Quote:
Originally Posted by Kina  Surely though it doesn't matter if you're giving your LO a teaspoon or a whole meal, if they're going to become intolerant to something then it doesn't matter how much they're given?
Not trying to cause an argument but I just don't see how giving solids can be anything other than that, no matter how much you give? |
They do not have the proper enzymes in their stomachs to break solids down and you can permanently damage the lining of their tummy or cause allergies.
Hungry babies should be offered more breast or formula feeds until they are ready for solids. Some parents want to try solids before four months, believing this may help baby grow, sleep or settle better.
Giving solids too early rarely helps these problems and may lead to other difficulties including:
* Greater chance of developing food allergies
* Poor growth, if the solid food replaces breast milk or formula
* Loose bowel actions or diarrhoea, if the baby cannot digest the food.
Why You Should Wait Until At Least 4 Months
Your baby is not physically ready to eat solid foods until he is around 4 months old. Although your mother or grandmother will strongly disagree, saying that she gave her babies solids when they were only 2 weeks old, there are several reasons to wait at least 4 months before starting your baby on solid foods.
Reason 1. Your baby's digestive system is too immature for solid foods before 4 months. Although he can suck very well, he does not have a lot of saliva to help digest food. Until he is at least 3-4 months old, his system lacks certain digestive enzymes, such as an enzyme called amylase, needed for digesting cereals (starches or complex carbohydrates). His body has trouble digesting some fats before he is 6 months old. Some foods will pass through him undigested and end up in his diaper. And some high protein foods, like eggs, meat, and even cow's milk, given too early may cause problems with your baby's immature kidneys.
Reason 2. Your baby is not developmentally ready to eat solid foods. His throat muscles are not developed enough to swallow solid foods until he is at least 4 months old. And, it is not until about 4 months that he is able to use his tongue to transfer food from the front to the back of his mouth. In fact, when you touch his tongue, he reacts by pushing his tongue outward or forward. This response is called the extrusion reflex or the tongue-thrust reflex and it doesn't disappear until he is around 16-18 weeks old. The first time you feed him with a spoon, it may seem that he is spitting out the food and closing his mouth at the wrong time. But his tongue movement is simply the result of the not-yet-unlearned extrusion reflex and not because he doesn't want the food. It is not until he is about 5 months old that he will see the spoon coming and open his mouth in anticipation.
Reason 3. Your baby must have a way of telling you that he is satiated. He lets you know that he is finished breast or bottle feeding by stopping his sucking or by falling asleep. But until he becomes able to turn his head to refuse food, which occurs at around 4 or 5 months, he has no way of letting you know he has had enough solid food. Because of this inability, some people consider feeding solid foods to a too-young baby a method of force feeding. This practice can interfere with the body's self-regulating eating mechanism and lead to overweight later in life. As with adults, your baby should eat only when he is hungry.
Reason 4. Beginning solid foods too early has been associated with other problems later in life, such as obesity, respiratory problems like bronchial asthma, and food allergies. For more information on how food allergies are caused by too-early introduction of solid foods, see page 33.
Reason 5. Solid foods will not make your baby sleep through the night. Studies show that of all babies sleep through at 3 months of age, whether or not they are eating solid foods. Even if solid foods will help your baby sleep longer, that is still not a good reason to begin solid foods early. I know sleep deprivation is hell, and most of us have been there. Hang in there. One night he'll sleep right through, and then you can start feeling normal again.
Reason 6. If you are breastfeeding and give your baby solid foods too early, your milk production may be decreased.
Signs of Readiness for Solid Foods
Your pediatrician looks for certain signs of readiness in your baby before advising you to begin solid foods. Some of these signs are:
* She is at least 4 months old.
* She weighs twice as much as her birth weight.
* She weighs at least 13-15 pounds.
* She can sit with support, allowing her to lean forward when she wants another spoonful and backward to refuse.
* She has control over her head and neck muscles and can turn her head to refuse food.
* She has stopped exhibiting the extrusion reflex when you put a spoon in her mouth.
* She is drinking at least 32-40 ounces of formula per 24-hours and still wants more.
* She is breast feeding at least 8-10 times per 24-hours (after the first few weeks), empties both breasts at each feeding, and still wants more.
* The time between feedings becomes shorter and shorter over a period of several days.
* She can bring an object in her hand directly to her mouth.
* She shows interest in others eating around her.
* She becomes fussy in the middle of the night, whereas before she slept through with no problem. Or her sleep periods are becoming shorter instead of longer.
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