Baby food from 4 months on?

[lorenare]

I had my LO's three months appointment today. Before taking him to the pediatrician, a nurse weighed him and did the usual stuff. She asked me about my baby' s feeding and i said i was ebf. She then told me i could start giving him food (baby's food of course) at 4 or 5 months. I thought i could do that from 6 months on. Isnt it too early at 4 or 5 months? I dont have to do it if i dont want to, right? Is it really necessary? Has anybody here started that early with food?

 

[missk1989]

This seems to be getting increasingly popular but I would suggest waiting until5/6 months. Ideally baby needs to be able to sit up unaided and have lost the tongue reflex amongst other things. Plus babies digestive system isnt advanced enough for solids at 4 months. Go with your instinct.

 

[chezababy]

I'd wait until 6 months and do blw rather than puree as it's easier and better for them. Plenty of people wean from 4 months but it's rarely necessary. If you're happy to wait until 6 months do that.

 

[amurray]

i started my daughter on bananas and rice cereal at 4 months.. she had been reaching for my food for a while and seemed ready, and she was loves it. just depends on your baby i suppose

 

[tessjs]

I got this from my doctor too.But my Lo is not sitting up or grabbing for any food.hes not interested.I dunno why the doc said this and a health nurse who visits said the opposite.So many contradictions.Gosh its hard enough being a mother

 

[Heramys]

The advice of 4-6 months is just to give babies tasters of food. That means dipping your finger in purée / porridge etc a few times a day. Not to start giving solids "properly". If baby then shows interest it's ok to try the amount of a teaspoon of something.
You don't have to do this though.

I'm planning to start our twins at 6 months but they're preemies so adjusted age is just over 4 months then and preemies should start solids early due to iron depletion.

 

[kung_pao mama]

I got the same thing from my baby's doctor. To my surprise, He gave us the "okay" at his 4 month appointment.

I've heard that 6 months is the recommended age and have been arguing with my parents, in laws and even my husband about it. All of his Grandparents have been pushing us to start cereal since 6 weeks! In my heart, I wasn't sure that he was ready, and I was very uneasy about it... but we have been giving him rice cereal. When we mix it, we use quite a lot of breastmilk and only a pinch of the cereal. We've been doing it once a day for about a week and a half. I thought he would have trouble with it, but he figured it out fast and He really loves eating. We will be waiting a while before we introduce anything else though.

 

[Noodlebear]

I've seen a few posts on here about people being encouraged to wean at 4 months by doctors etc and I really don't get it. I don't know if they're just not up to date with the most recent guidelines or what My LO showed signs of being ready at 4 months but I still held off til around 6 months as there's no way of knowing whether his tummy was ready for it and I didn't see the point in chancing it. It's so much easier when they're just on milk anyway. Showing interest in food shouldn't be considered a sign imo as babies are interested in absolutely everything that we do and they put most things in their mouths anyway.

 

[Pielette]

I waited until 6 months with both my boys.

Honestly, weaning is a giant pain. It seems exciting but it's a mess and a pain trying to figure out what to give them to eat. I much prefer it when they're still on milk I would say though that having done TW and now doing BLW, BLW is fabulous for cutting down on the stress. Milo just eats with us and I don't have to prepare anything separate. You can't do that before 6 months. I'd really recommend waiting until baby is sitting up and showing a proper interest in food, and able to grasp bits of food and join in. Much easier. I couldn't be doing with the faff of spoon feeding at 4 months myself.

 

[ispeakinsongs]

we started at 4.5 months as mu daughter was extremely big (height and weight wise) and we felt she was ready for it. Start with easy foods like sweet potato, pear, apple etc

 

[Heramys]

I've seen a few posts on here about people being encouraged to wean at 4 months by doctors etc and I really don't get it. I don't know if they're just not up to date with the most recent guidelines or what My LO showed signs of being ready at 4 months but I still held off til around 6 months as there's no way of knowing whether his tummy was ready for it and I didn't see the point in chancing it. It's so much easier when they're just on milk anyway. Showing interest in food shouldn't be considered a sign imo as babies are interested in absolutely everything that we do and they put most things in their mouths anyway.

Guidelines vary between countries.

 

[kazzab25]

I started weaning at 4 months. My paediatrician who specialises in allergies has said this is the best time and that in the near future there will be some new guidelines issued. When that is I don't no.

 

[MindUtopia]

I waited until 6 months with both my boys.

Honestly, weaning is a giant pain. It seems exciting but it's a mess and a pain trying to figure out what to give them to eat. I much prefer it when they're still on milk I would say though that having done TW and now doing BLW, BLW is fabulous for cutting down on the stress. Milo just eats with us and I don't have to prepare anything separate. You can't do that before 6 months. I'd really recommend waiting until baby is sitting up and showing a proper interest in food, and able to grasp bits of food and join in. Much easier. I couldn't be doing with the faff of spoon feeding at 4 months myself.

Yes! Exactly what she said. Weaning is a lot more work than just being on milk. It's lovely seeing my daughter eat now and she is really adventurous and loves food, but the first few months are a lot of work and your life does sorta revolve around mealtimes in a way it doesn't before. We used to be able to just go to lunch whenever to meet friends, now we have to do it at 12 because that's when my daughter is hungry. And it's not as easy just to have whatever you can find in the cupboard or a takeaway or something if you don't have time/energy to cook a healthy meal. You actually have to think about it and plan for meals a bit more. That said, it is fun and wonderful and I really recommend BLW as well. It's so rewarding. But there is certainly no reason to rush into it, especially if your gut is telling you not to. It is definitely extra work at the start and at 4 months you're still adjusting to being a mummy.

 

[Gem1302]

My hv said she likes to see baby's being weaned at about 5 months, maybe 4 if showing signs, and to be on 3 'baby' meals a day by 6 months. My LO grabbed my toast and smushed it in his face at 4 months so we started on puréed fruit for breakfast at 4 months. Now he has finger foods and is spoon fed, has porridge with fruit purée for breakfast, something like a jam (pure fruit jam) or cheese spread sandwich or toast at lunch feeding himself, then spoon fed a fruit pot or gums on a banana, and puréed veg at dinner. He loves it, and I make sure the food doesn't replace milk. If he's hungry, it's always milk first, he'll stop halfway through the bottle, eat, then finish the bottle. I guess he kinda uses it as a drink. He also sometimes has biscotti or rice cakes, but not often.

 

[Amy89]

I started weaning at 16 weeks, milk simply wasn't filling him up anymore.
He was totally ready for it, now he loves his food. He has cereal for breakfast, fruit purée at lunch, and veg purée at dinner at the minute. He always has milk first, normally about an hour before. Going to switch it up a bit and do fruit at breakfast, veg at lunch and cereal at night I think.
Before anyone shoots me down, he has 30oz milk a day plus the 6oz I mix into his food. He was ready, now he goes nuts if I eat and he hasn't yet and tries to go for whatever I'm eating.