3 months too early for solids????

[Goddess_Mamma]

Hi all

My bubba is three months old and has had one solid feed a day (baby cereal, formula and pureed fruit) for about a week now. My mother suggested that I give him a solid feed as he had cut back on his feeds per day from 5 to 4. He handled it very well, for the first feed he didnt try to suck the food at all - no tounge flicking. After he was fine in the next 24 I decided to give him another feed the next day, now he opens his mouth for the spoon. He also opens his mouth like he wants food when its time for his solid feeds.

while I havent noticed any ill effects and he is very happy to eat his solid feeds I cant help but worry because CAFS say not to feed a baby anything but milk until at least 4 months. AM I doing the right thing and what ill effects would he have if he wasnt ready?? What age did your kids have their first solid feeds???

[OM]

In my opinion I think that introducing solids before 6 months isn't really the way to go.

A babies digestive system isn't mature enough before 6 months to be able to cope with the demands solids make on it

I have never used formula before so I don't really know a great deal about it but I think you will find that most babies formula or breastfed will sometimes cut back on feeds and then pick up on feeds. My DS some days has 8 feeds a day others 3 it really does vary.

Does you bub have approx 8 wet nappies a day still? If not I would really look at giving bub another bottle.

I know some babies show signs of wanting solids earlier that 6 months (mine did) but I waited and it didn't have any affect on him whatsoever having to wait longer.

Introducing solids early may also cause allergies (if not cause at least bring allergies to a head that you may be able to deal with better when bub is a bit older).

[poshBecks]

Yeah, I would have to say that 3 months is probably a bit too early!! I started ds on solids when he was 6 mnths. He was on formula... I just gave him more milk at each feed. That tied him over... :p

[pegasus]

As Becky and Oscar's mum have said - babies cut back on feeds at times in their development and pick up through others.

I went to a workshop run by a speech pathologist and a dietician and the recommendation was no solids till bub's about 6months (they said the trend was moving away from 4months). They said that some bub's will have them earlier, but there's certain readiness signs (like doubling their birth weight and losing tongue thrust - these are the ones I remember). It was all to do with digestion development and motor development (sitting was another good sign).

Probably the best advice is to find a Child health nurse you trust, or if you're worried about whether bub is getting enough nutrition, (and how to give it), Dieticians are pretty good.

Most of all don't worry about the fact that we're saying we did different to you with our bubs - check out things for yourself (with a professional), every bub is different.

[reAllytee]

Well im going to give a slightly different view to the other posts here.
My son at 8wks was very unsettled & i was having other problems which i had to go to a pediatrician about id had to stop breastfeeding as he had a tongue tie & he was also biting my nipples drawing blood. He advised that as he was such a big baby that he possibly wasnt getting enough from the milk & to try a little rice cereal in his bottle.
From that day forward bubs was way more settled & even started sleeping through.
Then yet again at 3mths he became unsettled & wasnt content with his feeds he was screaming the house down for more milk every one or two hours i was being run ragged. So like you i started on a little rice cereal as a meal to which he took to immediately. He had no tongue thrust & he never once rejected it. I continued this for another month before i then went onto him having it for two meals.
My clinic nurse wasnt overly impressed but as he was thriving not much could be said. She just advised to stick to the rice cereal to which i did until 4mths when i started introducing fruit & veggies.
My boy is now 8mths old & is still big for his age as he is the size of an average 12mth old but he isnt overweight as he is so long it all evens out.
In my mothers group i also had a mum with a daughter who like me started early with no major dramas as her daughter started rejecting milk she also has thrived.
That being said i cant say its a good thing or a bad thing as i think each baby is different & you should be able to know whats suitable for your son. Just make sure you also talk to bubs doctor & even your clinic nurse if you have one just in case there may be other reasons bubs isnt wanting his milk.

[sasholi]

Allyoo. Your bub was born on same day as mine! A beautiful boy too.

[reAllytee]

One of the best days to be born of course !
:)

[cosmic]

I cant help but worry because CAFS say not to feed a baby anything but milk until at least 4 months.

Hi Goddess Mamma, I am 100% with the other mums who have said 3mths is too early. I believe their digestive system just isn't yet ready to handle solid foods and while our health professionals say 4mths, my understanding is that the WHO actually recommends 6mths. Australia is just a bit slow coming into line with those guidelines but they will.

[aardvark]

I agree with the others who have said it is too early.

The guidelines have moved in recent years from 4months to 6months.

That said, though, if you really must feed him solids, stick with the rice cereal, as it is less likely to cause allergies than other foods. Personally if I was in your situation, I'd be looking at the Organic Rice Cereals, because that way you know there are no other nasties in it at such a young age.

I know with #2, I felt like the worlds meanest mum, because at 5 months #2 would get excited when we sat down to a meal if she was with us at the table - at cafes etc - and of course she got nix, and would be watching us eat every mouthful. That passes soon enough. Now she's nearly 5 years old, and I'm still trying to get her off rice cereal! She still asks for it when we go shopping.

[Ffrenchknickers]

Another one than agrees it is too early. However, youve already started so I would definately think about using only organic food and keeping the food really simple....at the end of the day, you probably wont have any dramas - of course you just want what is best for your precious bubba:)

[Megansmum]

I should probably give you a little bit of my history first. By the time my DD was three months old my DH was in hospital having his first of two by-pass operations. So due to stress, I wasn't producing enough breastmilk to get her through the day therefore she wasn't sleeping at night. DD is now 8 months old.

At three and half months after trying to get her to take a bottle of formula in the afternoon I had to introduce solid food. DD just would not drink formula.

Now I am not saying that this is right, but her first feed was "Vita brits" crushed and dissolved in a tablespoon of milk and water and then heated, Vita brits are a single grain cereal similar to farex, but they are just wheat. She suffered no ill effects and then starting sleeping through the night. No constipation either. She still has her Vita brits today. I also did this in consultation with my CHN.

Due to circumstances I just wasn't producing enough milk. Though I did continue to breast feed DD except one feed a day. I would sit beside the hospital bed and just let her suckle even if it was for half an hour in the hope of stimulating my supply.

DD is now on two to three solid feeds a day, a mixture of meat, chicken, veges and fruit something different every day. Though still breast fed. I am now producing enough milk, though I did find that taking Blackmore's Pregnancy and breastfeeding formula helped a great deal in putting some nutrient into my milk as I wasn't exactly feeding myself properly there for a while.

I feel that if you are comfortable with what you doing, Ok. But then upon saying that I would have enjoyed being able to breast feed my DD for the entire first six months if circumstances had allowed it.

I hope that you find the answer you are looking for, what ever your decision. :D

[Irish Dad]

My 3 kids have all been on solds from about 15 weeks with no ill effects that I know of, mums the expert so thats all I gotta say on the topic. Shes 21 weeks now and has 2 spoon feeds a day and 2 rusks after her bath at night in her bottle then sleeps for 12 hours throung the night as she has from birth. :D But each mother has to make her own choices thats just my views.

[Jenko]

I started feeding my DD solids at 4 months on advise from my GP, she was a little small. (she still is petite) I had trouble breast feeding and was topping up with formula for some feeds. I kept it very simple till she was 6 mnths. (rice cereal, pumpkin and a little pureed apple or pear).

I have friends that started feeding solids at 3 months with no problems. Every bub and mum is different and I'm sure you will do what you think is best.

[rynosmum]

I started offering DS a taste of food when he was about 4 months old. I only offered it after a breastfeed so he would get his fill and nutrients from the milk first. He enjoyed it so much that we experimented with different tastes quite early but kept it as a treat after his milk for the first couple of months.

I remember my mum telling me that her generation wa encouraged to start solids at 6 weeks :eek: . I just don't know how any bub could be ready for it by then !

Just keep in mind that the nutrients that bubs needs comes from the milk at this age - anything else is a treat but a stable requirement. :)

[alicesmum]

i have found several research articles that show it's not so much about the exact age of the child (4 mths, 5 mths, 6 mths) but the developmental progress of your child. if they are not showing interest in food at 4 months, then you should stick to milk. however, Alice was showing plenty of signs that she was developmentally ready for food at 4 months. she had 2 teeth, was keenly interested in it, seemed to know exactly what to do (no tongue flicking, opening her mouth etc) and absolutely loved it. in fact she had started showing signs of interest at 3.5 months and so even then, she was given little tastes of fruit off our finger tip.

i think a single rule such as "6 months" is somewhat abitrary and this is what my GP said as well. they all toilet train and walk at slightly different ages, so of course they are going to be ready for solids at slightly different ages too.

Alice has had no ill effects whatsoever from being started on solids at 4 months. my DH was started on solids at 6 weeks and hasn't got a single allergy in the world, so there are no hard and fast rules about what will happen if you don't follow the CHNs advice to the tee. You have to trust what you feel is right too.

I wouldn't worry too much Goddess-Mamma!!! :p

[Shazbutt]

Like some of the other mums here, i started DD1 on solids at about 3 1/2 months, a she was fussing for a feed about every 2 hours and not showing very much interest in her milk (bottle fed). I only had her on 1 feed a day for a couple of weeks (just rice cereal and a little pear or similar), and then upped it to 2 feeds for a couple more weeks, the 3 etc. She is 2 1/2 now, and has had no problems...I have also just started DD2 with solids as well (for the same reasons), she has been having one feed a day for the last 2-3 weks, and i'm just starting on 2 feeds a day. They both had no signs of the tongue reflex, and were gulping it off the spoon.

I think that as some of the other mums have previously said, every bub is different....though if they're not really having any problems, or wanting more to eat, then its probably unneccesary to start just yet. I only started mine, as they both just got so hungry an would not take any moe milk.

GOOD LUCK!

[stormanet]

Hiya :)

We started at 4 months.. so a little after you. I'd recommend this book for you to have a read of... Gina Ford "contented little baby book of weaning". It is excellent. Her philosophy is that if you introduce bub to a range of vegies etc from 4 months then you shouldn't have the problems of a fussy eater. It is so far proving right for us. Christopher is now 7 and a half months and eating everything we do.. and to be honest he is eating more vegies than I do and some vegies that I won't eat. If your doc doesn't have probs with the solids.. and baby isn't showing side effects then go for it. There is some issue about processing stuff and their kidneys having problems if they are having solids too early ... the book covers it in chapter one :)

I'd really recommend the book as it specifically outlines the vegies to try and how to wean bub from bottles from 4 months onwards... excellent resource.

k

[Milly]

I agree with most other posters about 3 months being too young. Not only is it to do with their immature digestive system, but also, at three months they are not even sitting up yet and still have tongue thrust which is nature's way of protecting the baby from foreign 'chokeable/gaggable' matter. That is when they thrust the food out. Hence, a baby is really designed to have milk feeds until 6 months of age (give ot take. Some mums don't introduce solids until 9-11 months of age depending on the allergy history of the family).

Additionally, it is not how it can effect them now, but the effects are seen when they grow up or are adults in regards to allergies, food intolerances and so forth. You may not see the signs now, but you are more than likely to see them later. So that is something to think about too.

So, personally, I would stick to milk feeds or as you have introduced anyway, go rather conservatively with it.

All the best with it!

[Goddess_Mamma]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Like I said before, he's lost his tongue thrust, he opens his mouth for the spoon,is teething and likes eating his baby cereal so I Im going to continue feeding him 1 solid feed a day after having all the bottle that he will have.