When do I introduce solids?

[admin]

-Babies are ready to have solids (other foods) as well as milk from about 6 months of age.
-By this stage their digestive systems are able to cope with different foods and their sense of taste is becoming well developed.
-The best way to work out how and what foods to give is to follow your childs development. We can thing of the process in four stages.

Stage 1 - First tastes: smooth foods, around 6-7 months of age.
Stage 2 - Learning to chew: soft lumps, around 7-8 months of age.
Stage 3 - Self feeding: finger foods and firmer lumps, around 9-12 months.
Stage 4 - Family diet with some changes, from 12 months on.

Babies go through these stages at different rates so the ages given are just a guide.

[herbwyfe]

Interesting..this is a pretty general guideline. From my research into nutritional biochemistry and from that done by organisations such as La Leche League..the following must be taken in to account when introducing solids..

* a baby is born with a deliberate 'leaky gut' this is to ensure that antibodies and other immune stimulating proteins in the Mothers Breastmilk are passed directly into the baby's bloodstream to help build it's immune system. The appearance of teeth is the first sign that the gut is beginning to seal. Solids (particularly foreign proteins found in milk from other animals, cereals such as wheat and ingredients of formula) that are introduced too early (ie: before the gut has sealed) can set up an allergic resonse as the baby's body (which has been in symbiotic relationship with the mother) recognises as a foreign prtoein and tries to defend itself against.

* It is also interesting to note that the level of hydrochloric acid in the baby's stomach does not reach an adequate level for digesting foreign proteins until the age of 9 months. For this reason if the teeth have emerged and baby is showing other signs of readiness such as being able to sit up by themselves, having a gag reflex, grabbing food, by instinct women in traditional cultures chew the food before passing it on to their babies for tasting.

The best advice is to follow your instinct when it comes to introducing solids. Does your baby have teeth? can she/he sit up by themselves?
When you do start to introduce solids, start with mono meals, like a piece of avocado or banana..you chew it up first to initiate salivary digestion vefore giving it to babe on your finger to taste. Introducing solids should really be a chil-led process. there is no rush. Baby's who are fed breastmilk exclusively for at least the first 9-12 months and then breastfed until 2 years or older (when the child decides to stop) have a far better health outcome in later life than those who are weaned early.

As a mother you are the best expert on your child that there is or could ever be. Don't be afraid to go with your instinct. It's there for a reason.