When did you start solids?

[Mandi]

Just curious when everyone started solids? Melayna is 5 months old now and I still haven't started her on solids yet. I plan on holding out until she's 6 months old. I'm bf'ing this time and things are going so well I don't see a need to push solids yet.

We're going to Indiana to visit family for Xmas and I already know I"m going to hear comments from my Aunt about how she should already be eating solids. She runs a daycare and thinks that all kids should start on cereal by 3 months. :rolleyes: I know I'll have to jusitfy my reasoning to her which is going to tick me off. :grr:

[britt]

My first started on solids at 4 months.. my second will probably be the same. But who knows.. McKenna eats alot more than Marissa did so it may be sooner..

But I think what ever works for you is the way to go! :) That ticks me off that people seem to think that they can tell you how to raise your child.. you'd think you know what you are doing.. seeing as how you have two. :rolleyes: Hope your trip goes with out any flack! ;)

[kris10]

I agree with Britt. You'll know when your baby is ready. Kenna was eating 8 oz bottles every 2 hours at 3 months!:eek: So we put her on cereal but if she hadn't I probably would have held off for a few more months. Most importantly do what you're comfortable with.

[KeriS]

Davis started solids at 4 months at the advice of the ped -- because he was HUGE and BFing way too much for my comfort :lol:

You have to do what is right for YOUR child -- a lot of people are waiting longer to start solids and that is just fine!!

[Nocona]

Matthew started at 4 months, but you know that he was a big ole boy.

If she's doing well on the BM and obviously she's gaining weight, it's not a big deal.

[Faye]

I started Emily on cereal mixed with formula at 2 months old, but just a couple of spoonfuls a day, nothing major. She started baby food around 5-6 months old. Then was on table foods (what we were eating) half the time by age 9 months and baby food half the time. She was eating solids almost completely by a year old. I may have kept her on baby foods too long but I thought it was easier until that point.

[LoriS]

We started My first on cereal juat after 3 months, but I think we will wait a little longer with Courtney. At her 2 month visit her ped said we would discuss it at her 4 month appointment.

[Dennis]

We started Joe at 6 months.

Dennis

[Cori]

I started Ally just shy of 4 months. I had people telling me to give her cereal at 2 and 3 weeks. :eek: I just felt like screaming at them to SHUT UP. I eventually just started telling people that she was eating solids at night just to get them to leave me alone.

[Marcella]

We started Amelia on cereal just over 5 months. My mom was driving me CRAZY about starting cereal when she was only 2 months! :eek:

[Kim22]

We started Sydney on cereal at 4 months, and fruits and veggies at 6 months. I'm going to do things differently next time, probably starting with something other than rice cereal (no nutrition in it).

[scruzin]

Meredith is 4 1/2 months. We have been feeding cereal for one week. I was going to wait until she was 6 months, but she would just study us while we ate and she would even chew when we chew. I tried cereal and she loves it :)

[magoo]

We gave Anna cereal just shy of 6 months, and she was up at night screaming on the nights that we gave it to her. (3 times, every other day) We waited a couple of weeks, and then she was fine. Every baby is different, and you know what is right. If bf is going well and you're both happy, then there's no reason to replace breastmilk (that's still so important, and still best for her right now) with cereal.

Stay strong. I had pressure from MIL which is why we started before 6 months, and I totally regret it now. Now Anna's eating a lot of table foods and MIL is trying to feed her raw carrots and FIL wants to give her raisins... it never ends...

Sarah

[olcott]

Trey started on cereal EARLY because of his reflux...he started real solids around 3 months, at the advice of our doctor

[Rene]

I have never started solids before 6 months.

[Mandy]

We started cereal a few days before my DD turned 6 months old. She started fruits & veggies about a week 1/2 later.

[RobynB]

We waited until 6 months. I thought about doing it at five months (on ped's suggestion) but I decided to wait and I'm glad I did because she was so ready when we did start. You have to make your own decisions but I know what's like to be pressured by the ILs especially if you're BFing. I'm posting a link to the AAP position paper on recommended breastfeeding practices. In it it states that BM is all that's needed for optimal nutrition for the first six months. Once I told my ILs that I was following the medical recommendations by not giving her solids yet they shut up. Hope it helps with yours too.

http://www.aap.org/policy/re9729.html (http://www.aap.org/policy/re9729.html)

[Tamara]

We started Brendan at 5 months but it wasnt regular untill he was about 6 1/2 months. With Rebecca Its All going to depend on when she starts being interested

[Mandi]

I hope it didnt' come off like I thought there was somethign wrong with starting early. I started my first daughter on cereal at 4 months and she loved it. I guess since I had such trouble with bf'ing my first & so many challenges this time with it too that now that bf'ing is going well I don't see any reason to mess with that just yet.

Well thanks for your advice/opinions ladies. :) I'll definitely be sticking to my guns and not listening to any comments my family might have. I'll be starting Melayna on solids after her 6 month apt.

[JenM]

Good for you! Our Pedi pushed us to start Zoe on solids at her 4 month appt... We still ended uop waiting a few weeks. I think your baby is the one to decide when they are ready by their reaction to it. In other words... if she keeps pushing it out/gagging/etc... its probably not time. Thankfully, my DD did great with it at 4 1/2 months... but I will probably wait until at least 5 months with this next baby. Of course... it'll depend on how she's eating otherwise.... gaining weight and all that.

[Mom2Alex]

Our pediatrician tried to push solids at 4 months, but we were bf-ing and DD was fine, so we changed pediatricians. :)

We started at 6 months with no problems for all the reasons that Robyn mentioned.

[mommyLil]

Our Ped said to put Nick in a high chair and wait till he starts copying what we do. We're going to get a high chair after Christmas proboball start sitting him in it at around 5 months or so and see what happens after that. Unless he's really interested I'm going to hold off until at least 6 months though.

[Mom2Alex]

I forgot to mention that we gave DD a spoon to play with for about a month or so when she started to imitate us... she just wanted to do what we were doing, not eat our food. Then, when she started grabbing at the food on my plate, we started the solids.

I followed the chart by Dr. Sears:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030500.asp

[Rene]

Robyn.....thanx for that link, BTW.....it shut the DH up about starting Bronwyn on solids before 6 months. :hug1:

[Denise]

Nicholas started on cereal and fruit at 4 months old and gradually began to eat everything! You will know when she wants more. :)

[Eva]

I started Emma on cereal about 2 weeks ago at 4-1/2 months. I probably will go slow and not start her on veg and fruits until 6 months. So far she is doing well on rice and oat cereal.

[Cat]

Sarah started on a little baby cereal in her EBM at 6wks old, only on the advice of our Ped, she was feeding every hour and I was getting exhausted. Once we started that she was sleeping right through the night.

We started feeding fruit, veg and youghart at 3 months, then went on meats at 5 months.

I wouldnt worry what your aunt says. I was told that babies dont have to be started on solids until 6 months. They need it then because their natural iron stores start to deplete.

[tchrgrrl]

We started at 4.5 months but that was mainly because at 4 months Zach was getting a couple of oz of EBM, nursing AND drinking 50+oz of formula a day... he was HUNGRY! It sounds she is doing great with nursing for now (and I want to be a second time success story like you!!! :)). How was Christmas with your meddling Aunt?

[Jen S]

DD will be 5 mos. in a week and we have not yet started her on solids. She is doing fine on formula--sleeps through the night and only takes 23-30 oz per day, so I don't see the need to start yet. I'd like to wait until she's 6 mos to start cereal, but we'll see how it goes.

[Kris]

We didn't start Emma on solids until 9 months of age.

[mommyLil]

I guess I should update here... we started Nick on Solids at 4 and half months. He became fascinated by food and was frantically hungry for the first week I went back to work. We gave him rice cereal and he reacted very well to it and sweet pototoes he absolutally loved we did that just monday. Right now he gets about 2 tblspns per day and it is enough to keep him full.

[Dennis]

We started Frances at about 5 months on cereal.

Dennis

[Shannan]

Every baby is different. We just started Aiden on cereal here this past weekend as he was eating upwards of 50 oz of formula a day and wasn't getting enough rest as he was hungry all the time.

[Katrina]

My pediatrician said he doesn't discuss starting solids until at least 4 months old, and then, its not absolute. If BF is going well, he sees no reason to mess with that. So depending on what Zack is doing at that time, somwhere in the 4-6 month range I imagine

[Michelear]

I started solids at 5 months only because my husband was being deployed and wanted to be here when he ate his first foods.
Otherwise I'd have waited until 6 months.
But, I agree that you need to do what's right for your baby.
I like dr sears.