When did you start baby on solids?

[Mermaid04]

I’ve seen baby food for 4m+ I’m anew mum so I have no idea. So when did you start & what differences did it make? Thank you

Followed NHS guidelines and waited till 6m. Did BLW too which would have been difficult before 6m.

These are the sort of things I have seen

We tried from 6 months but he wouldn’t eat anything (and I really mean anything) until he was 15 months.

Eats like a horse now & is one of the tallest in his year.

The guidance is 6 months. But they also say that baby needs to be displaying the 3 signs of readiness (posters should be around HV weigh in locations) and they can appear earlier or later in babies. Earlier than 4 months is a definite no no in the UK, but occasionally a paediatrician might advise trying weaning early (around 5 months).

1. sitting upright unaided

2. hand coordination to mouth

3. they can swallow food rather than push it back out

The marketing age of 4 months is just marketing and previous generations weaned earlier than current. We did the odd taste of puréed vegetables at a week before 6months.

Started at 6 months, as per Nhs advice.
If under paediatrician you could be advised to start earlier, but for most 6 months is point gut has matured and baby has skills to begin to learn- ie can sit up.
Another vote for baby led- read up on it. We started with steamed veggies.
A lot of the baby foods are very refined- fast release carbs, and are expensive.
For us, enjoying meal times where we. Plus sit and share food was important.

6 months, in accordance with nhs advice.

Everyone on here waits until 6 months but in real life around 5 and a bit months is what I've seen.

First son 4 months (100% ready), second son tried at 5 months, wasn’t ready so tried again a couple of weeks later, daughter at 5 months.

6 months is a guideline, the bare minimum is 17 weeks. Most babies will be ready sometime between 4 and 6 months, the advice is to not start any later than 6 months though.

I also personally wouldn’t advise trying at 17 weeks unless there’s reasons you think your baby needs to. My son cried constantly from birth and was drinking 48oz a day and still hungry, he was sicky and couldn’t fit any more milk in. Now I’ve had more kids and have talked to more parents I think he probably had reflux, but everyone seemed to write me off as some sort of neurotic first time mum. As soon as he started solids he was like a different child, stopped crying constantly, didn’t seem constantly in pain.

My others didn’t have the same issues but were big babies and could sit with support and had lost the tongue thrust reflex (that makes them push food out of their mouths rather than actually eating it).

6m for both children

1) sitting upright unaided

This is wrong. They need to be able to sit with support, as in maintain good head control and a straightish back, not be floppy like a new born. My nearly 7 month old still can’t sit unaided, she topples the second you let go!

Around 5.5 months - I did 2 weeks of single veg purées and then I went straight into BLW at 6 months - best thing ever. DD is now 10 months and feeds herself competently and likes everything (so far).

Don't pay attention to those guidelines on food - just a marketing ploy to get you to buy. I use pouches etc. If we're out and about sometimes but you don't need to stick up. Feed baby what you eat.

I thought it was just being able to sit in a high chair

They put 4 months on them to increase sales. It’s just to make money, nothing else.

Babies don’t need to be able to sit unaided to wean, just sit holding their heads up whilst in a high chair, or in your lap.

Its a fine line i found. Also first time mum. Baby has terrible reflux. I was given some awful advice to wean at 3months with baby rise. Litterally my biggest life regret was listening to that advice (medical professional). Stopped after 1 week. Weaned at 5 months when baby was picking food up themselves and could sit in a high chair. Imo and experience, 4 months is too young unless you have a very advanced baby who is starving. I only did it at 5 months because DS wouldnt let me eat anything without screaming because he wanted some

My baby's 4 months and having porridge and rusks. He's a very hungry baby and was going through so much milk but with a porridge feed a day he's more satisfied, and the rusks he loves as he's teething so rubbing on his gums feels nice I think :)

16 weeks! that is far, far too young.

The NHS and DOH are working to take the lower ages off food and put '6 months'.

We now know that their digestive system isn't mature enough for solids < 6 months so you run the risk of introducing allergies if you wean earlier.

Wait til 6 months.

@Kungfupanda67 apologies I was doing from memory and thought our posters said unaided. But you’re right it’s being able to sit with support!

Rusks are a terrible food for any baby, never mind one that's only 4 months old. They're full of sugar, babies don't need sugar.

It's all bollocks and a complete guess. All mine (and their peers) were advised 12 weeks . 25 yrs ago. So that's what we did.

No allergies, ibs , food intolerances here . As a parent you will know when they are hungry. The moment they start eating they start sleeping better. So I got one was thrilled to get going .

Rusks are a terrible food for any baby, never mind one that's only 4 months old. They're full of sugar, babies don't need sugar.

And dont listen to BS like this. Feed you kid whatever you want. No one is going to come knocking on your door to take you away for feeding your kid rusks. My DS has a rusk every day, it was one of the first foods he had. Who cares

The moment they start eating they start sleeping better

Mine didn’t.

I weaned DD1 and 2 at 6 months (maybe a week before, can’t fully remember). DS is 5 months and have just started. He can sit upright, has great hand/eye coordination, and was starting to grab food off his sisters plates and try to eat it! His sleep has actually got slightly worse since we started though, I assume because it feels different in his stomach.

@Giraffeinabox I didn't say that anyone was going to come knocking and check but if you choose to feed your baby something, then at least choose a healthy food?
I say this as someone who was also weaned on rusks - I'll never know if it did/didn't do me any harm and my mum clearly didn't know any different (hence her telling me to put one in DD's bedtime bottle since she was about 3 months old ).

4 mths. But that was the advice 20 years ago.
You don't need to waste money on buying "special" food though. I bit of pureed veg is fine.

The sleeping thing is completely a myth - DD has 3 meals a day, 2 snacks (at nursery) and 2 bottles a day - her sleep is worse than ever at 10 months old.

4 months