When did you start solids?

[Trishg21]

We started Zoe on rice cereal at 4 months so her Dr said we could start doing Oatmeal cereal and then veggies. She did well on Oatmeal but we tried Sweet Potato puree the past 2 days and she hasn't slept well either night, it seems to give her a belly ache. So I'm going to stop and just give her Oatmeal cereal for awhile because it seems her system isn't ready for anything richer.

 

[iiTTCii]

I'm waiting until 6 months.

 

[d_b]

Close to 6m for DS1 and probably do the same for DS2. I'm not in a rush, there's not much nutritional value in rice cereal and I'm already cleaning up after one messy eater!

 

[Amsan]

Yeah I had seen that rice cereal has empty calories!

Thanks so much for your responses, ladies!

 

[Seity]

6 months. Straight to giving my boys the same food we were eating. Never did cereal or purees unless I feel like being lazy and giving a fruit/veggie pouch.

 

[Lawgirl]

Started this week just shy of 6 months. Going for purées and finger foods.

 

[JessicaM123]

5.5 months.

best choice i've ever made waiting until then, wanted to wait till 6mo but he was ready then. after seeing friends wean early, i would always recommend waiting as long as you can, but every baby is different.

 

[Louppey]

4 months with Coralie, will be doing same this time round. Will follow LO's lead though. Coralie loved it instantly, I'm hoping Alyssa will be the same!

 

[AP]

Rio was 16 weeks, and I was advised to start him on solids then by his pedi at the hospital, he was 8 weeks premature and apparently needed starting on solids that early due to iron storage? my health visitor says she has never heard such nonesence and I shouldn't have touched solids until he was 6 months, but I listened to his doctor, and he liked them from 16 weeks so I carried on! x

You were almost correct in your circumstances. It's 5-7 months(actual age-no corrected) for preemies. Health visitors are not clued up in that area, ours was just as bad but soon shut up when neonatal wrote to her

 

[Bellasbump1]

I started giving my little fella porridge at 4 months n he loves it got told off by health visitor and have been told to refer to the nhs website on weaning however when I was pregnant I did refer to the nhs website and was told not to eat peanuts but then one month later I could according to the nhs sooo I didnt listen to her as hes a happy baby and healthy and has been puttin on the right amount of weight. I think you will know when your baby is ready x guidelines are just guidelines doesnt mean you have to go by them xx

 

[Amsan]

Thanks ladies! I only ask because it seems like he's already bored with the bottle and any time I'm eating in front of him it's like he's a puppy and just sits there staring at my food lol. He's getting better about grabbing stuff with his hands but he doesn't QUITE have the coordination down completely to bring them to his mouth yet, depending on what it is (other items, not food).

 

[Rachel_C]

24 weeks with my first, 26 weeks/6 months with my second. We did BLW with both so I would have been happy from 5.5 months-ish. We were aiming for 6 months with both but our first stole food and ate it 2 weeks before that so we went with it as I trust in the theory of BLW i.e. if baby can, baby's digestive system is ready. I wouldn't have spoon fed or puréed anything before 6 months though unless there were real medical reasons e.g. reflux or prematurity as that's intended to bypass baby's natural defences against food that is too early IMO.

 

[Dime Cuando]

Where I live they start the baby on cereal and then gradually introduce basic fruits from about 4 months. We started last week and she loves it and is sleeping much better because prior to this, she had started waking up for an extra bottle every night, so I think she is more contented.

Obviously this is a slow process - so far I am just giving her a few teaspoons of pureed carrot or pear each day to get used to the different flavours and textures. I am following a food plan that I found in a Marks & Spencers guide to weaning and it is very gradual so by the time she's 6 months, she will have tried a few different fruits and veggies but only the very bland types.

I am cooking up a few and freezing portions down in ice cube trays as my DH is away working so I need to make life a little easier.

 

[Amsan]

Where I live they start the baby on cereal and then gradually introduce basic fruits from about 4 months. We started last week and she loves it and is sleeping much better because prior to this, she had started waking up for an extra bottle every night, so I think she is more contented.

Obviously this is a slow process - so far I am just giving her a few teaspoons of pureed carrot or pear each day to get used to the different flavours and textures. I am following a food plan that I found in a Marks & Spencers guide to weaning and it is very gradual so by the time she's 6 months, she will have tried a few different fruits and veggies but only the very bland types.

I am cooking up a few and freezing portions down in ice cube trays as my DH is away working so I need to make life a little easier.

Where are you from? That sounds kind of like what his pedi was talking about at our two month appointment.

 

[Noodlebear]

Just before 6 months the guidelines say 6 months because generally a baby's digestive system wouldn't cope well with solids before then, it doesn't make sense to me not to follow those guidelines and unless advised to for a medical reason it's the age I'll stick to for any future children

 

[summer rain]

6 months. It has been the guidance to start at 6 months since 2003 in the UK, before this the advice was 4-6 months since the mid 90s but many parents, not helped by confusing marketing propaganda from baby food companies were led to believe this meant it should be as close to exactly 4 months as possible when the original aim of the guideline was really the same as it is now, no earlier than 17 weeks even in cases of medical need but preferably as close to 6 months as possible is best. I have five children and with the exception of my two eldest, my eldest starting at 16 weeks and being pressured to give food at 5.5 months with second eldest, all of mine have started at very close to 6 months xx

 

[merristems]

I'm planning to start at six months. From what i Can gather UK Is six months US four. They say not before 17wks because before this the stomach hasn't fully matured to cope with complex foods. After six months the baby requires more dietey iron that milk alone provides so its important to begin from then onwards.

 

[Dime Cuando]

Where I live they start the baby on cereal and then gradually introduce basic fruits from about 4 months. We started last week and she loves it and is sleeping much better because prior to this, she had started waking up for an extra bottle every night, so I think she is more contented.

Obviously this is a slow process - so far I am just giving her a few teaspoons of pureed carrot or pear each day to get used to the different flavours and textures. I am following a food plan that I found in a Marks & Spencers guide to weaning and it is very gradual so by the time she's 6 months, she will have tried a few different fruits and veggies but only the very bland types.

I am cooking up a few and freezing portions down in ice cube trays as my DH is away working so I need to make life a little easier.

Where are you from? That sounds kind of like what his pedi was talking about at our two month appointment.

I live in Spain but I'm from the UK. I know a lot of my UK based friends are waiting until 6 months in accordance to the guidelines there but here, they recommend starting earlier so I am going with it. So far, it's going really well. She is absolutely loving her little tasters - today was pureed apple (tasted like apple sauce) and she obviously really enjoyed it. In the couple of weeks, I can already see how she has learned to take the food in properly

 

[Gem1302]

We're planning to start on purées at 17 weeks. Interestingly unlike other uk health visitors, mine recommended baby having 3 meals a day BY the time they're 6 months, and said due to him having ALOT of milk all of the time, more than doubling his birth weight, sitting on his own (freaks me out!), having two teeth and slamming his hand on my toast and proceeding to eat his hand (while she was here lol) that she was more than happy for me to go ahead. He'll only be having fruit & veg though, gradually building up. I have a weaning guide from cow & gate which has helped me figure out what to give him & how to introduce meals.

 

[Pearls18]

I don't know if anyone has any links or more info but when I was going through weaning with DS1 there were "talks" that recommendations were going to change to 4 months for FF babies but remain as 6 months for BF, not entirely sure why, I've heard the virgin gut theory being batted around as a reason but I didn't think that was widely medically accepted?