This post is for Cynthia Marske and others commenting on intro of solids
and iron.   This is a very simplistic way to look at nutrition.  The baby
needs nutrients of all kinds as she/he grows.  Not only are iron stores
depleted if they are not replaced but so are other minerals of which there
are many and they each have essential functions in the body.   By saying
that iron stores are depleted at 6 mo and that is why we need to start
solids is just an easy way to explain the many complex reactions in the
body which need these minerals as a part of essential enzyme function and
numerous other biopathways.
     Why is it that some people wait til 1 yr to start solids, others start
at 5 months and still others go even longer.   Most of these babies manage
to stay pretty healthy.   Why do we wait til 6 mo to start?   The very best
reason is that the pancreas does not produce the digestive enzymes needed
for starch digestion until around 4 months, the birth iron stores begin to
dwindle,(but not if the baby is being breastfed by a mom who is well
nourished and has adequate B12, folic acid and iron.....  So you can see
that the real answer is that the situation is really complex.   Personally
I feel that as canned food, baby jars of food are not  the most nutritious
choice, so why not intro foods when the baby is able to sit at the table
and get offered small amounts of the most nutritious food on the
table---which is not fast food, take out food, or prepackaged food!
That sure doesn't answer a whole lot, but sure raises a question about
simplistic answers about a complex subject.  Food for thought...
Michelle Scott, RD,MA,IBCLC  in  NH where there's finally a good snow
cover.

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From:   Drmarske[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Thursday, January 29, 1998 1:19 AM
Subject:        Exclusively Breastfed babies for a prolonged period

Hello,
      I have heard told by some of our pediatricians at our hospital that
the
only real need to introducing solids at any point is to increase the iron
in
the diet of the baby because by 6 mo to 1 year the iron stores the baby is
born with in the liver, bone marrow and red blood cells starts to dwindle.
The iron provided by the breastmilk or formula simply replaces iron that is
lost on a daily basis or used for building more red blood cells.  I suppose
if
the mother is not anemic and the baby took occassional iron containing
finger
foods they could thrive up to 2 yo on mainly breastmilk.
     In Mothering magazine they had an article in a recent volume that
discussed highly allergic children and nursing them exclusively up to 2 yrs
old and slowly introducing finger food to delay or avoid any sensitivity to
allergic proteins etc.  These children seemed to thrive and were not anemic
or
so not reported.
     Myself, my kids were following our every bite at 6 months of age.  I
don't know if I could have held them off any longer.  Interesting antedotal
experience.

                                                      Cynthia S. Marske DO