Oh the guilt... to start solids or not?

[Lolli]

Hi all,
This is my first post here and i really need some advice.
I have a beautiful four and a half month old son who is fully breastfed and feeds well. I was determined not to start him on solids until he was at least 6 months old. I was getting pressure from certain family members to start him on solids as early as six weeks (mind you, this was from the same person who told me to 'just let him cry' when he was only 3 days old!) but have resisted the pressure with much grace...
But I'm starting to think he might need some solid food. This is being backed up by a lot of other mothers I know, many of whom waited themselves until their babies were older to start solids, but they have observed his behaviour and are telling me "This baby wants food!!".
So... he's waking more frequently at night than he was (our five hour sleep has gone down to four, then three, now two hours) and feeding more frequently during the day. he is grumpy and unsettled between feeds when he was quite happy and contented only a few weeks ago. He tries to grab my hand when I'm eating and tries to shove the food in his mouth. He watches every bit of food we eat like a hawk. And, the real kicker, the last few days he has been getting very grumpy and frustrated when he sits near us at mealtimes.
I have plenty of milk and he's steadily putting on weight... but I feel like I just can't keep up this feeding pattern much longer and I'm torn here... the guilt of not feeding him solids when he seems to want it vs the guilt of not waiting until he's at least six months old!
Anyone got any advice?? Any insight is much appreciated!!

[XRMummy]

hi
I started My 9 month old on solids when he was 3 months old as i was sick of him screaming n mouthing everytime we sat down for meals and he has loved his foods since.... try bubs on farex and see how he goes you can only try and if that doesnt solve your problem then you can try something else.... but sounds like he is ready for solids..... back when i had DD i was told to start her on solids when she was 4 months old (that was 7 years ago) and now with DS i was told not to till he was atleast 6 months but i went with my gut feeling and wat my DS was telling me

best of luck

Sarah

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Oh what a tough situation!
Are you able to try not eating in front of bub?
And maybe offer more feeds in the evening to try and fill his tummy so he sleeps longer?
I'm sorry i really can't help, hopefully someone more experienced will pop in again soon.
Good luck and welcome to BellyBelly!

[Trish]

Hi and welcome to BB. When was your son born ? You might want to check out your baby buddies group, it helps to see what other babies the same age are up to

I would be more inclined to suggest that your little man is going through a growth spurt. Pretty much all the babies in my baby buddie group (here on BB) are going through the very same thing atm. We are just coming out of it (hopefully) It is perfectly normal to start wanting more feeds and feeding more often. The night wake ups have been happening to us all too.

My daughter is nearly 5 months old, she is constantly shoving a hand or our hands into her mouth. This too is a developmental milestone. Babies explore everything with their mouths. Added to the fact that my baby is teething and this gives her some comfort to chew on something firm.

Babies don't "really" understand what we are doing when eating as such. It's not like they have tried it so they aren't jealous. LOL. I think it's more us feeling guilty for eating when they are watching us.

I guess it has to be a personal choice, mine is to not start my babies on any solids until atleast 6 months. My second born was 8 months old. Every baby is different. Digestive systems can be too. But as a general rule they aren't really ready for foods so early. Also you run the risk of allergic reactions.

Just my 2 cents worth. You have to make the choice for yourself.

[Trillian]

It is hard isn't it? One thing I know for sure is, babies often send us very mixed signals when it comes to solids - we think that they are ready and that they need food, but the reality is that they don't and they aren't missing out if they don't get it. There are a few things that could explain your DS's behaviour lately - teething is one and at 4mths they go through a huge developmental leap too (often called wonder weeking) - they are getting more mobile, are more aware of the world around them and are are more interactive than they were before. In some babies this can make them very unsettled and they go back to night waking and disturbed sleep. But this is not a sign of them needing food at all. My DS was the same about that age, but it wasn't food he wanted, he just wanted to be involved in what we were doing at meal times. Also with him watching you eat and looking like he wants some - babies are curious creatures and their little minds are like sponges - them watching you is part of them learning. It's not the food they want because you could pick anything up and give it to them and it will go straight to their mouth - again this is develpmental and is how they learn.

Give him extra feeds if you think he is hungry - milk is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing in their diet until they are 12mths old. And starting solids wont make him sleep better at night - if anything it can make it worse as his tiny tummy gets used to digesting solid food. You can also run into problems with constipation too as being a fully BF babe (which is easy to digest) to having a belly full of solid food may even give him belly aches. Until around 6mths of age their gut is still quite immature, even if they are showing *signs* that they are ready for solids, this can lead to further implications for allergies and food intolerances down the track too.

To try to help at meal times, put him in a highchair if you have one and make him at your level, you could even give him a cold teething ring to chew on or a toy to play with.

At the end of the day though, you are the one who knows your baby the best, but it does help a lot if we understand some of the 'science' behind why they do what they do.

[Trish]

Great advice Trillian. I have to go "share the love" first

[Lolli]

Ok I can feel my resolve strengthening with those last two posts... we can tough this out...

[Trillian]

When you think about it - the magical 6mths is only 6wks away and trust me - it really does fly. With my youngest baby, I didn't want to start him until 6mths old as he already had eczema and I didn't want to push the friendship with that and by the time 6mths came round I wasn't ready at all LOL - it snuck up on me so quickly. So we've only just been having solids for the past 4wks now. I started my first three babies early and waiting was the best thing I ever did.

And thanks Trish