4.5 month old and solids

My baby is very physically advanced for his age, and he's starting to show interest in solids, going as far as trying to reach out and take food from us, and leaning forward trying to bite food that is in our hands. I really want to breastfeed for a minimum of 2 years, so this has me a little worried. I plan on doing baby led solids, and from my understanding of it, I should be letting him gum at a few things that he finds interesting. He's not eating anything, just putting it in his mouth and gumming a little. He can sit up completely by himself and has been able to for a few weeks already. He's almost crawling as well.

I guess my questions are: Should I keep him from food completely until he's 6 months, if I let him gum at some food, what would be good things to let him gnaw on, and is it anything to worry about with our breastfeeding relationship?

I really don't want him starting solids yet, even experimenting, but I also don't want to stifle him and he seems very very interested.

Thanks!

I'd hold off a bit longer. When your LO sees you eating and acts interested, he's not telling you he's hungry- just that he wants to play with your "toys." If you give him a cup, spoon, and bowl during your mealtimes, he'll probably be quite happy exploring those. That being said, there's probably no great harm in letting him play with solids and tastes, provided he isn't eating anything. You could try offering him a whole peeled apple to lick, or a clean bone. Those are interesting to taste, but the baby can't really eat them.

My LO was pretty much the same way - wanted food so badly, it seemed! I really wanted to wait till around the 6 month mark as well, plus she would still gag on her hands. What I did was get a high chair for her to sit in, and I gave her a little baby bowl and baby spoon to play with. Sometimes I would pretend to 'feed' her -dip the spoon into the bowl and then put it in her mouth. But mostly I just let her play with it. It's worked out for us, and we just started playing with solids a few days ago.

I read a great response to the assumption that very young babies who reach for food want the food. 'Your baby will also reach for your car keys but it doesn't mean he wants to drive'. (Or eat the keys).

:)

Thanks for the responses ladies! I will definitely try the bowl, cup, spoon idea and see how that goes. I know he wants to be in a chair at the table! At this point I hold him on my lap at all meals, which is getting old! I know he's not actually wanting to eat anything yet, so I will just try to find other things he finds as interesting.

He does try to take almost anything that I actually use out of my hands, but even if I try to pretend with his toys he doesn't want anything that is actually his! Lol

Thanks again!