Jumping into the fray of when to start solids, I thought I'd share what I
tell parents who ask me when:
Baby is ready (emphysis on ready) for solids when these criteria are met:
Birth weight has doubled
Baby can sit up on his/her own (good head control etc.)
Baby shows an interest in what you're eating
Baby has lost the extrusion reflex (that's the tongue reflex that pushes
things out of the mouth) I tell parents that this reflex is a protective
measure to prevent choking. If he spits it out when you give it to him it
doesn't mean he doesn't like it. He's not ready.
Then I add a few more suggesstions on how. I usually suggest that dad (if
he's there) or sig other, should be the one to start solids, [giving info on
baby smelling mom etc.] Evenings are better than mornings (mom's supply/fat
content is lower then) . Since cereal is the *normal* first food here in the
U.S., people think it's only a breakfast food.  Baby should be held-- no high
chair. Go slow, let baby take the lead, don't shovel it in. Be prepared for a
mess. I stress that it is developmentally appropriate for the baby to play
with the food as he discovers tastes and textures. Last but not least, I tell
parents to remember that baby's stomach is only about as big as his fist.
This gives a visual reference for how much. You wouldn't believe how many
parents think an entire jar is one serving! (As matter of course I tell them
they don't NEED baby food in jars)
RE Juice. I agree with the many posts-- no juice. I've seen too many cases of
diarrhea and weight loss from apple juice. As for gatoraid and other
replacement fluids, they put a heavy solute load on the baby's kidneys and
can be dangerous.
Lastly Vitamins the never ending debate. We must ask ourselves if it's not in
breastmilk ,should the baby really have it? Does he *need* it? Iron has long
been of concern however my understandng is that the fetus stores iron (I
heard the process called the iron sponge) that should last him the first 6
mo. Ever notice how many women become anemic in the 7th month? That's baby
hard at work.
Question: Does anyone remember the info a fews years back that large doses of
iron was *bad*? I seem to remember something about it contributing to heart
problems...? Our peds used to test baby's Hgb and HCT (hemoglobin and
hemocrit) at 1 year  but abandoned the practice because of some new research.
Anybody know about this?
Marie Davis
Queen of bedrest again :-(