Doctors recommend starting solids at 4 months

[xXHopeXx]

I saw this today..

Solids minimise baby food allergies

what do people think of this? makes me wonder whether i should start my DD earlier than 6 months if she's showing more signs of being ready?

[Swoop]

I'm a bit skeptical... We did bls but following DD's lead started very slowly at around 4.5 months. Now at 20 months she has asthma, is showing signs of eczema, and a new food allergy or intolerance seems to show it's face every day. I always wonder if she might have been better off if we'd made her wait til 6 months.

It's the age old debate, isn't it?!

[Liz]

I think it's best to go by whether baby has signs of being ready such as losing the tongue thrust reflex, can sit up unassisted etc.

[Lisa]

I agree with Liz that I wouldn't start solids until they are sitting up unassisted. Lucinda is starting to sit unassisted but I am not starting her on solids until 6 months.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Liebs started around 5m and has eczema and cow milk intolerance - but had these pre-solids too.

We started food when he could sit up and stick it in his mouth and eat it. Because he was ready. I was happy to go for a year before introducing solids, Liebling was not.

[onthefly]

I reckon it's best to wait till baby is ready and able to eat. Allergies are just one piece of the puzzle (and there are lots of other variables involved there)
Heinz et al will be clapping with glee With the recommendation dropped to 4 months, a significant proprotion of parents will start from 2-3 months. I think that's probably the best reason to leave the official guidelines unchanged. Many parents don't wait till 6 months now anyway, with a significant number starting at 4-5 months, so they're already hitting the 'allergy sweetspot', apparently.
Anyway, maybe it's time to go out and buy shares in the baby food companies

[Asparagus and Lemons]

Pfft!!!
That's all.
Only mother knows when baby is ready.

[Epacris]

This is the advice put out by the ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) last year.

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy - ASCIA INFANT FEEDING ADVICE

It does say 4-6 months but also clearly says not before 4 months.

I think they key new recommendation with regard to allergies is that:

- There have been some suggestions that delaying introduction of foods may actually increase (rather than decrease) allergy, however at this stage this is not proven.
- There is insufficient evidence to support previous advice to specifically delay or avoid potentially allergenic foods (such as egg, peanuts, nuts, wheat, cow's milk and fish) for the prevention of food allergy or eczema. This also applies to infants with siblings who already have allergies to these foods.

And with regard to breastfeeding:

Exclusion of allergenic foods from the maternal diet has not been shown to prevent allergies.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

With DS I stuck to the 'rules' at the time which was 6 months. My mum and grandmother couldn't comprehend it. Looking back now it would have done absolutely no harm at all to start at 4 months. By the time you get to six months, all of a sudden you are supposed to be trying to introduce all these foods when baby hasn't eaten at all. Intuitively I feel 4 months is good for cereals and very basic foods etc building up slowly over time and I'm going to do that with the next one.

[AngelPants]

my MIL went to the conference where this research got presented. i have read the information they gave out etc and i am convinced. from us following the findings my son came up in hives from dairy egg and peanut initially and from giving him small amounts and slowly building up his portions has seen his reaction from dairy and peanut disappear. we are still working on egg lol

[Daytona's Mummy]

My 1st 2 were given solids at 4mths, (DS maybe slightly earlier if I remember rightly) and neither of them have any problems at all. But for them, they would just about eat the intire spoon right out of my hand and really scoffed like they had been starved for the previous 4 mths of their lives.... Lilli on the other hand, seems to be much more behind then they were and I don't think she is ready yet, even though she is 4 mths tomorrow. She isn't even showing much sign of sitting up on her own, but I will be watching her for when she is ready.

[Roryrory]

I agree with Liz that I wouldn't start solids until they are sitting up unassisted. Lucinda is starting to sit unassisted but I am not starting her on solids until 6 months.

Only thing I would say to that is some babies may be ready for food but can't sit up unassisted. My DH was apparently 9 months before he could sit alone, as he has a very long back. But he had teeth and was self-feeding by that age, apparently.

[fionas]

I'm another one who thinks that we should just follow baby's lead - we do in so many other aspects of their life, why not solids. Why are experts so intent on setting a blanket rule. I started DD1 at 4.5 months. She was sitting up and basically going nuttso if she saw anyone eating (as well as showing the other classic signs). I started DD2 at close to 7 months. She couldn't sit up much before that and I didn't think she was ready. Soon caught up though and is now a much better eater than DD1 was at the same age despite starting later.

[MantaRay]

This comes up all the time and it is really confusing for mums because there is so much information. Hopefully this thread will help you decide what is right for you - https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...solids-158404/ .

[luna moth]

Pfft!!!
That's all.
Only mother knows when baby is ready.

Even that's not foolproof. My baby only eats because I can't stop her. She's not 6 months yet, and I had wanted to wait.

[Rouge]

I disagree, but on my own experiences only.

My DD was fed at 4 months as was the recommendations. She ended up with severe eczema to the point of being bandaged as a result (I am certain of this). How do I know this? My DS got eczema at the same time but was not on solids, we took his lead with solids and didn't offer till after 6 months. It wasn't until 10 months that he started solids and even then we followed the schedule for introducing solids least likely to cause allergies. His eczema went away before he started solids and never returned.

[Astrid]

I don't agree with the only a mother knows when a baby is ready statement. Really how is someone like a first time mum meant to be an expert?

We all need some guidance as to what to do, not to follow it blindly but to use that knowledge along with what we feel we know about our child. As a first time mum, I was really clueless and under pressure from in-laws. Without some form of guide, I would have been bullied into meat and 3 veg smothered in gravy when DD1 was barely 3 months (and no where near ready for solids in any shape or form).

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

DS is allergic to some tree nuts, we started solids at 6 months. You have to be careful with trying to feed your baby foods to overcome an allergy. Do so with medical advisement. I have heard of many stories of where parents thought they could raise the immunity by slowly giving the food only to cause a severe allergy. Then the baby was not be able to eat it for a really long time, if at all, because of it.

DS was allergic to egg when he was a baby, we didn't give it as per medical advice for a long time and now he can have it.