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January 2013 Moms
amjung2103
member
Signs lo is ready for food
amjung2103
member
I know my LO is not ready yet, but was jsut wondering what all of the signs were. I keep hearing different things and just wanted to start watching for things. most specifically I have heard about something with their tongues - can someone explain that one?
Clarification: I am probably going to use the BLW method so am in no hurry to start food - I know this is a hot topic with some - I am just looking for more info/explanations.
TIA
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Re: Signs lo is ready for food
The tongue thing is the 'thrust reflex' that young babies have when something is put in their mouth...it's there to help prevent them from choking.
You want to look for that reflex being gone, baby able to sit on their own, showing an interest in food (watching you while you eat, moving mouth as if chewing), able to bring food to mouth, able to hold things in a pincher grip, and somewhere I read 'being more vocal'. I don't get that last one.
My LO seems close to ready.... he's shown a huge increase of interest in DH and me eating (lots of chewing motions), he can grasp his toys and bring things to his mouth very well, he doesn't have the tongue reflex anymore, and he's VERY vocal... I'm just waiting on his ability to sit up on his own. Probably by the end of the month.
Did you test the reflex? How do you know when they've lost it?
Ditto trombgirl. IMO the ones that people should really watch for are sitting unassisted and being able to feed themselves. Tongue thrust is usually lost before that anyway, but yes, you'll know if it's still there when you feed them. If they still have it they'll basically just push the food back out of their mouth rather than using their tongue to chew/gum it properly.
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Yes, it's gone. Touching his lips with my finger doesn't bring his tongue forward and I've had my fingers all up in his mouth (applying oragel or checking his gums for teeth) without the reflex. I read that it usually disappears around 3-4 months, but can take longer. I haven't tested it with solids of any kind yet as I'm still waiting for him to sit unassisted.
To OP: another sign for solids readiness... doubled birth weight.
ETA: Found this info...
"While the tongue thrust or 'extrusion reflex' is present, if a baby's lips are touched her tongue automatically moves forward. Tongue thrust aids feeding from the breast or bottle but not solid foods. This reflex generally fades by around 3 or 4 months of age but for some babies it will remain active for longer. While this reflex is still active, if solid foods are offered it appears like your baby is pushing the food out of her mouth with her tongue. This reflex is often mistaken as dislike of food. Although this is not the case, a tongue thrust is a sign that your baby is not ready to eat solid foods."
3 IUIs to get BFP w/baby #2
Lost baby #2 at nearly 12 weeks (D&C on 9/19/14)
There's a lot of info out there. LLLI and many other sources recommend starting at 6 months because of baby's immature gut and to help avoid allergies, but there is some new advice just published this year about the importance of starting baby on solids BETWEEN 4-6 months to help prevent food allergies. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is saying that since the 6 month recommendation came out a few years back there has been in INCREASE in food allergies rather than the decrease they expected.
I don't judge anyone for when or how they choose to introduce solids to their LOs. There is a LOT of information out there coming at us from all sides. For me, I'm not going to sweat the timing (beyond DS being over 4 months...which he is). I'm going to take my cue from him and start him on solids when I believe he's ready.
See, the thing with this is, they're not saying the window is 4-6 months, they're saying that's when parents in the U.S. typically introduce solids and they believe there might be an important window when foods are starting to be introduced so you shouldn't hold off on starting the allergenic foods several months/years down the line. They're saying these things should all be introduced within the first year. It's extremely important (especially with the allergenic and harder to digest foods) that baby's gut is closed to properly digest the foods. Also, I would be a little wary of this advice because there is very little evidence of it being beneficial right now. I am interested to see how things play out, but it's still best practice to wait until 6 months and go from there, even if you're planning to introduce allergenic foods within the first year, which I don't really have an issue with. Plenty of time to do that after the 6 month mark though.
And I'm not speaking to you directly, I'm speaking in general because I've seen chatter about this before
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No offense taken. I may have shared the wrong link. This one and another one were shared elsewhere on the boards regarding this issue, and one of them suggested starting solids (not necessarily allergenic solids) between 4-6 months. I don't plan to introduce allergenic foods before 6 months, but do plan to introduce them within the first year.
The biggest factors for me starting DS on solids are the milestones because everyone develops differently. IMO the milestones are a good indication that the gut is ready.... the biggest ones (for me) being sitting up on his own, bringing food to mouth, and doubled birth weight. When I think he's ready I'm going to start slowly with avocado or sweet potatoes and see how he does, being fully prepared to pull back if needed.