4 months too early for any solid food?

my 4 month old is giant and she's insatiable. she's always hungry. kai wasn't interested in solid food until she was almost 8 months old. but joey already outweighs kai when kai was 2! she's huge, robust, happy healthy and HUNGRY. she eats so much i don't have any milk left over to pump! it's crazy. should i start her on something? she's just getting hungrier. she's already fitting into clothes for a 6 to 9 month old, and the way she's growing she'll be out of them soon. my mom says my oldest brother was just like that. she's not roly poly fat, she's stout and strong. what do all the more experienced mommies recommend?

 

Is she reaching for food? Is she sitting up solidly with support? Can she pick up small objects and bring to her mouth?

My third baby was ready for solids at 4 months, he was a big guy too. If she's trying to grab food off your plate, and really showing interest in what you're eating, you could try a little mashed banana or sweet potato. if she's not ready, she'll spit it out. Then you can try again in another month.

 

That's exactly how my oldest son was...he was a big boy too, always off the growth charts. My twins didn't show any interest until they were almost 8 months old, just like your Kai.

 

Jim is just starting solid foods. I only started him because he finally started to be interested in it, watching us intently as we eat. Sometimes he will lean forward slightly and open his mouth as we bring the fork up to take a bite. He sits up all by himself. The way I started him is, I would give him a bite. The first few times he would try and SUCK it in, like he was nursing. So I would try again in a week or so. Also, I would watch his diaper. If it came out untouched I knew he wasn't ready. My MIL, I suspect, snuck him some rice and greens while we were on vacation. I was finding it in his diaper for days, whole grains of rice and little bits of greens! Anyway, now he will eat a few spoons of carrots or sweet potatos. I sometimes give him nibbles off our plates. He has begun to gum if there are bits in his bites. Basically I started to listen to him and he told me what and when. I give him his solid "meal" first thing in the morning because he is a night nurser and I don't want to hurt his milk intake or my supply. He still gets just as much milk as he did before. Seems to me you know what your baby needs, trust your instincts!

 

yeah, joey's a night nurser, too. though she wants the breast quite a bit during the day, too. it just seems she gets a LOT at night. i'm going to try the day feeding. she's been tryingt o get at my food for a few weeks now. and every time she smells food, suddenly she's just DYING to feed. like she's frantic about it.

 

just last weekend we had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and she was like "BACON BACON BACON BACON!!! I SMELL BACON!!" i put just a little of the grease on my finger, and she just went NUTS over it. but i'm not gonna give her bacon, naturally. i'll try the banana and yam first.

 

it's probably a growth spurt. Can she pick things up in a pincher grip with her thumb and first finger yet? Can she sit unassisted? What I did with mine, was to give them a spoon to play with when we were eating. If that satisfies her, she isn't really wanting the food, just to be included in mealtimes.

 

yeah, her hands are great, awesome dexterity.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend waiting until a MINIMUM of six months of age before introducing solids. The infant digestive system is not mature enough to handle solids before then. This is a growth spurt. Just keep feeding her as much as she needs and she'll slow down eventually.

 

right on. i shall hold strong then. but i gotta tell ya, she's fitting into clothes for a 9 month old.

 

some babies really are ready for solids at a younger age. Keep an eye on her poops, that will tell you if she's okay with what you are feeding her. If her bottom turns red, or if the poop looks exactly like the puree you fed her, wait a little longer.

 

This just came up on another board I'm on as well... here is what I said there:

I waited 'til 9 months, but that was to help with allergies. He's already doubled his birthweight & is over 4 months old. If he's ready, then let him... you're the mama & you know your lil guy better than anyone. Trust yourself


Basically, if there are no major allergy issues in the family and you think that she's ready, I'd give it a try. Good neck control & a pincher grasp are great indicators, but like everything else each baby will be different. Both of my kids could do all that at about 4-5 months and still weren't ready for solids until 10-12 months. If she's not ready, you'll know. And if she is, then go for it
love,
mom

 

my oldest brother was a great deal like joey. joey already weighs about 20 pounds. she's not roly poly, like i said, but she's REALLY long, muscular and extremely active. if she hears us having fun without her, she'll throw out a piercing scream and wait fo us to respond. it's really funny. brad started eating solids at about 5 months. he was a little chubby for about a year, then turned into long tall walking man who was too skinny for anything. we used to call him the bottomless pit because he could just eat and eat and never gain an ounce of fat. as a fat mama, i'm PRAYING she'll be the same.

 

KC, you crack me up! My oldest son was off the growth charts through his infancy and toddlerhood, people would tell me what a fat baby I had. Not that he was obese, just that he was a really big, healthy baby. But now? The kid is 6 years old and so long and lean. Amazing how much he changed! He's still off the growth charts for his height, but he's definitely not chubby anymore, that's for sure.

 

i just can't believe this baby. and she's SO READY to go, but can't. it's very frustrating for her. i'm going to get her a walker and let her run. she ADORES her jumper. she bounces like CRAZY. now she's doing that thing where she backs up as far as she can and lifts her feet so that she can jerk back and forth. and she just laughs! it terrifies me. she's going to be insane. and every time i barely survive a heart attack, i'm gonna smack dave across the back of his head!

 

well, i can't say it's all dave's fault...all of my brothers skipped the crawling thing and went right to walking. i didn't walk forever, and went straight to running everywhere (where did THAT go?). joey wants to get into everything. she's going this sweet thing now where she'll cup my face with both her hands and bring me to her for kisses. but she explores everything with her hands and really LOOKS at it. i mean, she concetrates hard...then puts it in her mouth. lol. but she can't be still for even a second. she demands to see every little thing.

 

Heheheh, I sure do remember those days with the kids wanting to go but not able to yet. Although none of mine were really big into the jumper. Me, my mama loves to tell the story of how when I was a baby, I'd be in my Johnny Jump-Up, twirling around on one toe. Funny, because I ended up obsessed with ballet and danced for 10 years. Guess I was practicing.

Sounds like your Little Joey is a little daredevil!

 

She sounds like such a little sweetheart. *sighs*

 

cute. kai used to do that too. she didn't so much wanna bounce as twirl. she's a prima ballerina to be sure. such a prissy little princess. it's adorable. you should see her run. HAHA! what a girl. her little hands up by her shoulders, little prancing thing. teehee. not that she doesn't get crazy a bit, too. it's just that she looks like such a girl when she's doing it.

 

She sounds just like my daughter! In fact, we call her Princess May-May (her name is Mayzie, but we call her May-May as one of her nicknames).