Trying to wait until 6 months, but I'm getting tempted ....

[Vajrastorm]

to try solids earlier. Ack! Aine is 5 months old. I have had every intention of waitng until she is 6 months old. That's how old I was when I had my first solid food :)

Lately, however, Aine has been showing quite an interest in what goes into my mouth, and grabbing at things I eat or drink. I have let her have a sip or two from my water glass, and she loved it. Yesterday she grabbed at my slice of bread, and I took a piece of crust and let her tongue it for a moment, sure that she would make a face and seem put off. Instead, I had to yank the bread away because she liked it.

The fact that I even played such a silly bread game is testament to my temptation. I really don't want to give her solids if her GI system isn't ready - that is my main concern. But she is acting like she wants to start experimenting.

Should I continue to wait so that her digestive system has more time? I want to do the right thing here. [I'm aware of AAP's position and so forth. This is one of those personal mommy struggles]

[s_gosney]

Kylee is also starting to show a definite interest in my food and drinks. I also gave her a drink of water from my cup a couple of times, though she was so surprised when something came out of the cup that I don't think any of it went in to her. At this point though, I really don't care to start her on anything. I'm just so spoiled with the ease of just nursing. No preparation and no cleanup which suits me just fine. DH though thinks that he should let her try things. I don't even want to know what all sorts of things he's let her "taste" (lick).
Anyway...I obviously have nothing of any significance to offer. Sorry for rambling. I will be interested to hear what everyone says.

[kijip]

While I think 6 months is a good guideline (esp. for people inclined to start solids long before the baby could even be ready) I think that it is important to recognize that baby's grow and develop on thier own timelines, not a specified schedule in a baby care book. Being a cautious first time mom and a Sears fan, I assumed that I would wait until 6-8 months but at 4 months had a baby that was staring at all food and chewing, teething early and grabbing any morsel that he could get his paws on! After nearly losing a cookie I was eating to his grabby hands and consulting with his ped we started him on cereal at 4 months and have had no problems. At 8 months, when I thought we would just be getting started he is eating veggies (carrots, peas, beans, sweet potato), fruits (apples, pears, mango, peaches, plums), cereal, rice, beans, yogurt, avacado, and cheerios. He eats 2 meals per day plus a fistful of cheerios. If he does not eat he gets upset and does not sleep well. I suppose he just lost his tongue thrust reflex early and needed the solids. My family has never had a food allergy so while we are careful when giving him a new food we are confident that we made the best choice for the little guy. Really he made it for us. On the opposite end of the spectrum I know babies older than my son that are uninterested in solids. I don't think they should be forced. Check with your ped (esp if you have allergies in the family) and follow your instincts. You know what's best for your baby.

[Rachels]

Abigail was doing the same thing at that age, and I started solids. I would not do that again. It's tricky, because they look like they want it so badly, but what I learned from her is that interest can precede developmental / physical readiness. Especially in a baby with a history of colic & belly problems, I think it's prudent to wait as long as possible. If I had an interested baby the next time around, I think I'd indulge that interest by offering water here and there, crushed ice in a spoon, slushy chamomile tea, etc. I'd hold off on the actual food for a while longer.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Raidra]

Colwyn has been on solids (baby oatmeal) for two weeks now. We got the okay at his 4 month appointment, thank god, because he had been trying to grab our food since he was 3 months old. Between 3-4 months we had let him lick a baby carrot and a piece of apple, which he seemed to like. Now he loves his cereal and smiles and laughs while we feed him. He's still learning how to eat well, but he eats at least 2-3 tablespoons twice a day. We haven't progressed to any new foods because he has a cold, but we have been steadily making the cereal thicker, which he seems to enjoy more.

That said, if you think she'll like it, give it a try. If it doesn't go well, give her another week or two and try again. Nobody says that once you try, you have to keep at it. And you don't even have to keep it up regularly so long as she's drinking enough milk. We've skipped a meal or two if Colwyn's napping at odd times or not feeling well, and he hasn't minded.

We've really enjoyed feeding him cereal.. it's a lot of fun. And not really that difficult.. it only takes me a minute or two to prepare, and another couple minutes to clean him up. Just keep a sense of humor, and it'll be fine. :) Good luck!

[Vajrastorm]

>Abigail was doing the same thing at that age, and I started
>solids. I would not do that again. It's tricky, because they
>look like they want it so badly, but what I learned from her
>is that interest can precede developmental / physical
>readiness. Especially in a baby with a history of colic &
>belly problems, I think it's prudent to wait as long as
>possible. If I had an interested baby the next time around, I
>think I'd indulge that interest by offering water here and
>there, crushed ice in a spoon, slushy chamomile tea, etc. I'd
>hold off on the actual food for a while longer.
>
>-Rachel
>Mom to Abigail Rose
>5/18/02

Yes, thats my concern - that her interest level is not a sure indication of her digestive maturation.

While she was very colicky, we were never able to associate it with any food. She also wasn't very gassy. But there just seem so many reasons to wait.

[TraciG]

My doc said to start cereal for Sydney who is 4 months old & then fruit, well we're stopping for a few weeks then we'll try again, u can tell when they're ready by trying if u want, Sydney would cry, maybe I should have given her the whole bottle first I dont know, the last time she actually screamed so I decided to wait, not worth it now.

Good luck

[Vajrastorm]

>My doc said to start cereal for Sydney who is 4 months old &
>then fruit, well we're stopping for a few weeks then we'll try
>again, u can tell when they're ready by trying if u want,
>Sydney would cry, maybe I should have given her the whole
>bottle first I dont know, the last time she actually screamed
>so I decided to wait, not worth it now.
>
>Good luck

My doctor actually advised us to wait until six months. But, that is no suprise because I chose the practice with their approach in mind :P

I think posting here helped cool my heels. I'm feeling less tempted and more calm about it all.

I think it so great that you took Sydney's cues. Smart momma.

[pritchettzoo]

DD's been grabbing at our plates for a while too. But she's also been grabbing at the cats, dogs, books, you name it--she grabs it and shoves it in her mouth. ;)

We're waiting until 6 months based on recommendation from our ped, research about delaying solids until 6 mos reducing risk of diabetes, and the fact that I'm not looking forward to dealing with yucky poop! I've got some frozen EBM that I'm going to make into baby granita (i.e., pureed frozen breastmilk) to test out our spoons and bowls and high chair. So there may be a way for you to experiment without worrying.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[Jen in Chicago]

Our Ped had us start at 4.5 b/c Jude was showing all the signs, including mimicking us eat (so cute!) I have heard of other's having problems getting their children to eat solids, so I would try it now while the window of opportunity is open!

Solids are fun!

[almostmom]

My son is 5 months old (19 pounds)and has started waking up in the middle of the night, feeding 3 times a night, where at 3 months he was sleeping for 12 hours, and up until last week he was feeding once a night. He seems hungry! So we are going to try some rice cereal tonight. I know they say it won't help them sleep through the night, but I'm willing to try it! He seems ready, but I guess we'll see...