Highchairs

don't spoil it for me. i am ready and waiting with the Bonjela!

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:
Baby can sit up well without support.
Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
Baby is ready and willing to chew.
Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.


The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or other foods) for the first 6 months of life.  There's nothing that I've read that formula means it's ok to start solids earlier.  I have more links if anyone is interested.  Giving solids won't help him sleep either.  That's a myth.

Ethan is what?  4 months?  He could just be growing and not truly ready for solids.  Just something to think about. 

Thanks Kristi that is interesting.  The NHS book "Birth to Five" that is given to new parents in the UK states that solids should be introduced sometime between 4 and 6 months. It says if you wait longer than 6 months, some babies have difficulty getting used to lumps.  I haven't been able to track down my HV yet, I am waiting for her to call me back but I'll let you know what she says. 

I know WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months but if I had done that my baby would have shrivelled away to nothing by now as I was not making enough milk.  I was advised by a midwife and a paediatrician to start him on formula.  The thing with these recommendations is that they seem to change all the time. My mum was feeding me diluted fruit juice when I was just a few weeks old and solids from 4 months and as some of the mums on here have said they have started their children on solids from around 4 months in recent years.  In the end you have to make up your own mind.

In the end you have to make up your own mind.

absolutely.

we started Calvin on solids when he was a bit over 4 months old, and although he was showing plenty of signs of wanting to wean (or what i thought were signs by what i had read/been told), the truth of it is, he wasn't ready. he was spitting so much out. day after day. and it was stressful for both of us. so we took a 2 week break from weaning. and when we started up again, he took to the spoon, loved eating and swallowed wonderfully.  i think weaning like a lot of other things, is sometimes just trial and error.

if you think he's ready, Britwife, give it a go.   and take pictures!


ps: thanks for posting that Kristi, it was the kellymom site that helped me learned about the tongue-thrust reflex..

Lunar brings up a good point - if Ethan is showing signs and the HV thinks it's fine, try it out and if it doesn't work give it a break for a bit.  Guidlines and recommendations are just that.  Like weight recommendations and guidlines.  Every person's body is different, and as a mom there's probably nobody who knows Ethan's wants and needs the way you do.

To be frank, I couldn't breastfeed b/c I had to take serious medication for PND.  I left another board in part b/c I felt mothers who didn't or couldn't breastfeed or gave their children food from a jar were made to feel guilty or like they weren't doing the very best for their children.  It got too preachy for me.  It'd be shame to see that happen elsewhere.  The best I could do for my daughter was to help myself get better.  She got formula and is doing fine. 

I feel more comfortable in this parenting section forum b/c it seems so much more laid-back and 'normal'.   

Trust your intuition as a mom and all should go fine!

It definitely is personal choice.

I didn't wean until 6 months and my children were exclusively on formula by that age.

I liked that I didn't have to do purees for more than a couple of weeks for them to get used to having food on a spoon then I could move to lumpier food gradually.

The sad thing is that Health Visitors can be tetchy about it even though it does allow for it in the "Birth to Five" book.

  I totally agree with Expat, you know your baby best. Rhiannon is nearly 6 months old and has been sitting up for a good month now, but she was more than ready to start eating solids and that was around 4 months and we've not looked back since. Now if I can only get my two year old to start potty training...

Thanks everyone.  I'll wait and speak to my HV first Ii think. She is a pretty sensible one who has been doing this for years so I trust her advice on most things.  If I try and give Ethan solids and he's not ready he just won't take it right? - like Lunar said. It's not like I am going to force it down his throat if he doesn't want it.  Kristi when did you start your baby on solids, just out of interest?

If a baby isn't ready, it could give him/her tummy troubles or they may find it difficult or painful to do their 'business'.  Marlespo went through this earlier this year.  She put Phillip on solids then took him back off.

Oh, I meant to say, it's worthwhile to watch baby's behaviour over the first few weeks of solids.  If he's crying more, unsettled or straining to do his business, these could be signs that he needs a break.

Of course, this isn't always easy because baby could be teething around the same time too, making it doubly difficult to read the signs.

Thanks Cait, I was trying to remember what happened with Marlespo.

My HV rang me earlier. She confirmed, as I suspected, the reason for the 6 months thing is to encourage breastfeeding to 6 months but she said if forumla feeding obviously there is no benefit to be gained from continuing  that to 6 months so she said between 4-6 months is fine. She said the signs are if baby is waking at night hungry and if baby seems hungry after a feed. I asked her what would happen if I tried to give him solids and he wasn't ready for it. She said he would either not eat it, or maybe puke it up.  I also asked her about sterilising and she said washing in a dishwasher is more than enough.

Happy eating, Ethan!