Recommendations are to start solids around 6mths. There are a few signs that you can look for to see if bub is ready:-

- Has lost tongue poke reflex (if youu put food in and he pokes his tongue out instead of drawing the food back in he is not ready)

-Can sit fairly unaided in a high chair

-has a hunger that cannot be satisfied with extra milk.

If you are worried perhaps try giving some extra breastfeeds and see if that helps. If his hunger is reduced it could be for any number of reasons(perhaps he is teething or a little sick??or that too much cereal is offered) if you do offer rice cereal start off slowly (one teaspoon or so for a week then slowly increase the amount) and mix it with breastmilk if possible. Remember food until one is just for fun. babies still receive over 70% of their nutritional requirements from breastmilk or formula.

DO NOT under any circumstances give your baby honey. Honey contains stuff that can kill children. It's best to avoid it until over 2yrs of age-longer if the honey is bought from a stall/market (commercial honey has been heat treated so is ok from 2yrs).

Over 6mths you can offer small sips of coiled boiled water on top of their milk and solids. Keep baby cool by letting him play with a  wet washer, play with a cup of water or sticking him in front of the fan. 

Hi there

I started my son on solids at just before 5 months. I was only giving him one solid feed a day until he was 6 1/2 months. You should be making the for him very runny because they dont know how to chew or mush it up in their mouth yet. I was only making up about 2 tablespoons up for him aswell.

I would think that if he isn't asking for anything more, then you are feeding him what he needs. He will let you know when he is hungry. Just keep in mind that their little tummy's are only as big as their fist, so they cant really fit all that much in.

I dont know about the honey and water. I was advised not to give my son water until he was 7 months old. I was also told not to mix in sweetener to his food. But that was so he didn't develop a taste for it. It is also not that great for their teeth.

I hope this helps.

Cass xx

Hi there,

The rice cereal should be a very runny consistancy to start with and should be made with boiled water, formula or breast milk. They only need a couple of spoonfuls to start with as their tummys are so immature and little. If you do this twice a day, it should be enough for a few weeks. DO NOT give bub honey until 12 months of age as they can get very ill from it. Even then, it is something that should be used in moderation due to it's high sugar content! Keep in mind that breast milk ( and to a lesser extent formula)  is very sweet in it's own right and babies do not need extra to stimulate appetite! If bub is not interested in his milk feeds, cut back a little on the amount of solids as they need the breast milk or formula more than they need solids at this stage. Really, it should be just a taste, after a breast or formula feed at this young age. Take care and feel free to ask if you have any more questions! It is so confusing sometimes, knowing what is right as there is so much conflicting advice at times! All bub's are different and so are their needs!

hi there.

the recommended age now for introducing solids is about 6 months. in saying that though my son is 4 and a half months and he upped his feed to around 12 minimum a day! im breastfeeding and this was taking alot out of me so this week i indroduced rice cereal and mashed sweet potato.

i wouldnt suggest honey is a good idea. i have heard honey can give babies infant botulism a very nasty thing.... its also very sugary and could cause some problems with milk teeth in the future.

good luck id stick to plain veg and rice cereal if i were you and if bub isnt hungry dont worry about it its all a new thing.

xxxnat

ok from 4 months u can give things like rice cereal and apple that is boiled down pref no sugar.most mashed veg is ok too. at first my kids apitiet went down but picked back up soon.

as for the huney, here in australia we are told not to give it to kids under 2 i think it was.