When is the best time to start my baby on foods

other than breast milk?

By Norma Ritter, IBCLC, RLC

 

The World Health Organization recommends that babies be completely breastfed for six months before other foods are introduced.

Some babies are ready to start new foods around this time, while others show no interest until they are a bit older.

 

The best time to start offering your baby other foods is when he shows signs of being ready.

Of course this will be different for each baby. We do not expect all babies to crawl or walk or potty train on a certain day of their lives, and we should not expect them all to need weaning foods at the same time either. You are the expert on your baby!

 

Here are some of the signs that your baby may be ready for solids.

She will be able to:

*sit up on the floor for about ten minutes without support

*use his finger and thumb to pick up toys and put them in his mouth

*swallow a tiny bit of soft food, like ripe banana, without pushing it out of his mouth with his tongue

At this stage, she will probably also seem to be more hungry than usual. If you have already tried nursing her more frequently and she still does not seem to be satisfied, she may be ready to start adding other foods to her diet. Babies sometimes also want to nurse more because they are teething or not feeling well, or going through a growth spurt, so be sure to rule those things out first.

 

You may have heard in the news about an article in the British Medical Journal, which suggests babies should start solids earlier than six months. That article does not refer to any new research, and many respected authorities have questioned that suggestion.

 

Mothers sometimes wonder if their babies are ready for solids at about four months, because of the way their babies are behaving.

Four months is about the time that babies start to become more interested in the world around them. They are taking everything in. For example, they may suddenly pull away from the breast in response to a sudden noise. They may even try to take the breast with them! They may not seem to be as interested in nursing so often, or may learn to gulp down their milk quickly to get back to more fun activities.

 

These are all normal and common ways for four month olds to behave. You may find it helpful to nurse your baby in a quiet, dark room a couple of times during the day, in order to avoid distractions. Some mothers like wearing a nursing necklace, beads strung and knotted on extra-strong cord that the baby can hold while nursing.

 

Have you noticed your baby watching you very carefully while YOU eat? Does he pretend to chew? This is how babies learn and practice, and it is one of the signs that they will soon be ready to start eating themselves.

 

Just follow your baby's cues and your own instincts.

There is no rush. Nothing magical happens on the very minute/hour/day of the sixth month birthday, or, as some would have it, of the fourth month birthday. A switch does not suddenly turn off, making mother's milk suddenly inadequate! In fact, some babies have no interest in other foods until much later, sometimes not until they are a year old.

 

As long as your baby is happy and healthy, gaining weight, and meeting all his milestones, he is doing fine!
If there is a concern about your baby being anemic, your doctor can do a simple blood test. It only takes a few minutes to see if your baby has enough iron. It is almost unheard of for a completely breastfed baby to run out of iron before six months. It is the babies who have also been fed formula that are most likely to have this problem, because the iron in manufactured formulas, which is different from the kind found in human milk, is so poorly absorbed.

 

Enjoy this special time with your completely breastfed baby. In my next article, I will share some ways to introduce your baby to the delights of a wide variety of healthy foods.

You may also like to read:
Starting Solids-The Facts Behind Today's Media Hype

Norma Ritter is the mother of three grown children and the grandmother of six grandchildren, all of whom were breastfed. She has been an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) in private practice since 1995.

Norma is the Vice President of Breastfeeding USA and the CEO of Breastfeeding Matters in the Capital Region.

You can email Norma here and "Like" her on Facebook to keep up on the latest birthing and breastfeeding news and views.

 

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