Introducing solids later than the recommended 6 months?

[Sammie]

I read somewhere that solids should be introduced at around 6 months and no later as iron stores greatly decrease after this time. Is this true because I heard that the WHO recommend breastfeeding or formula for the first year? I'm confused can you help me?

 

[tobyink]

Once solids are introduced, you still keep giving them milk too!

You phase in solids at around 6 months, then start phasing out breast/formula milk at around 12 months.

 

[Mrs Adorkable]

You absolutely can wait!

Solids are nutritionally unnecessarily for the first year. If you choose to start at 6 months you nurse or bottle feed, then offer solids. WHO also recommends bf for 2 years.

Did you know baby can absorb iron from your milk? So if you start worrying about his intake, just up YOUR intake.

 

[Pippin]

In a healthy, full term infant, iron stores, together with what's in the milk (commercial formula or breastmilk) is ample to meet baby's iron needs for most of the first year.

Solids are usually started around 6 months because it gives baby a chance to practice and become adept BEFORE they really need them, and because most babies are amenable/able to eat them at that point, and because most baby's digestive systems can now handle non milk foods.

(Worries about iron date back to when most babies were fed home-made formulas. These formulas contained no iron [they were just regular cows milk, sugar and water], so babies did tend to become anemic. But breastmilk contains small amounts of well-absorbed iron, and commercial formula contains large amounts of poorly absorbed iron. So for most babies, that's plenty. If baby is eating no solids (or only iron-poor solids) by 9 months, it may be prudent to get her iron levels checked, but most babies will still be ok.

If you want to wait longer, or baby isn't interested, that's fine too. The AAP in the U.S. specifically states that some babies wont' want them until 8 months.

Once solids ARE started, they are mostly just for fun, and they don't replace breastmilk or formula. So the WHO recommends breatsmilk alone for the first 6 months, add complementary foods (solids) after 6 months, and continue to breastfeed for a minimum of a year.

 

[hot lips]

Well I don't know but my son is 6 months old and I still exclusively breastfeed mainly because I'm sleep deprived and lazy sometimes. I do however give him a little solids now and again. But his diet consists of mainly breastmilk

 

[momma snell]

Neither of my kids have started baby food until around 7 months, and even then they don't tend to each much until closer to a year. We skip the baby food, mushy stuff. We use baby-led-weaning and allow them to eat table foods, appropriate for their age/ability. Honestly, breastmilk has what you need for that first year. I've never given my kids iron supplements and all of that, trust your body.

 

[Corina R]

Its good to introduce you 6 month old to gerber mushy food and cereals and breastfeed /formula feed to by 1 year they will introduce them to milk.

 

[Mummy of 1 x]

There is evidence that suggests that a babies iron that they got from the mother during pregnancy start to depleting between 6-12 months, in addition a baby will get iron from breast milk or formula.

The WHO etc do recommend breast-feeding/formula feeding until at least a year, but you can introduce small amounts of solids along side breast-milk/formula from 6 month of age. Do not fill your infant up on solids, but do offer tastes/small meals in addition to their normal milk.