Challenging my doctor’s potentially old school advice on solid food for baby

[gizmorazaar]

@lampmark123 The whole period from 6-12 months is basically one long transition. Or 4-12 months if you start then, though a 4 month old is mostly tasting, not really eating.

Keep the diet healthy (breast milk will take care of that for you, but so will formula), make sure he’s getting iron, introduce allergens mindfully, introduce solids as he’s ready, steadily increase them, and don’t let him choke. That’s already 90% of how to feed a baby. The rest is mostly details. But some of those details (and the foods themselves) vary a lot by culture and babies survive all of it.

Whether a 10 month old is getting more of his caloric intake from solids than milk is probably more up to the baby than you. I like BLW because it satisfies their curiosity and need for control, but kids raised on purées turn out just fine. In any case he’ll probably have days when he nopes out of whatever you offer. I wouldn’t sweat the details, just know your kid and keep him fed and happy. You can’t optimize a child by optimizing his early diet, it doesn’t work that way.

 

[onthemoveto]

@gizmorazaar About the most sane feeding advice I’ve ever read, and put so succinctly.

 

[seditthis]

@lampmark123 Honestly, find a doctor whose approach you agree with.

 

[shanrose]

@seditthis Unfortunately in most parts if Ontario there aren't nearly enough doctors to go around, so 'shopping' for a new doctor is not likely an option.

 

[seditthis]

@shanrose ah I see. Sorry to hear it.

 

[danmat777]

@r3b0rn

1. Is solid advice, though. Babies lose their iron stores and iron fortified infant cereal is the easiest and best way for them to get enough iron. Here’s a study that was done that concluded it is substantially reduced iron deficiency anemia in infants.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8474819/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537847/

“Our findings indicate that infant cereal consumption among infants and toddlers in the US is declining and iron rich meat intake remains very limited. The general recommendations for pediatric health care providers are to encourage consumption of meats, iron containing vegetables, and iron-fortified cereals for infants and toddlers between 6 and 24 months of age [3]. A recent study in Western Europe indicates that iron fortified toddler formulas may also play a role in preventing ID [36]. As clinicians continue to endorse the introduction of complementary foods at around six months of age, it is imperative that they emphasize the importance of iron, recognizing the very low intake of iron-rich meats and the declining use of iron-fortified infant cereal among young children in the US as strong reasons to recommend iron rich and iron-fortified complementary foods. “

 

[the_precious_one]

@danmat777 This - the importance of iron and the fact that babies, especially breastmilk-fed ones, deplete iron stores by about 6 months - is true, but iron-fortified cereal is not the only way to introduce iron-rich foods to baby. Iron in cereals is less bioavailable than heme iron in, say, red meat; both approaches - feeding cereals and feeding other iron-rich foods, especially paired with another food rich in vitamin C - can be helpful.

OP, I would highly recommend the feeding chapter in Alice Callahan's The Science of Mom. It addresses all 4 questions and is fully referenced.

 

[peter_aka_00avenger00]

@the_precious_one Yes. That babies need iron supplements after 6 months is well established. This doctor saying it needs to be cereal from a spoon only is just silly.

Love the link, thanks for sharing!

 

[wini]

@danmat777 My kids both really loved toast fingers pretty much from as soon as they were offered them to chew on. Iron fortified bread is common in supermarkets. Can serve it with every meal. They were also fans of baked beans (watch the salt content) at first mashed with the back of the spoon then eaten with a spoon but quickly progressed to feeding themselves by the fistful and working in pincer grip. The toast was less messy for sure.

 

[empressb]

@r3b0rn I would thoroughly recommend the book ‘why starting solids matters’ by Dr Amy Brown. She’s a health researcher in the UK and is very evidence based. Her book examines all the myths around starting solids and looks at the evidence base.

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Why_Starting_Solids_Matters.html?id=Y9QGogEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

 

[tradesman]

@r3b0rn So you’re right!! Fwiw in the UK we don’t see a professional to give us any guidance on how to introduce solids and the NHS says whatever works for you as long as it’s around 6 months, safe for babies and make sure to start finger foods by 9 months. We did the same as you and never saw anyone to tell us different (though we also do some spoon feeding)

https://solidstarts.com/readiness/ has lots of info and the links to articles are at the bottom

ETA: edited to clarify the advice for solids is 6ish months and baby should be feeding themselves some finger foods by 9

 

[mahlalie]

@tradesman I thought in the UK advice was start solids at 6 months?

But I've also been told my bigger girl might need solids earlier than 6 months.

 

[tradesman]

@mahlalie When I said finger food by 9 months I meant as opposed to just spoon feeding purees! That wasn’t clear, yes around 6 months is the advice for solids in general.

Ive also had friends start a big earlier on advice of the dietician as their son had issue with dropping percentiles. I introduced tastes of allergens at 5.5 months but didn’t start properly until he was 6.5 months as he just didn’t seem ready to me.

 

[rainfallsoneveryone]

@mahlalie Intrresting. I'm not in UK, but my doctor said that I shouldn't start giving solids before 6m as the baby is already bigger.

He's now 6m and weights a bit over 9kg, and did gain weight after his 4.5m check-up.

 

[wini]

@r3b0rn This information booklet is what's handed our where I live. There's a few resources in the bibliography but it's not links to specific research.

https://www.health.act.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/From Milk to More.pdf