POTD: When to start baby on solids

VLillyV

There are a lot of mixed answers and arguments about when babies should be started on solids. What's your opinion/POV?

and to win extra brownie points, please explain why A lot of us can benefit from these answers.

carries2018

I start at 5 months. Per pedi. 

beezeee

I started around 6 mos. with DD, so I will probably do the same again. A lot of people get the ok from their pedi at 4 months, so no flames from me unless you start before that.

purplestarz

I voted 4 months and I explained why awhile back in another thread (maybe UO?).

DD started solids at 6+ months and has several food allergies (peanut, some tree nut, suspected sesame now, and egg). There's some research out there indicating starting solids sooner could prevent some allergies. With our pediatrician's and allergist's blessing I am going to start at 4 months with this baby (providing he meets all the appropriate milestones to start this early as well).

ETA: I'm not saying EVERYONE should start at 4 months though. Since this baby is now viewed at having an increased risk for food allergies it makes sense to me. There's no food allergies in mine or DHs family though until DD so starting DD on solids at 6 months seemed like the normal thing to do at the time.

roo_baby

I chose 4 months cause I've read that if you introduce peanuts, gluten and other foods that could cause allergies between 4-6 months your kid is less likely to develop an allergy to them. 

dogperson11

With DD we did Baby Led Weaning and started at 6 months. Plan to do the same this time. I'm definitely in agreement with the saying "food before 1 is just for fun"

OliveOyl2014

I voted 5 months. Obviously that is up to baby also. My daughter wasn't able to successfully swallow solids until closer to 6 months. We gave my son a spoonful here and there around 4 months and he had no trouble swallowing. We just take cues from the kids, like when they show more interest in the food we are eating. 

lola4411

dogperson11 said:

With DD we did Baby Led Weaning and started at 6 months. Plan to do the same this time. I'm definitely in agreement with the saying "food before 1 is just for fun"

same with us. we started at around 7 months with BLW.  we might have started a bit earlier except we started sleep training at 6 months and didnt want to introduce too many new changes at once.  sleep was terrible up until then so we really felt we had no choice!

buttercream_frosting

I started at 5 months but next one I will hold out until 6 months. DS really wasnt interested and caused more stress than it was worth. Also, the whole BLW ... .don't get too caught up into it. It's okay to give puree food too.

carries2018

With DD1 I thought BLW was stupid. With DD2 we did purées for like 2 months and then switched to solids just giving her some of our dinner. I cut it up small not true BLW but it was a lot easier for us. I got tons of side eyes but it worked for us. So yolo. 

folamij

We started solids when it was obvious DD was ready (even though I wasn't). I planned to hold off until 6 months, but it all worked out. Food before 1 is just for fun anyway. 

ForwardnBackward

purplestarz said:

I voted 4 months and I explained why awhile back in another thread (maybe UO?).

DD started solids at 6+ months and has several food allergies (peanut, some tree nut, suspected sesame now, and egg). There's some research out there indicating starting solids sooner could prevent some allergies. With our pediatrician's and allergist's blessing I am going to start at 4 months with this baby (providing he meets all the appropriate milestones to start this early as well).

ETA: I'm not saying EVERYONE should start at 4 months though. Since this baby is now viewed at having an increased risk for food allergies it makes sense to me. There's no food allergies in mine or DHs family though until DD so starting DD on solids at 6 months seemed like the normal thing to do at the time.

I could've written this exact thing. Solidarity allergy momma

VLillyV

ForwardnBackward said:

purplestarz said:

I voted 4 months and I explained why awhile back in another thread (maybe UO?).

DD started solids at 6+ months and has several food allergies (peanut, some tree nut, suspected sesame now, and egg). There's some research out there indicating starting solids sooner could prevent some allergies. With our pediatrician's and allergist's blessing I am going to start at 4 months with this baby (providing he meets all the appropriate milestones to start this early as well).

ETA: I'm not saying EVERYONE should start at 4 months though. Since this baby is now viewed at having an increased risk for food allergies it makes sense to me. There's no food allergies in mine or DHs family though until DD so starting DD on solids at 6 months seemed like the normal thing to do at the time.

I could've written this exact thing. Solidarity allergy momma

As a ftm, I  didn't even know that this was possible. My husband has a lot of allergies, I will have to look into asking my OB and maybe an allergist if I should start earlier rather than later too. Not to say I'm following cues,  but my husband suffers with his allergies and if I can prevent this little one from struggling, I will do my best!  Are you supposed to start them on any solids? Or would it be the things you don't want them to be allergic to? 

asickles98

Started the other four at six months, will do the same with this one.

dumbledoredies

FTM and I didn't even vote because I have no idea what I'm doing!

bluejeanbabi05

dumbledoredies said:

FTM and I didn't even vote because I have no idea what I'm doing!

+1!

canonmom413

We did 4 months cereal with DD1 ( who was super colicky high needs baby) 6 months baby food. 

DD2 we did 5 months baby food and by 7/8 months she was eating small bits and pieces of real food. 
Eta: we skipped cereal all together with DD2. 

I took the cue from what they wanted and could handle. Of course with their Ped's approval. I will do the same with this baby. I am in no rush to speed things along since he's our last. 

ForwardnBackward

@VLillyV. Most of the data for early introduction is from the LEAP study for peanuts.  I'm not sure there is much there for other allergens yet.  Part of my working theory is just to try something different (that's still safe) from what i did with DS to see if it helps (introduced at 6 months with DS and he has dairy, eggs, peanut allergies).  

Neither OB or pediatrics allergist had an recommendations for modifications during pregnancy or breastfeeding at this time.  You may consider introducing early if your kid has eczema in those first couple months because that's a sign of reactive tendencies and maybe you can stay ahead of developing allergies.

jessafishy

I voted 6+ months. I started DS at 6 months and will with this baby too.

It's so much easier to just give them the boob. So I count laziness as part of my decision.

aRachel21

We started DS at 4 months, but it was literally a tablespoon here and there so he could try different flavors and textures.  We'll probably do the same with this one. 

lemonlyman

On the topic of introducing potential allergens early, just make sure that your new pediatrician is aware if any food allergies DO run in your family.

I'm highly allergic to tree nuts (basically all nuts except peanuts), and our pediatrician advised us to wait until DS was at least 2 before we introduced them to him.

He's 2 now and still hasn't tried them, mostly because I obviously don't cook any recipes with them, but just wanted to throw that out there!

ariz17

+1 @dumbledoredies & @bluejeanbabi05 This is helpful though!

migdala

I said 6+ months because I want the diapers to smell ok for as long as possible.  But I didn't know about the allergens research, so now I will be looking into that.  Great thread!

flowerintherain

I'm a firm believer in waiting with my kids till 5.5-6 months. I just feel like their digestive systems aren't really developed enough to process the nutrients out of food any earlier than that. But I know there are instances where baby's start sooner, and I don't judge. For example, my friend had a baby that was in the 2nd percentile for height and weight and her pediatrician had her start supplementing with purees at 3 months to get her weight up.

ETA: once they start solids, poo STINKS! If your LO isn't interested in solids right away, consider yourself lucky lol

roo_baby

If you only give the solids/purees once a day or a few times a week, will all of the poo still stink? I'm wondering if there is a way to introduce solids early to some degree without ruining all the poo. 

callababy17

bluejeanbabi05 said:

dumbledoredies said:

FTM and I didn't even vote because I have no idea what I'm doing!

+1!

+2 and I don't even know what BLW is????

kkerner87

6 months! 

PizzaMonster3

Lololol @callababy17 exactly that. Maybe I should read some baby books after all...

migdala

+1 to @roo_baby's question.  I'd love to put the nasty smells off for as long as possible, plus we're cloth diapering so it'll be nice not to have to pre-wash them before putting them in the machine.

purplestarz

@VLillyV piggybacking off what @ForwardnBackward said, definitely look out for eczema. DD had pretty bad eczema starting at a few weeks old but I never made the connection between that and food allergies, and my pedi never brought it up either.

sdarling2010

I voted 4 months. DD was VERY interested in our food at that point. She tried a tiny amount of mashed banana and avocado then. We started more consistent purées/baby food gradually after that. I would say solids (baby food mostly) became part of her regular diet around 5-5.5 months.

purplestarz

@lemonlyman that's interesting you were told to wait! Have you thought about getting him tested? You could always try to put a little bit of almond butter (or well maybe someone else could since youre allergic lol) on his skin to see if his skin reacts before letting him eat any. We do that ever so often with DD on her cheek.



Our new allergist is very proactive which I love so much more than just the "avoid everything for the rest of your life" approach. She plans to test this baby for allergies by 6 months old and devise a game plan. We are getting ready to start DD on Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) for egg initially after some food challenges. Basically OIT is introducing small amounts of the allergen everyday and increasing over time to become desensitized to it. Super scary, and actually pretty controversial in the food allergy world but I'm excited at that same time. DD was initially allergic to dairy (non-anaphylactic) as well but kept consuming it over time and now she drinks milk like no tomorrow and has completely outgrown the allergy.

Sorry, not trying to derail the thread. I find allergies super interesting which is a good thing because it starts to take over your life when you have a food allergy kid lol

ksf13

We started DD at  6 months and will do the same with this one. This is a really great article on my reasoning (love love love kellymom.com). Plus breastmilk poop doesn't smell NEARLY as bad as the stinky diapers that come with starting solids lol. 
 
https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/delay-solids/

dogperson11

callababy17 said:

bluejeanbabi05 said:

dumbledoredies said:

FTM and I didn't even vote because I have no idea what I'm doing!

+1!

+2 and I don't even know what BLW is????

BLW = Baby Led Weaning ( https://www.babyledweaning.com/ )

Some people are really strict with it and never do purées, some do a combo. We found a combo worked best for us. When out and about we did strictly BLW but at home we did some purees as well as our table food.

IMO, feeding baby is a mess and I don't understand the rush to start. It's one more thing to have to remember to pack and just creates extra work / mess.

TallMomma29

In addition to the gross smell, once you introduce solids, baby poop becomes a really gross daily science expirement in how various foods are digested by an infant's digestive system.  .  I highly recommend waiting as long as possible!

jessafishy

@TallMomma29 says the woman with no sense of smell.