Is he ready for solids?

[nataliew]

My son is 5 months old and in the past couple of weeks he has been wanting to feed (FF) much more regularly (usually every 3 hours but he has been wanting a bottle as little as 1.5hrs after the last). When I get the bottle he is very excited at first but then he loses interest.. He might take 50ml and that's it.
He is fascinated by us eating and will often lunge at whatever it is that we are having.
Last week I tried him on some pumpkin and I can't say weather he really liked it or not. He still has the tounge pushing out reflex but I think he did take some in. He was really interested but I wouldn't say he loved it. The next day when I gave him some more he developed a rash around his mouth within about 10 minutes of having it. I freaked out and didn't give him anything for a week. But he continues to be dissatisfied with his bottle and seeming to want something more. Today I tried him on some rice cereal and he hated it. Spat it out and turned his head.
So now I'm really confused! Do I just leave it for another week and try again? It's so hard when he definitely seems to want more than just his bottle and he is getting frudtrated.
I didn't have theis problem with DD, she LOVED anything I gave her right from the start!

[Charlotte91]

I would say yes. But that's me.

Rice cereal is terrible and has no nutritional value. I'd suggest buying a jar of puree or custard and seeing how he goes with that.
Or making your own purees.

Good luck.

[MummyNaomi]

I started DS on solids at 5 months, he was ready. He loved it but he too turned his nose up at rice cereal.
Fruit and veg are best at this age - get them used to the taste of real fruit and veg as the bought stuff has lots of sugars and you don't wont them refusing to eat fresh stuff because they are used to the sweeter tastes
Things DS ate happily at this age were
Sweet Potato, white potato
Pumpkin
Brocolli / Cauliflower
Peaches / Apricots / Apples / Mango / Kiwi (pureed)

I'd only try one solids meal a day at this stage too, see how he goes and go from there. If it's not successful, then wait a few weeks/month and try again.

I wouldn't be too keen to rush him though - life just gets messier and poo's stinkier from here

[Calluna]

What MummyNaomi said. I wanted to add, just start with one veg at a time to test for allergies. So every day for a week do pumpkin then the next week try carrot, etc

If he still has the tongue reflex though, I'd say he's not ready. Apparently they lose that reflex when they're ready for solids.

[nataliew]

I heard that about the tounge reflex which just adds to the confusion!
Should I be worried about the rash that flared up after he had the pumpkin? It was steamed and pureed by me - not bought stuff. He's had a teething/dribble rash for the past few weeks and this was very different. Looked like eczema to me and it was definitely a reaction to the pumpkin because it appeared straight after he had it. It's fading now but still there.
The reason I tried the rice cereal was because I thought maybe I'd try something a bit more bland due to the rash situation. But I agree - it's terrible stuff!
I think that he THINKS he's ready but maybe he's not quite there and I don't want to be forcing it on him.

[Calluna]

I'm not sure about allergies. DS has an allergic reaction to strawberries once, he'd had then many times before but he developed a rash on his tommy. The doctor said to leave them out of his diet for a few months and try them again when he's a bit older. He's fine with them now.

I'm sure someone who knows more will give you some answers.


You could try baby led solids? https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...-a-162082.html

[MummyNaomi]

Could the pumpkin have been too warm? It could definitely be an allergy - try something completely different and see if there is any other reaction.

[onthefly]

There are some handy links in this thread - When to start solids

It's hard to know for sure when your baby needs something more and when they can actually digest it. That's why I like baby-led weaning, as babies decide for themselves. Takes the guess work out.

I understood the tongue-thrust reflex is there to stop babies swallowing anything they shouldn't and disappears when they are ready to eat.
Do you have a family history of allergies?

[nataliew]

We don't have any history to allergies on either side. I got eczema as a kid - just a little here and there - and it seemed to be sugar that caused a flare up. Not anything I would call an allergy though.
I like the idea of baby led weaning - but he's not there with grabbing and putting in his mouth yet. I might try some other vege over the next few weeks and see how he goes. By then he might be at the stage where he can pick at what he wants.

[Cranky Kitten]

While he is learning to move food around in his mouth there will be a fair bit of spitting stuff out too. The tongue thrust is still there if it comes out as soon as you put try to put the spoon to his lips I think - at least that's what happened with my DS. He's now taking food off the spoon easily and chewing/swallowing it.

Also, watch out for the day he discovers blowing raspberries with food in his mouth. Carrots in the hair is an interesting look

[onthefly]

We don't have any history to allergies on either side. I got eczema as a kid - just a little here and there - and it seemed to be sugar that caused a flare up. Not anything I would call an allergy though.
I like the idea of baby led weaning - but he's not there with grabbing and putting in his mouth yet. I might try some other vege over the next few weeks and see how he goes. By then he might be at the stage where he can pick at what he wants.

One of the ideas of BLW is that when they are able to eat, they are ready to. So rather than feeding them, you simply make food available and leave it up to them.

[blue_hebe]

Another supporter of Baby Led Weaning/Solids here.

Our son was showing lots of interest and grabbing at our food at 5 months old. I waited another couple of weeks before giving him potato and kumara wedges (unseasoned of course!). For a start he just picked them up, put them in his mouth and played a bit, but within a few days he was getting the idea of chewing and swallowing and away we went.

He's 14 months old now and loves his food!

In saying all that, it's your child and you know them best. If you feel more comfortable starting with purees, it's certainly not a problem

[Ambersky]

We BLW'ed too, I was happy that when she could sit in the high chair and pick something up and get it to her mouth, she was ready.