>No offense but I disagree. Just because a baby is interested in solids doesn't
>mean we should give them. My kid ate leaves too. Should I let her eat leaves
>just because of her instinct and interest?


I reckon JN can defend his own statement ok, but unless you have
leaves on your plate, then I think it's fine to take the baby's
interest in solids as a guide : )

I think, too, that following the baby's own individual needs is as
good a guide as anything. The 4-6 months guideline is one of the
*few* potentially useful numbers in the numbers game, because it goes
some way to stop parents (and their healthcare advisers) from
shovelling in solids (and boy, I have seen some parents almost
literally shovel them in.....) as soon as physically possible.
Parents do need support and education in this area...there are
several pressures on them to get their kids onto solids soon:

* commercial ones - pre-packaged baby food is labelled 'from four
months' and it took *years* in the UK for manufacturers to comply
with the DoH recommendations and remove '3 months'. The ads for
pre-packaged baby foods look cute and appealing
* social ones - there's a feeling that babies should be moved on to
the next stage of life all the time
* the idea that solids will help a baby sleep
* lack of faith in breastmilk alone
* reluctance to feed more often (with breast or formula) when the baby 'asks

These pressures are all echoed by some health professionals.

So the numbers do go some way to officially counteract that.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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