What age did you start your baby on solids?

[October89]

My baby is 5 months old next week. I think she would really benefit from some solid food. She has about 7oz 5 times a day and now she's started to notice and stare when I eat and makes chewing motions. What age did you introduce solids? Google tells me no sooner than 6 months.

[lookingatthings]

6m started offering at every meal (did blw). Sone days he was into it, other days not so much. He started eating properly around a year - 13m. Ate everything. Now he's 20m and a bit fussier but loves odd stuff like pickled cabbage, beetroot, couscous, chickpeas. Won't touch broccoli or bananas . Kids are wierd.

Kids are always interested in what you're doing though. If you think she's ready, offer. But don't be surprised if she loses interest.

[scrivette]

DC1 - 6 months- now a fussy eater.
DC2 - 7 months - wasn't interested in food at 6 months but loved it at 7 months and eats anything now.
DC3 - About 6 1/2 months.

All BLW as it meant I didn't have to think about it, DC3 just had 'scraps' and 'donations' from the others plates.

[Timeturnerplease]

17 weeks here, on paediatrician advice due to severe reflux. She improved steadily from then on (and dropped straight down to two night feeds), though didn’t reliably stop puking until about 12 months.

Took to food instantly, and dropped her milk intake very quickly (though now is the fussiest almost two year old EVER).

[Vicky1989x]

5 months on the advice of a paediatrician due to very bad reflux... started slow though, but all it’s done has made her sick different colours (7 months now and hasn’t helped the reflux much).

Weaning is also hard work, I’d try and wait it out until 6 months if you can. If I had the choice again, I would’ve waited!

[pontiouspilates]

Ilovepixie The guidelines changed about 15 years ago and are now in line with WHO guidance around gut maturity.

[KatieKat88]

Please bear in mind that if you think they're hungry and need food, rather than just milk, you won't be getting extra calories in them - milk is much more calorific than puree so you should increase the amount of milk or feeds offered instead. Obviously this isn't everyone who weans early but some parents just seem to want to rush every stage - enjoy them being a small baby first!

[Sunshine124]

We started at 5 and a half months. He had all the signs- sitting well with good head control, trying to grab food off my plate etc. He took to it really quickly and was definitely ready. The guidance say around 6 months so for some they are ready just before this and others a bit later. The NHS website is helpful about the signs.

[merryhollybright]

DC1 6 months
DC2 5.5 months
DC3 5 months bang on

DC1 wasn't fussed about food, DC2 was an inhaler of food so started earlier, DC3 has CMPA and was refusing milk so started early to settle them- they eat the most out of the lot and since weaning have upped their milk intake to the recommended amount.

[TripNeeded]

12 weeks for first DC as was the 'experts' advice at the time.

6 months for second DC.

[ChelseaCat]

6 months.

I really wouldn’t rush it (for many very good reasons) but as much as anything, I would delay the extra faff and mess for as long as possible

[jessstan1]

@PippinStar

17 weeks and he loved it. It made a massive difference to his reflux too. Hoping to do the same with DC2.

Mine was much the same, his digestion was better once he started eating.

[Thatwentbadly]

@ilovepixie

Why did the guidelines change? I was weaned at 3 months so was my sister, born late 60's early 70's. My brother who was born in the early 80's was weaned as per guidelines at 4 months. What is the benefit/ dis advantages of early v late weaning?

Over 20 years ago it changed to weaning around 26 weeks. Pro is there gut it fully developed so in theory less likely to cause long term issues eg IBS and IBD and you don’t have to bother with puree. Cons later weaning can be linked to increased allergies, although both mine have allergies from birth. I introduced the top 12 which they weren’t already allergic to very quickly after starting weaning.

I warned DD1 at 26 weeks and it was fine DD2 at 25 week, it was too soon for DD2 but she does have a sensitive gut.

[PippinStar]

17 weeks and he loved it. It made a massive difference to his reflux too. Hoping to do the same with DC2.

[Notashandyta]

5 months for all 3

[aidelmaidel]

5-6 months ish. The day she grabbed pasta off my plate. Going the baby-led-weaning route means you can take it easy re guidelines and also be terribly smug, right up until they decide they don't want to eat anything ever again except bread and butter.

[Kokeshi123]

4.5 months.

4, 5, 6 months are all OK and there is no special evidence to suggest otherwise.
scienceofmom.com/2015/05/14/starting-solids-4-months-6-months-or-somewhere-in-between/


I started at 4.5 months because I decided on balance that slightly earlier exposure to iron and other micronutrients and to allergens was looking like it was slightly better. The evidence is not "solid" (sorry for puns) either way, though. It's up to you.

[jessstan1]

@Phyzzy

The guidance was 4 months when mine were babies. One started solids at 4 months the other wasn't interested until 6 months.
Big deal at the time, in hindsight it's insignificant in the great scheme of things.

4 months was the guide when mine was a baby. He took to solid food like a duck to water (and hasn't stopped eating since)!

[Doublebubblebubble]

6 months for both of mine.

Dd really wasnt fussed about food so it took her until about 7months to get used to it.

Ds was a gannet - 10lb 1 at birth - that he used to ape us at the dinner table - he wanted food earlier but i waited.

[Ispywithmycynicaleye]

DC 1 4 months
DC 2 4 months
DC 3 4.5 months
DC 4 5 months

Took my cues from them, no health issues or allergies in any of them.

[Ihaveoflate]

5 months on the advice if the paediatrician as she was medicated for reflux. We went slowly and she took to it very well.

[grey12]

Current guidelines are 6 months. Don't think that your child "is missing out", they're not. (Unless advised by the doctor, of course. This can happen if there are concerns about their weight gain)

DD2 actually didn't accept food until about 8 months. Trust me, she was chubby!! Some kids don't eat until 1 year old. It's ok!

[recreationalcalpol]

A little over 5 months. We started with with finger foods and a bit of mushed parsnip - DS ate well from the get go. You’ll be fine in a few weeks OP. The guidance is around 6 months, not 6 months in the dot. Some on here can be evangelical about waiting until exactly 6 months, but they seem to correlate with the ones who insist that your baby must never be spoon fed, must eat only what you eat etc. There’s no absolute right way of doing things, just follow your baby’s lead.

[LunaHardy]

Tried at 6m but she wasn't at all interested. She started properly about 8m.

[FTEngineerM]

Our DC is 5.5 months and I’ve started giving mashed stuff from our plate for tastes but will start blw in a week or so

[KittenCalledBob]

Recent research in 2017 by Fewtrell et al found that in developed countries there were no disadvantages to beginning weaning onto solid food between four to six months compared to waiting to six months.

Here's the link:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28027215/