So what if DS isn't ready for solids at 6 months??

[Ceebee74]

He is 6 months old in 10 days and showing absolutely no signs of needing solids - doesn't finish all his bottles, seems very satisfied, contented, sleeps through the night etc.

What do you lovely MNers think? Do I wait until he is showing signs (even if this is another month or so down the line) or start at 6 months?

(I did start a few weeks ago as I wanted to get it started before I returned to work even though he clearly wasn't ready but it coincided with him being ill so I stopped and after 2 more false starts where he vomited, I gave up - the vomiting may have just been a coincidence but who knows)?

Any advice would be great.

I started my DS when he was 6 1/2 months, that was 2 weeks ago and he is now on 3 meals a day! My ds showed no signs either but I was concerned as the health visitors say their iron levels drop from 6 months and thats why they need solids. What food did you give your baby? At first I was just giving him baby rice and then built it up by adding a bit extra each day and always trying a new food at the 11am feed. He has been sick on potato so I'm avoiding that for now but rice, carrot, pear and parnsips are firm favorites, good luck!

I'd wait tbh. Milk is supposed to be their main food for the first year anyway. We started ds at 6 1/2 months, more or less baby-led, and it took a couple of months before it really 'took off'. And the later you start, the less hassle it tends to be

kellymom.com has some info about the iron thing.

Put a banana in front ofd him, and if he picks some up and eats it, he's ready

THanks - I feel we should wait but people keep telling me that the longer you leave it, the harder it is to do which makes me even more confused!!

Cat - I tried pear, sweet potato and carrot - TBH, he was vomiting at first cos he had a bad cold/cough (the coughing seemed to make him sick) and was hardly drinking any milk so I decided it was better to get milk down him, then he had gastroentritis - which obviously caused him to vomit - so I don't think it was connected to the food but as I said in the OP, who knows?

Wait till he grabs your toast out of your hand and wolfs it down.

If he isn't ready he'll eat less if you switch him to solids (than he would get if you left him on just milk). Certainly not going to manage to swallow much of anything with iron in for a while.

Sounds like it could have been the cold causing the sickness- I would leave it as long as poss- for him and you (not complaining but its so much more hassle sorting out food for ds rather than just milk!)