Anyone Delaying Solids Until After 12 Months?

Feed solids when the child wants and never any sooner some baby's will grab for food as early has 2 months but some will go over the age of one and still only want the breast as long as you are both health you are doing the right thing.
I just told my DR. the baby didn't want the food and they didn't.

with my first, i went with solids at 3.5 months old, the second, 2 months old. they are healthy and fine, adding that the second bf'd till almost a yr. why anyone would delay until a year is beyond me, especially for the reasons cited. there are ways to deal with this and could have been dealt with at that time. instead you now a 9 month old with an issue. at the very least, if you don't want to do baby food, then do table food that is baby friendly. by 9 months old, my second one was inhaling much of what we were eating from the table. the practice is important NOW not later.

My son is now 21 (years not months)and very healthy. I did not feed him any solids until he was 12 months and boy did I catch a lot of flak. He was eleven pounds twelve onces at birth and everyone thought I was starving him. He was prefectly content and healthy and my doctor agreed. He said he would be less likely to develope food allergies later in life. Hang in there.

H.,
I am convinced that pediatricians for the most part have their own agenda. Listen to your heart do research and YOU decide what is right for your child. The doctor is with your baby for 3-5 mins every couple of months....what would make you think they know best? As long as she is meeting her milestones and growing at a consistant "normal" rate don't worry.
I have learned the hard way that MOM knows best and doctors are great when you need them for "sick" visits if you have any, I lucklily have not had any problems with illness!
When your baby is ready for solids consider making them your self, I did and it's easy inexpensive and very rewarding.
GOOD LUCK!
J.

H.,

I have 3 kids, and have always heard to start babies on solids between 4-6 months. This doesn not mean to stop breastfeeding, just to introduce rice cereal w/ some fruit a couple times a day. You would still be breastfeeding a LOT. You could even mix your breastmilk with the rice cereal. I have always heard that babies who are not fed solids between 4-6 months have a higher risk of getting diabetes later in life. Plus, I feel that babies want and need to eat - not just drink.

My friend did this, mainly because she really enjoys breastfeeding. Her child is now almost 2 and is doing fine. She's small for her age, but completely normal otherwise -- talks, sings, dances, etc. She did get a very slow start with solids, and still doesn't eat a wide variety of foods, and still primarily breastfeeds. Its not something I would want to do myself, but my friend is very happy with her decision and feels it was the right one for her and her baby.

My second daughter was not interested in solids until 12 months. She did really well up to that point in terms of development, but then at her 15 mo appt. we found that she hadn't gained any weight. I realized that when we did start solid food, I was feeding her similarly to my older daughter at 6 mos. So, I upped the feedings of solid food to 5 times/day and gave her a vitamin supplement. She is doing great now.

Honestly, it's entirely up to you and not your pediatrician what you feed your child. Breastmilk is the perfect food and there's nothing wrong with not giving solids until the child is 1+. And, you don't need to feed your child "processed" foods which is what that rice cereal is. Breastmilk does have iron as long as the mother is not iron deficient - some breastfeeding mamas do need to continue with prenatal vitamins to keep iron levels up. But, don't let them tell you that breastmilk doesn't have iron - it has everything your baby needs. The iron levels may be lower by scientific analysis, but it's all assimilated versus the stuff they add to processed foods. My younger son breastfed exclusively until about 9 mos. At that time, he showed interest in what we were eating at dinner. So, we just gave him small amounts of that -i.e., cutup veggies, rice, mashed potatoes, etc. He never really ate baby food. Both my sons are not picky eaters and I think it's because they've always eaten what their parents have - they have no concept that kids eat different than adults. So, just listen to your instincts - mama "rules" in terms of what's best for her baby.

I am not delaying solids, but have dealt with the constipation issue. My son had problems with hardened poop since he was just a few months old. The doctor recommended prune juice to help soften things up a bit. It worked very well. Once he started solids it actually continued to get better. He eats a lot of fruits and vegetables which keeps him regular. I am not sure if you are pumping or not, but another option may be to mix your breast milk with the rice cereal to help with the transition.

I think ultimately, you need to follow your instincts (plus a few doctors orders) and make the decision you think is best for your little one.

H. - take heart that you are the best mommy your little one could have! I've done tons of research on everything being a first time "older" mom. Opinions are like "you know what" - everyone has one. The one thing I have found consistent in all the literature is that all babies are unique and do things on their own schedule. If your little one isn't interested in solids yet and is thriving on breast milk alone - then keep doing it! Unfortunately, I didn't produce enough milk and had to stop breastfeeding when my daughter was 2.5 months. We tried solids at 5 months and she wasn't ready. We tried again at 6 months and she loved it - but that is her unique style. While teething she wants less solids and more formula. She's healthly, happy, and thriving. What more could a mommy hope for? Hang in there!

Years ago, one of my friends delayed solids on her son until after 12 months...he was strictly breastfed. I think the thing that bothered me about it was that after about the age of nine months, he was STARVING all of the time. He would watch us eat and we weren't allowed to give anything to him! And, he wanted to eat!!! He cried and cried all of the time. The doctors told her he needed more than just breast milk but she didn't believe it, she always attributed his fussiness to teething....yet, he was more fussy than any baby I've seen at that age (although he was a very calm and docile baby before the age of six months). He was a plump baby up until about six or seven months and then he was extremely thin. By the time he was one year old, he looked sickly....he needed more nutrition than his mom's breastmilk could provide him! Finally, my friend had her breastmilk tested (when her son was about eleven months) and discovered that it had broken down so much over the months that it was close to being water (if I remember correctly it was only 25% nutritional). So, if you are going to try and just breastfeed until the age of twelve months, at the very least you need to have your milk checked every month to make sure your little girl is getting the nutrition she needs!

All babies who are starting food struggle with constipation. Their bodies just have to figure out how to digest this new type of food in their bodies. I'm sure they would have this problem whether they were six months at first introduction or two years!

From my own experience, cooking food and pureeing it causes less constipation than jars of baby food! Get yourself a good food processor and puree away!!!

I breastfed my children for approximately 2 years each, and they did not show strong interest in solid foods until about 9 or 10 months, and still preferred nursing until about age 2, gradually working onto solids from about 1 year on. No problems, no constipation before or after, no food issues, no health problems. All thrived.
I don't understand why a pediatrician would "push" for solids at such an early age. Clearly she is not ready for it, and if you look back at ancient wo(man) as a model for our process, nursing was all that was available (no Gerber options, no formula substitutes, no immersion blenders...) so it had to have been okay. It's still the best thing going!

You are doing exactly what you should be doing - listening to your heart. Did you know that the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until your child is a year old? Your doctor won't tell you that - I don't know why - they seem to have their own agenda. Don't force solids if you feel she isn't ready for it. If she is still growing and not nursing constantly 24-hr a day, she's fine. Wait until she shows a lot of interest on her own, and even then, she may not be ready to eat, she may just want to explore and understand what you are doing.

My son was not interested in eating solids until he was almost a year old. We opted to follow the baby-led-weaning model and just kept offering foods and when he was ready, he ate it - and hasn't stopped since. He nursed exclusively until about 11 months, and continued nursing until he was two. He was only nursing at bedtimes for the last 8 months or so, and one day he just stopped asking to nurse. He loved nursing, and I feel great that it was something he gave up on his own, not something that was taken away.

There are two great websites we found about baby-led-weaning that might be of help to you:

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/blw/engels...

http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/

Just keep listening to your heart. You're doing a great job.

As long as your baby is gaining weight at a steady rate - there is no need to start solids. My youngest did not want solids until after 8 months - I breasfed her until 2 1/2. My kids never really did babyfood - they breastfed and then ate what we ate.

You are so right!! Why should you have to give a baby sugar to combat some processed carbs?? I totally disagree with rice cereal for many reasons, and adamantly disagree with babies eating anything at 4 months!! I agree with Mary that you should do it when you feel ready. I would be sure that you had a good iron rich vitamin, and continue to focus on iron rich foods, but other than that, you are the best food out there. I wish I could nurse that long:) I tend to wait until my kids care about food, like Mary said, they want what we have. Then, I give it to them. Avacado is a perfect first food, along with any soft veggies and fruits. Trust yourself, whether you have 1 kid or 4 with one on the way like me, your instinct is perfectly in tact:) ~A.~

I would agree with your ped. You may have worse problems than constipation if your baby doesn't get enough iron. Switch the cereal from rice to oatmeal. That will greatly help.I have twin 18 mos. girls and had some problems with constipation, but gave them some milk of magnesia and they were fine. It's pretty normal since solids are new to the system, but it will end. Also, giving them very watered down juice all day will help with the const. You can continue to breastfeed, but your baby at this age needs more than that. Good luck!

I think you need to start some form of solids just to ensure your child knows how to chew and swallow. Maybe it is some form of fruit or something that is not binding. I have heard of kids that transition to solids and wind up gagging because they have not learned to chew and swallow. They overcome it but you may elivate some stress down the road.

We did for various reasons with my youngest. She is now almost 10 and perfectly healthy.

Moms instincts are best. I nursed all 6 of my kids and food introduction varied w/ each, but most of them did not start until 9 - 10 mo. 2 of the boys went straight to table food (they did not like baby food). If you want to try foods make it yourself. Some great web sites, but don't feel pressured. I actually switched pediatricians w/ my last one --- ignorance to breast feeding and did not breast feed her kids. Hang in there. 3 of ours nursed until they were 4 and are perfectly normal and happy.

I think it is fine to wait. The key to make sure she continues to gain weight. Both of my kids are super big and I would never have been able to produce enough breastmilk for them.

-L.

I think Mary B gave you a really good response. I didn't delay solids until after 12 months, but didn't start them when I was told to (6 months). I waited until my daughter showed interest in what we were eating at 7.5 months, then gave her exactly the same thing. I used a Happy Baby baby food grinder, and ground up literally everything we ate - including homemade pizza! My daughter isn't very picky, and loves her vegetables - likely because we eat lots of veggies. I never once bought baby food (cereal or jar food) for her, just gave her what we have. It took a while for her to be getting more calories from "people food" than from breast milk, but I wasn't worried about that. I think that by her first birthday, she was still getting about 75% of her food intake from breastmilk, but she tried lots of different types of foods - just never made whole meals out of them. At 18 months, I stopped the nighttime breastfeeding, and that is when her daytime eating picked up considerably. She was 25 months when she weaned herself (my goal had been 24 months, so I was happy).

My mother, who is a retired post-partum nurse, said she heard at a breastfeeding conference from a gastroenterologist (!) that babies should not eat solids before they can sit on their own, unsupported. The reason was that by the time they reached that milestone, their digestive system was mature enough to handle solid food. Seems reasonable to me.

I will do the same thing with my 5 month old baby that I did with her big sister - wait until she shows interest in food, and no food before she sits alone.

Our pediatrician will not be happy with me, but I am not concerned about making her happy. I am making a choice for my child that I feel is in her best interest. I am also a "follow the rules" person, but in this case, I have a wicked streak in me that delights in not following the rules. :-)

Best wishes on feeding your baby!

I have 7 month old little girl who is strictly breastfed. I am trying to give her rice cereal but she is just not interested. My pediatrician told me that babies do NOT need anything else but breastmilk for the first year of their life, except by 6 months of age, 3 to 4 tablespoons of rice cereal or an iron supplementation for brain development. I would just follow your mommy insticts. I am not going to beat myself up if my baby is not ready for solids. She is growing and delevoping right where she needs to be. Plus, she is never sick and goes to daycare 3 days a week.

Breast milk is obviously better but like with everything, you must prepare your child for the future or else you will have a hell of a time when you try to wean her and at the same time try something new. It does not work like that.
Start now with little stuff. for constipation, prune juice will always work.

H.,

My kids are grown and we have 11 grandchildren. Since you like breast feeding why don't you try using your breast milk to add to dry rice cereal. Start with about a tablespoon and make it very thin with the breast milk. That will stop the constipation and will get some solid food started.

When you start with the vegetables start with one at a time for about a week at a time. Hope this helps you.

You are finding out what all the rest of us already knew! There are as many opinions out there as there are Mamas...you have to go with your gut on a lot of things, and you will make mistakes. The good thing is, most mistakes are easily remedied. You will not scar your child for life if you start solids now or a month from now. From a developmental standpoint, adding solids is like any other milestone. When you first start out, it's not about the nutrition, it's about exploration and learning. When you approach it from that standpoint, it's a lot less stressful. Constipation is a plague for most all babies and children at some point; have a few items in your arsenal to combat it and your sweet baby will sail through. (Brown sugar is actually just raw cane sugar and perfectly natural. You could find organic in a health food store or Whole Foods. A little brown sugar and water is not a bad thing--there are nutrients found in brown sugar that are processed out of white sugar. You just have to watch the amount. A little goes a long way.) It's also important to follow the baby food rules--add one new food per week. Do not introduce squash one day, then sweet potatoes the next. That way, you can identify any gastrointestinal issues or allergies right away with a particular food. There will be a day when your little one will be sustained solely on solid food, so now is the "training" time to explore tastes, textures so pickiness won't be such a problem later. Just keep up nursing and keep it all in balance. You and your little one will thrive! You are a great Mommy; keep up the good work!

Dear H.,
I love nursing my 9 month old but I have also mixed in solids. My ped was concerned that he would have a hard time switching and she was right. We have dealt with constipation as well, but find that apple juice actually works really well to remedy that. I nurse him in the morning, then he has a jar of fruit. At lunch I give him a veg. and fruit and bottle of juice (I pump to keep up my milk supply). Then at dinner he has a veg and meat along with nursing. He will then nurse at least once more before bed and sometimes during the evening. He really enjoys the variety and I think it will help us transition to "real" food more easily. His body will have an easier time going from just breast milk to solids. But your right, everyone has a different idea, and every baby is different. Good luck!
H.

I went 13 months nursing my daughter. I had my daughter with a mid-wife and was given all the information I needed to make the right choice. Occasionaly she would eat applesauce,oatmeal or veggies but was mostly breast feeding.

Breast milk provides all the nourishment your baby needs as long as you are eating a healthy diet. The nutrients are also broken down to where they are easy for her to absorb, unlike solid food. Anytime I am working with colic in babies it is mostly caused by foods being introduced that babies are not able to break down including milk and soy protein. I use digestive enzymes to aid in breaking down the food and most tummy troubles, constipation and diarrhea are eliminated, but the fact is if the babies were breastfed there might not have been any problems. I have a friend that is a la leche teacher that if you would like to speak with her just email me and I will introduce you. Wishing you the best.
J.
____@____.com

Introduce solids when your child is ready. They will let you know. If she's interested, go ahead. It's really her agenda that needs to be met, not your Drs or anyone else's. We made our own cereals and they were far better than the packaged stuff. Less constipating. And for that, prunes, prune juice, pears, etc are really good. Check out the book Super Baby Foods. It's really a good reference.

I think introducing solids before a year benefits your child more from a developmental perspective than a nutritional perspective. Kids are more receptive to trying different textures and tastes when they are introduced earlier, and kids learn a lot of fine motor skills by learning to feed themselves.

Yes, until about 11 months. They don´t even need water or cereal or juice. Your milk is enough!
then start with avacado, banana, and maybe unsweetened cherrios so their fingers can learn to pick up the food.
Call LaLetche' League if you need support.
V.

Rice cerel, banana, apples and toast are all things they tell you to give to a child with the runs. It is called the B.R.A.T. Diet. Why then this is (with the exculsion of toast) the first things that we are told to try to give our children is beyond me. They are binding foods and cause constipation quite easily. Whatever you do, the buck stops with you. You are the one that deals with it all, not the doctor. If she is growing just fine don't stress over it. I also make our baby food and it might be a little harder then just opening up a jar but then I know exactly what my kids are eating not to mention WAY cheaper.

One of the reasons they want you to introduce solids is so that she will develop the muscles in her mouth to be able to chew and talk correctly. (they are different than the muscles used to suck). It is also recommended so that she learns about a variety of textures and tastes- and will hopefully be a less picky eater.

The decision is ultimately yours, but it is natural that children stop nursing as much as they get closer and closer to 1 year of age.

Wow I see you have tons of responses for you to have posted this today! I didn't read through them all, but I'll tell you what I learned through my breastfeeding time. After a while, your breastmilk becomes almost like skim milk and does not give the baby all of the nutrients he/she needs. This usually happens around that 4-5 month mark, and you can easily tell by the lighter color of your milk. Do keep nursing because that's extremely important, but the reason that she cut back is because, just like us, when we eat we drink less. That's how it's supposed to be. She should still be nursing fine, though, because she will at least be thirsty. I do think that it could cause serious problems nutritionally if you don't give her some other types of foods, but I'm not a dr.

What I did was nurse on one side, then feed the solid foods. I would wait a little while (not way too long) and nurse again on the other side. This kept my milk up, and he got nutrients from both food and my milk.

Good luck mama!

Hi H.,
I have four children and each were different in their dietary needs. First, if you do solids and baby gets constipated, do not give rice or bananas. Both are very binding and will cause that in some babies. Give her oatmeal instead. You can make the oatmeal with breastmilk so she will be getting something she is used to with a little bit of something new. I have bever heard of brown sugar water and I think that is crazy, if anything, add pure apple juice or prunes. All kids are different and really as a mom my best advice is always go with your gut. If your dr. says something that doesn't sound quite right follow up with research of your own. I had two children that got very constipated and that was the best solution I found for them. Good luck!
P.

You are getting some good advice. 6 months is what my pedi had me start my kids on solids. I started them on rice cereal about 2 1/2 months. I would be afraid my delaying the solids that you would be nrsing all hours of the night still. If he is worried about her iron why doesn't he have you give her the iron Provisol. Good luck in what you decided to do. Here is a link I found for you. I hope it helps.
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm

Stop giving her rice cereal it will most definitly constipate her buy her oat meal cereal it will keep her bowls open and its much more healthy than the rice. Also don't give her corn , bananas or meat until one year of age all of those will constipate her. If u think you baby is constpated give her pears or pear juice or maybe apple juice. Your baby needs to eat soilds at this age just stay away from the ones that constipates her. Just give her one jar a day just the small stage one jars and I promise u she will continue to nurse! Good Luck!!

I don't think anyone mentioned this... I tried to read thru most but there was so many. In regards to her not breatfeeding as much, she's not going to after the solids b/c she's getting more full then she's use to on just breast milk. I breastfed all of my kids until 12 months and I was also concerned that they would stop nursing they slowed down a little at first but after they got use to the routine it picked back up. My youngest had a big problem with constipation when I introduced solids.. Try mixing in some prunes with the rice cereal.

My pedi strongly recommends no solids until 6months, and then he does not like baby foods, he recommends just table foods cooked soft, mashed up,etc. I agree with what most people are saying: the eating solids before 1 year is important for many reasons. Developmentally, they learn that eating is social and by this age they want to be part of the action; it is also important to strengthen oral structures for speech and eating later in life (you wouldn't think it's a skill to learn to eat from a spoon, but it is; I had the most difficult time teaching my youngest to get his tongue out of the way). Additionally, nutrition wise, research does show that exposure to a variety of foods and flavors can make for a less picky eater, and after a year of age, babies are much less likely to try "new" things (even if it's the same food like baby food but in a new form like the solid table food version). Plus, breastmilk does begin to lose some of it's value at this age. I breastfed both my boys for 1 year, and I also pumped occasionally. My milk the first 3 months was much richer and creamier, and after 6-9 months it was much more watery and bluish, a much thinner/less rich consistency; so the baby does benefit from some nutrition outside of breastmilk as well as all the benefits breastmilk provides. In my opinion, best of both worlds. Besides, you could always offer her solids only once or twice a day, and try to stay primarily with breastfeeding for a little longer. Good luck with your decision.

hey! typin w/1 hand mama but I didn't feed my oldest until JUST before her 1st bday - if you've got the boob juice - that's good enough:) Keep givin' that baby the best! Rice cereal is a carb turned into sugar - that means empty calories for a tiny person - and constipation galore! Give that baby what he needs - YOU!

I am not a rule follower and I loved breastfeeding. When I went back to work, I pumped twice a day and at lunch went and nursed her. It was a very special time. Babies will let you know when they need more. For instance, my daughter would sit with us at the table and I would offer her food. If she ate, fine. If not, fine too. The primary was the breast milk for the first 13 months, supplemental until about 16 months. But there is no right thing. It is what is best for your child. Don't listen to the doctors or me. Listen to your baby and trust your choices. Good luck and have fun. Its a special time.

You really want to try to get her to eat solids between 6-9 months so that she doesn't develop a food aversion (a refusal to eat solids later on). Try avacodos, mashed bananas, sweet potatoes, and YoBaby yogurt. We always had good success with those :)

well guess what? i have 3 kids. the oldest is 5, second is 3 and my baby is 11 months. i did not give my first two kids anything solid till they were 12 months+ only breastmilk. my baby has not yet eaten anything solid in her life. all my babies were chubby full healthy babies. my baby now weighs 11 kg exclusively nursing! my older 2 kids are very good eaters. i would love to know if there has been research cos i do wonder if i am depriving them even though their weight have been great and blood tests all normal. i do give iron drops.

My last child didn't eat solid foods right away, at my 4 month check up she didn't say anything about introducing solids, so at 6 months when she asked how he was doing, I was like, I haven't started. He hated baby food, I gave him cereal a couple of times but that was just a waste, he didn't like it. He didn't get his teeth in just a couple and that wasn't until after 9 months old. So he would want to eat like us grownups but couldn't. I did however, let him suck on a chicken bone. I had a lot of older mothers tell me that it's good for his teeth as well as calcium in it.
My older two kids were mainly bottle fed and I had a lot of constipation problems with both of them with too much iron. So I don't know how something that is suppose to be so healthy for a baby can cause so much pain, we've all had belly ache from eating, how much more intense must it be for a baby and a doctor tell you give him/her an enema.
Besides breastfeeding they baby is getting a lot of great foods from you.
God Bless!

I recently heard that delaying foods could have a correlation to food allergies because children's bodies need to be exposed to different types of foods at a young age(not before 4 months). I don't know the research behind this, but it is cetainly worth asking about or doing a little research yourself.

Lots of great advice, but I did want to add my two cents too, so you know you aren't alone with your decisions.

As a mom, you always have to do what you think is best, and even if that means disagreeing with your child's doctor. I always think it's a great idea to educate yourself so you know what options are out there.

I have four kids--and all of them were primarily breast fed for the first year.

My oldest was never interested in baby food, and sampled them, but it was more on a trial basis, and once in a blue moon, he preferred to nurse. I weaned him at 20-21 months old. He of course was eating real food by this time, drinking whole milk, etc.

My oldest daughter was very interested in variety of foods, not just nursing. So she was the one who ate more baby foods and table foods etc and that's okay too. She also weaned early as well (16 months)

Baby #3, our second girl, was primarily breast fed until 1 year as well. She would do some baby foods, but we pretty much transitioned right into eating the same foods as everyone else. She did love the gerber food snacks. She weaned at 28 months.

Baby #4 (our third girl) was breast fed primarily for the first year, although she did to sample table food. She had zero interest in baby food/jar foods. It wasn't until she was closer to her year mark that she was interested more in eating though. She is also still nursing at night a bit before bedtime, she will be 2 1/2 next month and she does not want to give that up yet...it's mostly for comfort at this point, but still there is nothing wrong with extended nursing as well, just in case you decide it's right for you and your baby.

Just another tidbit: Kids who start solids too early can be prone to have problems with obesity and food allergies.

Just remember, do what feels right for you and your baby. The fact that's she's happy and healthy tells you all you need to know. And if your pediatrician tries to make you feel guilty for your decisions, maybe you should find a more flexible doctor.

Hi H.,

It sounds like you might want to find a ped. that supports your thoughts on feeding your baby. My little boy started solids early ~ 4 months, but at 9 months he still doesn't really eat meals. He hated cereal and gets most of his nutrition from breastmilk. His doctor thinks its fine and that the cereal is not necessary, just customary in our society. However, the sugar water suggestion sounds like a terrible idea to me, I have given my son some sweet stuff, but giving sugar water to a baby sounds ridiculous to me - esp coming from a doctor.

My son had constipation at one point in time when I tried to start him on meals when he was 6 or 7 months old. I took him off solids too. I would just give your daughter food when she seems interested and hungry. Also, If you are worried about iron, you might want to try taking a supplement yourself. I started my little boy on Poly-vi-sol and it bothered his belly.

I delayed solids with my first born. She didn't eat solids until she was one. I nursed her for 27 months. She was mainly breastfeed until then. Now she is a very healthy 11 years old! She is one of the tallest girls in her 5th grade and she is at a healty weight. Now my second child was different. I fed her at 4 months. I nursed her until her 2nd birthday. I treated them differently because they are two totally different kids! I loved nursing my girls and I felt a little sad at stopping Emilie at two she is my last baby, but I have health problems and I am on medications. Now she is potty training. She turned two on March 3rd. Don't let people scare you into thinking you have to start solids right away. It didn't hurt my Lilian! My Emilie ate whatever she wanted also. I think babyfood is a marketing gimick!!

H.,

Congrats on breastfeeding so long and going with your gut! It's hard enough being a first time mom without all of the mixed advice, especially from your doctor. Our pediatrician started pushing solids at 4 months because our daughter had reflux, but we waited till after 6 months and went very slow. By 8 or 9 months, my daughter was extremely interested in our food and was getting upset when we ate in front of her without giving her something if she was hungry. She's almost 11 months now and I am still breastfeeding her 3 times a day and feeding her pumped milk 1 other time. (I have to pump to keep up my milk anyway.) My point is that your daughter will let you know when she's ready for food. You might not think so, but one day you'll notice that she is watching you eat wide-eyed...it's kind of funny actually.

As far as your pediatrician goes, I am so tired of doctors pushing the AAP guidelines on me! You see your baby every day; the doc sees her once in a while. Try a new doctor if you feel stressed out by their advice. There are doctors out there that support breastfeeding. You could get an iron test for your daughter if you're concerned about the iron levels, but as others mentioned, you are probably fine, especially if you're taking your vitamins.

I have a cookbook that has recipes for making your own cereals without the added iron. They are very easy to do. It's called Simply Natural Baby Food by Cathe Olson.

Also, there are other theories on what to feed your baby first. Check out this link: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/first-foods.html
She includes a lot of info, including the LaLeche League list. Bananas are on there, but I agree with others that you should hold off on those till your daughter is used to eating other foods--very constipating! My daughter loved ripe avocado in the beginning.

Good luck!

My almost ten year old did not start solids until about 14-15 months. Even though she was a premie, she still didn't even catch her first cold or flu until she was 2 1/2 years old. Which I attribute to the breast milk, and NOT starting her on solids. Do what you feel is right for your child. Follow your instincts.

My son had NOTHING but breastmilk until 13 1/2 months!! And it's, in my opinion, the most superior nutrition ever is to do breastmilk only for one full year. After that, we are doing only fruits and veggies and breastmilk until his second birthday! M., you're right on! Don't listen to others (even your pediatrician's) advice on nutrition- your baby is plump and healthier than other babies eating junk. Keep up the great work! I highly recommend the books "Medical Heretic" and more importantly "Raising a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor." Send me a message anytime if you're into all-natural living!!

H., I haven't read your other responses, but just make sure you are adding some vitamins to the breastmilk (poly-vi-sol is a good one) as breastmilk doesn't have near enough iron. I ebf'd triplets for 1 year so I support your love for breastfeeding but she needs that iron.

Good luck!

good for you for doing what you know to be best for your little one!
i didn't read the other responses, but one more thing i urge you to do: fire that ped! the info you have received from that office is nothing short of horrendous for a breastfeeding mother and a background of dietary issues. it would lead me to question every other bit of advice they offer...
and to answer your question: yes -- i delayed solids (except for a taste of something here and there) until my daughter was around a year.

The desicion is yours but I would definitely try and give some solids soon...Like other posters said, its not just for nutrition, its also for learning how to chew and getting used to different textures and tastes. I waited a little too long and unfortunately I think I made a picky eater. I waited longer on my first child and she has a hard time trying new foods and is very picky (she's now 8). For my other kids (4 year old twins) I tried foods earlier and they are great eaters.
Also, the constipation will happen any time you change from one kind of diet to another. Even when you switch formulas that usually happens. Once they get used to having different foods, their tummies will settle.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

Bravo to you H. for listening to your mommy instincts here! That isn't always easy, especially as a first time mom. My mom said I wasn't really interested in solids until I was over a year. I just mostly had breastmilk and I have no problems chewing or talking! It takes a lot of muscles for a baby to suck effectively so I think your daughter's muscles will probably develop fine. With my dd (my second) she was 90% bf and only 10% solids until right at a year when she got about 7 teeth almost at once. Then she started eating more solids than breastmilk. She is two today and still gets breastmilk "snacks." Nutritionally, your daughter is fine (actually you can't get anything better!) with breastmilk. It is a complete food. I would however occassionally offer her mashed or minced (whatever is appropriate for her age and ability) table foods. I'm not clear on how old she is, but if she's over 9 months I would start this. Just skip that nasty jarred stuff. I would defintely skip the cereals. There is nothing there nutritionally, in most of them, and you are just replacing nutritious breastmilk with almost empty calories. I think the doctor giving you advice that is old school advice, especially for a baby as young as your daughter was when the doc. recommended it. I would have really drawn the line at the suggestion of sugar water too. There are tons of books and recipes on the web for homemade baby food if you want to go that route. Otherwise just give her tastes of what you are eating as long as it is healthy. I pretty much skipped baby food altogether & just gave dd table foods to try. Here is a great website, www.kellymom.com that may have some great info. for you on breastfeeding and solids. Also, check out Dr. Sears' website. My pedi is very supportive. She is in Arlington. If you'd like more info. on her and/or have any more questions about my advice feel free to send me a message.

Most importantly, keep listening to your instincts! You are the number 1 expert on your child!

My oldest son is now 20 but his ped. did not want me to feed him anything until he was 1 year. Everyone thought he would starve to death. He weighed 21 lbs at 6 months and was always well above the growth chart on height. He is now 6'3" tall and a Dean's List student in college so I must have done something right. The only problems we ever had with no solids was from other people. Once we introduced solids he had teeth and we didn't really have to do that baby food stage. As long as you are nursing the baby should get everything it needs. Good luck and follow your own instincts not peer pressure.

You should check out Mothering Magazine. I did move to solids when my little one was about 4 months old, and she seemed to really like them. But, Mothering will probably help you find other moms who delay solids until 1 year.
Good luck with it! It sounds like your little one is fine.

Have you read the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding? This might help you decide. Besides, if your baby's iron is the only worry, then I would probably give iron drops. Good luck.

I have not done this (I have an 8 month old); however, my infant was not interested in solids really until 7 months. I just kind of went with the flow. I do sometimes eliminate solids from her diet if she has dry stools. I am using formula now; however, I just instruct her caregiver to make formula the priority to ensure that she is getting enough liquid. This is my second and my first baby loved solids and milk. I did breastfeed her a little longer; however, it is just different with this one. She just eats differently. Anyway, I would look at the breastmilk as the main source of food and provide solids as icing on the cake! My understanding from my pedi is that formula/breastmilk is the priority and the solids is like dessert!

With my oldest, I didn't start solids until 9 months and he didn't eat much more than a jar of baby food a day until after 12.

I'd ask the pediatrician for a CBC on the baby - specifically, you want to know if the baby is anemic - the purpose for the iron fortified cereal. If baby's iron is good and his RBC is normal, I'd do what I felt was best for my baby. Breastmilk has less iron than formula, but it is three times as bio-available - the baby can digest it.

Oh - sugar water for constipation - just works to pull water into the intestine, like MOM and fleets suppositories. It's not likely to make your baby a sugar junkie. If you feel better about it, though - straight grape juice accomplishes the same thing.

Allergies run heavy in my family, and my oldest was specifically cursed - no wheat, no dairy, no citrus foods (including tomatoes) - or he got horrible diarrhea. It was so much EASIER to nurse.

I've never been a follower. :)

S.

I am responding as a person who has worked with older children... there is a small frame of time when children are interested and open to trying new tastes and textures. Missing that opportunity will make feeding your child a variety of healthy foods later more difficult. The children I worked with had speech delays and were generally leary of new textures, I cannot say it was because of a delay in solids in their infancy- but it is something to consider. It is also my understanding that at some point people need more iron than what breastmilk can provide- but that can easily be checked by a simple blood test at the ped's office.