When to start solids??

Question

My baby girl will be four months old on monday August 7. Is it ok to start her on infant cereal? And could she be teething already?

Answer 1

You don't need to start solids the day she turns four months. If she's going to be four months that day, you should have an appointment scheduled with your pediatrician for that age, so you should ask her. It depends on the baby whether or not the baby is ready to start on solids. Ask your pediatrician if your baby is ready.

And as far as teething, it's possible she could start at that age, or it's possible that it'll be months before she starts teething. Every baby is different. No two babies will develop at exactly the same pace.

Answer 2

My baby boy will be 4 months on August 6th. My pediatrician said due to his size, he's 17 lbs, I can start him on cereal. I'd just check with your doc first. Also as far as teething....my oldest is 4 years old and didn't get teeth until he was 7 months. My soon to be 4 months old got his 2 bottom teeth in the same week and that was 2 weeks ago, so he was 3 1/2 months! All babies are different though.

Answer 3

I have a 4 1/2 month old and his Dr. told me that the normal age to begin solids is 4-6months. Normally 6 months, but if the baby is bigger then early as 4 months, that will help them stay full longer. He told me to do it on a schedule, like breakfast, lunch and dinner, not just when I felt like feeding him some solids. He also told me to start with the rice cereal and mix it with formula (or breastmilk), then start the jar foods with it, but he said to make sure and start veggies first, because even babies can choose preferences and if you give fruit first then they wont want veggies. He also told me to do one new food a week, that way if he had a food allergy I would know what food gave him the rash or whatever. My 6 year old never ate baby foods, so this whole thing is new to me, he wouldn't eat it, I think because of the texture, he just started eating with me, like the sauce in my lasagna, mashed potatoes I made thin, and stuff like that. Now that I am doing the whole baby food thing I have to recomend the veggies first thing, unfortunately when my Dr. brought this up to me at his 4 month check up, which was a few weeks late, I had already started experimenting with baby food and when I went shopping for it the first time I wanted to give him the stuff that tasted good, cause mushy peas as a first food sounded gross to me, so I went a few weeks giving him all the fruits and now he hates the veggies!
About teething, all kids are different. I think my son is teething, he is atleast drooling all the time, but my 6 year old didn't get his first tooth until he was 6 or 7 months old. My neice got her first tooth at 2 months!
Good Luck!

Answer 4

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)

Answer 5

It is ok to start on solids at four months if she can hold her head up, sit with support, has doubled her birth weight and can move food from the front of her mouth to the back by rolling her tongue. It's less of an age thing and more of a developmental readiness thing. If she seems ready to you, then try it. If it doesnt go well, wait 2 or 3 weeks and try again.

Answer 6

Solids really shouldn't be started before 6 months. They are mostly for fun and practice at this age, not for nutrition. Breastmilk or formula should be their main source of nutrition for the entire first year. Starting too early can lead to increased chances of allergies, diabetes, obesity, etc. Hold out until closer to 6 months.

Answer 7

I, personally, started my daughter on solids at 3 months. She was latched onto my breast all day long. It was terrible. She was so hungry! She had already doubled her birthweight, was holding her head well, and took immediately to the food!
She is now seven months, and eats just about every fruit and veggie out there. She is extremely healthy, never gets sick, always happy. Everyone will recommend something different, but the choice is yours to make.

Answer 8

i fed my babes from 4 weeks, had to make it very milky but it fed them enough to sleep through the night. every baby is different. try it you most probably find baby is ready when she wants, i tried loads of different foods with mine not one of my kids is a fussy eater...even greens are eaten