[lucky 2]

http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/baby/baby-...0416-1x383.html
I thought I'd post it here, I was relieved to see that apparently the new Infant Feeding Guidelines are to stick with the introduction of solids at around 6 months.
I'm relieved because in a healthy bfed baby, mothers milk is totally adequate for the first 6 months, that much is clear from research.

Reason for edit: Changed link to EB article

[meggs1]

it's not like they grow another stomach on the morning of their 6 month birthday.

Nor are little tastes of food before 6 mo going to displace much breastmilk.

This post has been edited by meggs1: 15/04/2012, 12:01 PM

[Mummy Em]

Yes, it is very common that people don't understand the value of preserving the virgin gut until 6 months of age. However, despite cries of "WHO is just about to change the recommendations" from various random individuals (where do they get that idea from?) I am not surprised the recommendations haven't changed. From what I understand there hasn't been a lot of new findings relating to commencement of solid food in the last 3 or 4 years.

[Mummy Em]

it's not like they grow another stomach on the morning of their 6 month birthday.

No but the lining closes by around 6 months of age.

[Erma Gerd]

From the article:

But breastfeeding specialists say the research is inconclusive and babies could miss vital nutrients if weaned off breast milk too early.

How strong is the correlation between tasting solids before 6 months and actually weaning? Is this a cultural thing that should be addressed directly, rather than a biological thing?

I just don't understand the way starting solids is equated to weaning. It doesn't seem to be so strongly associated in families I know from some other cultures. My second child started solids slightly before 6 months, but there was no noticeable change in the frequency of her breastfeeds. Granted, I wasn't spoon feeding rice cereal at every meal, she was just gnawing on certain bits of my meals so her solid intake wasn't great, but 2 years later she's far from "weaned", still breastfeeds frequently.

OTOH I have friends who started solids at 6 months and had babies eating quite large volumes quickly, and then they cut back milk feeds dramatically, and were off breastfeeding shortly after 12 months (mums' choice)

As far as the "virgin gut" thing goes, it doesn't make much sense to me to get knickers twisted about a 5.5 mo sucking on a piece of steak or toast when 5.5 mos commonly also suck/gnaw on all sorts of random things that come their way, courtesy of older siblings etc. Worldwide,a 5.5mo who is developmentally able to sit up, reach and grab a nearby object and stuff it in their mouth is unlikely to have a "virgin gut", regardless of whether their parents are deliberately feeding them solids.

This post has been edited by mjk05: 15/04/2012, 01:01 PM

[trishalishous]

subscribing

[niggles]

No but the lining closes by around 6 months of age.

Say what now?

[findingada]

Breast milk starts training a newborn's immune system about what to expect from the diet of the baby's culture. As the baby gets older, it is programmed to put anything and everything in it's mouth. People try to stop them but perhaps it signals another stage in the development of the immune system?

Perhaps once the window of gut permeability is closed, the immune system has already learned how to modulate its reactions? It's a complicated area of research and I think holding on to this notion that a baby's gut should be kept "pristine" for the first 6 months doesn't seem reasonable to me.

As soon as my babies started grabbing at my food on my plate and shoving it into their mouths, I let them. My twins were doing it at 5 months and my youngest started doing it at 4 months. Like everything to do with babies, they are all different - I am sure some babies are not ready until much older than 6 months. I think we should just observe the individual development of our babies and go with that. There is one thing for sure - if they are putting all sorts of things they discover in their mouth, then I am sure their gut isn't as pristine as we think it is. Certainly not in my house where mopping is something I only do when the kids keep getting stuck to the floor!

This post has been edited by motherwrites: 15/04/2012, 01:32 PM

[lucky 2]

The article is about whether parents should be instructed to start solids btn 4-6 months or around 6.
The Allergists are advising 4-6 and have their reasons as we do have increasing allergies.
But, is there any evidence that exclusively bfed babies who start solids at around or at 6 months are at an increased risk of significant allergic responses?
I don't think that has been established (could be wrong of course), and as the article points out, how can we even study it in our Australian population when only a very small percentage of babies are actually being exclusively bfed near or at 6 months (14%? I think).
I suppose the review of the Infant feeding guidelines (Australian) haven't been given evidence that exclusive bfing puts infants at risk and there are lots of studies showing the positives so the "around 6 months" will stay.
Some people may see this issue as being insignificant, ie that we are talking about such small amounts of food its a "storm in a teacup", but there are many parents who will take any guideline as gospel so this is where our health authorities need to be very clear (ie the Infant Feeding Guidelines that are based on current research, knowledge and understandings).
There are parents who when told the so-called "new" recommendations are for 4-6 months will start solids with gusto at around 4 months (or earlier) and do put their infants at risk by displacing milk out of the diet too fast.
Maybe its not the majority but it happens, hence the guidelines.
I agree with pp in that babies are usually developmentally ready for solids around 6 months so this is a perfect time to introduce them.
I have always thought there should be more than one guideline re introduction of solids, one for babies who are being fed in the biologically normal way (breast milk), those who are combination fed and those who are exclusively formula fed. Each of these groups of babies are different, have had different diets and different need.

RE gut closure, its the spaces between the cells lining the gut/small intestine I think the pp is referring to. I'm not sure the junctions btn those cells become tight at 6 months, I thought it was before that. It can get a bit complicated?

[Sloane Peterson]

But, is there any evidence that exclusively bfed babies who start solids at around or at 6 months are at an increased risk of significant allergic responses?
I don't think that has been established (could be wrong of course), and as the article points out, how can we even study it in our Australian population when only a very small percentage of babies are actually being exclusively bfed near or at 6 months (14%? I think).

Interesting... I read an article in this mornings SMH http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/back...0414-1x0gh.html which states "A study by the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in 2010 found that babies given cooked egg between four and six months were five times less likely to develop an allergy compared with babies introduced to cooked egg after 12 months."

Certainly with both of my kids, (almost 3 and almost 1) I was strongly advised to start solids between 4-5 months, by their paeds, for this very reason.