When to Stop Stop Exclusive Breastfeeding

I started solids when my daughter was about 5 months old. She was always hungry, and this helped. It's perfectly fine to start slowly adding foods to their diet at this age. I started with rice cereal and veggies, then fruit.

For the first year all nutrition should come from breastmilk (or formula). Any foods before a year old is simply for practice.
With my first I got convinced to start solids around 5 months. It was the worst idea ever! While he was showing signs of being interested in the food on my plate, the silverware etc his system just wasn't ready for it. We battled horrible constipation. Gas pains, all sorts of fussiness. As soon as we stopped he got better. We delayed solids until closer to 7 months and it went a lot better.
With my second and third we didn't even begin until closer to 7 months and skipped baby food, instead giving them bits of what we were eating, cut and mashed as needed. They took to it a whole lot faster.
Rice cereal is nothing but empty calories and fills them up so they don't get the nutrition they really need from breastmilk. It can also cause horrible constipation. There really is no need to start with rice cereal. Sweet potato is a much better choice to start with. Pick up a small food grinder and just feed off your plate.
Things like Mum-mums are for older babies that have learned to self feed and have moved up to chunkier foods. They are not for a 5 month old, or just starting out with solids.
None of my 3 are picky eaters. They will eat just about anything, and they will always at least try anything put in front of them. They don't have food allergies. They are very healthy and active.

When my older son was a baby the recommendation was to start solids at four months of age, so he started at four moths with no problems. Three years later when my second son was born the recommendation had changed to six months, so he started at six months, and he was fine. If she seems interested in food, and your family doesn't have a history of allergies I would go for it if you want to. I wouldn't start with the Mum Mum's. Those are meant for babies to self feed. Start with rice cereal.

ETA: What Gamma G said is true. You are not feeding for nutrition. Always breastfeed first, then offer food. Feeding at this stage is to teach baby how to eat and to get baby used to new flavours. It should also be a fun activity. If baby doesn't want to eat the food, don't force it. Feed the baby while the rest of the family is sitting at the table to eat so baby can be a part of mealtime with the family.

I truly think that starting food can be much later than your baby is. They don't need food. Your breast milk is all they need.

When parents start feeding their kids food as young as yours they don't get enough nutrition and will eat and eat and eat because they're hungry and not getting enough.

Baby food has no nutrition in it. It's flavored goo to teach the baby to chew and swallow. It's not for eating to grow...it has no nutrition to it. Your milk has the nutrition the baby needs.

So always breast feed first, then offer a few bites of food. Not the other way around.

Per our doctor, we waited til after 6 mo. and always nursed first. That was primary.

I started my babies on solids around 5-6 months but started with veggies. Vegetable allergies are very rare and felt safe giving my babies sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas, broccoli and cauliflower. By the time we'd gone through all those, they were closer to 7-8 months and we introduced fruits, hard cheeses (shredded at first, then cubed), wheat, pasta, rice, etc.

By the time they were 1, my girls had tried everything except for nuts and honey. We've never had any reactions and my girls continued to breastfeed until they were 13-16 months :)

At my pediatrician's suggestion, I started all 3 of my kids on rice cereal at 4 months, oatmeal and barley 2 weeks later, veggies followed by fruit at 5 months, then meat at 6 months. No allergies to any of it. And I nursed the first 2 for 1 year, still nursing my 4 month old.
I think she's too young for those crackers. Usually they're recommended for experienced biters, self-feeders and independent sitters.

When EBF, I wouldn't stop until at least 6 months old. I think the recommendation is starting solids between 6-9 months for EBF but waiting as long as possible more towards 9 months. With formula, it's 6 months.

Breastmilk is just so, so much more nutritious and easier to digest. There's absolutely no reason for solids at 5 months old, not even for "practice" chewing motions. There's no nutritional value in solids at this age. Not until they stop formula or breastmilk.

Wait until six months - you've made it this far it's only a few more weeks at the most. I wouldn't give the Mum Mum before she's tried cereals or purees.

The research on food allergies is always changing, so don't base your decision solely on that. Some research suggests that waiting too long to introduce certain foods (esp peanuts) can actually increase the likelihood of allergies. The docs and researches really don't know.

Anyway, I would wait since it's so close anyway.

I dont feel there is anything wrong with giving baby "tastes" of things. Try keeping it whole foods tho and not the frankenfood.

We did rice cereal at 4 months because baby Chickpea was underweight.

Rice cereal can be quite toxic due to arsenic. Not worth the risk. I'd go with another grain. Especially for a baby...adults are one thing.

I say 6 months is a good time to start. But continue nursing baby until at least 12 months, ideally 24.