|
Dear Lactation Consultant:
My pediatrician doesn’t believe in starting solids before 6-8 months and since my totally breastfed baby is in the 90% for weight and height I’m in total agreement with the pediatrician. My mother, on the other hand, disagrees and we have been battling for months now. I apparently was not a good sleeper until she added rice cereal to my diet at 2 ½ months and since my baby doesn’t sleep through the night she is insistent it is because I am ONLY breastfeeding and that if I would just add a little rice cereal, my baby would sleep better. I was not breastfed and so my mother was adding the cereal to a bottle of formula. Although the idea of some blissful sleep does sound appealing, it just doesn’t sound like the appropriate way to go. What do you think?
Leila Cranston
Oak Brook, IL
Dear Leila:
Your pediatrician is absolutely correct. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend introducing solids before 6 months and there are several clinical reasons for this. When your baby was born, she had big cheeks with very thick fat pads in them, known as bucchal cheeks. They help to create the suction needed for breastfeeding. At around 6 to 8 months this fat reduces and there is left a pouch between the cheek and the gums on both sides of the mouth. This enables the baby to move food around in her mouth. The baby can at this point chew, liquefy and experiment with the food in her mount. Until this point, more food is pushed out of the baby’s mouth than remains in it. I’m sure if you have younger siblings you can remember your mom taking the spoon and scraping the food as it came out of the mouth and dripped down the chin and putting it back into your siblings’ mouth. It was because they were not yet coordinated to chew, liquefy and swallow.
Watch your baby for cues that she “wants” to eat. If she is at the table while you are eating but is showing no interest, why push the solids? On the other hand, if your baby is 6 months and is reaching for your spoon or your plate and what’s on it, she is indeed interested.
We tend to get caught up on numbers and age rather than readiness. Introducing solids is not a competition. The AAP, UNICEF and WHO all have publications on introducing solids. Also, remember 2 important factors when introducing solids: 1; always breastfeed first, as breast milk still has all the nutrition your baby needs, and 2; discuss with your pediatrician or pediatric nutritionist what order to introduce foods in, taking into consideration family history of food allergies and how important you want the solids to be.
--Leslye
|
