Why wait to supplement with solids?

[Dilly]

Why do doctors recommend waiting to supplement with solids? My parents added rice to my diet at the age of 1 month. Now docs don't recommend supplementing until four months for formula-fed and six months for breast fed babes.

[Hope75]

Babies' digestive tracts do not have the capability to digest solids properly until about 5-6 months, so giving them things like rice cereal can cause gastric upset and colic-like symptoms. Also, their digestive systems are not able to properly digest fats until about 1 year old- which is why they do not recommend cow's milk until that time.

 

Hope this helps!

[Dilly]

Thanks, Hope. I appreciate the insight.

[DizzyDoris]

yeah their kidneys dont work properly until they are a few months old so until they are four or 5 months old milk will do them just fine.

 

Sometimes if it is an exceptionally large baby,constantly feeding, health visitors will advise weaning a bit earlier but always get advice first. Better to be safe than sorry. Here in the uk I remember a mother facing legal charges against her because her baby died, as she was feeding him/her too much salt and the poor little mites body couldnt take it.

 

By the way dilly, if thats your baby in the avator aaaaaaaaaw, soooo cute

[BeStrongBeHappy]

I think it is also to prevent developing early food allergies... something about the immune system, if exposed to too the baby may develop allergies to the 'invading' food if the baby is given too many different foods too young.

 

nature has just basically set them up to handle breast milk (or appropriate substitutes) for the first few months..

[Hope75]

I think it is also to prevent developing early food allergies... something about the immune system, if exposed to too the baby may develop allergies to the 'invading' food if the baby is given too many different foods too young.

 

nature has just basically set them up to handle breast milk (or appropriate substitutes) for the first few months..

 

They do say to introduce new foods one at a time, and try them for a week or so before introducing another. That way if they baby has an allergy you can nail down what it is and avoid it in the future.

 

And Dizzy you are right, kidney function is not at it's peak until around 1 year of life, which is why infant doses of medications are so carefully calculated.

[Hope75]

I should mention that babies do digest breast milk faster than formula because it is made to be easily digestible for them, so a breastfed infant needs to be nursed more frequently than a bottle fed baby, usually every 2-3 hours. This can be exhausting and frustrating for a new mom!

[Dilly]

THANKS so much everyone. I firmly suspect that my daycare is supplementing Chloe's milk with rice cereal. I have my suspicions because of the change in stool, the ounces consumed, and just their general attitude about feeding babies in general (major ordeal, apparently). Anyway, I am looking for another daycare. BTW, Chloe eats every 1.5 hours honestly. It's like a full-time job and they only feed her 2-3 times over a 8.5 hour day. Not that that is terribly, but when I'm home with her on weekends, and when Robert or her nana is watching, she eats at least 4-6 ounces more than the 12 she gets at daycare.

 

THANKS!!!