strawberries is another food to stay away from aswell

My health nurse said (yesterday)  it was fine to start Michael on solids as he wants it, he is 4 months old. I have been holding him off for 3 weeks now. So we knew he was ready. Like you said each baby is differant & as a parent you know when they are ready. I got to eat dinner in peace tonight.

Just an idea, perhaps give Baby solids at lunch time if it's the introduction of a new food.  If there is an allergic reaction, you can be down at ED during the day and not sitting there all night. Just a thought.

I introduced all my children to solids at the 4mth mark, but I had to do it very sparingly till after 9mths, as I always have so much milk they don't need it. Phebe is still nearly fully breats fed at 9mnths, and the nurce said she's very healthy, so who am I to argue? If I follow the same suit I did with the other two, my milk supply will start dropping soon, and I can wean her at a pace I'm comfortable with.

It's so nice to see people agreeing that around the 4 month mark is OK to introduce solids.  This is the time I started my little one on rice cereal as it just seemed right for her (despite the hard line 6 months I kept getting from the health professionals).  My opinion was that there seemed to be ever increasing  instances of food allergies and perhaps this might be linked to the current trend of not starting solids until later.  And what do you know, the latest research now seems to be leaning towards introducing solids at 4 months to avoid bringing on food allergies (saw this on the news just a few weeks ago - wish I could source the research paper online for more info).  I'm a 1st time parent of a 7 month old and really starting to believe that us mums know our little individuals the best.  My daughter now enjoys 3 small meals a day (cereal for brekky, veggies for lunch and a little custard or fruit for dinner) plus 4 bottles and she's so content and happy. 

I agree that each baby is different - both of my girls refused anything remotely resembling fruit.  Even now, at ages 5 and 4 (years old) they don't care for cooked fruit.  Come to think of it, I don't either, lol.  If you run into opposition from your baby on the fruit thing, try green beans.  Just plain, cooked until tender, and then mashed or blendered (thats a word, right?) until smooth.  Both my girls loved green beans, and had no diaper rash/diarrehea (sp?) etc. that comes with the acidic fruits.  They progressed to pureed cooked spinach, broccoli, etc., and both still love their veggies.  Now they also like fruit that is not cooked, so starting out with the green beans did not turn them off of fruit completely.

Also, if you find one food that baby likes, for instance peas, and one that baby does not care for, say squash, try mixing a small amount of the squash and larger amounts of peas, then gradually increasing the ratio of squash to peas.  This makes for much less battles. 

Great advice.

I must say that I've already started my 4mth old on rice cereal because she watched as intently and made the chewing motion when we were eating. I only give it to her once a day at the moment and only after her bottle. Again the clinic nurse frowned on me for doing it but we as mothers know our children best.

Michelle

Great advice. My little one is 11 weeks & is very interested in us eating. Don't think it will be long before she is on the rice cereal.

Thanks for helpful advice.

Very Good advice. It's good for us all to remember that each baby is unique and that being said, some will want to start solids earlier than others. Some are more physically ready before others. The WHO and ABA suggest at 6 months yet the reality is what the baby and Mum determines in many cases.

It is best to consult with a MHCN (maternal health child nurse) or your child's pediatrician before stating solids before 6 months. But please Mum's you do know your child best and have confidence in that!

Mum's please be aware that some babies cannot tolerate rice. Some such as my son have an allergy to apple. There are many first food options.

Great advice re honey!

Firstly dont listen to everything the clinic nurse tells you. You are the mum you know best!!!! My little girl started on rice cereal at 4 months and i also tried her on some apple. She seemed to get bored with the rice cereal and the apple was way to sweet for her so i mixed the 2 and that worked for a while. She now has mixed vegies (5 months) for dinner and she loves them better than anything she has tried so far. And she has just started with some baby yoghurt and she absolutely loves it. It all comes down to trial and error it takes time but bubs will soon let you know what they want.

Good advice! They are all different!

I knew my first girl (who I was determined would wait til 6 months) was ready when she was so interested in a banana I was eating at 15 weeks that when I let her lick it, she sucked so hard an inch disappeared (25mm!). I thought my eyes were playing tricks until I found the evidence in her nappy. Im still amazed she didnt choke! She took to solids with a relish and ate bananas with everything (fortunately they agreed with her). Her little sister was equally interested at the same age but is not so good at swallowing so we're still on the "tasting" stage with food rather than "nutrition".

Unfortunately solids did not improve my girls sleep one bit!

You are a star

 Lexi xxx