is my baby to big and heavy?

Hi girls
I have a 4 month old baby boy and he now weighs 9.3 kg.
When he was born he was 4kg and some weeks was putting on 700grams.
He only had breast milk so Im not to concerned as the nurses tell me it comes off easier....my worry is should i delay solids?
My mum said babys who are overweight on food arent healthy and i should not feed him yet cos he will be to fat.
I just dont know what to do...I love my fat baby and I think his ready for food, but I dont want to make him overwieght...
Any suggestions?

Mum of Fat bubby Ashleigh

Hi Ashleighs mum

Our baby boys sound the same Jackson at birth was just over 4kg and is just near the 9kg mark near 4 months. He too was only on breastmilk, I have just started introducing solids. He doesnt seem to keen on the rice cereal yet so im holding back a few days. My health nurse said it was fine to start trying him on solids, the way I see it is that eventually he will be mobile and I have been told that then that the weight will come off. If Ashleigh is ready for solids I would try him on it, remember you are the mum and if you think he is ready go for it.

If he is showing signs of being ready (not sleeping, watching what you eat, not satisfied after feed) then give him food. If he seems content then wait. This is my opinion. My mother always said to go by weight to tell when to start them, not age. The bigger the baby, often the sooner they'll be ready for solids. I've also been told we start them on solids more to let them experiment with taste and sensation than anything else so delaying them too long is as bad as giving it too early.

I had a lovely community health nurse who told me that they never worry about breastfed babies becoming too fat. He'll slow down when he becomes more active. My son was bigger than all the other babies and started solids first. He now has three feeds a day and 5 breastfeeds as well as water and he's only 6 months. He still wakes for a nite feed. He has not gotten fat and is crawling now and has slowed right down in his weight gain. We have thousands of tiny individuals - follow your gut, it's the magic power of being a mum!

If you have access to a good community health centre go there and seek advice, the nurses are generally great. There is also a 24 hour number you can call for advice and help - 1800 177 279.

Above all don't worry!

It's ok. My son was 3kgs born and is 4 months old now and weighs 9kgs. I have been told its fine. He has been on formula since he was 2 weeks old. I started him on farex about 1 month ago and he loves it. If anything since I started him on solids once a day he has cut back on bottles and is not putting on the weight as fast.

thanks for your replys, its nice to know ashleigh isnt the biggest baby in the world!
its just that everyone comments on how fat he is and sometimes its not in a nice way...and they just go oooon and ooonnn!!
i have given him the rice cereal a couple of times and he seems to like it a bit but i made my mind up yesterday that he is definatley ready when he was watching me eat a muesli bar and when i held it near him he opened his mouth!!!
so im gonna feed my big hungry baby and let him grow as much as he wants!

They say if your baby is thriving on breastmilk, there is no need to introduce solids until 6 months. I started feeding Emily at 4 months and I wished I had waited a little longer. Baby has to hold his/her head up, lean towards the spoon, open mouth willingly and the extrusion reflex should diasappear too. You know when baby is eager to join in...they will try to grab at your food, stare at you and be very fussy when you're eating and they're not.

Rice cereal is the best starter and when you move onto veges and fruit, I found my baby liked pumpkin and sweetcorn (although don't give too much of this as baby will prefer that and nothing else), GC mixed veges and pear & banana. I found that apples was very acidic and could upset her tummy ( if you have a vomity baby, not a good choice).

Anyway, that's my advice...if baby is thriving on breastmilk, might as well follow WHO guidelines.

My son Jai was 4640 grams or 10lb 3 oz at birth and he too, was completely breastfed and weighed 10.6kg or 23lb 8 oz at 16 weeeks, he was then started on solids .He was a chubba. By 30 weeks,his weight gain had slowed a little and he weighed 12.3kg and he was 13kg at 40 weeks-still a big boy.He started walking at 12 months and started to thin-out pretty quickly due to his activeness.Jai is now 7 and is no bigger than the average boy his age.He just had a good start .
My second Son Eli was 4840grams at birth or 10lb 11 oz and he too was fully breastfed -he was 9kg at 16 weeks and 10kg at 22 weeks but never looked like being the bouncing bubba that his brother was even though I had done everything the same for both of them.
I think if there was a family history of obesity,you would have to be very careful and monitor your baby's diet and calorie intake but otherwise I'm sure he too will lose the baby-fat once he becomes active.If you are really concerned,ask your Dr,but
In the meantime,just give your big,cuddly bubby plenty of hugs and stop stressing.

wow jordy!! big babies..all i can say is ouch!!
thanks for everyones advice..its nice to know that there are other big babies around.

Yeah,they were both born naturally too and funnily enough,Eli(10lb,11oz)was the easiest on me of my 3 births.

I tend to agree with you emsmummy. I personally waited until my baby turned 6 months old before she started solids after talking to my child health nurse and my good friend who is a dietician. They are recommending waiting because there may be a link between starting early and food allergies. Of course some babies may need food when they are 4 months old, it really depends on your baby.

My baby is breastfed, too, and i was told by the child health nurse that she was gaining too fast and switch to formula (which i ignored, she's always pushing people to bottlefeed) but since starting on solids, I noticed the gain slowing alot. Now that she is crawling, she's only gaining around 90-100g a week, as opposed to the 600g per week at the beginning. She has 3 meals a day now, at 6 months, and 6 or 7 breastfeeds and boiled water as well. I started her on rice cereal at 3.5 months, and then started giving her cereal with apple mixed in with it. I would suggest making your own food for him, it will go down easier with nothing extra added to it. She's been on veges from 4.5 months and loves it. She was 3.4kgs at birth and now she is 8.4kgs

Wow you wouldnt think a health nurse would tell someone to give up breast feeding and go to formula!
Good on you for deciding whats best for your bub though!!
Ash hit the 10 kg mark last week but has slowed right down to about 100g a week or less...which is good cos now my muscle strength should have time to catch up and i might be able to lift him up above my head soon!