EBF Moms - When did you introduce baby to solids?

tiffyspiffy1012 · January 2012

Hi Ladies! My LO is nearly 5 1/2 months and is absolutely thriving. I've read a good bit of literature about the introduction of solid foods and wondered if it was a good idea to delay them past 6 months...so long as LO continues to grow at the rate she always had. Do any of you have any advice or suggestions as to whether this may be a good or bad idea? TIA!

pepomntpat · January 2012

We started just before six months-somewhere around 5 months and 3 weeks. It was an accident. Ro grabbed a muffin out of my hand and ate a piece.

There is no reason to rush solids, though. Just start when you and LO are ready. We did BLW and I liked that because the amount of food Ro actually swallowed increased very, very gradually. Plus, it felt like the least stressful way to introduce food.

reederah · January 2012

We started around 5 1/2 months because DS just seemed so interested in everything that was going in our mouths! Sure enough he just gobbled up food when we gave it to him. We're definitely being slow to introduce (he has about 2 tbsp. a day now and he's almost 6 1/2 months)... I know some people whose 6 months olds are eating 3 meals a day. I definitely wanted to make sure he is getting most of his nutrition from breast milk, but I don't see any problem letting him test the waters and learn to eat from a spoon. Plus, from what I've read BFed babies start needing more iron than we can provide from 6 months on, so I'm making sure to get some fortified cereal in his diet now too. Just do what makes you feel comfortable and what you think your LO is ready for! Good luck!

sokmonkee3517 · January 2012

No need to delay past 6 months but best to let your LO set the pace. We were determined to wait until E was 6 months but she was READY at 5.5 months and made it perfectly clear! When ever we ate anything, she would follow the food with her eyes and open her mouth when we got the food to our mouths and would reach out like, "I want some!" We bypassed rice cereal (no nutritional value and can carry traces of arsenic) and went straight to organic sweet potato since it is sweet like breastmilk. She about jumped out of her bumbo trying to get at the spoon!! Just follow your babies cues. They will let you know!

Lenaput · January 2012

I've been starting down the research and reading path too. So far I really like and agree with baby-led weaning. I have a friend who has done it with all 3 of her children, and they didn't really take to solids until they were closer to 8mon. I was also reading on kellymom.com that studies are showing baby's iron stores don't magically disappear at 6m, and baby does continue to get iron from breastmilk. Also, the form of the iron is biochemically best for baby as it's bound to proteins that only baby's gut and absorb and use, rather than baby's gut bacteria. DS is only 4m, and we were given the green light for rice cereal, but I'm going to wait. GL!

tokenhoser · January 2012

We also did baby-led weaning. I started offering just before 6 months, but he took a few weeks to really eat anything.

There isn't really an advantage to delaying further. Once a baby can get food into their mouth and swallow it, the gut is developed enough to start digesting it. Solids are a tiny bit about nutrition in the beginning and a big bit about learning to swallow, chew, experiencing new flavours and textures, and if you do BLW gaining the coordination required to self-feed.

BeetleLinz1125 · January 2012

Lenaput:
I've been starting down the research and reading path too. So far I really like and agree with baby-led weaning. I have a friend who has done it with all 3 of her children, and they didn't really take to solids until they were closer to 8mon. I was also reading on kellymom.com that studies are showing baby's iron stores don't magically disappear at 6m, and baby does continue to get iron from breastmilk. Also, the form of the iron is biochemically best for baby as it's bound to proteins that only baby's gut and absorb and use, rather than baby's gut bacteria. DS is only 4m, and we were given the green light for rice cereal, but I'm going to wait. GL!

I am so glad that I found out about BLW. It is simple, fun, and I also think that it has improved DD's hand/eye coordination. No messy purees or cereals. DD is 10 months today, and is doing great!

OP to answer your question, we started a little before 6 months just because she showed such an interest in food. But it was like a week or two before she was 6 months officially.

Mrs. Stew · January 2012

E is 5.5 months old and we are planning on starting this weekend. I gave her a taste of sweet potato puree when I was making it last weekend, and she loved it!

Matt Dvorak · January 2012

I've been doing rice cereal just once a week for about a month now. Just testing now and then to see how well he'll do. He really likes eating now but I'm waiting for the 6 month apt. to discuss foods with the pedi before adding other foods and making it more of a regular thing.

I also occasionally let him suck mashed banana off my fingers while I'm eating one. Seems to love it!

nosoup4u · January 2012

Well, chances are she's going to slow down her growth no matter what, so I wouldn't weigh that as a deciding factor.

I waited until both of my kids could sit up unassisted, which was about six months exactly for each of them. I don't think there's any need to rush solids, but if she's acting like she's really interested, try them. If it's a big fail, wait a week or two. My first son wasn't really into solids until after he turned a year, but my younger son was eating a lot more by around 9-10 months. hth

VMRRN23 · January 2012

On his 6 month birthday. We started with avocado (per the pedi's rec, DS wasn't very impressed though), then did a few different fruits, introduced baby oatmeal for iron and went from there. I made a lot of DS baby food (steam it them puree in food processor).

I wouldn't recommend starting much later if your LO shows interest, because some kid can have texture issues of they start too late. Check out wholesomebabyfood.com for more info. I didn't do BLW, just EBF and built up to purees 3 times a day and then figer foods as appropriate. GL. Its a lot of fun entering this brand new stage.

Also, just an FYI, we introduced whole milk yogurt and cheese at 10 months, but no WCM until 1 year old. EBF until then (now just morning and night).

EBF Moms - When did you introduce baby to solids?

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