is it safe to eat bananas at 4 months old

[ThatTaupeFish]

hello everyone,

my 4 months old babie shown signs that he is ready to eat so we gave him some banana to eat (so far he only enjoys banana)
today i noticed him very constipated and struggling to poo, after some time he did a poo and a little bit of blood was on the nappy

my questions, is that normal to be so constipated when switching to food (from just milk)? is 4 months old too early in introduce food?

I would appreciate your advices

many thanks

I believe current weaning guidelines are for 6 months plus, 4 months seems very early for bananas.

No, they'll be much too ripe.

(On a serious note also I wouldn't)

4 months likely isn't dangerous but it would be safer to wait til 6 months.

No. The guidance is six months. Just wait.

What signs is he showing that he is ready to eat?

Can he hold his own head up?

At 4 months your baby’s digestive tract and kidneys are not mature enough to process food.

stick with milk for a bit longer. There’s no rush.

the fact that there’s blood in the poo should tell you what you need to know.

Ds started on banana at 4 months.
I planned to wean at 6m but he stole my banana and shoved it in his mouth.

I figured any child who had the motor planning and execution to feed themselves was probably ready for food.

Any change to diet is likely to impact the bowel. Keep him hydrated and he'll be fine.

Is clearly hasn’t done him any good so I’d wait until 6m

You are adding a new food into their system, so likely to be a reaction....
Possibly try some vegetables first - very soft puree or possibly something like apple.
Whilst it's not popular to start some weaning at about 4 months, it's also not an issue. FWIW I started weaning both mine at 17 weeks and they took to it really well. No issues either with food or health.
I had friends who started weaning later and had massive issues getting their baby to take solids and took ages to stop breastfeeding....
From what I read baby's digestive system matures/changes between 4 and 6 months, ready to take solid food. As there is a variable, medics suggest waiting until 6 months 'just in case'!

30 years ago, when the recommended age to introduce solids was 16 weeks, my baby tried banana quite early on and it had just the effect you’re describing. We didn’t realise straight away as banana wasn’t given every day, but we stopped it and all was well. It was only a problem in infancy, can’t remember when we tried it again (toddler?) but she was fine.

Bananas can cause constipation. Also look out for black strands in their poo as bananas can cause them too. I'd wait a bit longer for solids as its not recommended before 6 months

My DD is 26 now and she had her first food at 12 weeks, guidance then was 16 weeks and it was the midwife who suggested giving her a little food. All she had was a little baby rice though. As it’s mixed with breast/formula milk we had no issues.

As above, 30yrs ago it was the norm to introduce foods from 4 months and our kids were fine with it. However, I'd probably start with something like rice or oatmeal mixed with breast milk, and just little bits to supplement the breast feeding, not instead of. Banana is a bit solid and can constipate. If you're going to do it then make sure anything is of puree consistency.

Having said that, modern thinking is to wait until 6 months, so maybe check in with your health advisor first.

Advice changes over time, its not dreadful or dangerous to wean earlier than current advice but just be careful with the type of food. Bananas might be a bit stodgy.

I always start with veg to wean so they don’t get used to fruit/sugar /sweet stuff

carrot
bns
sweet potato
parsnip
peas

yes 6mths is recommended but if showing signs of hunger and draining milk or waking at night after sleeping through - licking lips - good head control - grabbing your food then some do wean over 17w as baby is showing signs ready

why did you decide to wean @ThatTaupeFish

I thought you meant 4 month old zombie bananas 😂😂😂😂😂

Not dangerous but not ideal. His gut probably isn’t mature enough to cope with them hence the banana.

Have you had a look at the ready for weaning quiz?

thank you all for your advices, I decided to stop giving food for some time and stick with only milk, he is already feeling better
what made us try to feed him at first was signs like he is hungry wants to grab our food, but also holding his head up

Seems like a good idea. I weaned my first at 4 months a long, long time ago and honestly it’s so much easier to wait. I know you can be eager to give them food but it can be one such a faff and there is so little that they can safely eat anyway before 6 months.

If you have a read of this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust it has some good suggestions of first foods to try when they’re ready

Thank you very much all of you
Being a parent is a journey, a lot to learn !!!

Well what did you expect! You gave a 4 month old banana. The guidance is 6 months for a reason. He’s proper not really showing signs of weaning. He’s 4 months. Stick to milk.