There is nothing wrong with not introducing solids at 6 mths. TBH we did BLS with my DD and I started offering food to her (just like ours mainly, smaller cubes of vegies and the occasional mashed job) at 6 mths, but she showed no interest until 7 mths. She suddenly got into it at 7 and a bit months and ate like a pig, using a spoon herself within a month or so with little trouble.
I think if you would like to offer him some of your food (off your plate even) whenever you eat and wait for him to show interest then he's going to take it when he's developmentally ready. It's not just about getting a variety of nutrients into him, as your bm is the best source of nutrition for him until he's 12 mths, it's about him trying and experiencing the sensations, textures and taste of different foods.
The best evidence we have today suggests starting solids around 6mnth is the optimum. Around 6 mnths a baby's normal stores of iron are depleting, and babies benefit from additional sources of iron in their diet. It seems important to start solids *while* breastfeeding from the point of view of allergy prevention - sadly many (most) Australian babies don't recieve breastmilk past 6mnths. Many mothers find introducing solids a slow process, but it's great for their social skills to include babies in family mealtimes - regardless of how much food is eaten! So, if your baby is slow to take to solids, no need to worry.
What many people don't consider is that sometimes breastfeeding is the "effect", rather than the "cause". Where there is a strong history of allergies in a family parents may delay solids, or, babies may protect themselves from foods that disagree with them or they can't digest by refusing solids. Sadly, in too many cases, breastfeeding is thought to be the culprit, when in fact it may be the one thing keeping a baby thriving. It's important that health professionals look at the whole situation in these circumstances.
Just a note on the allergies, it is not proven that holding off prevents them. Infact there is some talk its' the opposite. all I know is my DD2 has severe allergies and we started her at 5 1/2 months, but DD1 has none and I started her on solids at 3 months 3 weeks. So definitley not a prob there.
We've just started DS at 5 months on the dot. I too was determined to hold him off he's also quite big, and I wanted to wait until 6 months, however he was sooooo interested in our food. As it turns out he is LOVING his food and I feel he needs it. I am only giving organic food and will not introduce dairy or wheat until 12-18 months. This is an allergy thing, as Iwant to do what I can to prevent him from allergies. However Im not convinced I can control it, and I think DD2 possibly got allergies from a flu injection I had whilst preg, nothing to do with solids intro etc. Also a bit of genetics (which is why I still worry DS might have some allergies).
I will also introduce meat when its' recommended, and just make sure it's organic. Alot of DD2's probs now come from the pesticides on fruit/veg, chicken hormones etc, so I feel just being organic is going to help DS precious little digestive system etc.
I also know someone who's holding off on the solids, and like RCC said, he's kind of like a baby, not developed iykwim.
Hope that helps a bit xo
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