Solids angst

[californiagirl]

I always thought I'd wait to 6 months for solids, but... DD is just over 4 months. She sits up by herself for short periods, and supported for just about forever. She can grab things and put them in her mouth, and does so obsessively. She appears to take a special interest in our food now. She can open her mouth, keeping her tongue flat and low (I give her water from my squeeze bottle, dripping it into her mouth, I know I'm not supposed to, but she loves this game, and she's good at it, so I know she can open her mouth for things she wants). To top it off, she's twice her birth weight and has two teeth. I've been threatening to test her spoon capabilities with water (if you give her an adult spoon, she sucks on it very happily, but she's teething, so cold metal is awfully fun for her).

I know that the reason for waiting until 6 months is digestive system maturity, but she looks awfully developmentally ready; does that correlate with digestive system maturity? As she gets more and more developmentally ready, I feel less and less happy with waiting for 6 months. It seems like holding her back from something she's ready for. But I have food allergies (seafood) and she has some signs of exczema, I wouldn't want to worsen that problem.

[Momof3Labs]

Developmental readiness and digestive system maturity are unrelated; there are a few mamas here who can attest to that!

[sadie427]

She does sound eager, but she's awfully young. Especially with her eczema and your food allergies, I'd wait until closer to 6 months (I'd say 6 months exactly, except I would feel hypocritical, because Sammy was acting so ready that I started him at 5-1/2 mo on the dot!) Eczema and food allergies are somewhat related from what I understand.

This is not at all scientific, but I waited the longest of my 4 friends who had babies around the same time (everyone else started closer to 4 months, one even before then) and Sammy is by far the best eater--no reactions to foods, eats most things, and has been feeding himself finger foods since 7 or 8 mo.

[amp]

Many people recommend waiting until closer to 6 mths. I don't disagree with that at all, but we did start shortly after 4 mths. DS lost interest quickly and didn't redevelop interest until another month or two later. If you want to try, you can always stop, but there is no harm in waiting. And just make sure to start slow and not to give any of the foods that are allergenic, since you have allergies.

[pritchettzoo]

DD was very similar (except for the teeth--we're still working on #1!) at that age. After reading all of the studies about the benefits of waiting until 6 months, I waited. Solids are just for practice for the first year--she's still getting all of her nutrition from breastmilk or formula. I decided that the benefits of waiting far outweighed the "fun" of starting solids. IMO, there's no harm in waiting whereas there could be harm in starting early.

Anna

[Emmas Mom]

My DD was also very similar (though also without the teeth!) at four months & her pediatrician said by all means we could start her on solids. Which we did & she has done more than fine. Despite all the opinions out there, the final choice is yours. You do what you feel is best. Rice cereal is very mild & you can make it as soupy as you want. Good luck! :)

[anuta]

I am in exactly the same situation! Always thought I'd wait til 6 months, but I am awfully tempted not to.

Esther is 15lbs 13ozs at 4.5 months, way more than double her birth weight (6lbs 11ozs), tries to sit up from horizontal position all the time, she's got 2(!) teeth, eats 6.5 ozs of milk a feeding because that's how much we give her in a bottle(I pump for the day feedings and have trouble keeping up with her), and just started waking to eat during the night again... for the first time in 2 months!

Our ped gave us her OK to start cereal at 5 months, if she seems hungry. And to give her water Before her advice was to wait until 6 months for solids and no water.

And my mom says, she wants it, give it to her, you see she is ready... granted they started me and sis on solids at 3 months or younger. But we were average size with no teeth at that time, my daughter is huge.

Any advice, mommies out there? I just put together her high chair and will let her sit there with a toy....

[Judegirl]

Two teeth at four months?? You guys are scaring the heck out of me...!

:)
Jude

[Momof3Labs]

Keep in mind that solids have fewer calories and less fat than breastmilk, so they won't fill her up the same way...

[californiagirl]

So I asked for advice here and on Mumsnet, and I read up on things. It looks to me like there's a good bit of evidence that the average for digestive maturity is 6-9 months, not 4-6 months. But I was still going crazy with all this 6 months stuff. I mean, babies do not mature like that. There is nothing whatsoever that all babies do at very nearly the same age. What made me feel better was the suggestion on Kellysmom to use developmental cues, but to use the next set up; to wait for sitting up unsupported to be a solid skill, and a pincer grasp.

Meanwhile, we do give her some water (she gets maybe as much as an ounce on her big drinking days). Playing with water and ice (in tiny chips or in very big chunks we can hold for her) lets her get some of the oral skills down without introducing food. It's messy, but she enjoys it. She's pretty close to being able to manage a sippy cup independently (she can drink from one, but she does best from a take-n-toss with the snack cup, which is awfully hard to hold onto, so after a few seconds she ends up with the edge in her mouth unless you stabilize it for her).

[jbowman]

I haven't read the other replies, but here is my opinion. I, too, was going to wait and start solids at 6 months. My DD started showing signs of readiness much earlier than 6 months. We started rice cereal one week shy of her "5-month birthday" and never looked back. She took to them immediately and I am confident that I made the right decision. You know your daughter best. Do whatever you feel is right for her.

But, keep in mind that solids are not as many calories as breastmilk, so continue to nurse a lot to keep up your supply and to accomodate your baby's nutritional needs. HTH!

[mam615]

My advice: Ask your pediatrician and read all the good advice from expert moms here. Bearing all this in mind, remember that solid feeding is a lot more work for YOU! A lot more preparation, clean up, time, etc. I'm glad I waited until DD was 6 months (even though her teeth started coming in at 5 mos). Now 21 months, she has a great appetite and loves trying new things.