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Can my 4 month old start eating solids? Which ones?
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:35 pm
gp2.0 wrote:
Don't do it unless it's medically necessary, and it rarely is. At 4 months the nutrition from nursing or formula is so so important and solid foods will take away from those vital nutrients.


And by the way, what does that mean? Rarely necessary?

One of my children suffered from reflux. Starting solid food increased the quality of life for Baby and for Mom. I consider that a win-win.

One of my children has a dairy allergy. I am not able to breastfeed exclusively (supply issues) and supplementing with formula caused eczema breakouts. Enter baby food: win-win again.

One of my children was simply hungry and started waking up more frequently at night to eat; this was resolved by offering baby food before bed. Another win.
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:40 pm
gold21 wrote:
Lol

Its not like they came out with a study highlighting the dangers and risks of giving solids to a baby under 6 months.

They simply changed their recommendations, based on what they believe to be more ideal- not because the alternative is dangerous. If you know anything about pediatrics, you know that its an ever-changing field and that we can both be sure that these recommendations will change again in the near future.

Anyway, im open to waiting and seeing, and discussing with my pediatrician- its not set in stone that ill give baby food at 4 and a half months. I simply find it humorous that recommendations change so often and seem to be so unstable, and yet, it is deemed criminal in the Mommy Universe for a parent to be hesitant about the changes.


Why would they change their recommendation if the alternative wasn't dangerous? Babies who are routinely fed too early are usually malnourished. They are either overnourished with too many calories and wind up obese with messed up hunger cues and emotional food issues, or they are undernourished which impedes their growth rate.

Both over and undernourished kids often lack vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals from their diet, which affect every part of their bodies - immune system, vision, hearing, coordination, brain function, bones, teeth, joints and so on.

No there's nothing wrong with letting a 4.5 month old gum a piece of food and spit most of it out. But there's something wrong with replacing two feedings of milk or formula with baby cereal every day, or mixing the milk or formula with cereal at this age. There's an important distinction between letting your baby taste some food or feeding them a jar full of food.

Babies develop so rapidly at this stage that if they lack the vital nutrients they need it will affect them for the rest of their lives. That's no joke to me.
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anonymrs




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:50 pm
gold21 wrote:
And by the way, what does that mean? Rarely necessary?

One of my children suffered from reflux. Starting solid food increased the quality of life for Baby and for Mom. I consider that a win-win.

One of my children has a dairy allergy. I am not able to breastfeed exclusively (supply issues) and supplementing with formula caused eczema breakouts. Enter baby food: win-win again.

One of my children was simply hungry and started waking up more frequently at night to eat; this was resolved by offering baby food before bed. Another win.


There are dairy free formulas....just saying....
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:51 pm
gp2.0 wrote:
Why would they change their recommendation if the alternative wasn't dangerous? Babies who are routinely fed too early are usually malnourished. They are either overnourished with too many calories and wind up obese with Drmessed up hunger cues and emotional food issues, or they are undernourished which impedes their growth rate.

Both over and undernourished kids often lack vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals from their diet, which affect every part of their bodies - immune system, vision, hearing, coordination, brain function, bones, teeth, joints and so on.

No there's nothing wrong with letting a 4.5 month old gum a piece of food and spit most of it out. But there's something wrong with replacing two feedings of milk or formula with baby cereal every day, or mixing the milk or formula with cereal at this age. There's an important distinction between letting your baby taste some food or feeding them a jar full of food.

Babies develop so rapidly at this stage that if they lack the vital nutrients they need it will affect them for the rest of their lives. That's no joke to me.


Fascinating, as none of my children are under-nourished or overweight. Theyre average weight (and tall). They have no emotional food issues- theyre like me, they eat when theyre hungry, theyre not "foodies".
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:53 pm
anonymrs wrote:
There are dairy free formulas....just saying....


Many children with dairy allergy are allergic to soy too.... just saying...
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:57 pm
gold21 wrote:
Fascinating, as none of my children are under-nourished or overweight. Theyre average weight (and tall). They have no emotional food issues- theyre like me, they eat when theyre hungry, theyre not "foodies".


Bh. I'm glad.

Like I said above, this is the same logic people employ for not buckling their kids into car seats. We can all agree that since my parents didn't make me wear a seatbelt when I didn't want to, and I survived just fine, my own kids don't need to wear seat belts either. Right?
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:58 pm
Gp2.0, you literally have no basis for your statements about how starting baby food a few weeks earlier can have a lifelong negative impact.

You totally made that up.
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 1:59 pm
gp2.0 wrote:
Bh. I'm glad.

Like I said above, this is the same logic people employ for not buckling their kids into car seats. We can all agree that since my parents didn't make me wear a seatbelt when I didn't want to, and I survived just fine, my own kids don't need to wear seat belts either. Right?


Uh... say what?

One is a recommendation, one is linked to infant deaths.
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 2:02 pm
I mean, really?

You believe that the primary cause of obesity and food issues is.... baby food??

Not, having parents who have a bad relationship with food, bad eating habits in the home, parents who are controlling with food, and of course, good ol genetics?

Sigh. This conversation is too ridiculous. I gotta go.
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 2:15 pm
gold21 wrote:
Gp2.0, you literally have no basis for your statements about how starting baby food a few weeks earlier can have a lifelong negative impact.

You totally made that up.


I'm sorry hon. I get this is personal for you. I wish I was making it up. Feeding a baby between 4-6 months isn't as terrible as feeding a baby before 4 months, but it's really not ideal for many reasons.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm.....5680/

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/.....49487

https://health.clevelandclinic.....nths/
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 2:19 pm
gp2.0 wrote:
I'm sorry hon. I get this is personal for you. I wish I was making it up. Feeding a baby between 4-6 months isn't as terrible as feeding a baby before 4 months, but it's really not ideal for many reasons.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm.....5680/

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/.....49487

https://health.clevelandclinic.....nths/


It really isnt personal at all. I actually am in a pretty irritable mood though. Lol. Can u tell? Wink

Ok, your articles dont offer any studies that prove links between solids at 4 months and lifelong obesity. ??
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 2:37 pm
I will iyh spend some time later looking up the studies that the AAP and WHO based their recommendations on. Unless someone beats me to it. šŸ˜†
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 2:51 pm
gp2.0 wrote:
I will iyh spend some time later looking up the studies that the AAP and WHO based their recommendations on. Unless someone beats me to it. šŸ˜†


Sorry if I was rude before.
Im sort of going insane here staying up crazy late every night expressing breastmilk cuz of supply issues. With a manual pump. Waiting for electric pump from insurance to arrive. Up all night and up all day...

I still dont agree with you though. I LOVE BABY FOOD Cool .... But I could have expressed myself better.
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yamz




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 09 2016, 6:51 pm
Some time between 4-6 months is typical in the US. Actually, waiting too long to start feeding solids can cause problems too. Some babies are just too used to exclusively breastfeeding by then and aren't interest in eating. It is also harder for them to develop the skills to chew and swallow their food.

I just want to point out that what and when to start feeding infants is very cultural issue. The answer varies a lot by the nationality of the parents. Americans tend to feed their babies only very bland foods, but in other cultures, the babies are eating pretty much whatever everybody else in the family is eating, just mashed up. And guess what? It's all fine. So don't stress OP! Do what you want, so long as the food is healthy and easy to gum and swallow safely.
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 10 2016, 8:30 am
This is a helpful website with lots of sources throughout the text, and scroll to the bottom for more sources:
http://kellymom.com/ages/older.....lids/

Individual signs that your own baby is ready for solids:
http://kellymom.com/nutrition/.....when/

Quote:
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 ā€œpincerā€ 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.
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amother
Babypink


 

Post Wed, Aug 10 2016, 8:35 am
Gp do you think my baby has vision issues because she started solids at five months?
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 10 2016, 10:32 am
amother wrote:
Gp do you think my baby has vision issues because she started solids at five months?


No. Babies encounter issues when they are deprived of essential nutrients prior to 4 months of age.

There are so many variables in each individual situation. How much you feed, how often and what you feed all matter.

After scouting around on the Internet, I've come to the conclusion that introducing solids between 4-6 months is okay IF and WHEN babies are showing signs of readiness, not because a chart says so or mom decides she wants the kid to sleep more.

It isn't dangerous to feed babies between 4-6 months who are displaying signs of readiness, by feeding them a variety of small amounts of food, with most of their calories still being provided by breastmilk or formula.

What's dangerous is glibly stating that it's totally fine to feed a 4 month old solids because other people do it all the time, without knowing all the facts.

For all we know, OPs baby is actually only 15 weeks old. For all we know, OPs baby is 17 weeks old but was born 3 weeks early making her technically 14 weeks old.

It's always better to err on the side of caution.

My conclusion is, the recommended age was raised to 6 months because parents regularly skip ahead a little, figuring what do a few weeks matter. When the recommendation is 4 months and parents begin feeding kids before 4 months, yes those few weeks are crucial. But when the recommendation is 6 months and parents skip ahead a little by introducing foods between 4-6 months it's fine.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 10 2016, 10:51 am
DD is 8.5 months. I EBF her because I'm lazy. Nursing is easier.
Starting food in the winter is easier since we have soup more often and the available affordable vegetables are more baby friendly.
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 10 2016, 3:47 pm
gp2.0 wrote:
No. Babies encounter issues when they are deprived of essential nutrients prior to 4 months of age.

There are so many variables in each individual situation. How much you feed, how often and what you feed all matter.

After scouting around on the Internet, I've come to the conclusion that introducing solids between 4-6 months is okay IF and WHEN babies are showing signs of readiness, not because a chart says so or mom decides she wants the kid to sleep more.

It isn't dangerous to feed babies between 4-6 months who are displaying signs of readiness, by feeding them a variety of small amounts of food, with most of their calories still being provided by breastmilk or formula.

What's dangerous is glibly stating that it's totally fine to feed a 4 month old solids because other people do it all the time, without knowing all the facts.

For all we know, OPs baby is actually only 15 weeks old. For all we know, OPs baby is 17 weeks old but was born 3 weeks early making her technically 14 weeks old.

It's always better to err on the side of caution.

My conclusion is, the recommended age was raised to 6 months because parents regularly skip ahead a little, figuring what do a few weeks matter. When the recommendation is 4 months and parents begin feeding kids before 4 months, yes those few weeks are crucial. But when the recommendation is 6 months and parents skip ahead a little by introducing foods between 4-6 months it's fine.


I think we can agree on the 4-6 month suggestion to begin solids.

The fact that some moms skip ahead is not a reason for other babies to be deprived when they are ready.

A range of 2 months seems perfect, as opposed to an exact age of 6 months.

The 4-6 mnth recommendation was in place since I had my first child as I recall. Not sure what has changed then.

Additionally, any medical article that blames a host of adult issues on having started solids a few weeks earlier as an infant, seems silly and one track minded, particularly since there is no data backing it up.
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Ema of 5




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 10 2016, 3:54 pm
gold21 wrote:
And by the way, what does that mean? Rarely necessary?

One of my children suffered from reflux. Starting solid food increased the quality of life for Baby and for Mom. I consider that a win-win.

One of my children has a dairy allergy. I am not able to breastfeed exclusively (supply issues) and supplementing with formula caused eczema breakouts. Enter baby food: win-win again.

One of my children was simply hungry and started waking up more frequently at night to eat; this was resolved by offering baby food before bed. Another win.

Yes, I was going to comment on this also. I had a child who absolutely refused breastmilk (being nursed or in a bottle) and bottles starting at about 3.5 months. She had horrible reflux. I started her on solids at 4 months, and put formula (the amount I would put into a bottle) into EVERYTHING she ate. She started gaining weight, became an all around much happier baby, and starred sleeping better (more comfortably- BH hours wise she slept well)
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