The baby is always hungry and never satisfied. All the females in my family are telling me its go time on semi-solid foods like rice and oatmeal pablum (sp.). since he's over four months and the books I got are telling me the same thing.
But the nutritionist is saying wait until six months as children who start solid food earlier are more prone to allergies.
HOWEVER, the information she gave me says if the baby is over four months and you feel he's ready you should go for it.
Yay for conflicting information!
Getting a second opinion but do any of you internet folk have an opinion?
Listen to your closest family members with kids of their own that are slightly older than your kid, your parents, and your own gut. Every baby is different and in the end, you know what's best for them overall. I would recommend though to establish good eating habits early on. That is don't overfeed your kid and regulate how much semi-solid stuff he eats i.e. don't give him three cans of applesauce even if he opens his mouth for more.
Speaking as a scientist (not an M.D.) I don't see where the nutritionist is getting the whole allergy bunk. If anything exposing your kid to new foods would help distinguish any allergies, or desensitize mast cells to the the trigger antibodies. I'm not an immunologist by trade but I've always agreed with the hypothesis that children have tons of allergies anymore because they're not exposed to enough allergens.
From a personal standpoint, as someone who has a 2 year old, I say start the semi-solid foods. I think nutritionists over exaggerate things a bit too much because of the whole obesity scare and to cover their own asses. Remember, it's just food; your baby is a human just like you. They can start to eat things that you eat at like 8 months. I believe we started my daughter on semi-solids right around 4 months too. Banana, applesauce, cereal, and rice were the starters. By months 5 and 6 she was on all sorts of mashed up stuff (carrots, peas, pineapple...). By the time she got her front teeth, she was eating cheerios and Gerber graduate solids.[/QUOTE]
I started my son on rice cereal and baby oatmeal around the 4 month mark. Our pediatrician said we could start between 4 and 6 months. My little guy came down with croup sometime before the 6 month mark and I called the nurse's line to get some advice. She asked about his diet. When I said he was eating cereal and mashed bananas once a day, she started yelling at me and asked who told me I could give the baby solids before 6 months. She sure did splutter when I said his doctor told me I could make the decision for myself.
So, even the "experts" don't agree, even when they work at the same place.
I will add that we were told to start slow. Try one food for a few days in a row (I think we were told at least 4 days) before trying something new. Then you can determine if there is an allergy easier. Also, don't mix foods until you've tried them separately first.
