Just got back from Henry’s four month check up. Here’s the low down:
Weight: 13 lbs. (20th percentile)
Height: 23.5 inches long (10th percentile)
So, we have a midget on our hands! Dr. Bravo said that he may very well just shoot up in the next few months…which is his prediction…or, he could have gotten all of my short genes! He said that we will know a lot better if he’s destined to be short or tall by the time he’s two. For now, there’s too much variation in babies to really be able to tell.
Oh well, I’ll still love the little guy…even if he’s a shorty!
Henry’s been eating A TON lately, and Dr. Bravo suggested starting rice cereal…it seems really early, but the kid is eating 28 ounces just during the hours he’s at daycare (not to mention the feeding in the early morning, evening feedings and middle of the night feedings!). He’s on the young end of starting solids, but with him wanting to eat so dang much, it might be that he’s needing a little more sustenance. I’m weary of starting so soon…I had always figured I would wait until he was 6-7 months old…what do you think?
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Go for it! I really trust Dr. Bravo. And it will be fun.
I started Ainsley at 4 months. Her reflux was still pretty bad and I was sure it was caused by my breast milk (really acidic poop). I started giving her rice cereal twice a day until she was about 5 months, then I added a veggie feeding mid-day. Now she is a 6.5 months and she eats cereal and an ounce or so of fruit with about 4 ounces of liquid, she has a 6 ounce bottle with 2 ounces each of fruits and veggies for lunch, has a 6 ounce bottle offered after her afternoon nap, has cereal, fruits and veggies at dinnertime, and another 6 ounces offered at bedtime. I still nurse her at two of those feedings, but she is getting so little from me and would probably do without just fine. And now that I am not really nursing her reflux is gone!
Aubrey started cereal closer to five months, and I had introduced yellow vegetables at her 6 month checkup. Her liquid feedings were all breast milk until 9 months.
His weight gain is so good that I think you are fine either way. I couldn’t imagine waiting until 7 months for solids, my life got so much easier when my kid was finally full!
Good luck, either way you aren’t going to hurt him.
Dillon started on cereal at four months. At his first feeding he inhaled the food and cried when it was gone! He was so ready to start.
Anna started solids around 6 mos. old or so and it was great. Kaitlyn has started at 7 mos. and it’s working well. I’m all about waiting as long as possible if the child is getting enough just thru breastmilk. It’s SO much easier to just sit and nurse (whether you’re home or out somewhere) than to spoon feed a baby (especially when they spit up carrots on your rug!) Plus breastmilk is so good for them, and nursing is good for you too. I think if you breastfeed for a total of 2 years during your lifetime you reduce the risk of breast cancer by something like 40%!
I’m sure your pediatrician knows what he’s talking about and either way, Henry should be fine. Whatever you decide for you guys will be the right thing. (Now I feel like I should put flowers in my hair and hug a tree!)
just because you start him on solids doesn’t mean you’ll be in full babyjar mode for awhile. chances are it will be pretty slow going. maybe give it a try and see how he does?
We were going to wait until Caedra was 6mo. to start solids, but at 5.5mo she started trying to take bites of my sandwiches, so we broke out the rice cereal a little early. She loved it, but then we had to go back to exclusive breast feeding for a little while while we dealt with the whole constipation thing. No fun.
Anyway…my view is that in general it’s best to wait for six months to start solids, but Henry is Henry, not a statistic, so really you have to do what’s best for him as a unique baby and not what’s best for the general population. You know him and you know yourself so you should make the decision based on his needs and what you can handle.
My granola ways are rubbing off! Aha! :)
Just kidding.
Anyway, I think I’m gonna wait…now that I know he was getting sick, I think that’s why he was eating so dang much. I really wanted to wait and have 6 months be the absolute earliest I started solids.
It’s also possible he hit a growth spurt, or was just needing to feel extra close to you for some reason. Kaitlyn loves to nurse…it’ll be a sad day when she’s all done!