Delayed introduction of solids: what to expect

[red apple]

Hi
I've got another month to go until bub hits 6 months, as I'm breastfeeing exclusively until then, as bub has eczema and there's strong family history of allergy. People have told me that holding off introducing solids is going to be hard work. He's already gnawing my boobs off.
What have others encountered? Does all semblance routine go out the window?
Ta

[borntobemummy]

how long are you thinking of holding it off? 6 months is the "usual" age.

[sueb31]

Hi, I was wondering the same with my boy at 5 months. He went through a 3 week growth spurt, feeding LOTS AND LOTS and for ages...but it all settled a week before we started solids at 6 months.

So hang in there, I bet its just a growth spurt and he will settle again. Solids is not necessarily the answer.

Sue

[lukaelmo]

I don't think all routine goes out the window, it is just a new thing to add to it...

I offered the dude solids after his milk feed, in the morning at first, then morning and afternoon, then for all three meals plus snacks... It took us a while to get the hang of it, and me a while to get used to the mess, but now at 11 months it's all good.

Good luck!

[Oscar's mum]

Just because bub is gnawing off your bb's does not mean they will take to solids easily. DS was exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months but had been gnawing my bb's off since 4 months old. Once we introduced the solids though he really didn't take to the solids like I thought he would and didn't start properly on solids till 9 months. He was just very content to just be breastfed most the time. So I guess perhaps your bub really likes the milk perhaps!;)

[Goosie22]

Hi,
Are you asking is it going to be hard to stay off solids for longer than 6 months?

As you know, with the disease processes of Asthma, eczema and food allergies it is now recommended to continue to exclusively Breastfeed your baby well past 6 months and usually only starting to introduce non allergic foods around 9 months. Also you need to modify your diet to cut offending foods which will make the condition worse or flare up.

Weight gain hits a little plateu after 6 months and your milk supply is generally well established, the introduction of solids is only for taste and not nurtition untill around 12+ months Breastmilk will provide all nurtition. It may mean more breastfeeds at certain times but you will be happy in the knowledge your baby is being spared the early introductions which may cause or worsen problems.

HTH:fingerscrossed:

[red apple]

Hi Goosie

Have you got any readings you can reccommend about delaying until 9 months? My allergist said 6 months exclusively, and I was looking to see how long I could hold out for...But I would go for 9 months if I felt it was justified.

Ta

[MrsMiggins]

I was determined to hold off the introduction of solids until my DD was 6m old, but ended up caving at a week before her 6m birthday as I was convinced she was more than ready. I was wrong! She was not the slightest bit interested in solids and has only just now started taking an interest, and then only in some things.

She has gained weight wonderfully and is a very happy, healthy little girl, who appears to be very advanced for her age in many, many things.

Holding off solids should not be any problem at all, but if I were you I would talk to a GP or CHn about any potential issues with your bub's iron reserves. Normally this is why they suggest you introduce solids from 6m, as bub's reserve begins to dwindle around this time. This was not an issue for us however, as DD is formula fed.

[elissas]

I was also told by a number of people, including health nurses, that the introduction of solids is linked to speech development. I would look into this before deciding to hold off - as apparently delaying solids can interfere with this.

If so, maybe introduce a couple of low/non-risk foods? Just a thought, throwing it in the mix.

[arthursmum]

Little man is in the same boat. he's a rabid boobaholic but not too interested in food.
we introduced food at around 6 months (he's 7 months now), mostly rice cereal. the first time he ate banana he got a huge rash on his face. he's now in the "allergic child" box. it's just a process of patience and going slowly. it's very hit and miss with his interest in food, too, so i started this week to do it at lunchtime-ish which seems to work a little better. i'm a chef and was really looking forward to him experiencing new flavours, etc
he's so sensitive to new stuff, even pureed organic pears, so it's no wheat, no dairy, no eggs, no fish or meat until he's 18months. it's rice everything, even rice formula (for the very odd emergency when i haven't expressed enough milk for him when i go out) which he hasn't even had yet but i can tell you it's pretty ordinary tasting..& veggies but then the interest issue is there again...
i'm in no rush to stop breastfeeding and i'm not forcing him to eat as i don't want food to be more of an issue than it already is. it's just a pain introducing something that seems innocuous and for it to cause a rash within a couple of hours, sometimes even minutes.
he's growing and developing really well, strong, noisy and really happy & to me that's the main thing.
i'm sort of confident that one day in the next couple of months he'll develop an interest and the whole thing will run a little more smoothly.
if i find a book about this that seems worth having, i'll email you. (please would you be able to do the same, if you remember?)
have i said anything useful or just hogged the thread??:o
although it's not great, i understand where you're coming from and it's nice to know there's others experiencing the same concerns..
please keep us posted on how things go:)

[pegasus]

I exclusively breastfed my son till 6months, well it was 9months really, as I offerred him other stuff, but he didn't seem too interested. I figured that he has many years to get onto the stuff, there's no reason for me to force the issue.

I've been told that breastfed bubbas generally tend to move onto solids later anyway.

Yes, moving onto solids is linked to speech development (and I've got heaps of information on this from a workshop I went to - while working - not as a mum, on Early Feeding Difficulties), but I'd be more concerned about moving bubba onto solids too early rather than too late. What I've seen is that babies show their interest in foods as they are ready in a lot of cases.

[jessgray]

DS1 started solids at 4 and half months.
we had to hold off some foods after he reacted to bannana at 6 months i think it was. coul;d have been earlier. intially i found it hard to buy jarred foods for him coz alot of the fruits for his stage had bannana in it but now i am so used to looking at the ingriedent list lol it takes me ages to get foods for him lol i have to look for no dairy or soy. as he is lactose intolerant.
i was told unless their is a history of allergies there is no need for delaying solids.

[red apple]

Hi All

I discussed this with one of my mates. She gave me an article by Kim Baird called "Exclusive Breastfeeding beyond 6 months" in which it stated that doctors advice relating to the reccommended age of introduction of solids has changed in Australia over the years:

1919 12 months
1921 9 months
1927 6-7 months
1934 5-7 months
1943 4-6 months
1959 3-4 months
1962 late 2nd or 3rd month
1972 3 months (many women were begining solids as early as 3 weeks after birth)
1985+ 4-6 months


Disturbing isn't it.


I look in my husbands baby book and received orange jiuce at 2 weeks, baby rice at 4 weeks, and beef juice at 6 weeks. At 3 months he was covered in eczema, and was allergic to a lot of foods until late childhood. What on earth were they doing? :eek:

[arthursmum]

That's amazing!! great information there, so interesting.:)
the late 50's/early 60's was the 'science (read, formula) is better than nature' era & during the
70's women (at least i know that happened here in switzerland) were encouraged not to be 'bound' to their babies- one of the negative ideas of the womens' movement..



I look in my husbands baby book and received orange jiuce at 2 weeks, baby rice at 4 weeks, and beef juice at 6 weeks. At 3 months he was covered in eczema, and was allergic to a lot of foods until late childhood. What on earth were they doing? :eek:

OMG!! My MIL is a BIG, BIG advocator of the beef/lamb/chicken juice from the pan..dh has had eczema all his life..
& how do you actually get a 4 weeks old baby to eat with a spoon?? those women must have found it pretty stressful.

[LuLu]

That timeline was really amazing.

I have exclusively breastfed my bub for the last 5 months and only just started her on 'solids' this week - just rice cereal mixed with either breastmilk or cooled boiled water in the morning and late afternoon - I started just past 5 months because she was grabbing at my spoon while I was eating and it was really to satisfy her curiosity more than anything else. I had wanted to wait until 6 months but judging by her behaviour she was really telling me she was interested. I'll sticking to the low allergenic food at the moment though, just rice cereal and working from there after 6 months.

[reAllytee]

how do you actually get a 4 weeks old baby to eat with a spoon?? those women must have found it pretty stressful.

I certainly dont advocate it but some babies lose their tongue thrust reflexs early i know mine did but that was at 12wks & it wasnt long after that, that we started on rice cereal. Again not advocating it but all babies are different.
The reason we have a lot of trouble with allergies nowadays etc is because of how things are processed so if there is an allergy try to go organic if possible & steer clear of anything containing too many preservatives etc keep it simple.
Always remember you know your bubs best if you feel its best to hold off solids or a particular fruit or veggie then do it ! Mums know best :)

[red apple]

Hi

I went and saw a dietitian about introducing foods to bub. She's given me an excellent schedule. Which veg to introduce when. Citrus, berries and kiwifruit, wait til one year. All forms of dairy, wheat and soy won't be introduced until 1 year, eggs 2, nuts and fish at 5.

At the mo I'm avoiding dairy, eggs, nuts and fish so he won't be sensitised through the breastmilk. So long as I am breastfeeding I have to do this. It's boring for me, and while it's easy at home as I cook from scratch, when I go to other peoples places I have to vet the food. Same for restaurants. It's hard as I say "no this, no that" and inspite of saying no nuts, I get a salad dished up with pesto on it! Grrrrrrrrr.

Bub has tested neg for allergens so far in skin prick tests and RAST. Doesn't exlain why his torso front and back are covered in eczema. But for safely sake I'll do the late introduction of food as once its done, you can't take it back!

[Oscar's mum]

Bub has tested neg for allergens so far in skin prick tests and RAST. Doesn't exlain why his torso front and back are covered in eczema. But for safely sake I'll do the late introduction of food as once its done, you can't take it back!


Those skin prick tests are not 100% accurate until bub is much older - I believe it's either 3 or 4!;)

[reAllytee]

Hi

I went and saw a dietitian about introducing foods to bub. She's given me an excellent schedule. Which veg to introduce when. Citrus, berries and kiwifruit, wait til one year. All forms of dairy, wheat and soy won't be introduced until 1 year, eggs 2, nuts and fish at 5.

At the mo I'm avoiding dairy, eggs, nuts and fish so he won't be sensitised through the breastmilk. So long as I am breastfeeding I have to do this. It's boring for me, and while it's easy at home as I cook from scratch, when I go to other peoples places I have to vet the food. Same for restaurants. It's hard as I say "no this, no that" and inspite of saying no nuts, I get a salad dished up with pesto on it! Grrrrrrrrr.

Bub has tested neg for allergens so far in skin prick tests and RAST. Doesn't exlain why his torso front and back are covered in eczema. But for safely sake I'll do the late introduction of food as once its done, you can't take it back!

That sounds like a good schedule ! Boring for you unfortunately but as you said its for the best :)
Good luck & as O's mum said those tests arent always 100% i think the blood tests would be better (?) maybe im wrong though :o

[red apple]

Niether the RAST blood tests nor the skin prick tests are 100 percent accurate at any time. There can be false positives and false negatives. At best, they can be a guide.

What I was relieved about is that for the interim, I don't have to also avoid soy and wheat whilst breastfeeding. More dietary elimination would do my head in.

Bub's being retested in 4 months. Fingers crossed. See how we go.

[elissas]

DS was getting dry patches of skin all over his body, so I cut out sugar from my diet (only had sugar in my tea), and his skin cleared up within a week! And I've lost 3 kilos since :thumbsup:

He went on a bit of a booby strike the second day, but it didn't last long, and he even appeared to have some signs of withdrawl :eek: