Umm... whatever happened to "watch your baby, not the calendar"?  Both 
sides seem so caught up in numbers that they ignore that babies are 
ready for solids at different ages.  I know I've heard stories of babies 
who were not interested until a year old.  My son was the other way.  
Before he even reached three months old, he was so interested in solids 
that he was stealing them.  He would throw himself at food that I was 
holding as I was eating it, and often land with his mouth on it.  I 
called my mother in a panic because he actually ate a rice grain before 
three months.  He also stole fruit, crackers, granola bar, and I can't 
even remember what else.  I have a video of him beating on my arms as I 
am eating chocolate cake, trying to get me to drop some into his open 
mouth underneath.  I held him off until 4 months by giving him breast 
milk by spoon occasionally.  He wasn't satisfied with that, but at least 
he stole less food.  At four months and five months I introduced one 
pureed food (sweet potatoes and apples, I forget in which order).  I had 
four choices:
-do not eat myself except when he was asleep or someone else could hold him
              this would have been dangerous for both of us
- lay him down somewhere to scream while I ate
                 this was totally unacceptable to me
- do not give him solids, but continue to hold him while I ate.
                 if I did this, he would continue to steal food, and it 
would not necessarily have been safe
                 or low-allergy food
- give him solids in a very controlled way until he gets older

I chose the fourth option, simply because the first two were not options 
at all, and it seemed safer than the first.  When at four months I 
introduced solids, he had teeth and was meeting all of the other 
developmental guidelines.

This is a case where the problem with the research is that it starts out 
with the false premise that there is one age to introduce solids to all 
babies.  Some babies are ready for solids very early, like mine, and 
some not until much later.  I would like to see a study comparing babies 
given solids at six months, whenever they became ready, to babies who 
are given solids when they are ready.

Christine Bussman

Rachael Austin wrote:
> What is a good clinical reason to introduce solis prior to 6 months? I have just read the new joint publication from the Health and UNICEF called, "Weaning: Starting solid food" From:  http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/pdfs/weaning_leaflet.pdf They make a comment about if mothers choose to introduce solids prior to 6 months to avoid typical allergy foods, but what is a good clinical (medical) reason for introducting solid food prematurely? They suggest that food should never be given prior to 4 months!!! I would have thought 6 months or there abouts?
>   

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