Does anyone not feed them solids until 6 months of age?

We had our 4 month visit today and we were told to wait on all solids until the age of 6 months. My dh and I were planning on waiting anyway, but it seems as if many parents still start sooner than 6 months. When I viewed the schedules provided on this forum, particularly the 4 and 5 month schedules, I believe all of them included solids in some form. Has anyone waited until 6 months of age? I don't think ours are ready yet anyway. I mean maybe 6 months is too late? All I know is that we are holding off for right now and may consider around 5 months, although I would like to wait until 6. I am bfing and worry that my supply will decrease if we introduce solids too soon. THANKS!

 

We had our 4 month visit today and we were told to wait on all solids until the age of 6 months. My dh and I were planning on waiting anyway, but it seems as if many parents still start sooner than 6 months. When I viewed the schedules provided on this forum, particularly the 4 and 5 month schedules, I believe all of them included solids in some form. Has anyone waited until 6 months of age? I don't think ours are ready yet anyway. I mean maybe 6 months is too late? All I know is that we are holding off for right now and may consider around 5 months, although I would like to wait until 6. I am bfing and worry that my supply will decrease if we introduce solids too soon. THANKS!

 

Lots of breastfeeding mommies wait. We did. Actually, we waited until 6.5 and then introduced things very slowly and NOT according to the portion recommendations on the baby cereal box.

They were not delayed in any way by waiting. In fact, they have the widest range of food acceptance I've seen in toddlers and they were self-feeding at 9 months.

HTH!

 

We actually didn't begin rice cereal until 7 months of age. Our pedi said (& my brother is one too and he agreed!) that there is no rush to feed solids early. BFing is complete nutrition and all they need -they can have just that for their first year of life and be perfect. The solids are just "play food". We went slowly with the foods, and our girls are doing great. So I wouldn't be in any rush - unless you are having trouble with them sleeping or being content.

 

We waited and we go by the adjusted age too of our girls. The newest recommendation from the American Academy of Peds is to wait til 6 months.

 

I planned to wait until 6 months. In fact, at their 4 month app. their Dr. rec putting rice cereal in the bottles for reflux but since they were doing well with their medicine I refused to put cereal in their bottle...my boys did not need it for reflux.

Anyways, I ended up doing solids at 5 months because They were drinking plenty of milk during the day and waking 2 times at night and would finish those bottles too. For me, that was a huge sign that they needed more during the day. I am happy I started at 5 months with cereal and looking back I could have started a week or two sooner. About 5 months and 1 week, I added fruits/veg.

 

We didn't start until after 6 months and even then we went very slowly. Since the babies were preemies, there was no way they were even close to ready at 4 months. I just started when I felt they were ready for it.

Mona

 

I'm bfing and I waited until 6 months to introduce solids. What I did was nurse them, wait an hour, then feed them a breakfast meal. After a month we added a dinner meal.

 

We are breastfeeding and waited until 5.5 months. It did not help with sleeping through the night.

 

As PP said, I also want to add that it did not help them sleep through the night. Even with solids, mine still woke to eat at night.

 

We haven't started yet. We had our 6-month appt today and the pedi said that we can start if we want, but since they aren't eating all the way up to 32 oz. yet, they probably aren't hungry for it yet. We would just be feeding them solids to get them used to it, he said.

 

We waited until 6 months and they were still not ready, so I stopped and tried again a few weeks later. They were nearly 7 months when they were truely ready and able to eat solids well. I have also chosen to go slow introducing foods.They are only eating a few veggies and a few fruits right now. They did not do well on cereal- gas,crying,tummy upset- so I am not feeding cereal at all. Since they are no longer breast feeding, it's okay not to do cereal b/c they are already getting the extra iron they need from formula. Their Dr. said the one reason many Dr's recommend starting solids/cereal at 6 months was some infants have an increased need for iron starting then... if you're breastfeeding. I guess it's kind of like recommending the extra vitamins (I'm blanking on what those are called) to breastfed infants these days. Long story short, there is not rush at all to start solids and many babies aren't ready until after 6 months. Good luck!

Kelly

 

We waited until 6 months. They didn't need anything other than my milk before then. We started slow with just one meal a day for awhile.

 

We are planning to wait until at least 6 months for solids. Actually, we are going to start them then but not with a spoon. We're going to let our boys learn to self-feed as they start solids, so they probably won't really get alot of solids until they are closer to 8 or 9 months. Not really any baby food either, per se. More like food off the table. The AAP has changed their rec to 6 months as well. My boys are almost 5 months old and nowhere near ready for them now. They are ebf, if that matters.

 

I waited until last week to introduce solids and we just do it for practice and I make sure they have been breastfed first before I give them their cereal. The Pedi told me any time between 4 to 6 months was good. I just do it once a day and probablly won't add any more sessions for a couple months.

 

My babies were formula fed, and we did not start solids until 6 mos. at the advice of our pediatrician.

We introduced one meal at 6 months, two meals at 7.5 months, and 3 meals at around 8.5 months. It was so much work, and the kids were not that into it, so we took it slowly.

 

We started after the 6 month pedi appointment. Mine were born at 36 weeks. We also cut the feedings down to 4x per day (every 4 hours)at the same time. I elected to do lunch and a dinner. Lunch was oatmeal/fruit and dinner was oatmeal/veggie. We did this for about 3 months. We added breakfast at 9 months. Technically, I moved the oatmeal from lunch to breakfast and added a veggie to lunch (they were already having a fruit).

 

I waited until 6 months with my son and he then had an adversion to food and would vomit because of the textures in his mouth. Due to my doctor (he was older) he wanted my other daughters to start cereal at 2 weeks and baby food at 4 weeks. Yes..I said weeks. I have been adding cereal to my one daughter's bottle (which is expressed milk) since 2 months due to reflux. My other daughter has been getting cereal since then too even though she is BFing. It was the best thing I ever did as they started to thrive after getting cereal.

I think you just need to do what you think it right. You should know by how the babies are acting. Are they interested in what you are eating? I know mine are. So...they do well even though the ped. said not to start them on food too early. Plus, Child magazine says if you wait too long (7+ months) babies can actually get allergies from waiting.

 

I started at 6 mos. because my guys weren't eating us out of house and home in formula (my pedi would ONLY start solids early if they had been consuming or exceeding 32 oz. of formula a day for 2 weeks or more and we weren't even close!) I was SO relieved that we didn't have to start early. Extra work if you ask me

 

we waited until 6 months for our first two. We started solids with the babes at 5 months. The only reason we started early with them is I was sick and having a BM supply issue at the time.

You should do what you think is right. My doc said there is no nutritional reason to give solids until 12 months when BF'ing.

 

We are breastfeeding and started solids at 5 months and three weeks. I would have waited until 6 months, but I was hoping solids would help them sleep through the night. As several pp's said, it did not work. They are now 8 months and eating two meals of solids a day and still not sleeping through.

I recommend waiting until at least 6 months. Although eating is an activity to take up time during the day, it is a PITA to get them and all their gear set up and cleaned up each time.

 

It has been a while since we were at that point, but we did not start until about 6 months (can not remember if we started cereal then or solids). There were some studies that showed that if you started solids early, the kids had I higher risk of developing food allergies. Our pedi at the time was very up-to-date on current studies (as were we being in the research field).

 

I didn't read all the pp's so I apologize if I repeat things. Our pedi said the AAP recommends waiting until 6 months but he gave us the go ahead for rice cereal at 4 months. But, then we were missing parts to the high chairs and we just had too much going on so we didn't get around to giving it to them until about 5 1/2 months. You are the parent, you're instincts will tell you when they are ready. If you feel like they are ready, then I would go for it. My girls loved the change of pace.

 

We are a week away from 6 months and haven't started yet. As pps have said, the AAP (and our pedi) doesn't recommend solids until 6 months. Studies have shown that most babies aren't able to digest solids to get any real benefit from them before then. As the anecdotal reports from pps indicate, studies also show that there is no correlation between starting solids and sleeping longer (when it "works" it is apparently a coincidence).

If there is no benefit, I couldn't see a reason to do it -- we BF and that is so convenient! No mess, no prep time, nothing to cart around ...

That said, our kids have started "mooching" (watching us eat and reaching for our food) and I'm excited to start solids now because I think they (and we) will have fun with it.

Kim

 

We didn't start solids until our two were 8 months and they now eat really well (29 months old). My son didn't sit until 7.5 months and it seemed foolish to be giving him solid food when he couldn't even sit up. He also had a strong tongue thrust reflex that is another sign that they're not ready for solids. Once he was ready to eat, it was gangbusters all the way!

 

Wesley didn't get his cereal until after he was 5 months. I've just in the last week started giving him more than a tablespoon a day.

I've just washed up the ice cube trays and food processor to make him his first green beans. I'll probably do that early next week (when DH isn't underfoot as much).

I figure I'll move his cereal from the evening to the morning and give him a veggie at night.

I'm in no hurry and my pedi said it's fine, that there's no need to rush it.

(Wesley was a 40 weeker, btw, so he was five months actual and adjusted.)

 

Thanks for all your responses! I know that the AAP doesn't recommend starting until the age of 6 months, it just threw me for a loop reading the 4 and 5 month schedules that include fruits/veggies, etc... We are definintely going to wait. Thanks again!

 

I just started feeding mine cereal about a week ago. It's not an every day thing yet. To be honest, I just started cuz I'd bought the spoons & I was bored with all their other toys last weekend ! Gage didn't like the plain rice stuff & made hilarious faces so I added oatmeal cereal & he's doing great! Keira thinks it's a game puts her lips together & blows it all back out which of course makes me laugh so she does it even more! I'm thinking I'll have to hold off with her for a couple weeks so maybe she'll forget how funny Mommy thought that was!

 

I can't imagine any research saying late introduction of solids may lead to food allergies. Everything I have read indicates the opposite. My son was fully breastfed and didn't show any interest in solids until he was 10 months old. He is now a very healthy 25 year old with no weight issues!

 

Child Magazine reported that your baby may be allergic to wheat if you wait too long. I believe it may be the February issue. I guess with 5 kids and two step kids SOME moms here think I have no clue as to what I previously posted. I must say...you should do what you think is best. If you want to listen to the ped...then do that...however, each baby is different...and some moms are just too lazy to deal with the mess and feeding.

 

I agree Brockgirl - every baby is different! The AAP and every other sources people are quoting are guidelines not RULES. If I had waited to feed solids until 6 months, I am pretty sure my 95% weight twin would have eaten the 50% weight baby.

 

quote:
If I had waited to feed solids until 6 months, I am pretty sure my 95% weight twin would have eaten the 50% weight baby.


I love when I get my laugh for the day. I am pretty sure mine would have gobbled each other up!

 

I waited till six months even though I was giving formula.

 

I am a WIC dietitian - you should wait until six months- ish. I am a fan of going by development. You will know when your babies are ready- they will let you know!

Every child is different - our six year old wasn't ready until about 10 months where our four year old was ready for table foods at 7 months (no baby food for her!). Our twins are just over three months and I know they aren't ready yet.

There is no problem waiting until six months!

Angel