The advice to start solids between 4 and 6 months isn't just an arbitrary number. For the first 6 months of your child's life, breast milk or formula will meet all of your child's nutritional needs. Even when you start solids at the earlier end of that spectrum, these new foods are not meant to replace breast milk or formula in any way. These first encounters with food will be supplemental, experimental and all part of a learning process for your child, rather than necessary for survival.
Is Your Baby Ready for Solid Food?
Since birth, your baby has been accustomed to getting his food only from the breast or bottle and via sucking. If anything else managed to make its way into his mouth, his tongue-thrust reflex would kick in and spare him from choking on it. Around 4 months, your baby's tongue-thrust reflex will begin to disappear, which is one indicator that he may be ready to give solid food a try.
But it's not the only indicator. His delicate digestive system has lacked the enzymes necessary to digest anything but breast milk or formula. Around 4 months of age, your baby starts to produce the enzymes needed to take on other foods like cereal.
Your baby has depended on you to support his head when he's upright. When your baby starts to gain control of his own head, his neck muscles are strong enough to keep his throat elongated and help prevent choking.
Previously, your baby's reflexes helped keep him fed. His rooting, sucking and crying let you know that it was time for your baby to eat. Early on, your baby was not aware of what was going on during a feeding. Later, your baby expressed interest in seeing the bottle or breast, recognizing that a feeding was on the way and even reaching out for it. Around 4 to 6 months, your baby will usually start to express interest in what you're eating and may even try to grab your spoon or get something off your plate.
When your baby was a newborn, you knew it was time to stop feeding him because he stopped sucking or fell asleep. Maybe the bottle or your breasts were empty. As your child gets older, he will turn his head away from the bottle or breast and refuse to drink any more when he's full.
These are all important readiness skills that your baby should have before you start to think about starting solids. A baby who can't support his head can easily choke. A baby who can't turn away from food learns to keep on eating even though he's full (possibly contributing to obesity in the future). A baby who cannot digest cereal suffers from stomach distress. And a baby who is still trying to force food out of his mouth with his tongue is not ready to swallow anything thicker than liquids.
Rather than rush things, just keep feeding breast milk or formula as usual, keep watching for these cues and trust that your baby will be ready in his own good time.
