New recommended age for starting solids

[~mamaspice~]

Now, I haven't done any research on this myself but we had our postnatal paediatrician appointment last week and I was surprised to be told that he now recommends solids be introduced at 3-4 months!

This was very interesting considering the 6 month rule that was drummed into me when DD was born 3 years go, but apparently the 6 month rule co-incided with a big increase in children developing food allergies/intolerances, and the paed said that introducing solids earlier will actually help reduce the incidences of such allergies.

As you can imagine, when I told my nan this, she was like "I told you so"

Maybe everyone already knows this new recommendation, but I didn't so I thought I'd post

[*Efjay*]

Isn't going to change my thoughts on it.
Thats just one peads opinion really. Ask your MCHN & she will probably tell you something different too.

[Olive]

i doubt its a WHO recommended change, stick with the 6 months

[~mamaspice~]

I doubt its a WHO recommended change, stick with the 6 months

Very true but will be interresting to see if the WHO guidelines evolve over time. I guess we are always learning so things are never set in stone. This is only very new. I had the same paed 3 years ago and back then it was 6 months.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Hmm it's always changing, i say stick with the WHO guidelines or go with whatever YOUR comfortable with.
would be interesting to see if your MCHN had heard the same.

[tk1999]

probably the opinion of one employee from a baby food producing company who had a marketing appointment with a paediatrician somewhere one day who mentioned something along the lines of 4 months and then it spread like wildfire - or maybe it was mentioned at a paediatric conference that was in some way sponsored by a baby food producing company - or maybe even an artificial baby milk producing company.

An MCHN will likely have gone to a different conference or had a visit from a different company rep so will likely tell something different.

Apologies if I sound jaded by the whole thing but I have seen and heard one too many a story to believe any paed or MCHN now... I stick with the WHO recommendations and they still stand at 6 months.

[MummaSue]

Interesting.

I am very quickly learning though, that my baby will decide when she's ready. There can be all the guidelines in the world for me, she's 6 months and 1 week old and still isn't really feeling solids at all!! The guidelines are out the window!!