Interesting article on the controversy over when to start solids...

[emkana]

...here

Blimey, spag bol at 6 weeks. Maybe he's a much later generation?!

Ah yes, she was talking about children pre 1930s!

Just started ds on one small meal of baby rice a day - he's 3 months, was 10lb 3 at birth & is now 18lbs...so he can't have been struggling TOO much on breast milk...

However, having spent weeks basically telling hv to b*gger off, I wasn't going to introduce solids any earlier than I had to, I was mixing up baby rice & formula for 2 small kittens (as you do!) & thought well, couldn't hurt to try a teaspoonful in ds's direction. Whereupon he practically ripped my arm off. So he obviously thinks he's ready!

When ds (5) was a baby the advice was to start solids between 4 and 6 months. I always proudly tell people that he was 20 weeks and weighed 20 pounds (yes, honestly) before I started him on solids

Thought it was a great article. Weaned ds at 5.5 mths (excl b/f) giving in 2 weeks earlier than necessary because of pressure from other mums.

Interestingly my HV said nothing on the subject - she was just very impressed with ds' weight gain (about 25 lbs at 5 mths and too big for his car seat!). He slept brilliantly and I'm sure he could have waited quite happily til 6 mths - maybe later.

My SIL weaned her ds at 9 weeks - he was 5 weeks prem, so had an adjusted age of 4 weeks at the time. This was only last year. And my jaw is still on the floor a year later!

mudda a baby heavier than my ds! Never come across that before My other boast is that although he was only 6pounds 11 at birth he doubled his birth weight by the time he was 7 weeks

I agree it was a good article - I think that sometimes people start solids early because they are in a rush to get on to the next stage of childhood, like parents being keen to potty train etc. I hope you see what I mean, and this is only my personal opinion.

One reason we did leave starting solids later was because we went on holiday whe ds was 4 months and it was so much easier just breastfeeding, than it would have been faffing about with baby food.

Georgina I have exactly the same - quite heartening to know that ds is not the only 6 month old who seems to hate food. He does however love rice cakes, so after reading the finger food thread I'm going to try him with more of that instead of my lovingly prepared and frozen purees

We didn't start solids until 6 months, and DD had been using
a sippy cup for water for 2.5 months and drinking out of a glass
(held firmly by somebody else) for 2. At 8 months, she's seriously into finger food, ahead of many of the earlier weaners at daycare. I think how easily they take to solids, cups, etc. has a lot more to do with personality than timing.

I started weaning at 4.5mths after reading GF. If I had my time again though I would definitely wait the 6mths as DS started getting eczema from about the same time as the solids started, although it wasn't diagnosed as that till later - it was put down to teething. I continued to breastfeed until 16mths but I think that perhaps the damage was already done

Thought I'd add an update - ds2 has tasted the delights of butternut squash and banana (not both at the same time!) and hasn't looked back... thank god - was getting a little concerned he was going to get a complex about anything on a spoon!

... of course the washing is now getting interesting...

i started weaning DS just before 5 months due to pressure from my HV. i took it very slowly - week 1, 1 spoon of baby rice, week 2, 2 spoons of baby rice, week 3 stared on purees. Even though DS was formula fed, I wanted to wait till 6 months as felt that would be better in view of family history of allergy/hay fever etc. our local HVs are aware of the DOH guidance about not weaning till 6 months, but believe that children should start weaning by 5 months as there are "developmental advantages"