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Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Weaning

Very confused...

21 replies

EdieMcredie · 04/02/2008 22:12

...Probably been discussed loads before but haven't got time to search old threads. Preparing to wean DD in a month and reading on Annabel Karmel's site has really confused me.

In one section she talks about babies needing 20oz of milk a day from 6 months to a year old and in another she advises to just give cooled boiled water as a drink and cut down on milk as it may reduce appetite for food. Im confused-was planning from 6 months to very gradually reduce breast feeds until she is just having one last thing at night, replacing with solids. Is this wrong?

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NorthernLurker · 04/02/2008 22:16

Your plan sounds ok to me - and basically what I've done weaning three children (did start solids after 4 months rather than 6 but I'm old fashioned ) The whole - 'they must have x ounces of milk' thing has always been a mystery to me - as I b/feed - how would I know how many blithering ounces they get anyway?

Habbibu · 04/02/2008 22:17

Your own plan sounds just fine to me.

pinkspottywellies · 04/02/2008 22:18

Have you heard about Baby Led Weaning - do a search on here and you'll find out loads about it.

To be honest if you're breastfeeding you won't know how many ounces she's having and it doesn't really matter! DD carried on having breastfeeds between meals (ie when she was on 3 meals per day bf first thing, elevenses, mid afternoon and bedtime) until nearly a year, and now at 15 months just morning and night.

It just sort of fell into a rountine for us and you'll find that as she has more solids she'll want less milk.

LittleMy34 · 04/02/2008 22:20

sounds fine to me - breast milk is more nutritious than solids, by volume, so your DD won't suffer if she's still getting all the milk she wants, and it gives them the freedom to experiment with food.

my experience of weaning was that making any kind of plans was irrelevant - DS1 decided what and when he wanted to give feeds up.

there are millions of people dying to tell you what your baby should be eating or drinking, my thoughts are to start solids slowly and play it by ear. the only thing we did was try to put solids meals in between feeds so that one didn't interfere with the other, iyswim. DS1 is 20 months now and only has his morning milk, but didn't give up his evening milk until about 12 or 14 months, I think.

HTH

LittleMy34 · 04/02/2008 22:21

oh yes pink wellies - we did BLW and it was great! can't recommend it enough but don't want to go all evangelist on people about it so normally keep a bit quiet....

PhDlifeNeedsaNewLife · 04/02/2008 22:21

scuse me for hijacking but pinkspottywellies that bfing between meals sounds like my ds! and i'm curious (having just been told off by my dsis that I didn't "need" to feed him so often) - how much was your dd feeding at night?

Habbibu · 04/02/2008 22:21

Food standards agency "From six months old, you can gradually increase the amount of solid foods you give your baby so that by twelve months, solid foods become the main part of your baby's diet, with breast or formula milk making up the balance." - Note the BY 12 months thing. Not by 6 or 7, but by 12. It's a question of slowly shifting balance.

LardyMardyDaisy · 04/02/2008 22:25

your plan sounds just fine; My DD is now 8 months and still BFs as many times in the day as she did before we started weaning at 6 months, but the three (or sometimes four) feeds she has during the day are 5 minute "snacks" rather than full feeds. she has been on three proper meals a day for the last couple of weeks with the odd snack thrown in as well.

She still has a full feed first and last thing and sometimes in the night too. They still have growth spurts as well and she h stepped her milk feeds up again over the last couple of days to deal with that.

She'll let you know what she wants and when!

EdieMcredie · 04/02/2008 22:28

Brilliant advice, thanks.

Have looked at BLW-sounds good! Might give it a try.

Oh right so I don't need to feel sad about stopping BFing just yet then!!

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NorthernLurker · 04/02/2008 22:29

Yes it's a process not an event I've always tended to do one meal a day for a few weeks - then add in another, then a third eventually. Dd2 and dd3 have moved to three meals around 6 months + but dd1 was on two meals a day up to 8-9 months - she just didn't want lunch My hv got a bit nervous - why I'll never understand Dd3 is now on three meals a day - but up till a few days ago her tea was just one very plain bowl of fruit and porridge or cereal - she just didn't want anything more complex! Now we're on to two courses and some more adventurous stuff and she seems to be coping - where she wouldn't have a few weeks ago

Habbibu · 04/02/2008 22:31

Oh, Lord, no, Edie - you can keep bf-ing as long as you both want to. DD is 15 months, and pretty much self-weaned down to 1 at bedtime - can't remember quite when. BLW is fab,. btw!

LardyMardyDaisy · 04/02/2008 22:33

I struggle to get dd to have breakfast of any sort as she is usually still full of morning milk. she gets a bit of bread and butter while I'm busy with packed lunches and that keeps her going till her next breast feed. I'm certainly not stressing about it or trying to get her onto a regimented regime. she loves lunch and dinner though and can pack away a surprising amount for one so small!

LardyMardyDaisy · 04/02/2008 22:34

...and make it fun

NorthernLurker · 04/02/2008 22:37

See - this is the great thing about b/feeding - it's self regulating so you add in the solids and baby just reduces their milk feeds themselves I have always found that they 'look' for milk less and less but it is very gradual. Dd3 now has a b/feed first thing (or at 4 or 5am if she wakes then goes back to sleep) and one at bedtime. She also has a feed in the night at some point. But - during the day she will also feed quite briefly - sometimes if she's tired, or we've been out all morning and she wants a bit of downtime Today - we did some shopping after school run and when we got home at 11ish she was fussy and nudging me with her head when I was holding her. So I offered milk and she had about 5 minutes then was a different baby!

PhDlifeNeedsaNewLife · 04/02/2008 22:45

NL your dd is April born iirc? same as my ds?

your post v encouraging to me - ds still feeding 1-2 x a night and 3-4 x a day, on top of his meals!

and despite all this he only gained 100g in the last month guess it's the crawling that does it!

NorthernLurker · 04/02/2008 23:21

Yes she's an April girl and she loves her milk! The whole sleep thing is complicated by the fact that she's still in with us as we have no other rooms to put her in! I think we disturb her sometimes - and where she would settle herself if alone - she can hear me and so she wakes properly - but also she seems to really relish her night feeds. B is sort of average length and a bit lighter than average - but she can crawl at warp speed!

EdieMcredie · 05/02/2008 08:13

NL-That nudging thing is sooo sweet isn't it?! It just melts my heart when DD does that.

Yes I would be very confused if I was bottle feeding-how much shall I make up etc. Must be lots of wastage too...

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EdieMcredie · 05/02/2008 08:38

Ok, ok, another question.

I will probably start at beginning of next month-this is 2 weeks off her being 6 months. She is starting to sit unaided but still sleeping through night and seems satisfied by BM. I like the whole BLW thing but might just do a week or two of purees then when she is 6 months will start with finger foods and being more experimental with things.

Does this sound ok? I know I can follow her lead etc and I will but I need to know I have things right in my head IYSWIM!

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PhDlifeNeedsaNewLife · 05/02/2008 08:48

Edie the brilliant thing about BLW is the lack of rules. So, you may choose to give your dd a puree on the first day, then not, as you like. I think it just aims to help you realise you don't have to puree.

FWIW, I think I gave ds some mashed sweet potato on the first day. The second day he snatched a banana out of my hand and jammed it in his gob - and that's pretty much how we've been feeding ever since: he gets lots of finger foods (bread, veg, tofu), a lot of soft food (he looooooves avocado, and some mashy things (mostly veg). I spoon-fed him mashy things for dinner when he was just too tired to be arsed feeding himself, but now (he's 10m) the only thing he'll let me feed him is his morning weetabix (cos I can get it in faster than he can!)

hth. I'd say relax and have fun, but since I personally can't relax I'll just say "have fun!"

EdieMcredie · 05/02/2008 08:54

Thanks that's really good advice. Ill start with puress but just be very aware that she may find them bland and will be able to feed herself finger foods. That way I won't be holding her back. Maybe we'll just do it for 2approx weeks but im sure she will be the kind of baby that rams foods in! She is quite assertive even now bless her.

Thanks

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pinkspottywellies · 05/02/2008 20:01

PHD - sorry I missed your question last night but I see someone else has talked about it anyway. I was just feeding dd whenever she wanted it. I didn't really think in terms of should I shouldn't I and luckily no-one questioned it. She wasn't a one for waking much in the night but has had periods of sleeping through 7-7 and periods of waking in the night or waking at about 5am ready for the day! Unless I have thought that it's got to be a habit and she doesn't need it then I've just gone along with her.

Edie - there's me being the first one to mention BLW. I didn't actually do it! I read about it on MN and liked the idea but didn't have the confidence to do it fully. I wanted to see that I was getting food in her! However, it did give me the confidence to start finger foods alongside purees straight away. I also told a friend about BLW and she did it and loves it and jokingly peers down her nose at me and dd for using spoons!!! I wish I had done it now but if you feel happy doing a mixture of finger food and purees then I'm sure your DD will get on just fine. There's no stopping my DD now!! Just enjoy it - and prepare for a lot of mess

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