# Why delay solids until 12 months?



## tubulidentata2 (Aug 6, 2006)

I must not be good at using the search tool, because even though I hear that there are lots of "solids" threads, I can't find any about delaying solids until babies are one year old, but apparently many feel that this is appropriate, while some start at 6 months, some do baby-led weaning, and some wait until the child shows interest. I am specifically looking for the reasons that some people wait until their child is 12 months old before offering solids.

In case it matters, my DD is 8 months old and doesn't SEEM to be showing interest in solids. However, I am not sure if I would realize it if she showed interest. She wants to grab food, but she wants to grab just about everything and put it in her mouth, and she has been this way since she was probably 4 months old! I don't THINK she differentiates between food and objects yet. I'm not sure if she is ready or not, but I don't think I'M ready







.


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## ~member~ (May 23, 2002)

To wait until all major organs are ready to digest and utilize solids.
The brain, liver, kidneys, etc.


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

got to kellymom.com there's a link on the left of the screen that says "Starting Solids" there is info on delaying solids there


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## paint-the-moon (Jul 22, 2006)

See these links for more info:

Why Delay Solids?
Solid food: Wait a Bit
When should my baby start solids?
Is my baby ready for solid foods?
How do we get started with solids?
Solid food: Best Delayed


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## tubulidentata2 (Aug 6, 2006)

Thanks for all of the links! I had never read a few of those. I have read a lot about delaying solids, and re-reading the Kellymom list of readiness signs makes me feel more that my DD is not ready. I guess I am wondering why some people feel strongly that babies should be EBF for 12 months, regardless of readiness signs. I am just curious if people feel this way because their guts tell them to wait, or if there is some research on which this choice is based. I don't think there is anything wrong with trusting instincts, but I am just curious. I haven't been able to find much information specifically on waiting 12 months, except that some doctors suggest it when there is a family history of allergies.

Surprisingly enough, my pediatrician suggested that I EBF for 24 months!!!!!!!

MamaIntheBoonies, are you sure that the organs are not developed before 12 months? Kellymom says a bit earlier (by 9 months), but do you wait 12 just to be safe?


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## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

i think it's such an individual thing. some babies have systems that can handle solids on the earlier side, and us mamas, if we're paying attention, can be attuned to the needs of our children. the operative part of that is that we're *paying attention*, and our instinct and judgement is not clouded by social convention, bad advice, or the pushy nudgings of a nosy mil.

i 'knew' that dd wasn't ready for solids until closer to a year. i did give her chunks of food that she could self-feed (i don't believe in spoon feeding babies) but on a very limited basis, and i gave it to her for fun and exploration. as her mommy, i could just tell that her stomach enzymes and intestines just weren't ready for anything more than occasional tastes of fresh organic fruits and veggies. it's not that she didn't like solids, either...it was just that my inner mama's instinct was telling me that she just wasn't quite ready to be ingesting, digesting and relying on solids for nutrition. perhaps it's something primal that we know from the smell of our child's breath or observing the quality of their bowel movements, but it's certainly not something that i 'learned' from an article that i read online.

now dd is 14 months old and just recently, i'd say in the last 2-3 weeks or so, i've been feeling much more comfortable with offering her most anything. and she loves every morsel of what i give her, whether it's tangerines or grapes or rice or pasta with pesto or grilled salmon. she still derives about 95% of her nutrition from breastmilk, though.


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