when can i start feeding my baby solids?!?

[xaneesx]

Have a 3month old. Baby food jars say start at 4 months health visitor says 6 months. I feel he is very hungry and ready for solids however have been told his digestive system may not be fully developed. Please help.

Current NHS advice is 6 months unless there is a medical reason to start earlier. Baby food jars are sold for a profit so are based on old advice.

6 months

If he is hungry he needs milk not food at 3 months old.

Current advice is 6 months - I'd definitely wait until your baby can sit up and support his head. At 3 months if he's hungry he needs more milk.

If you go the baby led weaning way they advise to keep them on full milk intake alongside trying foods and it's normally around 9-10 months that they begin to eat more and start dropping feeds.

Six months. If he's hungry he can have more milk. The sort of food he could eat now like veg would have less calories than his milk so wouldn't fill him up any better.

6 months but if there is a medical reason it's after 17 weeks afaik. It's best not to use jars IMO, it's the baby equivalent of microwave meals. We found Baby Led Weaning to be best for us, dd was purées and it was so stressful where as ds1 was BLW and it just made it so much easier for all of us. Ds2 will be BLW at 6 months. HTH

If he is hungry, baby milk has a lot more calories in each feed to help him grow than a bowl of mushed up veg.

Why do you feel he's ready? Drooling, chewing hands etc are normal development. Also remember there's less calories in food, especially weaning food like veg, than there is in milk. So adding food at this age can actually make him hungrier, especially at night.

Current advice is 6 months as their digestive system is mature by then. Possibly it is earlier, but without a biopsy you can't know, so the longer you leave it the better.

I weaned mine when they could swipe my food and get it in their mouths too fast to stop them (just before 6 months) I reckon that's a pretty good signal to start weaning :)

26 weeks plus being able to sit. Also must have lost the tongue thrust reflex (sticking tongue out when food or spoon is on it

Ok definitely going for around 6momths plus thank you. I feel he is ready because he already is on the 'hungry milk' formula and is having 6 feeds a day and demands more so thought food would top it up. However i shall wait:)

Everyone has given good advice but the other reason id say to wait is it's really a massive hassle! Suddenly leaving the house becomes more difficult as if you're out for most of a day there's a whole new dimension to think about. Clothes get messier and there's more washing... Wiping down the floor etc. Such a pain!
It's cool the first time they eat something but I found DD didn't actually swallow anything for ages and the novelty wore off very fast. Plus once you've started you can't really stop. So definitely go for the easy life and put it off as long as possible :-)

The standard time to start on solids is 6 months. DS was put on solids at 4 months because he was huge and they were worried about his weight gain. It was the paediatrician who managed this and not a health visitor. My son is now 2.5, wears a toddler size 4 clothes and weighs over 40lbs. He is about a foot taller than the other kids in his daycare class. He is still above the 100th percentile for his height and is in the 97th percentile for his weight. If your kid is tracking significantly above the charts then I might ask but otherwise I would stick to 6 months.

Also purée was much easier for us. We made a huge batch and froze it down in ice cube trays. It was really quite simple and cheap.

Weaning is a pain lol. Wait as long as possible!!!
I think jars are great for when you're on the go but I wouldn't use them all the time.
I've done baby led weaning both times and it's so much easier. After 6 months you can just let him have finger foods. If you want to do purées then just purée whatever you're having for dinner.

When you do wean.... Baby led weaning is not painful.

You should be able to get a leaflet called something like "no rush to mush" from your health visitor/gp surgery. The nhs.uk website is also good for reading up on the latest advice.

Everyone saids 6 months personally I thibk it's aload of rubbish!! I was weaned at 3 months so was my brothers most baby's use to be weaned at 3-4 months now they've decided to wait till 6 I persorally find it funny my baby is always so hungry he's nearly three months I give him a little bit of baby rice he loves it! And it helps him go through the night he's a big baby though he weights 16-17pounds and is very long don't listen to what they suggest it's about what u feel is right trust your own instincts

Think- personally-

My three month old is also a big lad, 17lbs, 6-9 month clothing etc but in my eyes it's not worth it, please please do some research as issues do not develop until adulthood. It's also worth researching baby cereals as they are 100% unneeded and have the nutritional value of soggy cardboard.

Massive growth spurt at 12 weeks ish. Keep offering milk and try and wait until 6 months.

Present not develop sorry brain is fried this morning

My pediatrician told me dd was ready at 4 months. I thought she was showing signs and just had a feeling she was ready but she wasn't.

I started giving her baby rice but she wasn't interested and then puree of things like potato, sweet potato or butternut squash mixed with her milk. That didn't work either.

I started mixing small quantities of fruit, pear purée from a jar and by 6 months she was taking that and I just introduced more things gradually.

She's now nearly 13 months nearly. She eats well but hasn't entirely grasped blw yet.I'm not bothered by that though. I understand all babies are different.

If you think it's right then try it but don't worry if it doesn't work. Leave it a bit and try again. (a few days in my case by the way I don't mean straight away.)

Katieemily, can your baby even sit up on its own?

katie no it is not just about what you feel is right.

There is significant scientific evidence to support the fact that babies' guts are not developed enough for solids until they are around 6 months old. They display physical signs of readiness, some of which are as follows.

Being able to sit unaided - not propped up with cushions or in a bumbo or whatever
Losing the tongue-thrust reflex
Developing a pincer grip which allows them to pick up food.

Things which are NOT signs of readiness are

Being a large baby
Not sleeping through the night
Watching adults and older children eating
Being hungry and needing more milk

OP glad you are going to wait, you are doing your child a huge favour.

katie I assume you've read all the research on the subject in order to come to your decision?

Katie- it is not rubbish. Your sample size of your family does not override the overwhelming scientific evidence that early weaning is harmful. Not in every case, but you can't know if your baby is the one with the immature gut, or the one that will be ok.

There's is lots of evidence that early weaning contributes to allergies, bowel disease, and other issues. That is why the guidance changed, not on some whim of the government.

My dh has awful gut problems, most likely caused by early weaning. His mum will swear exactly the same as you "we weaned him early and he's ok". He's not. He's had to give up his hobby because he can't control his bowels. He has ibs, ibd, certain foods give him severe diarrhoea.