16 weeks and eating

[eiysmummyc]

My DS is 16 weeks and has started on solids. Currently has baby rice, fruit porridge and pureed fruit. I'm planning to keep him on mush for a little while longer but I am stuck on what to progress onto once he's got the hang of chew and swallow. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am planning on baby led weaning once I deem it safe to do so so any yummy finger food ideas would be nice too. TIA

[BabsUnited]

Isn't 17 weeks the very, very earliest you should Sean? I though 6 months/26 weeks is the usual guidance

[BertrandRussell]

Why have you started weaning him so very early? Or do you mean 26 weeks?

[BabsUnited]

Sean should say wean

[NerrSnerr]

Have you had medical advice to wean so early? I thought 17 weeks was the absolute earliest but it's advised to wait until 6 months.

[Out2pasture]

while your little one is "getting the hang of chew and swallow" i hope you are taking evening CPR lessons.

[ElderlyKoreanLady]

16w is very early. Unless you've discussed it with your DC's doctor, the only advice I'd give is to wait. If your DC hasn't got the hang of swallowing, is food just going down through sheer persistence?

[Flisspaps]

Why not just wait until your DC is old enough to do BLW with?

Weaning doesn't improve sleep and it's not necessary to wean big babies early.

Ignore the above if you've had medical advice to wean early

[eiysmummyc]

Oh and give me a shout when you locate the 26 week switch you flick on your children in order for them to be ready for food

[BertrandRussell]

I would be amazed if you have been told to wean at 16 weeks or before on medical advice. If you had, you would have said so in your opening post because it's incredibly relevant information.

[dontaskdonttell]

you should have included in your op that you were doing this under medical advice (which I don't believe).

I had to wean my 2 dc "early" at about 5 months old and we were guided and given help. If you really are doing this under medical supervision then go back to your dr and ask for their help. They should arrange for you to see a dietician who can help you.

[meditrina]

16 weeks is the old guidelines (under which my elder two fell).

Try second hand shops for baby feeding books printed before about 2003. The early Annabel Karmel books are the ones we all used to use.

[nearlyreadytopop]

Are you new round here? Otherwise I think you should have expected the response to weaning so early.
Anyway
If you are doing it under medical advice I suggest your return to that professional with any questions you have.

[NerrSnerr]

Ok OP, even though you have been more offensive than anyone who replied my advice would be go to the person who advised and ask for help, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving a baby solids if they haven't got the hang of swallowing.

[SpaceDinosaur]

Wow. Can your LO sit unaided, put food to their own mouth?

NHS guidelines state the following:

1. They can stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady.
2. They can co-ordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouth, all by themselves.
3. They can swallow food. Babies who are not ready will push their food back out with their tongue, so they get more round their face than they do in their mouths.

Some signs that can be mistaken for a baby being ready for solid foods:
• chewing fists
• waking in the night when they have previously slept through
• wanting extra milk feeds

Of your baby is able to do 1-3 already then wow

[SpaceDinosaur]

Oh, and the 10 weeks between 16 and 26 months aren't a "switch" its10 weeks of solid development and learning of a baby.

[FuckeryOmbudsman]

There is advice about cholling from the NHS (I've just checked) and applies regardless of the age you start weaning

So I hope the advice about taking CPR classes is posted, in exactly the same tone, on all weaning threads, and not just on some to goad

[madwomanacrosstheroad]

The guidelines change. When ds1 was born the official age to introduce solids was 3 months. Then it changed to 16 weeks and around 10 or 12 yrs ago it became 6 months. With ds1 my HV told me to start solids at 8 weeks because he was big.
Anyway, if your baby is on pureed fruit now just introduce pureed veg as you go along. Mine loved mashed Avocado, pureed sweet potatoes, squash etc. Just keep the texture nice and soft. I think from around 6 months i used to introduce baby cereal, mixed with fruit puree in the evening before bed time. They also got natural yoghurt with mashed up extra rice banana.
All seen as perfectly healthy at the time.

[eiysmummyc]

Thankyou to the helpful ladies ....

[BertrandRussell]

It was 6 months when my dd was born 20 years ago.

When the guidelines change it is because we learn new stuff about how babies develop, not because people randomly change them for the fun of it. And anyway, it has been 4-6 months for a very long time indeed. It was 4-6 months when many mumsnetters were weaned!

[MrsJayy]

It was between 4 &6 when my 23yrold was weaned i weaned at 20odd weeks because she was slightly prem anyway i think if you increase the lumps add veg in a few weeks that should be fine i also used to mix veg water in with powdered food yes i know its all about the home made these days

[PresidentOliviaMumsnet]

Hello
Just a reminder of our guidelines
Thanks
Peace and love

[ElderlyKoreanLady]

Your comment has been deleted OP so I can't see why it is you're weaning early. From the comments following though, it looks like a medical professional has advised it? Could you give more info so we can give better advice?

From what's here though, I'd say the medical professional you've had advice from is best placed to give further advice as they know why they think it's best that you wean early.

[Zaurak]

We were advised (by medical professionals) to wean early. Ds has been able to hold his head steady since birth, and able to sit, pick stuff up etc since about 3.5 months. We started weaning at about 18 weeks. After the initial "what the..!?!" Mouthful, he scoffed an entire bowl of porridge on his first feed.

All babies are different.