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^^Mine are teenagers now, but when they were tiny, a lot of pediatricians were starting to encourage baby-led solid feeding because there is no nutritional need for solids before 6 months, and shouldn't be used to reduce breastmilk or formula intake before 12 months.
See, that was the conventional wisdom at the time. And "coincidentally" food allergies exploded toward the end of the 20th century, after parents were told to avoid allergenic foods like eggs and nuts until after the child was a year old, and in fact to delay all solids much longer than had previously been done. Now they have found out that babies who are introduced to various foods sooner have far fewer food allergies. For example, the incidence of peanut allergies is reduced by 80% when parents give babies little bits of peanut powder starting at 4 months.
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The prevalence of food allergies began to increase in the late 1990s...as pediatricians and allergists told parents to avoid feeding proteins that could trigger allergic reactions to their young children.
“We now understand that avoidance was actually the wrong thing to tell families, because the early introduction of allergens helps train the child’s immune system,” Gable said, adding that early introduction should begin between 4 to 6 months of age.
I know this doesn’t apply to babies a few months old, but what about using porridge type foods cooked on the stove like grits, oats, and wheat? Each has their own benefits including fiber, B vitamins, folic acid, and iron. They’re also cheap to buy and are easy to digest for most babies.
See, that was the conventional wisdom at the time. And "coincidentally" food allergies exploded toward the end of the 20th century, after parents were told to avoid allergenic foods like eggs and nuts until after the child was a year old, and in fact to delay all solids much longer than had previously been done. Now they have found out that babies who are introduced to various foods sooner have far fewer food allergies. For example, the incidence of peanut allergies is reduced by 80% when parents give babies little bits of peanut powder starting at 4 months.
Right, but that research was about introduction of peanut products, not solid foods in general.
Peanuts are just an example of a common, highly allergenic food which should be introduced early. Others are wheat, eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish/shellfish.
So you start by introducing non-allergenic foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains like rice and oats. Then gradually introduce the allergens, and you have to keep at it--one exposure per allergen is not enough. So in other words, yes, it is now recommended that infants start eating solid foods before 6 months old.
There are lots of readily available articles about early introduction of allergens. This is a very good article in which a doctor describes how she went about it with her own children:
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As a paediatric allergist I am constantly answering questions from friends, relatives, patients and colleagues about introducing allergens to babies.
I strongly encourage early introduction of the major allergens, including milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and sesame into your baby’s diet, as this is the best way to decrease their risk for developing food allergies.
Peanuts are just an example of a common, highly allergenic food which should be introduced early. Others are wheat, eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish/shellfish.
So you start by introducing non-allergenic foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains like rice and oats. Then gradually introduce the allergens, and you have to keep at it--one exposure per allergen is not enough. So in other words, yes, it is now recommended that infants start eating solid foods before 6 months old.
There are lots of readily available articles about early introduction of allergens. This is a very good article in which a doctor describes how she went about it with her own children:
Recommend by whom? The AAP, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology all still recommend introducing solids at around 6 months, or when the child is developmentally ready (sitting without support, is able to grasp objects put them in their mouth, etc)
Last edited by Hearthcrafter; 05-18-2022 at 05:59 PM..
Recommend by whom? The AAP, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology all still recommend introducing solids at around 6 months, or when the child is developmentally ready (sitting without support, is able to grasp objects put them in their mouth, etc)
I'm not sure what you are googling, maybe old articles, but the current advice is 4 to 6 months, or in other words, 6 months at the latest.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the introduction of solid foods at 4 to 6 months of age,
No one should be embarrassed for having followed the guidelines that were considered the best advice at the time, but it's pretty clear-cut that telling parents to delay solids in hopes of avoiding allergies was exactly the wrong advice.
Breastmilk is best, but that's not an option for some families. If you can't or don't want to breastfeed, goat milk (or even cow milk) may be an easier solution to the formula shortage, and the AAP seems to think it's better than homemade formula.
As I recall, home made formula required a sterilization of glass bottles and latex nipples that may not be readily available today. Also, there is a heating process for the filled bottles. Not easy.
Are you saying that parents who use factory-made formula don't sterilize the bottles anymore?
I thought all bottles and nipples were supposed to be sterilized, and formula was always made with boiled water. Are things different now?
Are you saying that parents who use factory-made formula don't sterilize the bottles anymore?
I thought all bottles and nipples were supposed to be sterilized, and formula was always made with boiled water. Are things different now?
Back in the day when water quality was iffy and people didn't have dishwashers, that made sense. These days it depends on the parent's risk tolerance and frankly, germophobia. I never boiled anything. My babies never had a sick day and the youngest is now 17.
Does a nursing mother sterilize her nipples? Nope.
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