we did (between 6 and 9 months), but during the fifth month dh and I had to do "tag team eating"... one would occupy Mabel while the other ate. She screamed and cried and lunged for our food. We finally gave her some right before she turned six months. She hasn't had any problems and loves to eat! She still nurses as much as ever, though. I would say around six months should be the earliest to intorduce solids, but after that it depends on the baby.

[chigrrl]

pressure from relatives??????

well my ds is 6.5 months-we have slowly tired rice cerel and sweet potatoes etc....i have been making the baby food at home using organics....

i planned to wait as long as possible - ds has been showing interest so we fed cereal on 6month bday...it has been very low key - i ususally feed him a bit of food once a day or so...the problem is my MIL....she has been freaking out about ds not eating solids since he was about 3-4 months - she did not bf either - in fact she gave us a HUGE blanket for ds at xmas "so I could cover myself while bf" ha ha ha

i am wondering if this could be a cultural thing as my MIL is from mexico but i guess the pressure to feed solids comes from anywhere ...my parents are cool and if they ever piped up with their opinions i would tell them to back off...unfortunately dh ignores his mother and I am the one left to tell her to mind her own business...the last time i did this (when i became prego we did not talk for almost 6 months!) I try to stay neutral around her and let her spout her "wisdom" but I am worried that she will sneak ds something he should not have as ds stays with her on occasion when the work schedule gets fouled up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

any suggestions..... i don't want to start world war 3 over here but I am tired of hearing MIL's opinions.......

thanks

[Peppamint]

Re: pressure from relatives??????

Originally posted by chigrrl
I try to stay neutral around her and let her spout her "wisdom" but I am worried that she will sneak ds something he should not have as ds stays with her on occasion when the work schedule gets fouled up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

any suggestions..... i don't want to start world war 3 over here but I am tired of hearing MIL's opinions.......

thanks

I would tell her that under no circumstances should he be fed anything but what you tell her is okay. Tell her the ped. has given you guidelines (well, you know they suggest waiting until six months and introducing foods slowly) and that you're following them.

Remind her that if she feeds ds something new and he has a reaction, how will you know what caused it unless you know what he's had!

Good luck, I know MIL's can be difficult.

[Crunchier]

Started at 4 motnhs

I fully intended to wait AT LEAST 6 months before starting solids, but I went to lunch with my dad in a tiny Israeli restaurant and Ben threw a fit! He wanted my shawarma so bad! I gave him a taste of hummus. Ben loves solids! He gets extra cranky if he doesn't get his 3 meals a day. I have to say, I wasn't expecting this.