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

Found an interesting abstract of an Italian study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10961166&dopt=Abstract

re: breast milk supporting growth in the second half year of life.

In my experience, many moms are referred to me by well-baby clinics due
to apparent ftt in the second 6 months of life once solids were
started.  These are usually babies who were gaining well and hovering in
the 90th percentiles while only on breast milk, and then once solids
were introduced dropped in the charts.  The peds were saying to stop
breastfeeding (!!??!! Jack's arrrrrgh!).

As for the window theory, I have heard that before.  I think that eating
solids is a developmental step just like any other and we start when the
baby is ready developmentally, regardless of age ( I have never seen a
4-month old grab food off the mother's plate!!) If a baby is delaying
starting solids it is not because we have missed the "critical period"
but that this baby is not ready at the moment.

Again, we must stop creating numerical guidelines in breastfeeding.
Look at the baby, not at the clock, calendar, scale, etc.!!


The clinic nurses here are trying to get the moms to start with
vegetable soup rather than fruit, fearing that once babies taste  sweet
fruit they will never want to eat salty foods.  Most babies take one
taste of the chicken soup and go "yuck" and are turned off to solids for
another few months.  They then get referred to "eating clinics" and are
taken off breastfeeding altogether in order to get them to eat " real"
food.

I suggest that they start on banana and breast milk and most babies love
it and happily go on from there to other foods with no problem.
What are the recommendations for starting solids in other parts of the
world?   Sweet, salty, bland?

Esther G who is hoping that those wonderful breastfed babies who I
helped 18 and 19 years ago, and these new young dads will not have to go
to war.  And trying to get moms to relax enough so that their milk will
release, as they sit there worrying about their husbands who have been
called up for reserve duty.  Praying for peace!!

Esther Grunis, IBCLC
Lis Maternity Hospital
Tel Aviv, Israel
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