[minidiamond]

We are lucky enough to be going os for the Xmas break however I'm in a quandary about when to introduce DS to solids, particularly with the National Health and Medical Research Council about to change recommended start time.

We are trying to book apartment style accommodation wherever we go but Im concerned about the practicalities of feeding "on the road" (don't really want to feed commercial baby food)

He is exclusively breastfed but also has slight reflux and is a regular (happy) chucker.

DS will be 5 months and 10 days when we get back, if I started now (4 months/1 week) he'd have 2 weeks under his belt at home.

[adl]

At such a young age, it's more about getting used to the new tastes and textures but it starts very bland like rice cereals...

Can you take the cereal and just add breast milk?? Take n toss has great little bowls and spoons ....

Is he showing any interest in food? If not it may be simpler to just wait till you get back?

I know my DS was not interested at that age and maybe had a teaspoon a day, it's a lot of work in the first weeks for little reward...

[GoodGollyMolly]

How long are you going for? If its only a few days and you're worried about it might just be easier to wait till you get back (a week is not going to make a difference).

DS started solids when we were OS this year (we were away for 2 weeks). He was 5.5 mo, and trying to steal food off our plates! So I gave him something to hold and chew on at every meal if he was interested, mostly it was just a bit of fruit (in Asia so lots of delicious fruit!) or cucumber from my salad. He also started drinking water through a straw (sort of!) while we were away.

I did pack a packet of rice cereal which I was giving him a couple of teaspoons of that once a day by the end of the trip.

I was still BFeeding and that is great for travelling! Instant snack/meal/way to calm screaming baby on a plane right there

[MrsWidget]

How long are you away?

Also what are the new guidelines?

[meggs1]

In that situation I'd just wait until you get back, that's still in the 4-6 month range. Why mess around with purees, extra washing, highchairs, cleaning the floor when you are on holidays if you don't have to. Or as PP said do some BLW if you want. A piece of chewy sourdough bread will keep them amused for ages.

[Bibendum]

We're in this exact situation as I'm typing: very long overseas trip, with a baby who turned four months a few days before we left Australia, and will be almost six months when we return. Aside from the new guidelines generally suggesting 4-6 months, we have specific medical advice to start her on solids earlier due to some complications with the pregnancy.

If you have access to a kitchen, I'd say it won't be too hard. You can pick up fruits and vegetables and stew or steam them, and mash to the right consistency. There are some things - avocado, pear, banana and similar - that don't even need to be cooked, which we've introduced when we were without a place to cook here and there. Remember that you introduce only one food at a time, and try new foods out for a few days each to check whether there are any reactions, so it actually takes some time before you'd need more than one food item at a meal.

I know you've mentioned not being keen on commercial baby foods: we haven't used any except for an iron-fortified rice cereal (which, again, was specifically advised for us due to some concerns about my own health during the pregnancy): if you decide to use this, it can also be mixed up quite easily on the go.

To be honest, it's all gone much more smoothly than I'd expected. The first two days, the baby looked a bit puzzled, but then she really took to solids (she's just started grabbing the spoon and shoving it into her mouth on her own - not terribly accurately, and she'll eventually get frustrated and want me to do it for her, but it's something I hadn't really expected her to be attempting at all). My son, by contrast, started solids much later, and struggled with them much more - although that's as likely to be an individual difference as anything else.

[minidiamond]

Thanks for the replies.

We are going for 3 weeks.
He looks at me / the food when I'm eating but hasn't yet reached out.

I'm also wondering whether the solids will help his posseting or not.

Here's some info on the new guidelines
Westmead children's hospital is now also recommending 4-5 months

http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/new-ru...9-1226537194056

[axiomae]

We started solids with DD when we were on a week long holiday. We gave her some EMW with rice cereal mixed in. She didn't take it it at all. She was 5 months. So we just tried again when we came home. A few weeks later and she was more interested and now she eats like a champ! Just enjoy your holiday and don't stress about it - your LO will be fine

[Jenflea]

Some babies just don't WANT solids until much later than 5 or 6 months, mine certainly didn't.
Rice cereal(and solids of any sort really) can constipate them as well, I wouldn't want to deal with THAT on holidays!

[lucky 2]

Thanks for the replies.

We are going for 3 weeks.
He looks at me / the food when I'm eating but hasn't yet reached out.

I'm also wondering whether the solids will help his posseting or not.

Here's some info on the new guidelines
Westmead children's hospital is now also recommending 4-5 months

http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/new-ru...9-1226537194056

Thanks for the link OP, last time a spokesperson from the NHMRC spoke to the media (about 2? months ago) she indicated that the current recommendations were likely to be unchanged (remaining at around 6 months) so I'm sad to read this report. I'll still be waiting to see the new guidelines, I hope they come soon, they were due out on Sept'12.
I'd wait based on the above but give a bit of cooked vege if bub was trying to grab food off my plate and put it in his mouth.
Enjoy your holiday!