Is it safe to introduce solid foods from 4th month?

PED here recommends solids after 6 months only. I would do it after 6 months only. Back in India its diff. Ask the ped if u can introduce baby cereal as I know u can do that after 3 months. Hope it helps.

 

Nitha, 14 weeks is a little too early to start solids, baby cereal or otherwise. Your problem is similar to what I went through related to BFing and a lot of other moms who are/were struggling to get a hang of it. Please visit the Breastfeeding & Formula feeding sub forum, you'll find answers there.

One word of advice - do not cave in to MIL's or other relatives suggestion on starting solids or supplementing (I went through this with my in laws too and I stood my ground with them). Both these things can effect your supply drastically. I would suggest you go through the BFing posts before making a decision.

Good luck
Raj

 

Dear Nitha ,
Yes the peds do suggest solids only from 6 months on. From 4 months i started water and orange juice though.and from 5 months i started semi solids like rusks with milk, light khichdi , gerber and cerelac.I also intro duced blended banans, blended apple and other fruits as well. due respect to the peds, but i feel since i started early my baby has developed a taste for food and eats everything. i see my neighbours who started late and their children dont eat everything . my son will be two next month n touch wood he doesnt trouble for food as much as other kids do.As a mom i feel u know whats best for ur kid.

 

Nitha, first of all congrats on being a new mommy. You do question everything you do, dont you. Dont worry, you will get more and more cofident with your parenting choices as time goes by.
I exclusively bfed my child for 6 months and bfed and formula fed (in his preemie days) till 7.5 months. We started solids only at 7.5 months under our paed's recommendations - the IAP like the AAP also recommends 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding. (Priyauc, my child is the most unfussy eater I know, he even eats bittergourd. It depends on the child not on when you start solids.)
I understand they introduced solids, some kind of ritual, at two months in those days. But the current research shows that somewhere between four months and 6 months is when the child's gut starts closing. The gut needs to be open in the initial days for the child to grow really fast and absorb all the nutrition. If you introduce foreign protein before the gut closes, there is a fair chance of your child becoming senstive and developing allergies to food. So wait till 6 months.
As far as not producing enough milk, can you tell us why are you afraid of that. (Other than the weight that is.) Does she have 6 to 8 wet diapers, does she seem happy after a feed and satiated? Then I would say she is getting enough from you.
Round about four months, children start becoming really alive to the world around them and get easily distracted while nursing. Someone sneezes, they need to find out what's the noise, the curtain billowed, father walks in, they will have to unlatch tosee what's going (mine turned without unlatching - FUN). So they do not end up finishing the nursing sessions and get back on the breast often again.
If that's the case, try and nurse in a calm, quiet place, do breast compressions, try and nurse right before and after naps when your LO has not woken up fully. If anyone needs to use the room you are nursing in, ask them to wait or to tip-toe.
Now coming to the weight... what was the weight at birth... can you post a history with dates, so that we can tell if she is gaining adequately. If you're small boned and are petite, most likely your girl will also be. Does she have other problems, like reflux or possible allergies? Work with your paed in eliminating all other causes for slow growth, if it is that before you introduce solids.
If you DO thnik you have low supply issues, you can increase your supply with galactogogues, nursing holidays, pumping, etc. Breastmilk is the most calorie dense food per oz and the most nutrient dense too at this stage. Let's see if your issues/insecurities can be sorted out, before you give in to your family and give solids. Hugs,

 

Hi Nitha,

My kid(daughter) will be 5month by this Jan17, even i started her on Gerber singlegrain Rice cereal just 3days back as i had same problem as yours.

Her paed asked to start some2week before itself, but i was waiting for her to complete 5months, but as she was crying alot due to insufficient milk supply, i started finally. She enjoys her cereal rather than milk.