To eat or not to eat

My husband and I have been at odds on this topic. I have noticed the rest of the world is too. When do you begin to feed your baby solid food?

I should say, the ultimate voice you should listen to is a combination of your own and your doctor's. That said, everyone has an opinion on this. In my playgroup alone the mom's and the doctors are all over the board.

The basic guidelines seem to be the same, 4-6 months, if they are drinking over a certain amount of formula/breast milk (although this amount changes based on the source you use), doubled their birth weight, and have good head control.

Those that feel you should wait believe its better to let baby's digestive system mature a bit. The extrusion reflex, where their tongue pushes everything out, begins to go away and possibly helps thwart early food allergies.

Those that don't want to wait, feel their baby is ready. The baby is gaining appropriately, is interested in food and is eating well. Some believe solid food can help baby sleep better.

You have to think of this as the beginning of how you will deal with parenting issues. The decision of whether to wait two more weeks or not is probably inconsequential. The more important decision is how you make decisions. Be confident in what you decide. You know your baby best and will do what is right for you and your baby.

For us, well, we came to a compromise, we're waiting 2 more weeks.