First tastes

[Sasecker]

Hi

At what ages did you let your baby have their first tastes (not weaning)
Just wondering if little tastes here and there is okay as my little one is only 12 weeks and is showing signs of interest when we eat, she stares and opens and closes her mouth (maybe just copying)
She's on comfort milk as first milk made her belly gurgle and she was a little colicky so worried if I did let her taste things her stomach would suffer. A lot of my friends say tastes won't hurt but wanted to see if any other mums with same situation and what you did.

Thanks

[KirstyM2014]

Hi, I started about 18 wekks the reccpmmendation is at least 17 weeks as tummies not developed enough, think they need to be sitting quite well as well I started with baby rice and moved to fruit purees at bout 21 weeks on HV advice as lo was not pooing a lot. Xx

[IAmAPaleontologist]

Tastes is weaning. It exposes your child to potential allergens. Your baby isn't going to get bored and doesn't need anything other than milk until 6 months. Yes she copies you, she would also stare at you on the loo, chopping veg, getting dressed, driving the car and so on but that doens't mean she is ready to do any of those things for herself :)

[EmbarrassedPossessed]

As the PP has said, "little tastes" is weaning. Weaning is giving anything other than milk feeds. Current advice is that you should not introduce food until 17 weeks at a minimum, and preferably nearer to 6 months. The advice is given for good reasons.

The main thing to think about is giving "tastes" of food at under 17 weeks is of no benefit to your child but exposes them to increased risks. Waiting till at least 17 weeks is hardly any time at all (neither is waiting till 26 weeks either in the grand scheme of things).

[Sasecker]

Thanks for the messages, I was just curious if these are new guide lines and what other mums have done x

[Rodion]

Mine loved licking sticks of celery/carrot/apple etc from about 4-5 months (can't remember exactly when in weeks).

Neither actually ate anything until 6 months and I avoided things like toast that would disintegrate and potentially get swallowed - it was all about tastes.

[LittleBearPad]

I started offering things other than milk at six months. 12 weeks is far too early to give your baby anything other than milk.

Guidelines for six months have been in place for a while now.

[fatterface]

Agree with others that there is no difference between first tastes and weaning, weaning means introducing food.

The guidelines have been 4-6 months (not before 4 months) for 20+ years so not new at all. In fact they have even been not 6 months for 10+ years.

[Foodylicious]

I would speak to your HV. My LO has shown interest in us eating from about thst age. Staring and watching us eat.
they need to be able to sit and hold their head up, have hand eye coordination to delibetately pick something up and put it in their mouth while sitting, and to have lost the reflex to push anything out of their mouth with their tongue.
All these 3 things need to be present at the same time, they must be over 17 weeks and if you do start between 17 and 26 weeks there are really strict rules about what foods you can introduce .
tried with his first stick of cucumber to suck at about 24--25 weeks and he was just not that intetested. Tried with some pear at 26 weeks and he enjoys giving it a good suck.

[Sasecker]

Thank you for the helpful answers. A midwife had told me the guideline before use to run off weight as well as age as some bigger babies were weaned earlier. I'm not planning on letting her try anything until she is 4 months now.

[LittleBearPad]

The older she is, the easier it is as so think about waiting a bit more than four months. A baby who can sit is easier to feed. Plus the older they are the fewer restrictions there are on what she can eat.

[fatterface]

Yes, I think decades ago they used to base it on weight, before any research was really done on feeding babies. When my mum was a baby they'd be fed on carnation milk and weaned on meat and gravy at 2 months!