>Babies around 4-6 months start showing interest in eating.  By 5-6
>months, they are actively trying to take food from their parents'
>plate and put it into their mouths and eat it.  We should respect them
>as individuals and allow them to eat.  This is a developmental
>mileston.

Maybe many babies, but not all. My daughter showed no interest whatsoever
(was averse to food, in fact) until she was 11 1/2 months old, and she only
showed interest in crunchy cereals (Cheerios, Chex, corn puffs, etc.) and
whole-grain bread. Now, at almost 19 months, she has grudgingly added only a
few more foods to her repertoire and still gets most of her nutrition from
breastmilk. At her 18mo checkup she was proclaimed completely healthy in all
regards, including iron status. I've gotten to know many other moms whose
babies showed interest in food much later than 4-6 months, too.

Janice Berry
Columbus, OH