Starting Solids at 4 Months? One Mum’s Experiences

The decision of when to start solids is not always easy, particularly when you are given conflicting advice. Despite the fact that the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, UNICEF and the World Health Organization is to wait until 6 months, many parents do come under pressure to start earlier. Some pediatricians are STILL recommending starting at 4 months – and it’s not always easy to find the confidence to contradict your doctor’s advice – particularly if you’re a first time Mum.

However, we received an e-mail yesterday from Elsa in Scotland, UK, which we just HAD to share with you. It sums up so perfectly the merits of delaying solids until your baby is truly ready for them and – Like Elsa – we hope that her words help you make an informed choice for YOUR little one’s introduction to solid foods.

I have two children – 2 year old Benjamin and 7 month old Jake. When Benjamin was 4 months old, our GP suggested I started giving him baby rice. This pleased my husband, who kept telling me (on the advice of HIS mother!) that Ben needed more than just my milk. So I gave him the baby rice, followed by vegetables and fruits. It was a difficult road, but now he is eating very well, usually sharing any foods that my husband and I are eating.

Fast forward to a few months ago. I visited your site and read your information about starting solids at 6 months instead of four. I read all the reasons why I should wait. When I went to the doctor and told him my decision, he still felt that Jake should start solids at 4 months, but I politely told him that, as Jake was gaining good weight, I’d rather stick with breast milk alone for another couple of months.

Here’s the interesting part. When I started Jake on solids, the difference between feeding Ben and feeding Jake was like night and day!

When I first put a spoon in Ben’s mouth, he pushed it out. He also used to push out all the food. I spent every mealtime patiently putting food back in, hoping he’d swallow it at some point. I thought this was normal – that he had to get used to a spoon. When I gave Jake HIS first mouthful, I waited for that little tongue to push everything back out… and it didn’t happen. He played with the food in his mouth for a while and had a surprised look on his face – but he swallowed it, no problem! I know now that Ben still had the tongue thrust reflex – and that Jake had already grown out of it. You know what – I actually feel guilty about putting that food in Ben’s mouth when he wasn’t equipped to deal with it – he was just doing what came naturally!

Something else I noticed was that Ben used to gag constantly. I had to puree everything to death to avoid it. But with Jake, little lumps aren’t a problem and I only need to mash most things with a fork – he can cope with soft little lumps.

And finally – but most importantly in my opinion – Jake seems to be digesting things really well. Ben was horribly constipated. Whether it was the food being introduced too early – or that I gave him lots of rice – I don’t know. But when I put everything together, I’d say to any Mum or Dad – when you think about feeding your baby, even if you don’t listen to your doctor, or relatives, or baby books, LISTEN TO YOUR BABY! That little tongue pushing out all the food was a good indication that Ben just wasn’t ready to eat. Instead of trying to fight against it, accept it! I have REALLY enjoyed feeding Jake – none of the traumas we had with Ben.

I hope you will print this message on your site so it helps someone else.

Thank you SO much, Elsa, for taking the time to send us this account of your experiences and we’re sure that many other parents will identify with them. Best wishes to you and your boys for the future.

For more information about starting solids, please visit these pages…

Introducing solids
Introducing solids before 6 months
Introducing solids to a baby with reflux
Introducing solids to your breastfed baby
Is my baby ready for solids?
Starting solids – are you under pressure to start too soon?