Infant Intestines

My doctor just told me the same thing about my 4 month old. He said that it may lead to weight issues later in life to start food (even cereal) prior to six months. I know a lot of people think thats a bunch of nonesense, but I'm planning on sticking to the formula only until six months of age. If it is true, I don't want to feed the fuel for any obesity if I don't have to.

I am currently in nursing school and currently sitting at my computer studying. I looked up your concern in my textbook and this is what it says:
"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing semisolid food at 4 to 6 months. At this age the extrusion reflex (or tongue thrust)decreases and the infant can sit well with support. The infant is also developing the ability to appreciate texture and swallow nonliquid foods and can indicate desire for food or turn away when full.
The first food added to the infant's diet is usually rice cereal. The advantage's of introducing cereal first is that it provides iron at an age when the infant's prenatal iron stores begin to decrease, it seldom causes allergies and is easily digested. A tablespoon or two is fed to the infant once or twice daily just before formula or breastfeeding. The infant may appear to spit out food at first because of normal back-and-forth movement of the tongue. Parents should not interpret this early feeding behavior as indicating dislike for the food."
They go one to say that fruits and veggies shouldn't be introduced to at least 6 months of age once they are able to eat 1/4 cup of cereal once or twice daily. However, you know your child and what they prefer. I always liked to introduce veggies first because they aren't sweet. It seemed the fruits they liked a lot and then it was harder to get them to eat the veggies. But introduce each new item one at a time and give it a few days or a week before a new one to see if there are any reactions. By 6 months my kids were drinking out of straws and by 9 or so I was chewing up my own food and giving it to them. But I was never one of those moms who wanted to try the jarred baby food, it smelled nasty enough...except the peaches, that was pretty good. LOL. Hope this gives you some help.

nothing but breast milk or formula till 6 months old, defineltly not cows milk, which is designed for baby cows, not baby people and can cause minute tears as the molocules are too big for the babies intestines. And then you can try solids but normally they still do the tongue push needed for a bottle till 8 months are so. also they have done studies that too early with solids can lead to diabetes in the future.

Can't say that I've ever heard of that. And I began feeding my son baby jar food at 4 months with no problem. I believe I started out with fruits only. And had him eat it several times to make sure no reaction. Then add veggies, one at a time like the fruits. Then meats. But do talk with your pediatrician. Never did do the cereals first since he had constipation problems.

Some people reccommend not feeding solids until 6 months, but I started my son on rice cereal at 3 months, and solids at 4 months. Once they have doubled their birth weight, they are ok to start solids. Stage one baby foods are ok to give at 4 months (says so right on the jar), and my pediatrician was fine with me starting him on solids at that time.

i have never heard that. our pediatrician told us to start on rice cereal at 4 mos. a tsp a day and build up from there.
i thought the main reason you do not start solids until 6 mos was because it is unnecessary and they are likely to develop allergies.

I have to giggle every time I hear feeding issues with infants... my mom raised me without access to the internet and all of the parenting magazine and websites we all have now... I looked in my baby book and she started giving me (based on the pediatricians directions) skim milk at 2 months old and then started feeding me baby foods, beginning with the meats!! I turned out just fine. Yes, they know more about medical science now, but don't stress yourself over every molecule that goes into your baby. Some start other foods as early as 4 months or sooner while some do just fine on breast milk/formula for many months after that. All 3 of my kids have eaten everything under the sun- whatever was on my plate I'd let them sample from about 5 months old. None of them have food allergies, and I honestly believe food allergies are something you are born with anyway no matter what age you introduce foods (you just want to wait for some things like peanut butter because if they ARE allergic, the teenier they are the harder it is for their little bodies to handle it)

Ideally you want to wait until 6 months to start solids to avoid any possibility of allergies to foods. It's really important to feed your baby right from the start because this is the time when they are forming the cells that will be with them for life. There is a connection between diet and disease. It is well documented in The China Study by T. Colin Campbell (Cornell Professor and Researcher).

If you want to follow a more holistic feeding schedule, I recommend the following:

6-8 months
Water in a sippy cup
Avocado, Bananas, Peaches mashed
Cooked vegetables, mashed, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash and peas
Gluten free grains like brown rice, millet, quinoa (great source of protein!) and buckwheat mushed and thinned with breastmilk
Tofu, soy milk, and soy yogurt

8-10 months
Baked and mashed potatoes thinned with breast milk
Well cooked legumes- pinto beans, lima beans, kidney beans, split peas
Fruit juices except citrus (best made at home with a juicer and watered down)
Soft crackers made with whole grains

10-12 months
Citrus juices and fruits
Thinned nut butters
Pasta chopped small
Whole-grain bread
Gluten grains such as oats, rye and barley
Corn
Other Soy products
Ground nuts and seeds
Organic poultry and meat (not necessary, but if you choose to give baby meat, make it organic)

1 year and older
Organic Free Range Eggs (optional)
Honey (optional)
Fish (optional)

I also highly recommend the book "Disease Proof Your Child" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This is a must read for all new moms who want to understand nutrition and start their kids of right from the start.

Hope that helps,

G. G.
Certified Health Educator & Family Wellness Coach

When my kids were young my doctor would tell me one thing & the WIC professionals would tell me another. I beleive mother knows best & both of my kids had more than milk before 6 months...try to stop them! My 1st, I tried my hardest but she was not gaining a lot or sleeping so I began cereal at 4 months & added other foods shortly after. My second...much differant after the first, he was eating other foods b/c he saw his sister eating great food. He began eating other things as early as 3 months, I think. I honestly think as long as you are feeding them healthy things for good reasons, there is not reason not to. Good luck & remember, mommy always knows her baby best!

Hi S.,

If you go to www.mercola.com and look up this topic you will find that the research shows that their digestive system is not quite ready for solids. I started experimenting with solids just before my son was 6 months old because he started showing an interest in our food. We only eat fruits and veggies even now at 8 months, no rice cereal since there is little or no nutrutional value. We started with Avacados and he loved them (plus they are a natural laxative) so you can always use it with bananas or other binding foods to help in that department. There really is no flavor to avacados and it helps them get used to that texture. They are high in good fats and extremely nutritious. Then start adding other fruits and veggies, such as apples, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots (the basics). Make sure you only introduce 1 new food every 3 days or so to make sure your baby doesn't have allergies. Really, your son doesn't NEED anything beside breastmilk. He gets all the required nutrition from you. Give it just a little more time and then start experimenting. Good luck and have fun with your boys!

S.,

You have so many different opinions about this one. Personally I would talk to a pediatrician about it. My first daughter had rice cereal at 3 months and then I started solids at 4 months. She has no allergies to anything. Very healthy 3 year old. My second daughter developed a milk allergy at 2 weeks olds plus had several other GI issues. She went to 2 different GI doctors who said that I needed to start her on cereal to help her severe acid reflux. So since two weeks old she has been on cereal. I just don't know why two different GI specialists would tell me that I should give it to her if it would hurt her in the long run.

Beth