Old enough for solid food?

Hey ladies. I hope you can help me on a few things with my son. So here goes. I have a little boy just turned 3 months and he acts as though he isn't eating enough. He wakes up 2 times in the night to eat. He consumes 5-6 ounces. My mom says at 3 months he can start solid foods like rice cereal in his milk. Is he too young for that. I was recently told to start him off at 4-5 months but some insist it won't harm him. Plus he would sleep better. Secondly I currently use Avent bottles but they are too big for him to grab. He is already trying to hold his bottle. Whats the next best brand easy for him to grip? Last but not least he tries to suck on everything in sight he can't be teething yet right? Please help me out. he's my first born and I'm kinda in between suggestions.

[ni-ki]

my opinion is at 3 months it might be too young for the solid foods and like the poster above said eating rice cereal will not help him sleep through the night. I have a 9mth old son who wakes up at least 2-3 times in the middle of the night and takes a bottle of 4oz and i feed him solids at dinner time.. If you want to try the solids i would say go for it maybe your little baby is ready for it. But pretty sure it wont help the night time feedings...

[mum2beagain]

Some would say it is okay to introduce solids, personally I would wait a bit longer (at least 4 months) but if you want to at least check and get the advice of your pediatrician first. Would he take anymore milk at each feeding? At 17 weeks my first son was taking 8oz at each feeding and feeding 5 times a day, he had been sleeping a seven hour stretch at night for 4 weeks but then started waking. My doctor then said he was ready for solids so we started very slowly when he reached four months with a couple of teaspoons of cereal once a day. I think nowadays most peds would tell you not to put rice cereal in a bottle but feed it from a spoon when your baby is ready.

[Me2mommy2b]

I personally think that 3 months is way too early to introduce rice cereal.  It's really a fiction that he'll sleep better at night b/c of it.  It was never proven.  Have you tried offering more milk at each feeding to him?  
As for the bottle, my daughter absolutely hated Avent, they were too big for her and they were leaking.  I hated them but some swear by them.
Teething symptoms may start months before you see the first tooth coming through.  My daughter also started demonstrating such behavior at about that age.  

[girlybuff]

I waited until my DD was about 4 months old to start but she had all the signs.  I also breast feed.
Accordinging to most things I read here are the signs that your baby is ready for solids:

Your baby will give you clear signs when he's ready to move beyond liquid-only nourishment. Cues to look for include:

[ange800]

Try to wait another few weeks if you can my plunket nurse said to start solids around 5 months my dd is 3 months also and sleeps 11 hours solid at night (sorry to brag lol) shes just breastfeed but I top her up with formula if she needs it maybe just try him with a little extra milk my first dd I started solids at 4 months as she was a hungry baby alot of people say wait 6 months but I think thats too long good luck hope your boy sleeps thru the night soon.  

[nikki2274]

One thing about the bottles...my DD was also trying to hold her bottles at about 3 months.  I used Avent as well...Avent makes handles for their bottles that you put on before you put the nipple on.  THey are great for her tiny hands and are giving her great practice for the sippy sup.
Good Luck

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I also agree to try and hold off solid foods for a little longer.  Try giving more milk at each feeding.  Some babies have a fast metabolism and need to eat at night.  I'll bet if we took a survey there would be lots of mums who were up through the night when their child was 3 months old.

Lots of good advice above, so I won't be redundant.

Good luck, I am sure your wee one will start sleeping through soon.

[cutiemama]

Also, you can try the enfamil "thickened" formula.

[cutiemama]

The AAP and WHO have advised that infants be exclusively breastfed until 6 months at which point solids can be introduced. If you're formula feeding, you can just increase the amount of formula your baby's getting until he reaches the 6 month mark.

[mgi]

  this is my answer to your question: no to solid foods

there are time lines for a reason

their digestive systems are just not ready

you are opening up a whole new series of sicknesses when you introduce solids too early

please be patient