OK all, I have been lurking for awhile...and now have something to add
about solids...I would like to start with a quick case...I recently saw a 9
month old who was only twice his birth weight...b.w. was 8lb 6oz, weight at
4 months was 16 lb, and at 9 months 17lb 1oz. The mom refused to immunize,
so had very few well child visits to the prev. MD, and brought the child to
me for the first time at 9 months old because of a diarrheal illness which
resolved quickly. Mom told me at that visit that her child was always
hungry and each day was consuming enormous amounts of solids..fruits,
vegetables, beans...mainly low fat foods. Denver developmental levels
seemed appropriate. I expressed my concern about the child's weight, and
she accused me of being stuck on formula-feeding standards. As we spoke, I
observed her nursing her son, and he would only nurse less than a minute on
one side, then switch, and switch again...this continued, and mom didn't
notice this.  My belief was that the child was not getting enough fat in
his diet. I had the mom nurse on each breast longer, I told her try for 10
minutes, and to try higher fat foods, such as whole yogurt, avocado,
meats...well, in 10 days the baby gained 1lb 5oz!!!
The issue I am raising is that some kids in some countries may grow better
with solids after 4 months, and in other countries or cultures, may not
grow as well. It seems to me that among our 'compliant ' population, babies
get very low fat solids after 6 months, so that if adequate breastfeeding
or artificial feeding isn't continued and there is a heavy reliance on
solids, we will see poorer growth. In other countries, perhaps the solids
given are higher in fat, like in the places Kathy Dettwyler mentioned where
solids are important to maintain growth in the face of maternal
malnutrition- Anne Eglash, MD