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Delaying solid food questions

606 views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  velcromom 
#1 ·
I'm not sure if this belongs here, but I figured I could get some good advice from you Mamas. DS will be 6 months old at the end of this week. He is an awesome nurser and chubbalicious, weighing in at 21 pounds. I have no interest in giving him solid foods right now. We are just enjoying nursing. His 6 month well visit is this week and I KNOW the ped., who I do adore is going to "suggest" giving him food. I know I don't want to, but I am not sure why I don't want to, I just don't. I have not researched the benefits of delaying solids, if there are any. I would like to be armed with reasons why it is okay to delay his solids when the dr. tells me why I should give him food.

As for everyone that tells me to feed him food "because he needs to get used to the texture", I just nod and smile, but I would like to do more than that at the peds. office.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Hi Meg. my son is 6 months today, like your babe! I honestly think that the whole "they need to experiment otherwise they will have developmental problems" is a myth. a false myth, I may add. I have talked to doctors and speech development specialists about this and they agree. (surprisingly! I do have a very AP doc, though) I have been experimenting with ds this week. I have tried a fresh apple, banana and some homemade organic veggies that I made for him last night. he is not oficially on solids and I am not giving him everyday or making it a "meal". I am just experimenting because I wanted to know if he had lost his extrusion reflex. turns out he has, but I also feel he's not exactly ready to start solids. I am trying different things here and there, not because he needs it (I am absolutely sure he does not need it, he's 24 lbs and 30 inches long just on breastmilk) if you doc asks you, just say "ok". remember you probably won't see him until 9 months and by then you'll have at least something to tell him. I wouldn't worry, I ignore docs when they say things I don't agree with. I just go "ok, yeah, sure". good luck!
 
#3 ·
We simply don't feed the kids until they're ready to feed themselves. Of course they may do it messily - but the point is, this is more like 10-12 months than like 6. You'll never catch me spooning box-mixed rice crud into a kid just because it is supposed to somehow engender correct eating habits later on (give me a break!). My kids always were and still are big for their ages (height-wise especially) and I don't think they've suffered from skipping the watered-down-sandpaper phase of babyfeeding. I tend to think of baby cereals and fine mushes as the next logical step after formula - a breastfed baby has been experiencing a variety of tastes all of his/her life, and so it makes little sense to me to use the formula version of food - wait until they're ready, and then start in on the real stuff :). And no, I don't mean start in with steak - but stuff that adults would eat - poi, creamed bananas (put frozen bananas through a quizinart, it is like ice cream, real good actually), homemade soup stock, rice - and quickly move to fingerfoods and eating portions of our usual dinners.
 
#4 ·
Hi there

I asked the same question a month ago when my dd was 6 mo old, and here is the thread:

http://www.mothering.com/discussion...ad.php?t=172649

and another similar (and linked thread)

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=175320
(I have given her some tastes of banana, avocado, apple, and a couple of other things since then and she really enjoys them so have continued but I definitely think the solid issue is pushed way too soon, and should depend on the baby. My dd is also 24 lbs and about 29 inches long. Actually did not want to give her solids too but she has so enjoyed the small amounts she has had I have continued every few days or so. Definitely not neccessary though for her right now!
 
#7 ·
We didn't want to either, dd showed no interest and we felt giving food while she was young would do more harm than good so we waited.... and waited. We offered her some fruit at nearly 13 months but it was not til about 15 months that she started eating on her own.

You could just nod and go uh huh at the doctors and ignore the doctors advice at home. Its not like they are gonna come and check up on you! Also, this sort of thing falls into the 'parenting advice' area, more than it does the medical advice area - its your call, not the doctors. Do what feels right by you and your child!
 
#9 ·
We did offer food to Noah at 6mo and he still had tounge thrust.

About a week before he started crawling (8 mo) he got much more interested in reaching for our plates. He also developed the pincher grasp around this time. We just gave him sweet potato, avocado, banana pretty much.

just a couple weeks later he was interested in self feeding mushy chunks.

Now at 10mo he bf most of the day, but I'll give him some of what I'm eating or cereal (organic cherioos and other dry cereals for him to pick up & eat) throughout the day and we only usually sit him down to eat at dinner with us. We got a Kinderzeat a couple weeks ago so he sits right at the table with us.

A nice relaxed attitude toward food is good, if your baby is interested, let them try things. Sometimes Noah wants a lot, but usually it's a bit of grazing, then he wants ME


good luck & enjoy
 
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