Hellobee Boards

We went with a pediatrician just so we knew he/she had that specialty, but if your doctor is trained as a pediatrician I wouldn't worry. The one we usually see also told us we could try rice cereal and baby food at 4 months....so it is definitely not a family practice vs. pediatrician thing. The old school doctors just either haven't read the new research or haven't been trained in it. I love seeing him because he has been practicing for a long time and has seen it all, but I also do my own research about newer stuff. We skipped purees and went the BLW route. I read enough that I felt comfortable doing it even without my pediatrician knowing anything about it. I would say go with your gut...as long as his other advice rings true with you, I wouldn't worry too much about the solids controversy. It is still developing and some doctors are just a bit behind and may not be as familiar with the new info.

@babybean404: I honestly didn't really talk to him much about it. At our 4 month appointment I didn't know much about BLW and just went with the flow when he told me we could start cereal. At his 6 month appointment I mentioned that we were going to skip baby food and start with what we were eating (I didn't call it BLW because I got the impression he thought I was a loon) and he kinda gave me a blank stare and told me that all food is food, and just to make sure he is sitting up straight in his high chair. I didn't bring it up again after that...by our 9 month appointment it is pretty typical for kids to be eating some finger foods, so I figured it wasn't that important to mention and I don't think he asked.

If you have a doctor that you like and trust, I would stick with that. DH is in training to be a pediatrician and they don't spend a lot of time on stuff that we talk a lot about on here (baby led weaning, etc) because they are really more focused on the medical issues. Feeding styles are more of a preference and as long as you know how to keep your child from choking and be aware of potential allergens, it's kind of up to you.

We started with a gp we loved and it was great, yes their recommendations were sometimes outdated but we trusted them and that's what matters. We moved and I just switched to a ped, first appt is friday so we'll see what I think

I am a family practice doctor and I loooove seeing kids. I have even suggested BLW to families before and been met with blank stares, it goes both ways! I take my LO to a family doc and we get the exact same waiting room and staff experience you described. And to be honest our doc isn't 100% up on things either but that happens with everyone and she's more than willing to work with me in everything. Some of it I think is a bit east coast vs west coast too - family medicine is way stronger in the west (where I'm from and trained, now living on the other coast). But overall I'm (very biased) pro family medicine. We get lots of peds training, and compared to most pediatric residency programs we get way more clinic based primary care pediatric training than pediatricians (they need time to learn in the NICU, etc).

ETA: plus I love that my whole family can see the same doc, I feel like we get better care when she knows us so well!

I doubt this issue had to do with him being an FP than a pediatrician. Feeding is really a preference, and there's not much medical evidence to suggest one approach over another. Much more of a parenting concern.
The bigger issue is that you like the doctor and they know your family!

Another vote for going with a doctor you trust. With my oldest, we were with a very popular {in our area} pediatrician, and I hated it. We moved to a FP that came highly recommended, and have never looked back.

My youngest's pediatrician - different doctor, in a multiple pediatrician practice - hadn't heard of BLW either. A female doctor there was familiar with it, but I think that was because she was herself a mother.