When should I start my son on baby food?

Question

My son is only 3 months old, but he is so big! Most peple think he is at least 5 months old. He can hold up his head and almost sit up by himself. He's starting to eat a lot more lately and i'm affraid that i won't produce enough milk for him. He's just so big, what do you all think?

Answer 1

Alot of doctors would say six months ,but I gave my son cereal at three months and he was just fine.

Answer 2

There are a few signs to look for:

Baby isn't satisfied after nursing or wakes up a LOT more often than usual hungry
Baby has lost tongue thrust reflex
Baby can hold head steady
Baby shows interest in food (watching you eat, grabbing at food, etc).

He should exhibit all four of these signs.

My baby is 4mos next week, and has been holding her head steady since birth, doesn't have the reflex anymore, and snagged a pea from my plate a couple of days ago and shoved it in her mouth (after staring at everyone eating for the past week). My MIL gave her a tiny bit of squished banana with formula today, and danged if she didn't open her mouth every time she saw the spoon. I've got mixed feelings about this, but, she certainly seemed to enjoy it.

If there is no history/risk of allergies in the family, you can start at 4 months. Most babies don't NEED food for nutritional reasons until six months. But, IF they exhibit all of the above signs, don't have a family history of allergies, and you stick with foods LEAST likely to cause reactions (rice cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc.), most doctors have no problem with starting them at four months.

Don't forget, most 3 mo olds go through a growth spurt...he might just have started his. Your production will increase along with his increased feeding. At this point, any food you give him will have very little nutritional value anyway (we're talking about 1/2 tsp-1tsp at a time), so, if you're looking to do it for nutrition rather than practice, it's not going to be doing much anyway.

Answer 3

I am in the same situation. My baby girl is a lil pig(well big pig) so I started adding some cereal to the breast milk at 2 months old to fill her up more. And she is still getting my breastmilk. I wouldnt start feeding baby foods until 6 months old. but a little cereal wont hurt... She is 3 months old now and its working out great. She isnt hungry every 5 mins. now and she still is getting all the good stuff from nursing...

Answer 4

You can always ask a lactation consultant (LC) how you can increase your milk production. My LC has suggested that I pump in between feedings. Or if you only feed him on one side, to pump the other side right after that feeding. He may be going through a growing spurt. My LC has also suggested that I exclusively breastfeed until he is 6 months old, and then start to introduce baby food to him. But again, if I were you, I would get in contact with a LC if you haven't already. If you don't have one, here are some places you can find one. La Leche League, www.lalecheleague.org, Medela's website is very helpful, www.medela.com. Or go to Yahoo yellow pages and look up LC's in your area. Good luck and congratulations! :)

Answer 5

6 months is the time to start with baby food or cereal for your baby.
If you are worried about milk supply, you can take Fenugreek Extract. My wife was worried about the same thing. Her supply was running out and she called a nurse friend who recommended Fenugreek. She started taking Fenugreek and her supply was all the way back in 2 days. Amazing stuff. You can find it at GNC among many other places. If you are on a budget and are worried about the cost of baby food and formula, Fenugreek is a Godsend. Good luck with your baby!

Answer 6

I do not agree with most docs on when to feed babies what. just from listening to my mom and gramma and all my older famliy members, I found I was able to do better by listening to them. Nowadays they wait a long time to start a baby on babyfood whether its cereal or other jarred foods. I found that my baby of two weeks was just not getting enuff to eat, and I kept listening to my doc. Finally my mom convinced me to give only a little cereal. and it worked. no more crying. he needed more foods. this is the way we used to do it, and the docs get all into it and say this new way causes allergies and obesity, and maybe in some , it does. there are risks to everything. But, this works for many, this old way. If your baby is already heavy, but you wonder if your baby is geting enuff, why dont you try cutting down on some of the milk, and giving only a little cereal in the mornings. try this for a few weeks. and if he is doing well, try giving him some of the baby food for babys. do only one at a time, so you can give it long enuf to see if they have any allergy to it. if it works, add another. and so on. By 3 months my babies were on jr food, and didnt need so much milk, which ended up making them thinnner. I had big babies too. There are old school docs who will agree with what I am saying, but few of the new ones. They arent God and they dont have allll the answers. Much of it is assumption and guess work. In some areas, we have to use our own smarts and do what we feel is best, when its an area that wont hurt our children, and see what works for them. Just trying a small change in your babies eating habits will not hurt. They dont need 24/7 liqids, it goes right thru them and quickly they are hungry again. But, I found that the simple feeding of small amounts of baby cereal did the trick, and my babies werent hungry all the time. then, when I introduced the baby food, I just watched as they grew healthy, and were not heavy at all. You must see how much to give each child, as all are different. enuff to satisfy, but not overfill. you can tell when a bby has had enuff. they dont want more. Hope this works for you like it has everyone I have ever suggested it to. My daughter battled this too as her docs forbade it with her baby girl. guess what. within days, no more crying...... and no fat baby either.

Answer 7

I would talk to his pediatrician about it. It varies depending on how your child is developing. I started giving my daughter cereal in her milk to supplement her when she was 3 months old and started her on baby food at about four and a half months. I talked to my pediatrician and she said it was fine to do so. I put cereal in the baby food too to thicken it up. My daughter is three now and has been eating table food since she was about a year and a half (I gave her those Gerber Graduates from about eight to eighteen months).

Also, you may want to tell his pediatrician if you are concerned about his size. A lot of people who thinks that he "looks" five months old may have either older children or no children. Every baby is different. Again, ask your pediatrician. Or, if you think that it is okay for your baby, do it. It's entirely up to you.

Good luck. :-)

Answer 8

Don't worry about not having enough milk for him. The more he eats, the more you produce. And I wouldn't give him baby food for at least 6 more months. Dispite what the docters say, breast milk is just what your son needs. He doesn't need anything else.

Answer 9

I started my first baby on food at 4 months and my second baby at 6 months. It really depends on the baby. If the baby is hungry very often then it is probably time. The size of the baby definetly has a lot to do with it. Just start him on a very small amount of rice. I would probably make sure with my doctor first.

Answer 10

It's supply and demand. Put him to the breast and let him nurse when he asks and you WILL produce enough milk for him. Your body is amazing. Trust in it.

Solid foods should not be started until he is closer to 6 months old, per the AAP. He can't digest it much earlier than that. AND starting solids too soon can put him at risk for allergies, diabetes and obesity.

Answer 11

I had to start my 3 month old on a little bit of rice cereal to hold him. He was also very large. He's 5 months old now. The doctor told me last month I could start on solids, but I elected to wait until he was 5 months. We are starting Veggies this week.
Best of luck.
Start out with 1 tbsp cereal , then two. Later you can add up to 3 or 4. Depends on how much he can eat.