In a message dated 10/14/00 6:33:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< I know a dietitian who says that if you don't start to feed a baby
 solids by 6 mos you lose the "teachable moments" window. She says she
 has seen failure to thrive babies because of this. Has anyone else noted
 this "teachable moment" phase in infant feeding/starting of solids? (and
 subsequent relationship to failure to thrive) >>


Nope.  I hear this nonsense alot (incl from my baby's ped) but my experience
with literally hundreds of mom's on various attachment parenting lists, in
LLL, etc is so different.  The AP mom's tend to not "start" solids with their
children, but wait till the children are so eager that there's no stopping
them....I'd say baby usually starts eating between 7 and 9 months but not in
any appreciable amount.  There are quite a few babies who aren't too
interested till 11, 12, 14 mos or beyond.

<<Have you noticed babies who are exclusively bf at 6 mos start to slow
growth or become "ftt" because solids were not started?>>

they're going to slow down either way.  I've seen and heard of quite a few
cases where the ped was concerned about a slowdown in growth (especially at
the ped visit that follows the baby learning to walk).

I think that if baby is normal developmentally - ie not ASD, SID, etc - and
food is available to them then this is so not an issue.

katherine in atl

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