On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 13:18:44 EST, Judy Le Van Fram <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ><snip> > >Ellen, >The problem ( well one problem) with the new guidelines is that they come >from the Section on Breastfeeding of the AAP, but they acknowledge in a footnote > at the bottom of The Challenge section that there is disagreement between >the AAP section on BF ( six months exclusive is the "reference, normative") >while the AAP Committee for Nutrition still says 4-6 months. It's a little >complicated when parents can get conflicting info from different groups within >the same professional organization, isn't it? Still the statement does read " 6 >months exclusive" though later it goes on to say that some babies will be >ready for solids at 4 months and others not til 8...talk about a challenge... >Judy > >Judy LeVan Fram, PT, IBCLC, Brooklyn, USA The guidelines for starting solids that I learned through LLL were - baby can sit unassisted baby can make pincer grasp (forefinger and thumb to grasp small objects) baby has lost gag reflex and can easily swallow solid foods baby shows an interest in eating solid foods Babies hit these milestones at various ages. And so we were taught to avoid setting a standard age for starting solids ("watch your baby, not the calendar"). Just as LLL Leaders encourage mothers to feed on cue rather than by the clock. That said, as an IBCLC in a hospital setting I work with many mothers who want to be given a hard and fast rule, as though it were a prescription. They want a calendar date. So, yes, I advise them to not introduce solids before about six months. In the part of the world I live in, if I said 4 to 6 months the baby would get rice cereal at 4 months, ready or not. -Claire Bloodgood, IBCLC *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html