should we go for solids again?

[lizajane]

some of you may remember my earlier saga with ped. recommending solids, feeding solids, and quitting solids...

so now ds is getting close to 6 months. he has all the behavioral signs- shows interest in our eating, puts EVERYTHING in his mouth, can ALMOST sit up (he topples sometims, other times he doesn't)...

last night, i think i heard him wake up at 4:20am. he just made a few "chatty remarks" so i didn't go in there to get him. and he went back to sleep. but i wondered if he may start waking up hungry?

he bf every 3 (ish) hours (he was going 4-5 for a little while). he was 18lbs 5 oz at 16 weeks. i really thought i weighed him at around 20 pounds a few weeks ago (just getting on my home scale with him) but the other day i had him right at 19. he is starting to look really skinny to me, but isn't crawling etc.

should i wait until he appears to be physically HUNGRY for solids? as in, cries after bf because he isn't full, wakes up in the middle of the night, etc? or should i go ahead with a slow introduction of solids to get him into the idea, so when he NEEDS it, he will be with the program?

i know he is happy to use the spoon, etc, because we have done it before. and i know that rice cereal makes his tummy hurt- which is why we took him off it. i have some oatmeal cereal to try, and some pears, apples, etc. in the freezer ready to go in ice cubes.

sorry so long!!!!

TIA

[egoldber]

In my opinion, if he is showing an interest in solids, shows signs of readiness and is close to 6 months old, I would start. Not because he needs them for nutrients or he is hungry. But because everything I have read says that there is a developmental window for introducing solids and textures. If you miss that window, your baby will of course eventually go on to accept solids, BUT it can take a lot longer and be more stressful.

And FYI, just because rice cereal upset his tummy before, doesn't necessarily mean it will now. He may not have been ready before and anything would have upset his tummy. There's certainly nothing special about rice cereal, but it is often recommended because it is a food that tends not to be allergenic. But oatmeal is also a terrific firsr food.

HTH,

[peanut4us]

I think you should go for it Liza. If he doesn't like it, put it away for a few weeks and then try again. If he does like it, have fun (and make some of those bibs I told you about... lots, you'll need them!)