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When do solids become necessary?



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 13th 03, 03:16 AM
Alphawave
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Default When do solids become necessary?

I've heard plenty of times not to start solids until 6 mos., but something
I've wondered about: until roughly what age can a baby continue to grow
and thrive on breastmilk alone?

-- Alpha
alphawave at earthlink dot net
  #2  
Old September 13th 03, 04:01 AM
Karen Askey
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Default When do solids become necessary?

In article , Alphawave
writes:

I've heard plenty of times not to start solids until 6 mos., but something
I've wondered about: until roughly what age can a baby continue to grow
and thrive on breastmilk alone?


Let me preface my comment by saying I have no studies or research to back me
up. This is purely what I've heard from my sons' doctor and a few others.

The benefits of bm or ebm, as we know, are huge. I think a baby could thrive
for a very long time on bm alone--way past a year if the mom is producing
enough to satisfy him. But there seems to be a window where children are more
likely to become accustomed to different textures and flavors, and that is
sometime in the last 1/2 of the first year. I'd say around 8 months. For me,
it's not that I wouldn't see the benefit in giving my child only breastmilk,
but that I won't do it forever and I want him to get used to eating other
foods.

DS#1 was a good eater and still eats a nice variety of foods and textures with
very few exceptions. I was happy, however, on some occasions only to nurse him
during the day even when he was past a year old if I didn't feel up to fixing
lunch for us or we were out and about.

My sons' pediatrician recommends parents start solids between 4-6 months, but
says that breastfeeding moms may want to consider waiting until 7 months. He
does recommend giving some food before 8 months b/c of the presumed "window of
opportunity" to get them used to textures and tastes.

Not sure this helps,
koa
Still nursing James, 02/06/01
EP'ing for Joey 04/02/03 (BCP)

  #3  
Old September 13th 03, 04:55 AM
Shannon G
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Default When do solids become necessary?

I've heard plenty of times not to start solids until 6 mos., but something
I've wondered about: until roughly what age can a baby continue to grow
and thrive on breastmilk alone?


My sister's DD has low muscle tone and gagged on every type of food until
about 20 months of age. She survived just fine on bm alone. She is small
for her age.

I have a 23.5 lb. 9 month old and cannot imagine her not on solids. She be
attached to the breast 24/7 in order to sustain :-)

Shannon


  #4  
Old September 13th 03, 03:34 PM
Sharon Bailey Glasco
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Default When do solids become necessary?

"Shannon G" wrote in message ...
I've heard plenty of times not to start solids until 6 mos., but something
I've wondered about: until roughly what age can a baby continue to grow
and thrive on breastmilk alone?


My sister's DD has low muscle tone and gagged on every type of food until
about 20 months of age. She survived just fine on bm alone. She is small
for her age.

I have a 23.5 lb. 9 month old and cannot imagine her not on solids. She be
attached to the breast 24/7 in order to sustain :-)

Shannon



You'd be suprised. James was roughly 25-26 lbs at 9 months and was
still only getting breastmilk - he nursed every 4-6 hours round the
clock, which I vaguely remember as not being all that bad. Wouldn't
touch solids at all until 15 months, and they weren't a regular part
of his diet until around 18-20 months. He is allergic to dairy, eggs,
and peanuts, however, and I think that played a part in his resistance
to solids.

My MIL constantly nagged me about getting him to eat more, always
telling me that he was so big that he needed solids (uh - how do you
think he got there and maintained his weight in the first place?) and
that all her kids were eating "three solid meals a day" by the time
they were 4 months old (and now all three of them have major food
intolerances and problems with their digestive tracts).

On the other hand, one of my nieces has been a chow hound since she
was about 5 months old, and she is tiny (about 17lbs at a year). I
have never seen a child consume so much food and stay so small. But
her dad (my brother) was exactly like that - extremely high
metabolism. So it really just depends on the kid

Sharon
Mom to James 6.2.00
EDD #2 5 December
  #5  
Old September 14th 03, 02:33 AM
Alphawave
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Default When do solids become necessary?

Thanks everyone for the replies! I was interested to learn that some
babies go past the first year without showing much interest in solids, and
that they do perfectly well without.

Now, about this idea of a window of opportunity for introducing different
tastes and textures -- I've heard this too, but is there evidence that
babies who breastfeed exclusively past a year end up being picky eaters?

We're only at 5 mos. and not planning on starting in with solids until at
least 6 mos., but I'm interested in this because I want to know how
important it is to get going with solids, whether it would be okay to take
it slow and easy at the beginning or to delay. It sounds like several of
you have done just that, so I guess we need not be too concerned about it.
:-)

-- Alpha
alphawave at earthlink dot net
  #6  
Old September 14th 03, 03:42 AM
Karen Askey
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Default Solids and picky eaters When do solids become necessary?

In article , Alphawave
writes:

Now, about this idea of a window of opportunity for introducing different
tastes and textures -- I've heard this too, but is there evidence that
babies who breastfeed exclusively past a year end up being picky eaters?


I don't know if there is any evidence for this, just anecdotal, I would
imagine. I know plenty of picky eaters and most of them were on formula, but I
don't know many people over the age of 3 that were *not* fed formula around
here.

I can tell you that DS eats just about anything from eggplant to olives to
mangoes and beyond but his favorite is still McDonald's french fries. But DH
and I are not really picky eaters. DH could probably stand to eat the same
thing (chicken and rice, mostly) several meals in a row more than I could, but
I try to put a variety into our weekly dinners.

My nephew is an extremely picky eater, with less than about 20 items that he
will eat. He's 10 now and his mom will still make him a separate plate for
each meal if he isn't in the mood to eat what the rest of the family is eating
(!!!!).

Ok, enough rambling. I'm interested if anyone has anything more substantial
than anecdotal evidence, too.


koa
Still nursing James, 02/06/01
EP'ing for Joey 04/02/03 (BCP)

  #7  
Old September 14th 03, 03:14 PM
iphigenia
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Default When do solids become necessary?

Alphawave wrote:

Now, about this idea of a window of opportunity for introducing
different tastes and textures -- I've heard this too, but is there
evidence that babies who breastfeed exclusively past a year end up
being picky eaters?


There is no evidence that a window of opportunity exists for a healthy,
normally developing baby.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/so...en.html#window

--
iphigenia
www.tristyn.net
"i have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
i do not think that they will sing to me."


  #8  
Old September 14th 03, 05:32 PM
SuperEeyore
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Default When do solids become necessary?

Alphawave wrote:
Now, about this idea of a window of opportunity for introducing
different tastes and textures -- I've heard this too, but is there
evidence that babies who breastfeed exclusively past a year end up
being picky eaters?


Depends on what you mean by picky eaters.

Juliet is a picky eater because of the gag reflex she has had since forever.
Liquid foods were not pleasant for her, so she never had a window. I mean,
I could have force spoon fed her but really, what good would that have done?
So Juliet being picky is primarily because there are certain textures or
types of food that she is now more willing to try and and attempt to
manipulate in her mouth. Dry cerceal, crackers, toast, soft breads now,
french fries, all these foods used to be a pain in the rear for her to eat.
Now she eats them without gaging, it takes her a while, but she is getting
it. As far as any other textures, she still is starting to be curious about
them. (She is 17 months now)

As far as older toddlers and children the only studies I've heard about for
picky eaters later on were based on sweetness baby foods. The parents that
withheld the sweeter foods had pickier kids, and the ones who didn't delay
the sweeter foods had children who adapt well to new foods.

Laurel


  #9  
Old September 15th 03, 04:01 AM
Alphawave
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Default When do solids become necessary?

I said:
I've heard this too, but is there evidence that
babies who breastfeed exclusively past a year end up being picky
eaters?


Clisby said:
I'd be surprised if being breastfed vs. formula-fed had anything to do
with it.


Just wanted to clarify -- sorry if anyone thought I was making a
distinction between bf and ff. I never heard of a formula-feeder feeding
formula exclusively past a year, so it didn't occur to me to include them
in the question. :-)

However, it wouldn't surprise me if children who are
exclusively, or close to exclusively, BF or FF past a year were a little
pickier when toddlers. After all, I would bet that in most cases, the
reason a child is exclusively BF or FF past a year is that the child
doesn't particularly like solids. Maybe kids in this category are more
likely to be picky - although being picky as a toddler is no guarantee
the child will always be picky.


Excellent point; makes sense.

-- Alpha
alphawave at earthlink dot net
  #10  
Old September 15th 03, 04:01 AM
Alphawave
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Default When do solids become necessary?

iphigenia says:

There is no evidence that a window of opportunity exists for a healthy,
normally developing baby.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/so...en.html#window


Thanks for posting this link. Pretty much exactly answers my question.
:-)

-- Alpha
alphawave at earthlink dot net
 




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