At what age are solids appropriate for babies? And does anyone have any ideas or recipes?

Motherhood
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My daughter is 4mo old. Her pediatrician suggested we start her on solids. This is new to me. I thought solids were introduced until 6mos old. I am feeding her breast milk in a bottle since she was born, since she never latched on. She has about 5oz every 3-4 hours now. The pediatrician thinks she is too big for her size and suggested solids. She is 14 lbs 11oz.

Any suggestions besides baby cereal that I can give her?

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. At what age are solids appropriate for babies? And does anyone have any ideas or recipes?

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when my daughter was a baby it was recommended that babies be at least 6 months old

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I would get a new doctor for her my kids doctor told me not to give them anything besides formula till 6 months

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We were told by our pediatrician that 4 months is okay as well. My daughter didn’t take to them right away though.

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I started my daughter on solids when she was 4 months old, it is safe to go from 4 months old, just what ever you feed them at that age, make sure it is fully blended as they are still unable to swallow lumps. You can also try the baby jar food you can buy from shops, there are ones that are from 4 months.

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I fed mine off of the table a little of all mama fed us potato beans gravy but that was before baby food

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American academy of pediatrics recommends starting solids between 4-6 months with signs of readiness and pediatrician approval.

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i think she is too big for her age too 
 at 6 months i started my babies on rice cereal at bedtime , . i dont think she should be on solid foods at this age , maybe you should get another dr opinion

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Opinions change often . When my children were babies 30years ago we were advised to give baby rice at 3 months old .you have to do what you think is best for your baby xxx

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My little man started solids at 4 months old. We started with the basics baby food (from the store): apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes, green beans and carrots.
REMEMBER: Start with one food at a time (we did apples first) and try that out for 3 days before introducing a new food! That way you know if they have an allergy to what you gave them.

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Red flag, get a new pediatrician. The baby is “too big” at 4 months eating an incredibly healthy diet of breast milk and it’s a problem? Yikes

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Watch the baby, not the calendar. They have a lifetime eat solids, why push it at 4 months. Look up leaky gut. Is your baby sitting up unassisted? Good head control? Lost tongue thrust reflex? Good pincher grasp? Most aren’t ready at 4 months.

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So you’re asking a bunch of strangers instead of trying your doctor’s advice?

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What do yall think babies ate 50 years ago. I fed my babies when they were hungry and milk was no longer enough. Every baby is different. Yall would die if yall saw what my grandmother fed my kids . They are all happy healthy and have extremely high IQ"s. Very rarely ever been sick.

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I waited until 6 months. My daughter still wasn’t ready. She had the tongue thrust into almost 7.5 months.

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6 months is old school it is now suggested between 4-6 months. Our pediatrician suggested 4 months but only doing 1 flavor per week. But it is completely up to you and your comfort and what you baby seems ready for

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I started my baby at 4 months, but she had a ton of teeth.

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You can join baby food pages and baby led weaning pages and they will give lots of ideas. It’s recommended to only do purees before 6 months, no actual solids.

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I would consider a new doc, honestly. Not because of the food but because of the “too big” comment. Is she growing at a rate that’s normal for her? My son was 8lb8oz at birth and about 13-14 pounds at 4 months and very healthy. Is it unheard of to start some solids at that age? No, if she’s ready. The general rule is they need to be able to sit up on their own. Is she showing interest? If you decide to introduce some solids, start very slow.

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6 months is the recommendation from most places, including the American Association of Pediatrics. 4 months is what doctors used to recommend but it sounds like your child is doing fine without solids and I would get a second opinion. There is a wide range of size and weight in babies, their physicality also changes very quickly. Especially if she’s drinking breast milk, it’s unlikely that she’s over feeding. Baby cereal has no nutritional value and would be replacing good nutrition from milk with empty bulk.

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So your trusting a bunch of strangers on Facebook instead of your doctor ???

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I recommend joining Baby Led Weaning And Combo Feeding Without The Woo. They can provide evidenced based advice and recipes

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Puree some bananas, or squash, sweet potatoes. Solids meaning at first is pureed food. Bany cereal is fine. Add your breast milk to the pureed foods to make it more fluid, kind of like the consistency of pancake batter and easier for baby to swallow. You’ll get the hand of it. There are baby foods in stores that are ready to go and age appropriate if that would be easier. Good luck!. You will be fine :heart:

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6 months with all signs of readiness. Our pediatrician suggested solids and i told her no not until 6 months. Then she suggested giving 1 food at a time and i said no that’s outdated info.

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6 months is what is recommended, but if they are showing signs of being ready a little bit earlier then do it but do not start any earlier then 4 months because they have a greater risk of chocking

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Your baby is the best at telling you this. Mine started grabbing at food which is a good clear sign to start weaning onto solids. I started with millet porridge which you make with part breast milk. Also Petit Filous are good to start with. I didn’t do purees more mushed up food. We did banana, then avocado, then banana and avocado together. Add breast milk to make it sloppier. Add one food at a time so you can rule out allergies. Mashed potato or Sweet potato made with breast milk is also good.

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Our pediatrician doesn’t recommend solids for breastfed babies until at least 6 months, and never recommend that I give mine rice cereal as it’s just a filler.
I’d find another pediatrician, not because they recommended solids, but because they said she was “too big” for a 4 month old. 14 lbs is not too big at 4 months, especially if they weighed between 6-8 lbs at birth. According to the WHO, a baby girl that weighs 14 lbs 3 oz at 4 months is the 50% range, so your daughter is not large for her age.
If you do start solids, start with one at a time. We always did veggies first and added fruits later, but your child your preference.

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I started between 4 and 5 months with baby cereal. I waited to start fruits and veggies until 6 months.

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The language can get pretty confusing. I think.
Both my kids were started at 4 months.
We started with formula mixed with rice cereal.
Just enough to add a little texture. Should be extremely extremely runny and given by spoon.
Oldest took to it immediately.
Youngest was a bit messy but we just tried a bit -couple spoonfuls-

Then once after a couple weeks we introduced stage one baby purees.
Only one at a time though.

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Here’s a video of my daughter at 4.5 months old eating rice cereal back in 2018.
We started with rice cereal and after a few days, we added the sweet potato purée.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you as to what you choose to do. If you think your baby is ready, try it and start slow. Or you can wait until they’re 6 months old. You’ll have doctors tell you 6 months and others say 4.

She’s 3.5 years old now. And perfectly fine btw :wink: the benefits of starting earlier just means she got better at eating solids and she was fuller so it gave my boobs a break which was nice. You save a little bit on formula too.

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All the women on here thinking they know better than her doctor lol. She asked what foods to give him not if she shouldn’t listen to her doctor.

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I started around 4 months with very pureed baby food, nothing with chunks or pieces until they’ve already been eating “food” and are getting teeth. Sounds like baby is doing fine, if you start now its not likely gonna do any harm, neither would waiting a couple more months

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When my kids were small we weaned around 3 months.
Rusk soaked in baby milk
Mashed veg
Mashed fruit
Mashed fish
no dressing
Basically anything you’re eating thats not spicy and can be mashed smooth. 
no salt added
Its only tiny amounts to begin with obviously and as solids increase reduce milk intake or she’ll gain too much weight

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My baby started at 3-4 months. He’s six months now and has even eaten chicken nuggets and fajitas, lol. He loves food. Besides that I try to purĂ©e everything from regular chicken soup to boiled or steamed vegetables moved with rice cereal or rice itself. He loves it.

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My son is 2 months old and 14 lbs. Look into BLW

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Wic also has a website as well that helps with recipes

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I started at 4months but she was showing all signs of readyness and could sit up on her own unassisted. I started with purees at 9months i started blw

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I steamed all veggies and purred them. Most fruits you can peel, add a little water, cover and cook at a very low temp stirring every 15-30 minutes, they will puree themselves. I also just purred all meats. I mixed all sorts of stuff to see what my daughter liked. It’s pretty simple.

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My doctor recommended starting actual food at 3-4 months. We started with cereal and purees. Always start with only one food at a time waiting 3-5 days before introducing another new food and always start with vegetables before trying fruits. The sweeter fruits can make it hard to get them to eat vegetables so it’s better to introduce vegetables first.

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If you feel like breastmilk isn’t enough for her then start, or if she’s doing fine 2uth breast milk there’s no need to rush the solids. 6 months most definitely start her if she hasn’t already but everyone’s different. I started my kids both at different times. Eldest at 6months and then at 4 months with my youngest

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No! 6 months is recommended for a reason. Their tummies can’t take solid food until then, like biologically they can’t. They aren’t developed enough. Keep feeding her breast milk and start solids at 6 months.

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I fed my Babies when they needed it. One started with bottle rice cereal at 2 weeks. The 2nd started at 1 week. My Thoughts are, unless YOU are willing to come to MY house and take the night shift, DON’T JUDGE. We needed to get some sleep at night to be able to get up and function for work.
Oh, and Yes, I did tell the female WIC Nurse that if SHE or The State of Delaware did not like it, they were welcome to take the night shift.
Neither of them EVER choked on it.

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I don’t see how she’s too big for her age but i also have a 1 month old that’s 12 pounds :rofl: so what do I know

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I started mine on solids at 3 mons. Not as a main meal but a supplement for some bottles.

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I breastfed both of my kids strictly till 5-6 months. With my 1st I tried cereal & it constipated him, so with my daughter we did oatmeal cereal starting at 5 months & baby food at 6. Get a second opinion from a Dr that is not in the same building as the one u are using. Tell them u want an opinion not based on what the other pedi said

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I didn’t start mine til 6 months
 I made him purees and bought his baby cereal. They should be able to hold themselves upright to eat.

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My daughter is 4 months today and we went to the doctor. She is 13 lb. 4oz. My doctor said I could give her a very very small taste of peanut butter, mashed potatoes, mashed strawberries if I wanted to or before we go back for the 6 months. Just to make sure she isn’t Allergic to those things. Nothing that will make a baby choke. They need breast milk or formula still has the main source of food. 6 months is usually when they can have the baby food and cereal!

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My son is 4 months and is over 18lbs. He is breastfed. I started my oldest daughter on solids at 4 months (Thanksgiving) I will be starting my son on solids on Thanksgiving (he will be 5 months)

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We started my daughter on baby food the day she turned 3months, at 4months she was almost 17lbs, and then 4months we introduced “grown up” foods :woman_shrugging:t2: she was a 9lb baby though and would eat 8oz+ bottles every 2-4hours easily from 3weeks old. So by 6weeks she had a little cereal in her bottle as instructed by her ped

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Always purees any food you give her with her milk,start slow by half a teaspoons for breakfast, and the rest of the day her milk,next day a full teaspoons at breakfast, until she is having 3 teaspoons for breakfast, then move on to lunch , the same way ,then her dinner, once she is eating 3 teaspoons for breakfast, lunch,Tea , then you can feed her as much as she will eat at all meal ,but don’t forget to still give her a bottle of milk and juice as she still need to have a drink, if you give her too much solid food to start her off you will cause her to be in pain,you can puree any food, meat included, no spice food xoxo

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Believe it or not, pediatricians aren’t actually trained under nutrition. They know some basics, but that’s it.

Wait until 6 months. Their gut maturation isnt ready just because they’re ‘larger’.

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Daft waiting for six months my dil did this and my granddaughter is limited on what she will eat or try!!! I personally gave mine what we have puréed it up for them. Considering I had premature babies they all grew up well !

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I started my two at 3 months, they were way too hungry