So is it 4 or 6 months for solids? Questions inside.

smiling76 · September 2011

At 4 months our doc said we could go with the rice cereal. Well, he wasn't a fan of the taste b/c he gets it in his bottle already (reflux). So I started adding some carrots to it--just a tad and he loved it. I think he just really loves the spoon --he tries to feed himself (and actually does pretty good LOL).

But I hear so many different things --- is it just rice cereal from 4-6 months and then you start feeding veggies at 6 mos???? When I was a baby we were all fed REAL foods (eggs and stuff) at like 4 months. So I can't listen to the moms advice. They'd probably feed the kids steak if they could LOL.

My DH thinks DS needs more solids--he's up like crazy in the middle of the night--he literally drank 15 oz of formula between 11:30 last night and 5 this morning!!! Plus a 7 oz bottle and rice cereal before bed. I'm not sure if it's just a growth spurt or he really does need more--although not sure that pureed veggies are going to really 'fill' him up.

With DS1 I held off for a long time with solds b/c I breastfed him. And he still ended up with insane amounts of allergies.

So what are you ladies doing???

srs5624 · September 2011

We started at 4 months. We did rice cereal for a couple days, but he got constipated. I switched him to oatmeal and we did that for 4 days. Then I moved on to fruits and veggies, a new one every 4 days.

He didn't blow up or grow extra appendages. He seems fine and took to the solids right away.

Our doctor said to go ahead and start at 4 months since DS seemed to be ravenously hungry all.the.time. I trust my doctor's opinion over that of a doctor or book author that I've never met or had any interaction with.

TheRealNJhousewife · September 2011

Every doctor is different. Mine said we could start rice cereal at 3 months, but he wasn't ready so I waited until 4. He HATED the rice cereal so the doctor said start veggies, since the cereal isn't of any nutritional value. He has us start green veggies, then orange/yellow veggies then fruits. We started sweet peas this week and he loves them so far. We are doing half of jar once a day, planning on going to twice a day once we have a list of foods he's not allergic to.

LynsiBHM · September 2011

There are differing opinions on this. Different pedis will tell you different things, and every mom and baby are different too. For us, we started cereal at 3 mos and fruits and veggies at 4 mos. Our pedi approved. I've gotten flames for starting so "early" but it has worked well for us (he's almost 6 mos now.)

The best advice I've gotten is to ignore "rules." My pedi told us to play around with the amounts and consistency once you start cereal, then mix fruits veggies in gradually and start them unmixed whenever LO will tolerate it. Start with once a day and add "meals" as you see fit.

We're now at 3 "meals" a day of solids in addition to his regular bottles. he gets cereal and fruit in the morning, veggie (sometimes mixed w rice) for lunch, and a veggie for dinner. We're starting to add "real foods" soon. He's growing right on track, is happy and is hitting milestones...so I see no reason for us to have waited. Everyone's different though, and FWIW, we have no allergy concerns.

daisy889 · September 2011

My Pedi said:

4 months rice/oatmeal, once daily

5 months rice/oatmeal/fruit/veggies, twice daily

6 months rice/oatmeal/fruit/veggies, three times daily

Ofcourse this doesnt mean you have to give all 4 all together, you can do all fruits one day for each meal, or all rice, I usually do oatmeal mixed with fruit then a veggie for dinner. Just switch it up

TheNewestMrsWilliams · September 2011

There are so many schools of thought on this. Some docs say start early to help gain weight, some say wait because it reduces the risk of diabetes and allergies. Some say waiting increases the risk of allergies. Some say cereals then purees (veggis, then fruits, then meat) up to almost a year. Some skip purees totally and just start with mashed table food or soft but whole table food...whatever they can gum and not choke on. I think it really just boils down to what works for you and your little one. Good luck, have fun with it and don't stress over it.

vanfox · September 2011

Personally, I think waiting is better just because the digestive system needs time to mature, but some kids are just doomed to allergies no matter what you do. Like DS was born with a dairy intolerance, nothing I could do to prevent it and he'll most likely outgrow it completely by somewhere between 1 and 3 years old. All DS has had so far is breastmilk and he's nearly 6 months old now.

kathrnn · September 2011

I am waiting until her 6 month appointment to start solids.

I honestly don't think there is anything "wrong" with starting them at 4 months, but babies do not need them until 6 months, so waiting just makes more sense to me. I am also EBFing and do not want to begin weaning until I absolutely have to.

kacelle · September 2011

Some authorities do recommend starting eggs and meat as the first foods (at around 6 months). So that school of thinking isn't necessarily outdated.

We plan to skip introducing cereals, as they're basically empty calories. I EBF and plan to introduce solids at 6 months.

LadyXaverian · September 2011

kacelle:

We plan to skip introducing cereals, as they're basically empty calories. I EBF and plan to introduce solids at 6 months.

It depends what kind of cereal you use.

OP, I think you got your answer. AAP recommends 6 months. Many pedis recommend 4 months. There are different recommendations regarding what foods to introduce in what order. Get your pedi's recommendation, do your research, and then see what your baby will tolerate.

My pedi wanted to start us at 4 months, but we waited until 5 and even then, it took my daughter a couple of weeks to really take an interest and take more than a couple of spoonfuls.

anangelbug · September 2011

We started really really slow at around 4 months, just giving her a couple spoonfulls of something on a saturday and letting her experiment and get used to it, she wasn't super interested at the beggining so we went slow and introduced one new flavor a week. We skipped cereals because she has been on rice cereal in her bottles since 5 weeks old and they are so bland by themselves. Around 5 months she picked up interest in the solids and now at six months is up to about 2 jars a day now. Our pedi actually said that the whole thing about you should start with vegie's before fruit is a wives tale and that the vegies are actually sweeter than the fruits and the fruits are bitter. I will say DD does tend to favor the vegie's more. Although she does really like prunes and pears. But like peaches by themselves she isn't a fan of. She seems to do best when I give her a fruit and a vegie together. I don't stir mix them up but I will get a little of both on the spoon and she does best. I will say don't start with banannas first... we did that the very first time and she got really constipated. I would start with the non-constipating foods like prunes, pears, green beans, peas. We will give her prunes with new flavors just to help counter the constipation problem. Now we just have to figure out when to move up to the stage 2? But I bought a ton of the Earths Best when they were on sale BOGO. Just go with your insticts and follow your babies cues.

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