Introducting Solids to 4 Month Old

Complimentary foods (also known as solids) were not introduced until 1-2 years old until formula came into play in the early to mid 1900s. The reason doctors started recommending complimentary foods was because formula & artificial milk did not supply the nutrients needed. Introducing foods too early can cause digestive problems as well as lead to food allergies. Don't be in a hurry. You can include her at the dinner table by giving her a spoon and bowl to play with. Most of the time they are just curious and want to play not eat.

The AAP recommends not introducing solids until at least 6 months old, and if food allergies are known in the family to hold off until at least 9 months.

An excellent book to read is My Child Won't Eat! by Dr. Carlos Gonzalez. It is a must read! One of my favorite books. You can order online at www.llli.org, click on store, and then nutrition. If you have a La Leche League in your town, they may have it available to check out of their library.

I personally breastfed my daughter exclusively for 14 months...she is a very healthy happy baby and eats just fine. I let her self feed...so we don't force feed and have the problem of giving her too much...she eats when she is hungry...stops when she is full. She eats food in it's natural state, so she is able to experiment with texture. That is a big part of the eating process. She usually nurses a little before and after she eats. The other food merely compliments what she is already getting from me.

Best of luck.

green beans, sweet pot. Just give her about 3-5 days inbetween.

Based on what I have read and what our pediatrician suggested, do give any food until a baby reaches 6 months. We waited until 8 months with our first, and about 7 months for a second child. Up until then, it was only breastmilk.

This advice has changed over the years, which makes it confusing to us parents. Doctors USE to recommend foods and cereals much earlier, but they have changed this recommendation to 6 months minimum. Unfortunately, not all doctors are up-to-date.

Please read this article to see the importance in waiting.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

You aren't supposed to feed them anything but breast milk until they are 6 months old, reason being that all that other stuff have bigger/larger proteins that the baby's digestive system can't digest. Problems occur from there.
At 6 months I think that they start with either rice or oatmeal cereal, I forgot which one.

Everything I have read including information from the American Pediatric Assoc says not too introduce ANYTHING until 4-6 months. So while 4 months is ok to give cereal, any earlier is not. Have you talked to your pediatrician about introducing foods? Is there a specific reason why you have been giving solids so early? At your 4-mo checkup they will give you information about which foods to give when. Make sure you tell them what you have been giving so far, and they will be able to give advice on how to procede best. Cereal and applesauce can both cause constipation, along with bananas. Giving these things too early can make baby miserable. I gave mine cereal at just before 5 months when he started acting extra hungry like milk wasn't enough, but then I did not give any veggies or fruits until 6 months. I would wait until you have talked to the pediatrician before introducing anything else.

M.,
I certainly agree with the other mothers about introducing foods too early. Your sweetie only needs your milk. She may have a tough time digesting foods so young. Go easy on her little tummy. I hope that you will look up some info and do what is best for you two beyond what your ped may say. Just follow your gut. Always keep it simple breast is best....and let her nurse as long as possible. I hope this helps. Enjoy mommyhood!

I am super late responding to this post, but since my jaw is still dropped to the floor, I felt the need to respond. Holy cow! Solids at two months. Yikes. Please, momma, slow it down on the solids. You can say "she's fine" and I'm sure she is fine right now. But all the research points to waiting till at least 6 months (and longer is OK) because of health findings in older children. There is a strong indication that diabetes in children can be linked to early introduction of solids. So, yes, your baby can seem fine now, but who knows what's going on inside her tiny little body that could affect her future health.
And, yes, the medical profession does seem to change their mind all the time. But have you noticed, it's usually in the right direction. Meaning we know better now, so we do better now.

Why Delay Solids?
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

Feeding at a Glance: Birth to 24 months
http://askdrsears.com/html/3/T030500.asp

Starting Solids-6 Reasons to Wait
http://askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

All of the information out there suggests that we should not feed our babies anything other than breastmilk or formula until the age of 4-6 months. Rice cereal after 4 mos. Oatmeal should be next and then wheat cereals and 1st foods only after 6 mos. There is a chart to follow as to what foods are harder for babies to digest and the order in which to introduce them. Sweet potatoes, peas and pears seem to be the easiest on their little systems. Carrots, apples, squash and greenbeans next. Things like spinach are kind of rough until later on. Bananas and too much cereal/rice (and apples for us) are constipators so beware... I learned that one the hard way.. or, should I say, my child learned that the hard way.Allergies are a huge concern... by introducing something too early you could also introduce an allergy that will be terrible to deal with as your baby gets older. Such as no dairy, honey, eggs, nuts and certainly no chocolate until your child is, at least, a year old. Since you are on the internet go to babycenter.com to see what your child should and should not be eating. I know that what our parents did "was just fine for us" as they like to say, but our parents' food was not full of preservatives, pestisides and chemicals. And research has really provided us with so much new information that will help our babies be healthier in the long run. So that is a concern for us newer mothers. Also, check out plastics. So many toxins are in plastic that we could be harming our babies by heating their food in a plastic bottle or container. In fact, you should never heat in plastic...especially in a microwave! You probably already know this stuff, but just in case.... There is so much information out there and we could spend a lifetime learning.. and, really, we should. Good luck with your little one.

Wow...cereal at 2 months is early! but if she was able to tolerate it then that's great. I would suggest talkin to you ped about intoducing the solid. Mine suggester veggies first...a new one ever 3-4 days then fruits the same way. once you have tried all of them then start mixing and matching and also adding the cereal (oatmeal/rice) to them for texture.

My 4 kids are all grown, healthy, and only 1 is a bit overweight. 'Back then' I started juice and cereals PER DOCTORS' RECOMMENDATIONS (which keep changing!!) at 6 WEEKS (not months). One did have some kind of allergic rash for his first year that no one could figure out (family practice dr, pediatritions, dermatologist). Not once did any Dr. tell me to take him off all solids and re-introduce them one at a time for a week each, although I WISH someone HAD. I think it could've been narrowed down to a 'cause').

Anyway, if she's already tolerating cereal and applesauce (which is acidic and would've caused some reaction [diaper rash, breaking out, etc] if she was allergic to it), I'd say it's fine to introduce mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, avacado, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. Just start each new addition ONE AT A TIME FOR A WEEK (or more) EACH! That way, you can tell if anything bothers her at all. Just continue to give her low-salt/low-sugar items and thin them down w/water or breastmilk/formula if they're too 'paste-y' and thick.

(2 of my daughter's 3 little ones would get a yellow nose when they'd eat carrots, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes! LOL I guess it's the beta carotine, but it's cute).

Hi M.,
A lot of people will give you the speech about the 6 mo rule of not starting solids. However, if you and your pediatrician think she is ready, then she is probably fine with starting some veggies. I would start with squash or sweet peas and see how she likes them. The best rule of advice is to start new foods slowly and one at a time.
Good luck!

My daughter's pediatrician recommended breast-milk (or formula) only until 4 months, and then only small amounts of cereal. Most experts say babies don't need anything besides formula or breastmilk until 6 months of age. So, it seems that you've started a bit early but apparently your daughter seems to be doing well. I would talk to her doctor before introducing anything else.