Solids at 4 months?

amother

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 10:32 pm

Baby is 4 months and pediatrician said we can start solids if it seems like she is interested and we want to.
I've always heard to wait until 6 months. Pediatrician said something about allergies. Just curious if anyone else has heard this. Anyone else started solids at 4 months? Any advantages/disadvantages to starting now vs. waiting. Pediatrician said it's really up to us. She is seeming very interested just part of me is thinking why rush it?

amother

Pearl

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 10:37 pm

I was always told we could try at 4 months. Apparantly exposure early on can reduce likelihood of allergies later on, but that's not why I started. I just wanted my babies to start getting used to the taste and the motions of eating.

amother

Mint

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 10:37 pm

I always start at 4 months. I don't drop a feeding, I just give a little on my finger whenever we're eating. Usually a mashed up veggie from soup, a dollop of whipped cream, etc

wifeandmore

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 10:39 pm

I believe it's the opposite.
4 month (this early) can trigger allergies.
Bamba before 1 year can prevent.

amother

Pearl

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 10:40 pm

I would avoid whipped cream (chemicals and sugar) and stick with mashed veggies. Save the sweeter foods such as fruits for last.

trixx

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 10:57 pm

Baby led weaning starts when baby can sit independtky (it's related to development of liver being able to digest) and is showing interest in food, chewing etc. Idk what advantage would be to start earlier.

amother

Vermilion

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 11:03 pm

The official recommendation is to start anytime from four to six months. I do baby led weaning and none of my kids were ready that early, even though they are generally early with developmental milestones. I started them on solids at around six to seven months, and some weren't that interested until closer to eight months. Unless there are special circumstances, it's really just about getting them used to the sensory experience of food, and not a means toward nutrition. My pediatrician actually just reminded me that if the baby is getting so into food that he's cutting back on nursing, I should stop solids altogether and get him back to a regular nursing schedule.

yiddishmom

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 11:05 pm

My baby is 4 months, and I started solids now.

I don't know of an official benefit.

I started because:

1. Hubby is eagerly waiting to feed his baby
2. If I don't manage to pump 8 oz for the next day, then I know he can have some veggies instead (my baby can't handle formula).

I only serve cooked vegetables and some apples. It's preferable to start with vegetables since fruits are naturally sweet so baby will be more inclined to eat fruits.

amother

Vermilion

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 11:10 pm

yiddishmom wrote:

Please discuss point number two with your pediatrician. It's generally NOT recommended to feed a four month old vegetables in place of breast milk. It should only be in addition to what he's already getting via breast/ bottle.

amother

Emerald

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 11:25 pm

My pediatrician told me to start my 4 month old a a drop of very diluted baby cereal because he's very small and needs more calories. I'm nervous to give solids so early. I'll try 1st to give more formula and see if he's gaining.

nicole81

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 11:40 pm

I only started at 4 months with my first-- when I was a new mom and didn't know any better than to listen to the pediatrician's advice. Incidentally, this pediatrician also chastised me with baby #2 for nursing past a year (I switched doctors after that).

I don't start my kids on food until they can eat little bits of table food and they show an interest. This has been as early as 5.5 months, and as late as 8 months. It's way easier for me this way. BH none of my kids have food allergies. Food also did not help any of them sleep longer at night.

yiddishmom

Sun, Dec 22 2019, 11:45 pm

amother [ Vermilion ] wrote:

Thanks. I'm not really starting him on solids in place of breastmilk.

Occassionally tho, I'll be 1 - 1.5 oz short. So instead of being pressured to wake up in middle of the night to pump, I know he can "snack" on some solids in the rare case that he gets very hungry. He can usually wait out the hour until I come home to nurse him.

Tzivia18

Mon, Dec 23 2019, 12:01 am

My doctor told me to start feeding my baby at 4 months. She loved it. You're meant to start with grains, then vegetables and fruit last. Introduce one food at a time. She started sleeping through the night when we started solids. It's meant to help prevent allergies.

amother

Natural

Mon, Dec 23 2019, 5:19 am

We started cereal at 4 months with drs blessing because baby was ALWAYS hungry (6-8 oz bottles every 2.5-3 hours during the day). We then did veggies and fruits. At 5 months we started allergens. By 6 months she was eating off the table with us. She also got on a normal eating schedule once we started solids

oneofakind

Mon, Dec 23 2019, 7:45 am

Started babies at 4 months because they cried night and day and I didn't have anything left to try. Didn't do a thing even though one baby finally gained weight.

amother

Tue, Dec 31 2019, 6:04 am

Tzivia18 wrote:

Thanks. Intersting- my dr. told me to start with veggies, then meats, then grains, and then fruits.

amother

Tue, Dec 31 2019, 6:05 am

Thanks everyone!
She's seeming VERY interested. We finally got a highchair and I'm planning on starting this week. Going to write a new post about baby food now....

amother

Firebrick

Tue, Dec 31 2019, 8:53 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I have three kids. I always start solids at 4 months cuz it makes them sleep through the night. I also have big babies, so they weigh about 20 lbs by then and they are hungry.

PinkFridge

Tue, Dec 31 2019, 9:50 am

Just want to say that it's highly likely that anyone who's reading this was started on solids that early Wink