Susan, I appreciate your comments on the research about starting solids. As 
a long-time La Leche League Leader, I would say that the majority of my 
friends and family have breastfed exclusively for at least six months, and 
many of them longer - some much longer. In my own family, three of my four 
children were on the late side for solids (actively refusing them until 
between 9 months and 1 year) and one was around 5 months. I see similar 
patterns with other children.

I wonder if the "giving babies small tastes of food earlier" that you 
mentioned may actually create some of the problems of iron deficiency. If 
the baby's gut is not sufficiently mature, is it possible that the food 
(especially high-iron food, or dairy products) could cause tiny amounts of 
intestinal bleeding and increased iron loss?

Teresa

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