On Friday, we talked about the transition to solid foods. The when is individual to every baby. A good rule of thumb, as mentioned before, is when the baby starts becoming interested in the food on your plate. Some babies will do it as early as 4 months. Some may not express interest until six or seven months.
There are cases to be made for starting a baby on solid foods as early as 3 months. The baby not maintaining weight gain or not gaining it at the desired rate usually justifies those cases. Adding solids does not mean a mother should stop breast-feeding or resort to formula if she is breast-feeding. Breast milk provides tremendous nutrients and helps the baby to digest solid foods better than babies on formula.
Breast milk contains enzymes that help the baby to digest proteins, starch and fats. Another plus for breast feeding mothers is that their milk provides different ‘flavors’ and breast –fed babies are more likely to be interested in a wider variety of foods.
This is not to say that babies on formula will not be equally interested or have trouble with digesting solid foods – but when a mother can breast feed or express breast milk for her baby – she’s giving both herself and her child a lot of different options.
One more post on the subject for tomorrow and how to get started on solid foods.