Do you have to introduce solids at 6 months?

[redneckhippy]

We will be moving across the country when my son is 6 months and he will also be starting day care full time then. I've been thinking of waiting until he's fully settled into his new environment and routein before introducing any soilds, just becuase I feel like with all the other changes, he doesn't need his tummy to be upset from introduction of solids on top of it. He is EBF currently. Is there any harm in just keeping him on breastmilk for a few extra months and waiting to introduce anything else until 8 months or so? Is there any reason solids are needed around 6 months or is that just the earliest age it's ok to?

 

[Lizzybee]

I think that's the recommended age. You do what suits your baby best. I wanted to keep him ebf until 6 months but he had other ideas!!!

 

[noon_child]

At around 6months a lot of babies are interested in food and have physical development enough to explore it. Around 9months they start needing food on top of breastmilk. So between 6 and 9 months is the ideal zone to introduce them to the new skills of chewing and swallowing, holding and biting food, new tastes and textures before they need to be able to do them in order to eat a whole meal.

A lot of babies aren't that interested till well in to their 7th/8th month so I don't think you have to start on the dot of 6months at all. However like pp said your child may have different plans. Why not just take it casually? When he's around 6 or 7 months and you're eating a child friendly meal (no honey, very limited salt etc.) just sit him on your knee and see if he wants to grab off your plate, and just let him. It doesn't have to be every meal but give him an opportunity everyday to show you how interested (and possibly hungry) he is getting. You'll soon find out when you need to make him his own meals as you'll have nothing left on your own plate to eat!

 

[AP]

I don't think there's much harm waiting, however I'm sure it's when iron stores start to go down and that's why it's recommended ?

 

[MindUtopia]

You definitely don't have to, but at the same time, there's probably no harm in starting in gradually, in the sense that you don't have to start off 3 meals a day or even offer solids every day at first. You could just occasionally start to offer him a piece of your banana here and a square of toast there and just let him explore and practice with picking things up and playing with food. I think my only caution with waiting until later is that I know our daughter took probably about 3 months to really settle after she started with childcare, so then you're looking at 9 months and it might start getting a lot harder, particularly if it takes even longer. You know what's best for your LO, but it's not hard at first just to offer a bit of food to explore, without the pressure of having to squeeze in 3 solid meals, so you might always try, but then feel comfortable backing off if it all seems like too much at once.

 

[redneckhippy]

Is the concern that a baby won't want solids if you wait too long?

 

[busytulip]

You can wait. Your baby will let you know when they are ready by attempting to grab things from your plate and being really interested in what you are doing at meal time. It is suggested around that time because developmentally many babies become ready. It is not uncommon for EBF babies to need a little longer anyway though. Like AtomicPink said iron is something that your LO will be in need of. You'll know what is best, good luck!

 

[noon_child]

Like AtomicPink said iron is something that your LO will be in need of.

Unless you went in for delayed cord clamping at the birth. I didn't know anything about it, but it can give a baby months of extra iron stores!