Jay raises a really interesting issue.  Someone needs to look at the
nutritional value of the solids most breastfed 6-12 month olds *actually
ingest*.  Some babies, I know, get into significant amounts of solids pretty
early; many, like mine, use them as face paint as much as for calories.  And
yet everyone feels comfortable, because both kinds of babies have "started
solids".

My firstborn "started solids" at exactly 6 months, but even back then I was
smart enough to wonder: by 6 months your baby is "showing signs of increased
hunger", and so you add a quarter teaspoon of solids, once or twice a day,
increasing slowly?  C'mon!

I remember being dismayed when I read at his one-year visit how much my 1
year old was "supposed" to be eating.  I figured he was still up to 90%
breastfed at that point, even though he "started solids" on his 6 month
birthday and "ate" 3 meals a day at the table with us.

I can't help but wonder if the babies who wait til a year and the babies who
dabble during their 2nd 6 months aren't doing essentially the same thing
nutritionally, even though one is waiting dangerously long and the other is
comfortably meeting the standard.
--
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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