Introducing solids to 4 month old?

Question

Has anyone started this early? If so, did you start with actual rice cereal fed by a spoon? Or, did you mix in a bottle?

I'm thinking of trying this weekend because my baby is beginning to chew on things with such gusto and her p**p regime and consistency is changing (more frequent and not as loose). I think she's ready?

Answer 1

You should wait until you have the go ahead from your doctor.  Really you should start only when your baby can sit up with assistance and has lost the reflex to push things out with her tongue.  Also, your doctor will weigh her and determine if she is ready.  

Start with a spoon.  Mix rice cereal so it is very watery.  

Answer 2

I started my son on rice cereal at 4 months, with our Doctor's permission. I spoon fed it but made it really runny. For the first few times it seemed like I was spoon feeding him a bottle. Its not recomended to put rice cereal in a bottle, this creates a choking hazzard.

Alot of people will have different opinions on this. Do what feels right for you and your daughter. And good luck!

Answer 3

It isn't recommended until at least 6 months because in most cases a baby's tummy isn't ready to digest such complicated things like solids.

At 6 months you can start with a rice cereal with a spoon. In a bottle can cause a lot of extra gasiness and stomach irritability. Of course this is going to happen to an extent anyway when solids are introduced. You will want to just experiment with it though. Don't change suddenly one day and only feed solids. Choose one meal and offer the cereal then wait a couple days to make sure there is no adverse reaction. Your baby's body will tell you if she is ready for solids by how they handle the experimenting.



The chewing may simply be teething. feel along the gums and see if it is extra bumpy and hard. Her bowel movements sound normal. Be cautioned that introducing solids will dramatically change those BMs, given too soon can cause painful constipation.

My first born was breastfed for the first year with occasional introductions to solids at around 9 months. I plan to do the same with my now 7 week old. Every baby is different, you can always ask her Dr.

Answer 4

I started my guy on rice cereal at 4 months. He did great on it, it took him a couple of tries to get the hang of swallowing it though. They're tongue's aren't trained to push things to the back of their mouth yet. But he learned very quickly. Rice cereal can make your baby a little bit constipated, so only feed in moderation until your baby's system has adapted. Good luck!

Answer 5

Chewing on things is a sign of teething, and increased fine motor skills, not intestinal development.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids...

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:

    * Baby can sit up well without support.

    * Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.

    * Baby is ready and willing to chew.

    * Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.

    * Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/solids.html

Your baby is starting to get ready for solids when:

    * he is about four months old

    * he becomes more sociable, playing and holding "conversations" with you during a nursing session

    * he has a growth spurt and nurses more frequently for a while

    * he imitates the chewing motions you make whilst eating -- he is practicing!

You will know that he is really ready to start solids when:

    * he is about six months old

    * he can sit up without any support

    * he continues to be hungry despite more frequent nursing which is unrelated to illness or teething

    * he has lost the tongue-thrusting reflex and does not push solids out of his mouth

    * he can pick up things with his finger and thumb (pincer grasp)

Babies who are ready for solids can usually feed themselves. Mothers often report that they knew their babies were ready when they picked up food from a plate, chewed it, swallowed it, and wanted more.

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/fit3.asp

Attention all Grandmothers:

Much has been learned over the past thirty years about infant nutrition and development. Many practices that were common three decades ago are now known to be unhealthy, maybe even dangerous to a young infant.

I know that the experts told you to start feeding your babies cereal after a few weeks of life; and you followed their advice because you loved your children. Now we know that an infant's gut is not ready for solid foods until around six months of age. If you start a food too early, he is much more likely to become allergic to it. This can result in damage to the intestines, weight loss, blood in the stool, and malnutrition. You might argue, "Well, my kids started solid foods at three weeks, and they turned out just fine." The truth is, very few adults have perfectly working digestive tracts. Just look at all the commercials for heartburn remedies and stool softeners... "ever feel gassy and bloated after a meal?"

Here is what the experts are saying now:

    * Breastfeed for at least one year.

    * Start cereal and other solids after six months of age.

Grammy, please let your daughters follow this advice, because they love your grandchildren as much as you do.

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/bf4.asp

The truth is that very few infants are developmentally ready at 4 months. In addition, it is now recommended to delay foods until 6 months in order to decrease the chance of allergies. I also have found that some infants are not developmentally ready for solids until 8 or 9 months. You can click here to read about what signs to watch for to determine when your infant is ready for foods. Breast milk is nutritionally complete for at least the first year of life. This means that infants can go for at least a year on breast milk alone, without eating any foods, and be nutritionally complete. Offering foods between 6 and 12 months of age is simply for social development and to get infants used to eating.

I encourage parents not to try to coax their 6 month old into accepting solids before he shows many of the signs of being ready. This can create a picky eater and negative feelings about eating.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids...

# Delaying solids gives baby's digestive system time to mature.

If solids are started before a baby's system is ready to handle them, they are poorly digested and may cause unpleasant reactions (digestive upset, gas, constipation, etc.). Protein digestion is incomplete in infancy. Gastric acid and pepsin are secreted at birth and increase toward adult values over the following 3 to 4 months. The pancreatic enzyme amylase does not reach adequate levels for digestion of starches until around 6 months, and carbohydrate enzymes such as maltase, isomaltase, and sucrase do not reach adult levels until around 7 months. Young infants also have low levels of lipase and bile salts, so fat digestion does not reach adult levels until 6-9 months.

# Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.

It is well documented that prolonged exclusive breastfeeding results in a lower incidence of food allergies (see Allergy References and Risks of Artificial Feeding). From birth until somewhere between four and six months of age, babies possess what is often referred to as an "open gut." This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breastmilk to pass more directly into baby's bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass right through, too. During baby's first 4-6 months, while the gut is still "open," antibodies (sIgA) from breastmilk coat baby's digestive tract and provide passive immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness and allergic reactions before gut closure occurs. Baby starts producing these antibodies on his own at around 6 months, and gut closure should have occurred by this time also. See How Breast Milk Protects Newborns and The Case for the Virgin Gut for more on this subject.

# Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia.

The introduction of iron supplements and iron-fortified foods, particularly during the first six months, reduces the efficiency of baby's iron absorption. Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one study (Pisacane, 1995), the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia. See Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary? for more information.

Answer 6

I also started my baby at 4 months his 6 months know...and i started giving the baby Oatmeal in the morning with the spoon so i can get the baby  use to it and in the evening all give him gerber either carrots or green peas etc...

Answer 7

I started rice cereal in a night time bottle...many people do not agree with this though. Ask your pediatrician.  

Answer 8

you just said "Has anyone started this early" thus meaning you think its just abit too early, I would completely skip the rice cereal wait a couple months and feed her oatmeal. Rice cereal is just junk carbs and does no good for the GI tract in a baby, I once went to a conference and they showed a video on how the stomach looked after feeding a baby cereal too early, it was all clumped up and the stomach acids werent barely touching it to break it down because the baby wasnt ready.

Whats the rush, do whats best for your baby and wait a couple more months and feed her real foods like bananas and avocados.

Answer 9

If you do give her rice, put it on a spoon, not in her bottle.

I never bothered with rice for 2 of mine.  First solids were mashed up bananas mixed with loads of milk.  Go with your instincts, with your baby

Answer 10

"I think she's ready?"

Not at 4 months old she's not.

"The following organizations recommend that all babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or any other foods) for the first 6 months of life (not the first 4-6 months):

World Health Organization

UNICEF

US Department of Health & Human Services

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Dietetic Association

Australian National Health and Medical Research Council

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Health Canada"

Why delay solids? -- http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids...

Answer 11

Neither of these (chewing on things or pooping differently) are signs of readiness for solids.  In fact, if her stools are firmer, starting solids would be a bad idea, since rice cereal is VERY constipating.

Signs of readiness for solids include:

1. Around 6 months, unless baby is CLEARLY in need of something ealier.

2 Taking more than 40-50 ounces of formula or 10-12 breastfeeds a day, and still hungry. (Some sources still give a 'limit' of 32-36 ounces, but I've never seen any medical justification for it.  It's based on old style formulas which were harder to digest, and made from evaporated milk that [conveniently] made exactly 32 ounces of formula.)

3. Able to sit up well with support. (Some sources would say 'without support...')

4. Loss of tongue thrust reflex. (If you have to put cereal in the bottle, baby ISN'T ready yet. A baby who is ready for solids can eat fairly thick solids from a spoon.)

5. Clear interest in solid foods.

Sounds to me that baby is teething, not showing signs of readiness for solids, so I'd wait a couple of months if possible. (And if you do start, and she can't eat from the spoon after a couple of tries, stop.

Answer 12

I think it is a little early but you should check with your local health care nurse or doctor

Answer 13

Solids go on spoons. Liquids go in bottles. If you are going to give your baby cereal it needs to go on a spoon.

Answer 14

I started my boys with cereal but with oatmeal. I never started them on rice cereal since their doctor didn't tell me want to start with. Done of my boys didn't rice cereal at all. They just loved the oatmeal..