starting solids

Well put Claudia

Mimi, I think you need to start solids when you think your child is ready. I started James at 5 months 3 weeks because he was interested in food. He is not fussy in the least. I have introduced most foods to him and has loved the stranger ones.
One of my firends has found more issues with "fusyness" in her younger daughter who she started on solids one veg at a time - pureed to heck the purity way (sorry I think purity is over pureed - its 90% water and the consistancy of a sauce) and only introduced to normal food at 1 Her son was started on normal family foods at 9 months and he eats everything. He hasnt had any allergy issues (and has had egg, peanut butter, wheat, dairy and soy) - hes now 6months 3 weeks.

As for the studies I think people get confused about stats - the same reason why I have had people say to me that they breatsfed and their child got sick, but the formula fed child didnt. Breastfeeding does not make you bulletproof:) The above statement is kindof like saying I drove home drunk last weekend and didnt have an accident. On monday I drove home from work sober and was involved in one, therefore its safer to drive drunk:) (and no I'm not comparing formula to drunk driving its just a stats analogy)

When studies are done they look at large populations and average it out, so if a baby is started on solids too soon then they are at increased risk of obesity in later life - this does not mean that your child definitely will be overweight if they start solids at 2 months, nor does it mean that a child who waits until much later will not have weight problems. It just means that the incidence is much lower in the one group.

I am so sorry to barge in. But this is also quite interesting to me as well. Like Wilma said breastfeeding is best, and one should try and exclusively breastfeed baby for at least 6 months. But I find that amongst my friends the mommies who left it until 6 months or later to start on solids with their babies, they tend to have babies with allergies or very fussy eaters. But then again this is amongs my very small group of friends.

My LG is 5 months old today. She has been eating rice cereal for about 2 weeks every evening and she's loving it. I don't know if I should start vegetables in the afternoon and cereal in the evening now or should I continue with only the cereal in the evening and wait until she is 6 months to start the vegetables. Also, should I rather make her vegetables myself or buy purity?

According to research breastfeeding is always better. From my own experience I wonder about this.

Tanja started rice cereal when she was six weeks old and wasn't breastfed at all, she is 18 and healthy, and never got sick easily and doesn't have a single allergy. In fact she hasn't had any of the childhood illnesses. Armand is 5 and was breastfed until almost six months, has a little sinus problem and get colds and flu easily, and is also slightly allergic. I started Dewald on solids at 4 months shortly after I stopped breastfeeding. Dewald seems to have allergies. Armand, who was breastfed the longest is the one with the respiratory problems.

So the moral of the story, my child who wasn't breastfed at all, is also my healthiest child.

Every mother must take the decision for herself of what she feels is right for her child. Breastfeeding is a personal choice which should be respected.

I'm not really starting a debate, but following a reading a few posts from people who have been told to start solids earlier because it reduces the risks of allergies later in life I've been doing a bit of research and this is what I have found:

A study published in Finland in at the beginning of the year looked at 1000 children and found that early introduction of allergenic foods made NO DIFFERENCE to the onset of allergic conditions later in life and actually waiting to introduce the food was associated with a higher risk of developing an allergy to that food. (the waiting was egg after 9months, fish after 10 etc...)

However its also been proven that exclusively breastfeeding for six months gives protection from ear andrespiratory infections, gastrointestinal illness and lowers the risk of being overweight later in life. Breastfed babies who are fed iron fortified foods earlier than 6 months also tend to have a higher incidence of iron difficiency aneamia because it interfears with the absorbtion of iron from breastmilk.(Contrary to popular belief breastmilk contains iron that is easily absorbed)

What I read into the above is that at around six months if your child is exclusively breastfed (ie no top ups etc..), when you start solids, introduce tastes of EVERYTHING (but monitor carefully if there is a family history of allergy)