why shouldnt i start my 4month baby on baby food?

Answer 1

yes.u can start baby food.like cerelac.smashed veg and boiled apple.little in amout.

Answer 2

A baby should start solids WHEN THAT BABY IS READY! There is too much contradicting advice telling mums when to put their baby on solids - the only person that can say they are ready is baby.
Are they dissatisfied after a milk feed?
Do they watch you eat with fascination?
Do they wake at night having previously slept thru?
Can they support their head?
Have they lost the tounge thrust reflex that pushes food out?

If you've answered yes to any of the above then your baby may very well be ready for solids.
If they're not they'll very soon tell you when you try them on solids!!

People will say don't introduce solids until 6 months because babies can't digest anything except milk, it may cause allergies etc etc etc. The truth is that many many babies start earlier and have come to no harm. I wouldn't reccommend adding solids before 17weeks because the digestive system really isn't ready and a baby probably hasn't lost the reflex that will spit food out, but from 17 weeks onwards it about finding that 'goldilocks' just right time for your baby.

Keep it simple at first by just adding a little baby milk and rice and offering a couple of spoonfuls when baby is alert, not too hungry, not too full - see how they react. If they want it they'll open their mouth and seem eager for more. If they turn their head away, or scream - then leave it a few days and maybe try again. Eating semi-solid food is a new skill that'll take some time to learn - be patient and make eating a fun time for them - they'll soon learn how to eat and want more food - this is when you can start introducing them to more tastes - purree root veg, fruit etc. Add one new food at a time for a few days to check for allergies and ENJOY this part of their development.

Remember - you're mum, you will know when the time is right to add solids to their diet.

Answer 3

Because their little systems cannot digest them yet.

You really should hold off foods as long as possible. Starting babies on food at early ages has been shown to lead to other things such as diabetes and obesity.

Talk with your pediatrician for the best advice. Everyone tends to have there own. Everyone also has the "well my parents survived". I myself did not start my son on cereal until he was 6 1/2 months. He was satisfied with just breastmilk until that point.

Answer 4

Because starting earlier than 6 mos puts your child at an increased risk for allergies, diabetes and obesity.

Because at only 4 mos it is not likely that he is displaying all signs of readiness, which include sitting unassisted.

Because he won't have the enzymes present in his tummy to digest the food until around 6 mos of age.

Because starting solids too soon could put him at risk for anemia.

Because every major respectible health organization suggests waiting until around 6 months of age.

Answer 5

I started giving my youngest (now almost 1) infant cereal at 3 months. He would not sleep and stayed fussy and wanted to eat all of the time. It just turned out that he was hungry and the formula was not filling him up. All babies are different. Some can handle food while others can't. Doctors will tell you not to feed them solid foods because they cannot digest it yet. You just have to try it and see. My mother in law was feeding my oldest son (3) dressing and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving at 3 months and he slept all night.

Answer 6

Because the GI tract isn't fully mature until 6-7 months of age, and starting solid foods before that time has been shown to increase instances of food allergies, diabetes, and GI tract diseases, among other problems.

Answer 7

LISTEN UP. If your baby can - sit with support, hold head steady, and keep food in mouth and swallow then it may be safe to introduce IRON FORTIFIED cereals, like Gerber's Rice. What's the rush???

Answer 8

If your baby is healthy and seems to need "more" you can start introducing baby food. Mine was always "fussy" - turns out the boy was just hungry. By five months, he was eating table food.

Answer 9

When you read Helz's comment about things to look for, I think it is not seeing ONE of these, it is ALL of these signs, especially if your child is younger than 6mths. And it really depends as well if you are breastfeeding or not... when breastfeeding there are even more reasons to delay than if you give formula. But here are the reasons:
Delaying solids gives baby greater protection from illness.
Delaying solids gives baby's digestive system time to mature.
Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.
Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia.
Delaying solids helps to protect baby from future obesity.
Delaying solids helps mom to maintain her milk supply.
Delaying solids helps to space babies.
Delaying solids makes starting solids easier.

Lets just go with the ones which for sure will affect your baby, even if you are giving formula:
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.

There are plenty of women over the years who have started baby food, incl. cereal, before 6 mths, and even before 4mths. This doesnt mean your child WILL have problems, it means they CAN have problems. And as mothers I think we like to make sure that nothing ever happens to our children, especially if we could have prevented it. So why not wait? It could be YOUR child who develops the allergy. Who becomes obese. Who develops diabetes.

Answer 10

Because you need to talk to your pediatrician before asking advice about your baby in a forum called YAHOO ANSWERS

Answer 11

beacuse they still cant process it and need the breast milk/formula still at this time,ask your dr when is best to start him first on cereal and then baby food, and with baby food make sure you start one item at a time to make sure he/she isnt allergic to anything