To those who started their baby on food before 6 months

[Lovemybump1]

When did you start and how? (By how I mean purée or baby led, which foods etc).

I have a big baby. He is coming up to 4 months and is not far off 20lbs and holds himself up well. I'm not planning to start him yet, but not sure we will get to 6 months. I know people disagree with it, I don't want to upset/offend anyone and would just like to hear people's experiences. Thank you

Eta he is drinking 8oz per feed roughly, and is feeding every 2.5-3 hours during the day.

 

[laila 44]

I had to start my dd1 on cereal as of 8 weeks due to reflux and dr orders. She was a huge baby ( still is) 20 pounds at 4 months as well. My dr made us start cereal with a spoon at 4 months, morning and night. Then at 5 months she started veggies once a day.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I started after her 4 month check-up because her pediatrician recommended it, and she was showing all of the signs of being ready. I tried rice cereal first, but she hated it (so did I, according to my mother), so I switched to veggies and fruits in the baby jars (Earth's Best Organic) and she loves her "dinner". At first I just gave her just a few baby spoonfuls until she signalled she was done, then followed up with an 8 oz bottle. Now she's eating a third of a jar to half a jar along with the bottle. Evelyn also does 8 oz bottles every 3 hours.

So far she's had peas, apples, carrots, bananas, pears, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I introduce a new food every 5-7 days.

 

[GracieGoo]

I tw'ed ds at 18 weeks, started with baby rice, moved on to pureed veg, and then introduced grains and meats from 6 months. He was drinking 40-45oz per day for about 2 weeks solid, then went down to 38-40 oz, he was 20lb at 17 weeks It went fine, but weaning is not as fun as it seems after a few weeks.. lol...

I have done blw with dd and hung out until 6 months. She also is a big baby currently sitting on the 98th centile for weight and height! She's massive!! Ultimately it is your choice, but I do think that babies go through growth spurts and one week they will guzzle milk like it is going to run out, and then next week is slows down. I wish now that I hadn't weaned ds early (this is just my experience I am not judging at all) It took a long time to transition ds to lumps and then on to 'proper' food. He is a typical fussy toddler at mealtimes now, and dd actually eats more than him - every meal time to her is a new fun, exciting and learning game. Not only that but in terms of nutrition milk is better, by the time a carrot is pureed down, there won't be much to 'fill' baby up and make them last longer...

Do what works for your family completely... If you want to wean early thats fine, just do your research and feel confident with what you are doing

 

[Scout]

Pediatrician told me to start at 4 mnths, but I waited until 5 mnths. I started w cereal and mixed a bit of applesauce with it. Then tried a vegi..started w sweet potatoes, then green beans, squash, peas and have done apples, bananas, peaches and pears. She'll be 6 months on Sunday and she currently eats cereal w fruit in the morning and then at 6pm she eats a vegi and fruit. She loves everything so far. She takes the spoon from me and feeds herself (I mean once I get the food on the spoon..she can't spoon it out of the bowl herself)....messy, but fun.

 

[seaweed eater]

We started BLW a little past 4 months and also tried purees I think starting around 6 months, but he didn't really eat anything until 8-9 months. Except Cheerios (randomly enough).

 

[melfy77]

We started DD on solids when she was 4 1/2 months, after 4 weeks of 45-55oz/ day, including 4-5 feeds/night. We started with oatmeal baby cereal and and she loved it!! We did pureed food and she liked everything. About a month ago she started to refuse pureed food and will now eat pretty much only finger foods, but then again so far she likes everything, although I have to say she much prefers her eggs with ketchup on them

 

[Louppey]

With my eldest I started her on puréed veg (sweet potato was our first) at 4 months.

 

[amjon]

The ped told me to start giving them food at 4 months. I still haven't though. Purées are usually first.

 

[superfrizbee]

We started at 5 months because she was ready. she sat up well, brought things to her own mouth and had lost her tongue thrust. we started on purees veg and moved on to purees and finger foods from 6 months. some meals she had puree, some finger foods. she tolerated lumps quickly and was on baby friendly family meals from around 7 months, either pureed or as finger foods depending on what it was. I tried to introduce a broad variety of flavours and textures and she's always (touchwood) been a good eater so far.

 

[LockandKey]

with my eldest, I started her on rice cereal once a day at 4 months, at 5 months I started her on grain cereal once a day, and home made pureed fruits or veg mixed with a bit of breastmilk at the same time every day so we were in a bit of a routine. I introduced her to a new fruit or veg once a week

 

[meli1981]

Six months....ill start him on oatmeal as rice cereal can be binding i mix it with breastmilk until its super watery

 

[kimberleyrobx]

We started nathan on rusks... A quarter rusk watered down with warm formula milk... he loved it! Then when he was a little older and it wasnt filling him, we started the baby jars and i tried him with ready brek but he wasnt sure of it because it had a few lumps in it but he absolutely loves his food! xx

 

[wifeywoo2]

When did you start and how? (By how I mean purée or baby led, which foods etc).

I have a big baby. He is coming up to 4 months and is not far off 20lbs and holds himself up well. I'm not planning to start him yet, but not sure we will get to 6 months. I know people disagree with it, I don't want to upset/offend anyone and would just like to hear people's experiences. Thank you

Eta he is drinking 8oz per feed roughly, and is feeding every 2.5-3 hours during the day.

I started my little one at 16 weeks after she started going off her milk & screaming at each feed. The HV recommended it.

We started with baby rice & purèed fruit & veg & moved onto the rest at 26 weeks. You have to avoid meat, fish, dairy, gluten, eggs before 26 weeks. Basically only fruit, veg, & baby rice before 26 weeks x

 

[nevernormal]

My son is just coming up on 6 months, but this is what I'm doing. Mainly BLW style!

I was a staunch believer in waiting until 6 months but he's been able to sit up with little assistance since before 4 months and has actively tried to grab our food, or grab our hands that have the food to bring it to his mouth. I started putting him at the table with us for meal, but just gave him things to play with. Since he hit 5 months, I've occasionally let him play with things (steamed carrot stick, green bean, bell pepper, zucchini are the ones I can remember anyway!) and see what he does. They usually do go in his mouth but it's pretty evident he doesn't "get it", no matter how much interest he shows or how much he tries to get at our food. A piece of the green bean came off in his mouth and he didn't like it, so moved it around in his mouth until he got it out, but that's probably the closest he's come to eating anything on his own.

Anyway, that's what I would recommend doing. Letting the baby sit with you at a meal and just playing with food (after 4 months for sure!), but not actively feeding. Like I said my son is coming up on 6 months, Sunday actually. We're going away for a week though, starting Sunday, so I am not really going to worry too much about it until we get home. Once we get home I will probably give him some oatmeal or something, and offering appropriate foods from each of our meals. I'll probably spoon feed him a few bites but give him a spoon to play with as well

 

[tristansmum]

Both of mine I started at 4 1/2 months because they were ready. Both I did transitional weaning and introduced finger food at 6 months.
My youngest I gave baby rice the first day but then went onto fruit and veg. You can mix baby rice with the fruit and veg to give it a creamer more familiar taste to start with. Used Annabel karmel book for recipes. Apples, pears, banana, potato, carrot and peas to begin with. Mix different ones together. Mashed potato and cooked tomato very nice and once you get to 6 months pop some cheese on. I don't puree smooth as I want him to accept lumps and he does so fine from 5 months.