believedngrace posted that she started solids at 6 months and ~Tara~ suggested that was too early. This is the first I heard of it and am interested in this. Seriously, I can wait? I was told with my first that I should start at 4-5 months because baby wasn't getting enough iron just from nursing. Then it came out that breast was best for 6 months but to start solids after that. E is 6 months on Saturday and while I don't prescribe to the have to wait until the day thing, I was waiting because I hate starting solids and would much rather postpone. So, ~Tara~ and any others, what's the scoop on this? I don't have any pressing desire to start carting around baby food, pulling out my blender and making it, or buying it and having to adjust my schedule to that. So if I can wait, I am excited. But I need some info on this as it's brand new to me...

This is almost as exciting as when I first read that the medical professionals said to only nurse for the first 6 months. When I first read it, I was all excited because they cut down nursing from a year to 6 months but it meant no solids. I was a little sad. I don't love nursing. I know it's good for them and I don't want to be selfish and stop. But there is a lot to be said for bottles in my book. Anyway, that's another topic, but I hope I understood Tara correctly!

I don't know....our first was started at 4 month and our second at 6 months...our two pediatricians said it's important to start solids and foods at time for calorie/fat/nutritional facts as well as developmental skills for chewing/swallowing/etc....
I think 6 months is just fine to start solid/jar foods....it just takes awhile for them to get the hang of it...at any age! Most babies deal with the 'stopped up ' issue when starting/stopping new foods, it comes with the territory, again, at any age.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/19087/the_breastfed_baby_reasons_to_delay.html

crud, now I lost the rest of my post!

http://www.kellymom.com/store/handouts/nutrition/delay-solids.pdf

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

http://www.got-breastmilk.org/Whydelay.shtml - that one mentions Mendelsohn..I like him hehe Look for his book "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor"

and yes, in case you couldn't tell, I don't believe everything the 'medical profession' tells me

sorry for the multiple posts...I tried several times to get that through in one...I guess I had too many links ?? so I separated

the links posted aren't 'quite' what I was hoping to find (I had others linked on another computer, not sure I have any of them left there now, but none here on this one, so...) ones that spoke more toward waiting closer to 1 yr...these more focus on not starting any earlier than 6 months. They mention 'waiting' but moreso, the focus is on 'earlier is NOT better'

the point is..that whole 'they need that chewing motion/practice' stuff is bogus
and they can get all the nutrients they need from breast milk for the first year, easily

and regardless, when it comes to starting solid foods...it doesn't mean carting around jars of food or hauling out the blender ;) really, it doesn't
simply mash your table food with a fork
if they can't handle that, they're not ready

and regardless, when it comes to starting solid foods...it doesn't mean carting around jars of food or hauling out the blender ;) really, it doesn't
simply mash your table food with a fork
if they can't handle that, they're not ready

I will admit to using the blender for a short period of time, but with each kid (even more so thinking ahead to this one...) I am a believer. :D

simply mash your table food with a fork
if they can't handle that, they're not ready

So, I'm assuming your little ones aren't fed table food until around a year - right? You didn't *say* that, but am I guessing correctly? Just curious! ;-)

I waited with all of ours until they had at least several teeth. Old saying, "No porriage until the teeth come in." That varied with all of ours but I think it was around 8-9 months old. They would have tastes of what we were eating but didn't go to a lot of solids until then. The older they are the less likely they are to develope allergies and their bodies are more equipped to handle the digestion of solids. I also started giving them baby cereal when they were still hungry after nursing or having a bottle. I didn't have a large milk supply so ds I BF until 8 months, dd- 4 months, and dd-6 months. Then supplemented with a bottle until they were ready for solids.

This might help too:-)
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/faqs/faq005.asp

PianoMama...my kids both started eating table foods around 9 months. Some stuff as is, although most things mashed, sometimes with a bit of liquid. Meat was trickier (Tara....what do you do about meat??) I did tend to blend that up for a while longer.

Tara...I meant to thank you for the links you posted....while I am of similar mind to you with feeding, I am NOT educated in the least. I did feed both my kids homemade baby food for a few months before table food as described above, but mostly because "that's what you do." But I am learning I don't have to be "by the book" in child rearing and becoming bolder in my decision making. I am hoping to wait a lot longer before introducing solids with this next baby. I appreciate that you share your opinions and knowledge! :D

Gah! It's hard enough to hold off MIL until the 6 month mark!! And Katherine did want to eat. I mean she saw us eating and she *wanted* it. So, we finally gave her some food at 6 months.

But I found out rice cereal has dried milk in it!! We didn't give her regular milk til a year... she's lactose intolerant now and I wonder if that is it? I don't know.... it just makes me mad. I should read labels more carefully.

I read somewhere that women used to breastfeed exclusively for the first year. Don't know how they kept their kids away from the crackers (my little runt is always grabbing them behind my back), but hey.... whatever works I guess.

This time around I am not doing all that rice cereal crap. I"m also tired of doctors and in laws and everybody telling me I can give them rice cereal at 3 months!! Sigh. I want to wait as long as possible with Nathaniel. That's the plan. I'll hold off until he is acting hungry and breastfeeding way more than normal or something. if that isn't til past a year that is okay with me.

My girls were 8 to 10 months, and pretty much went straight to mashed, soft, table food. I totally disagree that babies need the calories and "nutrition" from baby food. Most baby foods have like 20 to 30 calories a jar, and no fat. It's a terrible source of nutrition in my opinion, especially if a 20 calorie jar of peaches takes the place of 8 ounces of super nutritious breast milk. Also, I have seen a lot of children struggle who have been fed the super smooth, easy to swallow baby food, then try to transition to foods with texture.
Maybe things have changed now, but when my girls were born, the Doctors and nurses were all clueless about breastmilk and breastfeeding. I didn't check Tara's links, but they have to be better the ignorant advice I was given when my girls were born by medical professionals.

Ditto the stuff about delaying solids. DD has always prefered feeding herself to being spoon fed and we didn't really start solids until 9 months (tried some before then, but had allergic reactions) At 9 months, she started with avocado, and we progressed from there until we discovered that she has a banana allergy!

She's now 18 months old and still a very avid breastfeeder. She's a wonderful eater and eats all kinds of healthy foods, like broccoli, etc. Until a baby can feed themselves with their fingers, they're not really ready for solids, in my opinion.

I had DD's iron levels checked before she turned 9 months old and all was well. I have read that solids can actually interfere with iron absorption, but I think that that was already in one of the links that was posted.

I love the "craftiness" of making my own baby food, but DD wanted nothing to do with it! I actually tried making some and freezing it and she wouldn't touch it! :) I did at times, find the blender or baby food grinder useful to make table food more manageable but most times didn't even need that.

A baby who is ready for solids won't spit them back out, and their poop doesn't come out looking like what went in. And they will have some teeth. The coming in of the first teeth signals the ability to digest food; the eyeteeth and stomach teeth [ cuspid I believe, I have never heard it called that ]indicate that the baby now has gastric juices to handle foods, but some find their babies demand food some time before that.
http://www.got-breastmilk.org/Whydelay.shtml
Usually the first baby teeth to come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. They begin to appear when your child is about 6 to 8 months old. They are followed by the 4 upper front teeth. The remainder of your baby’s teeth will appear periodically, usually in pairs on each side of the jaw, until the child is about 2 1/2 years old.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/wisdomtooth/tooth.htm

Interesting. E has both central incisors on the bottom (got them at 4 months, not the 6-12 that's average btw! LOL) and is working on one on the top. So by what I've read, she should be able to digest some but won't be able to digest all food properly until her "stomach teeth" (so called because of the tummy upsets that they cause when they come in) are in. Hmmm.

She doesn't seem to be hungry after I nurse her. She seems to be content. Maybe letting her taste is all I'll do for now. I understand the idea that I don't have to cart around baby food, but I don't have the best diet and so giving her table food isn't always the way to go. For example, for supper tonight, we had sausage, fried potatoes and onions, and steamed broccoli (sounds redeeming, but then I put Cheese Whiz on it LOL). To top it off, the evil chocolate cake of Tara's! LOL Not usually that bad, but baby food (homemade) seems like a better start for her. But after reading all this, I think I would like to wait. I know I would like to wait. Dh thinks starting now would be better as then this summer she's used to eating, but I think I might wait longer.

Sigh, I like the idea of waiting. Dh says it's because I don't want her to grow up. I know it's because after I start solids, the next 3 to 6 months are miserable for me as I have to plan. But if I wait until she's more ready... it sounds very good. Maybe a little bit of me doesn't want her to grow up too! LOL

Okay, rambling now. thanks for the advice ladies. I am going to play it by ear and see what happens. She was intently watching the forks while we were eating Tara's evil cake but not like she's getting a taste of that! LOL No babyfood and stuff does sound tempting. May have to change my eating habits but that wouldn't be so bad. Keep the advice on how you started when you did coming!

I started Brooke way too early because she was my first and it was exciting to do knew things. i really just didnt know any better! Anyway I made similiar mistakes with Lawson and it caused him to have allergies. He had rashes from food allergies and such.. no fun! With Gabriella I started her at 6 months but a week later read about soley breastfeeding until a year and looked more into and decided to cut out the solids and hold off longer. So then I breast fed only until she was 8 or 9 months. When I did start giving her solids again I took it really slow.. she was not getting solids at every meal.. just at dinner time, and we didnt do the baby food thing either. Gabriella turns 1 tomorrow and she has just started eating solids with us at every meal. She still breastfeeds a lot.. like 6 times a day approx. and at least twice at night. With baby #4 I will definetely being holding off solids as long as possible. Something I have a hard time with is Lawson "sharing" with his baby sister.. its hard for him to understand she cant have everything he can. I see that being a problem with Gabriella when #4 is around.

just quickly popping in to answer a couple of things...feeling rather scatter brained so I'll try not to do anything too in depth :p

each of my children have waiting progressively longer to start solids I, too, started my Eldest around 6 months. Because 'that's what you do'. But then I started reading and thinking for myself. My others haven't eaten solids until 8+ months. And even at that it was very little. Mostly just to taste. Those early experiences with solid foods are just that 'experiences'. It's play time, it's fun, tastes and textures for them. Can they get along just fine without those at 6 months? Heck yeah. They'll go through those same initial experiences if they wait to start at 8 mo, or 1 yr.

And yes, many babies may 'appear' eager to eat at 4 months. Reaching for the food on your plate. But why? Simply because they see you doing it. They are mimicing. It's not that they *know* what the food is. They are merely mimicing what they say. Reaching for the food, making the chewy faces even. And yeah..whatever food gets to their hands will end up in their mouth (for the most part) because....that's where EVERYTHING at that age goes, right? ;)

As for meat..ours have eaten tiny bits of burger. Or if you can do tiny pieces of chicken or steak, they can do a pretty good job of gumming things to death :p

But it's something I don't fret over. They'll eat meat when they have enough teeth to do so and are capable. Just because they're eating 'food' doesn't mean they *have* to eat meat right away. (yes, this coming from the carnivore family haha)

I hope that made sense...that's all I have in me at the moment. Having a *weird* day.

Cheesburger....Rice cereal has MILK in it?? AHHHH!!! No wonder!! My youngest can't break down milk or soy proteins and bleeds if he has straight cows milk...at 13 months he can now do soy fine, but still no milk.....
Our doc told us to do rice cereal in his hypo-allergenic formula at 4 months to help him sleep....we stopped because he was MORE upset at night with it....probably due to the milk in it making him even gassier with his protein and milk intolerance! Makes sense now...geeze!! I had NO idea!!

I'm one of those that always started at 4 months, until the twins, and then I started "thinking for myself" as Tara said, and they were more like eight months when they started REALLY having things; I'm going to wait longer with this little one. I really feel that they just don't NEED anything outside of the breast, no matter what the ped says. If there's a medical reason then I would feel differently, but for a healthy child, the breast is better than any manufactured baby food out there.

It's going to take a lot of convincing in-laws and my mother.... maybe not my mother so much but everybody else will be pressuring me to "really feed" the baby. ::rolls eyes:: The twins were more content than my other girls and I waited longer with them to feed them regular foods, meaning baby food, cereals, fruit or anything.

Cheesburger....Rice cereal has MILK in it?? AHHHH!!! No wonder!! My youngest can't break down milk or soy proteins and bleeds if he has straight cows milk...at 13 months he can now do soy fine, but still no milk.....
Our doc told us to do rice cereal in his hypo-allergenic formula at 4 months to help him sleep....we stopped because he was MORE upset at night with it....probably due to the milk in it making him even gassier with his protein and milk intolerance! Makes sense now...geeze!! I had NO idea!!

I wonder if every single brand has it in it? We don't like to use milk products and I've used Earth's Best brand a little bit with Hannah in the best. Augh! I hate it when they slip things in like that.

I think those who breastfeed would be fine waiting...but those on formula from day one, like we were always, maybe need to add more since they don't get *all* the benefits of the breastmilk....so since we are formula only, I think 6 months is a good age for us....but Tara's links about breastmilk being so *fulfilling* of the needs are a good point and I think if my kiddo wasn't "desiring food yet" and I was able to breastfeed, that I would now be inclined to wait until 8 months and then start for sanity as well as my desire for ease of feeding for myself.....
Good links T!

I'm one of those that always started at 4 months, until the twins, and then I started "thinking for myself" as Tara said, and they were more like eight months when they started REALLY having things; I'm going to wait longer with this little one. I really feel that they just don't NEED anything outside of the breast, no matter what the ped says. If there's a medical reason then I would feel differently, but for a healthy child, the breast is better than any manufactured baby food out there.

It's going to take a lot of convincing in-laws and my mother.... maybe not my mother so much but everybody else will be pressuring me to "really feed" the baby. ::rolls eyes:: The twins were more content than my other girls and I waited longer with them to feed them regular foods, meaning baby food, cereals, fruit or anything.

That is me to a tee! 4 mths with ds, 6 with dd....but want to wait longer with the next one. Kind of a shame we don't think for ourselves right from the start.

And yeah, there is going to be some 'opinions' from the family, but oh well.

hey...this parenting gig is an on-going time of learning ;)
we're constantly learning...each child is a new lesson, for one thing..but also we should always be LOOKING to learn, seeking more knowledge..putting it all together, thinking for ourselves, doing what works for us

it *is* irritating that we don't have all the answers from the start ... but then, there's always some 'expert' who claims to have them and shares them with us..we just ignorantly assume 'they' know what they're talking about...when they really don't know much (if any) more than we do :p

just never stop digging deeper

This is almost as exciting as when I first read that the medical professionals said to only nurse for the first 6 months. When I first read it, I was all excited because they cut down nursing from a year to 6 months but it meant no solids. I was a little sad. I don't love nursing. I know it's good for them and I don't want to be selfish and stop. But there is a lot to be said for bottles in my book. Anyway, that's another topic, but I hope I understood Tara correctly!

I'm not sure if this has been covered or not, but I just wanted to add this JIC, since most medical journals don't recommend to stop breastfeeding at 6 mos., but to continue to at least 12 mos. When they mention the 6 mos. mark, that's generally just their recommendation for when to start to introduce solids After that, they recommend to make solids complimentary to breastmilk until at least 12 mos, and as long thereafter as both mother and child want to continue. I'm not positive, but I believe that the general consensus is that you should even make sure to breastfeed first before feeding any solids in the first 12 mos. of life too. Here's the AAP's statement on it: Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection.30,34,128,178–184 Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.185 http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496 I believe the WHO actually recommends breastfeeding for 2 years.

Now personally, and from my exp. with my own kiddos, I believe that the 6 mos. is more of a guide, and that some kids won't be ready to chew and swallow and properly digest foods at 6 mos. So obviously, I'm not an avid AAP follower, but I do think they're heading in the right direction, and away from starting solids quite so early.

Anyway, I know you said you don't love nursing, and I just wanted to make sure you had the med. info correct, because from what I've read, it also means that babe's aren't ready for solids alone at the 6 mos. mark, so if you did choose to stop breastfeeding, lo would still need to be getting the bulk of his/her nutrition from a source like formula instead. I've read that there is a risk of malnutrition from early weaning if formula isn't exchanged for the breastmilk because babies generally aren't eating a wide enough variety of foods to get good nutrition in the first year without one of the 2.

Hope I haven't offended you... I obviously don't know the whole story, but I wanted to make sure you had all the info out there about how solids alone after 6 mos. aren't enough.

mo2b1d, no it was just a brief moment where I thought that they were saying breastmilk was necessary only for the first 6 months, I would have given bottles of formula after that! LOL, like I said, I don't love nursing, but I know it's best for baby, and it's way easier for me, it's just, well it's just that I don't really like it. And besides that, 6 years ago I bough a sleeveless dress. I wore it a bunch and then 3 years ago, lost a bunch of weight. Suddenly, my boobs were too small for the sleeveless dress. After getting pregnant with D, my boobs were big enough while early pregnant and then while nursing to wear it again. Haven't worn it since then, and on Valentine's decided to wear it. My boobs were too big. Sigh! I'm tired of them being this big and fitting into nothing! So off topic! LOL Anyway, I am ready for some shrinking to happen here... and no more nursing bras either!

However, it's best for baby and so I will continue as all my reasons to stop are very selfish and shallow. But I will wait to start solids for a while longer as that's also easier and selfish (well not really as what I read did support my decision)! I'm very happy with that decision!

I'm like everyone else, with #1, I was excited to try new things and to start solids. With #2, I didn't itch to start, but that's what you do at 6 months. This time, who knows! LOL, I'm happy to let it slide and see how it goes. This means no gross runny rice cereal doesn't it! It means no toting baby food jars. Because the truth is that if you start at 6 months, you are blending foods for them because they don't get it. Make it the consistency of milk they always say. I can't mash my food that good! lol

[dancing] As long as she continues to nurse well and to thrive, that's all she's getting!

Since we are talking about babies and eating, I will ask you ladies here (I will put the actual question in pink in case you don't feel like reading the background): some of you may remember a while back I posted about how my youngest went on "hunger strike" when I had to go back to work - he would not take the milk I pumped, formula - nothing, nada ,zip , zero zilch - it was awful. He would wait until I came home to nurse and sleep most of the day while I was away.
Now (at 9 mos) he will take my pumped milk during the day and some solids, but he is still a little underweight and does not eat as much as I'd like while I am gone. His ped said that 9 mos is old enough for plain yogurt and that we could add that to his solids if we like, but I am not sure how I feel about that.
Do any of you have baby food recipies you would recommend to try to plump him up a bit? Right now I am checking out http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babymenu.htm but would be open to any other suggestions.

Such a great thread... I think I really messed up with ds (one of many mistakes so far) and I started him on solids too early. The ped told me he was big enough and that he needed them. I was so eager to move on the next phase and I thought it would help him sleep through the night...that's what everyone told me.
Anyway, I am planning on exclusively breastfeeding the next one for as long as I can:)

Do any of you have baby food recipies you would recommend to try to plump him up a bit? Right now I am checking out http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babymenu.htm but would be open to any other suggestions.

My first thought is avacado. It has a high fat content but is really easy on the belly.. a great first food!

My first thought is avacado. It has a high fat content but is really easy on the belly.. a great first food!


Thanks! I will try that.

I'm like everyone else, with #1, I was excited to try new things and to start solids. With #2, I didn't itch to start, but that's what you do at 6 months. This time, who knows! LOL, I'm happy to let it slide and see how it goes. This means no gross runny rice cereal doesn't it! It means no toting baby food jars. Because the truth is that if you start at 6 months, you are blending foods for them because they don't get it. Make it the consistency of milk they always say. I can't mash my food that good! lol

[dancing] As long as she continues to nurse well and to thrive, that's all she's getting!

First off, I just wanted to say that I think you're AWESOME! I actually like breastfeeding, but if I didn't, I can't imagine how difficult that would be. I admit that when I breastfed DS#1, I got to feeling really touched out at times and wanted him to wean, but with DS#2, I've not had any of those feelings. Anyway, I think its awesome of you to choose what your baby needs first even though you don't like it. You have courage, and alot of love for those babies!

Second, regarding your above quote, I think that if you wait until baby is ready for solids, instead of following a strict time line, that you won't have any messy runny food to deal with whatsoever. I started both boys on solids at about the 6 mos. period, and with DS#1 I did the jarred food thing, because I thought that was what you were supposed to do, LOL. With DS#2, I started him when he was showing me the signs that he was ready to eat. He could sit up, and had lost the reflex where he pushed everything back out of his mouth with his tongue, he could pick up foods, and chew and swallow. In fact, the reason I started solids when I did was because he was sitting on my lap while I was eating lunch, and he took a cracker from my plate and chewed it up bite by bite and swallowed it. I didn't take it away from him because I thought he would just play with it, but he chewed it and swallowed and then grabbed another one.

From that point on, we let him have solid food after he nursed. I never did jarred foods, strictly table food. Though I didn't salt the veggies, and I didn't do combos of foods until he'd tried each thing individually. I also saved the most allergenic foods for when he was older. Basically, if he couldn't eat the real food that I'd mashed with a fork, then I assumed he wasn't ready for it. So he never ever ate anything that was runny, or had no texture, but he did start eating solids at 6 mos. By about 7.5 mos., he was eating finger foods... very small soft cooked veggie pieces and soft fruit pieces and crackers and cheerios.

And FWIW, it was nice not having to do that nasty rice cereal, LOL. I gave him real oatmeal instead if I wanted to serve cereal, and would often cook it with blueberries or tiny diced apples instead, and he loved it.

ETA: I did dice the blueberries though when he was little. They seemed like they have a pretty thick skin and I was worried he would choke. but I'm a weirdo.

In response to the "plumping up", but daughter was underweight when she was a baby. We gave her full fat yogurt and she loved it. We also added a few teaspoons of mayonaise to all her veggies and meats. I know that sounds gross, but it doesn't have much taste and it helped get more fat in her diet. I don't know if there are allergy issues with mayo, but my daughter never had a problem with it. I think it does have eggs in it. Speaking of eggs, we also gave her scrambled eggs cooked soft with water in them. We also used heavy cream, and peanut butter in a lot of her foods, but that was after she was one. She was severly underweight (15 lbs at 15 months old). Definately check with a dietician for guidance.

In response to the "plumping up", but daughter was underweight when she was a baby. We gave her full fat yogurt and she loved it. We also added a few teaspoons of mayonaise to all her veggies and meats. I know that sounds gross, but it doesn't have much taste and it helped get more fat in her diet. I don't know if there are allergy issues with mayo, but my daughter never had a problem with it. I think it does have eggs in it. Speaking of eggs, we also gave her scrambled eggs cooked soft with water in them. We also used heavy cream, and peanut butter in a lot of her foods, but that was after she was one. She was severly underweight (15 lbs at 15 months old). Definately (sp?) check with a dietician for guidance.

I will ask the doctor about a dietician tomorrow (we have to take him in for more bloodwork). I'd imagine the cream shouldn't be an issue if he tolerates the yogurt ok - I put a tiny bit of plain, organic yogurt in his sweet potatoes today to see if it sits ok with him.
I know some posters mentioned that early milk exposure can lead to lactose intolerance later, I guess I just have to pray on that and then let it go bec he has to eat. He is 28 inches and 15 lbs now; he is a happy baby most of the time but he looks so skinny and his doctor is worried about his weight.

I didn't start baby food with Timmy until he was 6 months and even then it was only a little cereal. It's not necessary to start them at 4 months, not matter what anyone says. I know moms who wait till 8 or 9 months and still have healthy kids. But it is kinda nice to be able to feed them baby food if your out in public and don't feel like pulling out your boobs. ;)

mo2b1d, don't nominate me for sainthood just yet! LOL, I don't love nursing, but I don't hate it either. It's just one of the things you do! There are nice moments to it that make it nice, but I find that sometimes it just irritates me. I'm not sorry to wean them, but I have a hard time with it because I know that I probably should go longer. With my first, I had no choice as I had to have surgery. With my second, he started biting and I kept giving him (at 9 months) ultimatums but never followed through (is that why he doesn't listen now? LOL) because I couldn't bring myself to stop just for that. I'm threatening this one with the same thing as she keeps biting but I know I'll tough it out because it's what's good for them. Besides, it is easier, less messy, and just all around more convenient. But I am in awe of ladies who are able to say that they don't want to nurse and just don't. I find myself too guilty for that! LOL My friend's sister hated nursing and decided not to with number 2 and I was impressed. I wish I could be like that! LOL, just a strange one I guess.

A friend of mine has a baby 3 months older than E and when I told her I was waiting to start solids, she was jealous! LOL she wishes she had known she could wait because she's having a really hard time with him. He's dropped in percentile and you all know what health nurses can be like about that. She doesn't know what to do as she's drying up and he won't take formula so she's really struggling. So she thinks that all her problems could have been avoided had she waited to start solids! It's amazing what you learn.

I really wish that we as moms could be confident in our decisions instead of being told what to do by so-called experts that change their minds all the time. I'm sure that if you go back a few generations (we have to go back to before formula was considered the only way to go because in doing that, we lost generations of knowledge about nursing that we now have to slowly learn again), what we are discussing now was well known and passed down from mother to daughter. Modern science hasn't done us any good.

Modern science hasn't done us any good.


Amen to that!

(and please don't blast me, anyone, over the advances in the medical field that HAVE been beneficial...I know there are some out there, I won't deny that for a second...I'm just saying.....
'modern science' just isn't *all that*)

Hey, cjropher, encourage your friend to put the baby to the breast more often. She *can* build her supply back up. It may not happen in a hurry, but, if she wants to do it and will put for the patience and effort, she can build it back up enough. There are also herbal supplements to aid in that. Just let her know of those things, so she has that info available, ya know? ;)

I will ask the doctor about a dietician tomorrow (we have to take him in for more bloodwork). I'd imagine the cream shouldn't be an issue if he tolerates the yogurt ok - I put a tiny bit of plain, organic yogurt in his sweet potatoes today to see if it sits ok with him.
I know some posters mentioned that early milk exposure can lead to lactose intolerance later, I guess I just have to pray on that and then let it go bec he has to eat. He is 28 inches and 15 lbs now; he is a happy baby most of the time but he looks so skinny and his doctor is worried about his weight.
I have this book "super baby food" and she says that you can start yogurt (it is digested differently then milk which is why they can have it earlier) after 6 months. She also recommends an egg yolk mashed up in their foods every other day. The book also has recipe for "nut milk" It is ground up nuts added to water (I believe) to make a "milk" anyways I am just thinking about fatter foods. You might want to thumb through a copy or as me and I can send you some recipes. I am starting to run into the same underweight problem which is why my lactation specialist told me it was ok to start food at 5 months 2 weeks. It did help and he started gaining again (he had lost weight) I have a dr. apt today and am wondering if they are going to say anything to me, Josh is 6 months and is *hopefully* 13lbs. He was 12lbs 15oz a week ago. Anyways just wanted to let you know that info and to let you know you aren't alone in the moms who NEED their babies to gain weight group

Amen to that!

(and please don't blast me, anyone, over the advances in the medical field that HAVE been beneficial...I know there are some out there, I won't deny that for a second...I'm just saying.....
'modern science' just isn't *all that*)


Isn't that the truth!

One thing that I realized awhile back, is that it seems like in all the areas where man in the med. field decides that he can improve upon God's creation, that he is proved wrong pretty quickly. Like with formula...it started out to be a great idea for folks who didn't have access to a wet nurse. It saved tons of babies. But, when the focus went towards making $ and even to the med. profession saying that what they created was actually far better than breastmilk for the baby, then wouldn't you know it, there's a BIG backlash, and they're proven wrong.

You can also add some vax's to that list, and med.s with complication after complication, and tons of other things.

Science is AWESOME, because God created us to be intelligent and figure those things out, but when we start to think we know more than God himself, and that we can improve upon what he created, we fall on our faces.

Amen to that ^ too! That's what I'm sayin'

At least now the formula companies have..I guess you could say 'backed off' a bit, in that they will SAY breastmilk is best (gotta love that little line across the bottom of their tv commercials eh?). But they irritate me because of the mess they've caused in third world countries. Grrr!!

But anyway, I won't go there. Time for me to shut up again before I cause a big ruckus :p :giggle:

nope, Tara, I'm curious as to what you're talking about. If you'd rather, you can pm me, but I really want to know about the 3rd world issue. I may already know and just be being blonde, here, I'm GREAT for that, LOL

nope, Tara, I'm curious as to what you're talking about. If you'd rather, you can pm me, but I really want to know about the 3rd world issue. I may already know and just be being blonde, here, I'm GREAT for that, LOL

I'm not Tara, but check out this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYDPKQOVUE

as well as this one: http://www.ibfan.org/site2005/Pages/article.php?art_id=23&iui=1

and this one:http://www.babymilkaction.org/index.html

regarding the 3rd world issue. Evidently Nestle is one of the worst offenders and there is a big boycott going on as well due to the formula issue and their practices as well as their other practices like this: http://www.babymilkaction.org/pdfs/nestlerussia04.pdf

So the other day, I purposely made sweet potatoes for supper so that E could try some with us. Dh was holding her and let her have a little taste. The faces she pulled! LOL She wasn't so excited about it, but did keep going back for more! She spit it all out and whatever, it's just for fun right. Anyway, then I changed her next day and there was a little square of orange! LOL, I guess she didn't spit it all out!

Yesterday, I let her suck on a raw carrot that I was holding. She has teeth, but she wasn't able to/didn't try to really bite on it, just kind of gnawed on it. By the time she was done with it, it was so soggy! LOL, she's working on her 4th tooth and drooling like mad over it.

This is way more fun this way and so far, way cleaner! LOL

Oh man those cold raw carrots are like THE perfect teether for my kids LOL
Of course, you already know the drill..watch closely..
But man oh man..I started that with #3, he just LOVED it. I swear he could nearly suck/gnaw that thing to mush LOL All kids since have also teethed on raw carrots...and every one of them still love to eat them...#3 now being 6.5yr hehe I think he'd eat the entire 2# bag at supper some nights if we didn't *make* him stop. Same thing with Doodles.

I can't help but think there's a connection there. Between teething on that and now having such a fondness for them. My other two really like carrots, but they didn't teeth on them and don't seem to have *quite* the same fondness for them as my others.

Too funny on the orange square in the diaper LOL I remember those too. They'd be trying to put food in, but it looked like they were just making a mess, I didn't think really anything had stayed IN..but, evidently so.

Glad to hear this more relaxed approach is working for you guys. Feeding our kids just shouldn't be so stressful, should it?

So the other day, I purposely made sweet potatoes for supper so that E could try some with us. Dh was holding her and let her have a little taste. The faces she pulled! LOL She wasn't so excited about it, but did keep going back for more! She spit it all out and whatever, it's just for fun right. Anyway, then I changed her next day and there was a little square of orange! LOL, I guess she didn't spit it all out!

Yesterday, I let her suck on a raw carrot that I was holding. She has teeth, but she wasn't able to/didn't try to really bite on it, just kind of gnawed on it. By the time she was done with it, it was so soggy! LOL, she's working on her 4th tooth and drooling like mad over it.

This is way more fun this way and so far, way cleaner! LOL


How fun, Jaylene! Glad that that approach is working for you!