http://www.babyledweaning.com

http://www.rapleyweaning.com

http://www.annabelkarmel.com

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/solids.html

If you want to rouse debate/dialogue in class, you can also raise the idea that cereals (rice cereals, cerelac, etc. made by companies like Nestle) are unnecessary and continue to be sold because they make money for the big baby food companies). Info here: http://www.ibfan.org/

Note that the child may go thru a period of thumb sucking after the pacifyer – perfectly normal for a period.

As for the bottle, stress the "big boy" sippy cup. Find little rewards for using it (a favorite juice, for example so that the reward stresses the behavior)

My babies all weaned straight to a cup (except my son)…well actually they drank cups of whole milk in addition to being breastfed until they self weaned at around 3 and a half. I only put a small amount of milk in the cup for them, and if they finished it and wanted more, I gave them another small amount. If you fill up the cup, it makes it heavier and harder to manage for little hands, and it makes a huge mess (and waste) when it inevitably spills.

And yes there are many risks associated with starting solids before 6 months.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

The following organizations recommend that all babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or any other foods) for the first 6 months of life (not the first 4-6 months):

* World Health Organization
* UNICEF
* US Department of Health & Human Services
* American Academy of Pediatrics
* American Academy of Family Physicians
* American Dietetic Association
* Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
* Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
* Health Canada

Most babies will become developmentally and physiologically ready to eat solids by 6-9 months of age. For some babies, delaying solids longer than six months can be a good thing; for example, some doctors may recommend delaying solids for 12 months if there is a family history of allergies.
Reasons for delaying solids

Although some of the reasons listed here assume that your baby is breastfed or fed breastmilk only, experts recommend that solids be delayed for formula fed babies also.

# Delaying solids gives baby’s digestive system time to mature.
If solids are started before a baby’s system is ready to handle them, they are poorly digested and may cause unpleasant reactions (digestive upset, gas, constipation, etc.). Protein digestion is incomplete in infancy. Gastric acid and pepsin are secreted at birth and increase toward adult values over the following 3 to 4 months. The pancreatic enzyme amylase does not reach adequate levels for digestion of starches until around 6 months, and carbohydrate enzymes such as maltase, isomaltase, and sucrase do not reach adult levels until around 7 months. Young infants also have low levels of lipase and bile salts, so fat digestion does not reach adult levels until 6-9 months.

# Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.
It is well documented that prolonged exclusive breastfeeding results in a lower incidence of food allergies (see Allergy References and Risks of Artificial Feeding). From birth until somewhere between four and six months of age, babies possess what is often referred to as an "open gut." This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.This is great for your breastfed baby as it allows beneficial antibodies in breastmilk to pass more directly into baby’s bloodstream, but it also means that large proteins from other foods (which may predispose baby to allergies) and disease-causing pathogens can pass right through, too. During baby’s first 4-6 months, while the gut is still "open," antibodies (sIgA) from breastmilk coat baby’s digestive tract and provide passive immunity, reducing the likelihood of illness and allergic reactions before gut closure occurs. Baby starts producing these antibodies on his own at around 6 months, and gut closure should have occurred by this time also. See How Breast Milk Protects Newborns and The Case for the Virgin Gut for more on this subject.

# Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia.
The introduction of iron supplements and iron-fortified foods, particularly during the first six months, reduces the efficiency of baby’s iron absorption. Healthy, full-term infants who are breastfed exclusively for periods of 6-9 months have been shown to maintain normal hemoglobin values and normal iron stores. In one study (Pisacane, 1995), the researchers concluded that babies who were exclusively breastfed for 7 months (and were not give iron supplements or iron-fortified cereals) had significantly higher hemoglobin levels at one year than breastfed babies who received solid foods earlier than seven months. The researchers found no cases of anemia within the first year in babies breastfed exclusively for seven months and concluded that breastfeeding exclusively for seven months reduces the risk of anemia. See Is Iron-Supplementation Necessary? for more information.

# Delaying solids helps to protect baby from future obesity.
The early introduction of solids is associated with increased body fat and weight in childhood. (for example, see Wilson 1998, von Kries 1999, Kalies 2005)

Delaying solids makes starting solids easier.
Babies who start solids later can feed themselves and are not as likely to have allergic reactions to foods.

Bottle For Breakfast ( Around 7am )

Bottle For A ‘Snack’ ( 10 am )

Baby Porridge For Dinner At 12pm ( Didn’t Really Look Like Porridge ! )

Bottle For Snack ( 2-3 pm )

Bottle For Dinner ( 5-6 pm ) .

So He Was Having 4 Bottles Of Formula A Day And 1 Solid Meal.
The ‘Snack’ Bottles Were Half Of What He Would Drink In His Other Bottles, Can’t Remember How Much Though.

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