WHEN DID YOU START FEEDING YOUR BABY SOLIDS ?

Research shows early weaning can cause issues with gut and gastro health in adults so it really isn’t worth it to start super early. Maybe around 5 months you could put some puree in front of baby even just for play and see how they act. Personally I wouldn’t try any earlier than that.

@Elle yeah I completely agree , I’ve heard some started as early as 4 months due to them having hungry babies 🥹x

Six months. Hungry babies need more milk!

@Caroline agreed! Xx

@Anabella it’s difficult because advice differs so mums are left confused,,I knew my husband was on jam sandwiches at 3 months 🤣 and then wonders why he suffers with all his gut issues! But I agree with Caroline x

The official advice is 6 months, the hungry baby thing is a myth. Yes they’re more hungry because they’re growing! So they need more milk, nothing additional. I run weaning classes through the health visiting team. I’d definitely advise to wait until as near 6 months as you can, as that’s when the gut is mature. We can’t see what’s going on inside them so better to wait until we know the gut is mature enough to manage products other than milk

We started trying purees here and there and some baby oatmeal after her 4 month appointmen. Her pediatrician had suggested iron fortified baby oatmeal due to my daughter having low iron because I was severely anemic my entire pregnancy. I was honestly planning to wait til 6 months and jump right into BLW, but I've dealt with anemia my entire life and I'd rather not risk my daughter having that issue just because I couldn't provide enough iron for her.

@Bianca new research does suggest this is why so many people have stomach issues as adults though. Obviously everyone is different though so it won’t affect everyone

6 months+ I was in no rush to wean

@Bianca where is this found please? It’s very against what we advise in health visiting, certainly in the uk

@Bianca it’s crazy how it differs from country to country, because in the uk we actually advise that introducing allergens early can CAUSE allergies! The advice differs hugely between US and UK with lots of aspects of weaning, but I agree about food being for fun and not nutrition before one

I've started to introduce my baby to different flavours, only 2 spoons with afternoon/evening feeds and on vegetables first. I've read that it's best to wait until at least 17 weeks (this is what we did) and so long as the baby can sit up with assistance, has good control of their head and neck, has been bringing things towards their mouth, uses both of their hands to grab things. Baby had ticked all of these boxes so we felt ready! I'd recommend getting the Ella's Kitchen first foods book from the parenting club section in Boots as it's really detailed with a plan for their first tastes and recipes etc. Think it was about £5.99. Baby is still having bottles as per his regular feeding schedule, so nothing has changed about that, he's just trying some new flavours so hopefully he won't be fussy when he grows up :)

@Bianca shameful I think is a bit of a stretch and your comment is clearly passive aggressive lol. It’s based off medical research done in the UK. At no point has anyone told her not to do it. It’s all just advice, her baby her rules. You can have your opinion but it’s important to thoroughly research before you advise someone but again it all differs where you live so happy to agree to disagree on this one 😊

Recommendation is 6 months onwards so we started at 6m exactly

We started at 5.5 months after weeks of trying to stop him from feeding himself off of our plates. If the baby is showing all the signs of readiness for eating (usually around 6 months) then start. Food is NOT for "fun", it's for PRACTICE

4.5 months x

Around 6 months (2 weeks either side). We started 2 days after she turned 6 months and she was showing all the signs of being ready a little before 6 months. As Lauryn said, there's the suggestion that most adults have gut health issues because of starting solids at 3 or 4 months old. Hungry or bigger babies don't magically have more developed digestive systems so the idea of starting them earlier just because of that is massively flawed! Plus, what's the rush. Baby is only little for so long, why rush through the few big milestones that you have some level of control over.

I had a very hungry baby who however wasn’t ready for solids even at 6 months. 6 months is the bare minimum. My girl started enjoying food properly around 8 months and was on 3 meals a day before 9 months. Every kid is different, but food before 6 months is not advisable as per WHO advice and latest guidelines.

Six months but he wasn’t interested yet at that time

I started my first at 6 months, second baby at 5.5 months because she has been grabbing my food herself! Plus she's been sitting unaided since 5. I know some people who left it until 7+ though as baby just wasn't interested.

So I read that in the UK we shouldn't until 6 months because bubbas digestive system isn't ready. However, my HV and some research I've done showed that some babies show all the cues (including teeth coming through) early & it's then okay to start purées. My LG had teeth at 4 months, she's 5 months on Sunday & I've only given her a tiny bit of pureed broccoli yesterday and then carrot today. I'm not sure if I'm going to give her food EVERY day though, until 6 months. My HV told me that dairy, and common allergens not until 6 months. And only 1 veg at a time until bubba is actually taking the food properly. The first few times (probably longer) they just spit it out as theyre getting used to the taste and texture, not really eating.

6months X

7 months for the oldest and youngest, middle was around 6 months x

@Star having teeth is not a sign at all. Many babies don't get teeth until closer to a year.

We started at 5 months although when she was 4months we did try some baby rice or mashed banana but that was like once a day and only a spoonful or two and she was onto 2 full meals by 8 months ,but didn't start having 3 full meals till 10/11 months she does have snacks in between and was drinking alot of milk like 8/9 bottles a day till she was 4months My baby also had bottom set and upper set of teeth by 6months,her bottom set came through at 3months , although advisable not till 6months some get told slightly earlier,we did when ours was 4 months they thought maybe it was best to introduce some baby rice which can be used from 4-6months and gave her a couple of spoonfuls each morning and a couple around the late afternoon/evening time she was gaining weight fine ,she was just drinking alot of milk like double the amount than usual

@Charlotte there are other cues as I've said. But thank you for your input ☺️

6 m

I found this publication really informative. It addresses some common misconceptions about when baby is ready for weaning x https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/2024-02/Weaning_made_easy.pdf

When you’re baby shows cues. Mine stole my rib at almost 5 months so thats when we started 😅😅

Whenever you feel necessary. My mum was first fed solids at 9 days old as recommended by health visitors and midwives. I know someone recently who started weaning at 3 months. My little one is 2 months now and I’ll probably wean him early as he’s a hungry little chonk! Xx

@Betty so give him more milk🤦🏼‍♀️

@Lauryn 👏🏼 👌🏼