[onegr8mom03]

Although it's a little early to start worrying about starting solids (my ds is 4 months old) I have been giving it a lot of thought so I can be sure i'll be doing the right thing. I have every intention to Extended BF and let him self wean. (Nursing him is so great, for so many reasons, as you all know, that I cant imagine stopping anytime soon) But if that is my plan how do I go about introducing solids. I was under the impression sometime after six months start with cereal.(we have no history of food allergies) All I know is that I still want him to be interested in nursing even when he's over 2 years old so does that mean i push solids back? What's the latest you can go to just bf him without any solids. (I'm really so confused by the whole situtation I can't even get all my questions out so maybe I'll start with this one for now and add some more as i get the thoughts clearer in my head)

 

[beachrock]

You can safely wait til at least 6 mo, and probably longer than that if you want to. But introducing solids earlier doesn't mean your ds will wean earlier.<br><br>
He will let you know he's ready for solids by showing an interest in the food you & your family are eating.<br><br>
My only exp is with my ds, who at 12 months was REALLY into food, so much so that I was afraid he would wean early. LOL, at around 18 mo he decided it wasn't so great after all, and started nursing a lot more. Now, at 26 mo, he nurses at least 10 times a day.<br><br>
BTW, we started solids around 5.5 mo (I wish I had waited longer, he wasn't too interested at first).

 

[L.J.]

I waited until my son was showing lots of signs of being ready. He was grabbing at my food, grabbing at my cup, he could sit up very well by himself & he really wanted to get started. I think he was closer to 8 months.<br><br>
I would also recommend starting with a raw whole food like banana or advacado. They contain enzymes which make them easier to digest, especially for a little stomach that has to learn about digesting solids. Cereals are processed & also much more difficult to digest. I never gave my babies cereal. I chose foods that were whole & raw & found it was easier for them to eat.<br><br>
My experience of nursing is that it really becomes less about "food" for the child and more about "comfort & connection" as they get older. I would guess there aren't many kids that wean because of solids.

 

[pumpkinhead]

My DS's first taste of solid food was the white rice w/ teryaki sauce he was quick enough to grab and shove into his mouth before I could get it from him <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin">. He was 5.5 mos and he survived. Not an ideal first food, but he let me know he was ready.<br><br>
You can make your own rice 'cereal' from brown or white rice in a pressure cooker. You have to make it fresh daily tho. I did this for a bit until DS was ready to move on to oatmeal.<br><br>
Mashed avacado and banana are great first foods. I wouldn't reccomend raw veggies tho...Most of the enzymes in raw foods are destroyed by the stomach acid. Not many proteins can survive a pH of 1 or 2! Cooked foods are much easier for little tummies to digest initially.<br><br>
You can also buy organic baby cereals.

 

[UlrikeDG]

Check out <a href="http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html</a> especially the section called "<a href="http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/first-foods.html" target="_blank">First Foods</a>. I generally start with something good off my plate, not "baby food" or infant cereal. I might mash up a green bean, for example.

 

[Potty Diva]

Much like Ulriche, we didn't do baby cereal for Kailey when she was introdcued to solids at 11 months. In fact she has never had any kind of infant cereal- ever.<br><br>
We did start with raw banana mushed up a bit, because this food most resembles breastmilk. Cereal however is an ideal first food for formula fed babies.<br><br>
After banana we did a variety of foods from our plates, and adjusted the consistency for her readiness for the food.

 

[onegr8mom03]

Thanks for your replies! I found out that at this stage in my ds's growth I really don't need to be concerned at all about him starting solids. One less thing for me to have to worry about and more time to just enjoy each precious moment together!!<br><br>
Thanks again!