I'm confused......

[westy]

Awww can you believe we are talking about solids already...our babies are growing up soooo fast Sue

I have given Ryan a try on solids and he loved it, i haven't given it to him everyday but when i do he loves it. He has been watching us eat for what feels like a few months now so i thought i'd give him a go at it.

Will have to catch up soon
Take care xx

[HotI]

My little one is just starting to watch me now when i eat, but it's more a kinda "what are you doing?" look than a "i want some of that" look IYKWIM . She can't sit up by herself either so i'm not looking to start anytime soon. I am planning to go for Baby Led Solids rather than spoon feeding, and her hands aren't that co-ordinated yet either! Reading back, it sounds like i am picking on her. I'm not really, i think these are signs, so when she can do this stuff, she might be ready to start. TBH, I am actually quite happy to only have to pack my boobs for a bit longer. Will have to get more organised when she starts solids.

[onthefly]

It's hard to know what to do when everyone has a different opinion. I think it's good to read widely and take in all the different ideas, but ultimately be guided by your baby.
In addition to the question of whether she's ready to eat (and remembering you can't actually see what her digestive system is doing right now), I think you need to consider whether she needs to eat right now. For most babies, breastmilk provides all they need till at least 6 months. And when you introduce solids early there's a tendency to replace milk with solids, but the sorts of things that are introduced early on (like that cereal) don't provide the same sort of nutrition as milk.

Have you read anything about baby led solids? I like this philosophy because it allows babies to lead the way in what and when they eat, so you have greater confidence not only that their innards are ready, but that they need the food - they eat when they're hungry. It's also easier than cooking and pureeing separate meals, as you just give them access to things that you are also eating.

The choice is yours and you'll figure it out with your baby. If you're really not sure, I'd suggest taking a BLS approach and letting your DD decide for herself. She probably won't be eating for a while yet if you do that.
Oh, and just in case - don't feel bad, ok? It's fine to change your mind when you get different information.

[MummaSue]

I do really like the sound of BLS, I think we might give that a whirl!
To be honest, I was going to start solids really really slowly anyway but might just tell DH that we have ditched that idea for now. I really didn't want to replace ANY breast feeding with solids though, and have been very aware of how many b/fs she has had since starting the baby porridge - she hasn't replaced any with the porridge thankfully.
Haha, much to the disgust of my mother - according to her missy should be eating 3 meals a day, have ditched boobie and be sleeping through the night by now.... *sigh*

Thanks
Sue xxx

[onthefly]

Ah well, everyone has their own ideas about things.
I was looking at my 'baby book' from the hospital and when I was born, and mum was instructed to get me on to juice from birth, watered down, and gradually increasing to full strength by 6 weeks. Seriously

[MummaSue]

OMG!!
Yeah, my mum had me on solids from six weeks and I constantly hear the "well it never did you any harm".
Doesn't make it right though hey?

Goodness, there are soooooo many variations on EVERYTHING to do with babies. I go out of my mind sometimes......

[onthefly]

Thing is, how do we know there's no harm? If everyone does it, and the outcomes are pretty much standard, then you aren't to know if something is wrong. Just for eg, tummy upsets with the early introduction of solids might be considered "Just what happens when you start solids" if that's what everyones experience is. Do you know what I mean?
Anyway, I'm just thinking aloud.
But it's true, at the end of the day there are as many variations as there are children