Cheating Mommy

Well, I must confess. I fed him solids. Yes, at 4 months old. There. It’s out.

Some of you know that I had planned to hold off on feeding Caleb solids until he was 6 months old (the latest research supports delaying solids for many reasons, which I don’t feel like enumerating right now).

My excuses:
1. This kid is READY for solids, as evidenced by the fact that he absolutely DOVE at the spoon with the sweet potato on it. (I realize this is kind of a lame excuse, because readiness isn’t necessarily evidenced by eagerness... or hunger... And even if he’s ready outwardly, internally his digestive system is still that of a 4 month old’s. GULP. But in my defense, he IS able to sit up, he DOESN’T have the tongue thrust reflex anymore, and he’s been VERY interested in what we’re eating since he was 2 months old.)
2. He is a big baby and may need more calories. (I don’t even know why I wrote this down. He’s been fine on breastmilk and it is actually more loaded with fat and nutrients ounce for ounce, which is what he needs. GULP.)
3. I wanted to see his response to solid foods. As a matter of fact, I could hardly wait. The curiosity was KILLING ME! (This is a very real excuse, but... GULP.)
4. Countless OTHER 4 month olds (and younger) are eating solids! (This is on the same level as: “But Johnny’s mommy lets him do it!” DOUBLE GULP.)

Now, I do realize that I’ve only fed him solids a total of 3 times: BANANA, BANANA, SWEET POTATO. Not the end of the world. It’s not like it’s a daily thing. And I know that a generation ago, we were all fed solids much earlier. But I did decide, looking at the benefits, and I should really stick with it. There’ll be plenty more time for sweet potato messes, and sticky fingers, and orange spots on mommy’s white linen shirt. So, BabyCakes, no more solids for you until you are at least 6 months old! I promise!!! (I’m sorry, I know you LOVED it!)