MY FRIEND'S BABY STARTED SOLIDS EARLY - WHY SHOULDN'T MY BABY?

Many parents say that their own pediatricians or their friends' pediatricians have said that it's fine to start solids (typically cereal) at 4 months of age. It is still common for pediatricians to just say "start solid foods when your baby is 4 months old" because this has been the norm for many years. You will find that the vast majority of pediatricians are not experts in pediatric nutrition and many are not aware of their own governing body's guidelines!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) acknowledges that there are no "strict" age guidelines on introducing solid foods to your baby. However, the AAP, along with the CDC and the WHO do recommend that you offer nothing but breast milk and/or formula until you baby is at least 6 months old.

This ensures optimal nutritional exposure and may stave off food allergies amongst other issues. Further studies have shown that an infant's gastrointestinal tract has not or may not have matured enough to properly digest/utilize solid foods until around 6-8 months old!

Studies show that babies are highly individual in developing a readiness for solid foods. One baby might seem to be ready for solids at 4 months, while another shows no signs of readiness until around 6 or 7 months. Just because your friend's baby may have begun eating solid foods at 4 months of age does not mean that your baby should.

**Please keep in mind that "outward" signs of being ready for solids do not mean that your baby's inner digestive system is mature and ready! You should thoroughly discuss starting your baby on solid foods with your baby's pediatrician.

If your pediatrician insists that you start your 4 month old infant on solids, ask him or her to explain the benefits of starting solids early. You might be surprised to hear the answer is not based on nutritional science!

And remember, you never HAVE to begin introducing complementary foods simply because your pediatrician has suggested that you do so! Only when you have thoroughly discussed the pros and cons of introducing solid foods with your pediatrician will you be able to have a better grasp of just when you should begin offering baby solid foods.