Early weaning at four months - please share your stories, hints and tips!!

[Riversmum1]

Hi everyone
I've been advised by a dietician to start early weaning due to slow weight gain.
Tonight was day two and he only seemed to get disgusted by us putting a spoon in his month and then his proceeded to hit and bash the bowl with his hands in the neocate spoon (similar to baby rice) - it went everywhere but his mouth!
Any stories of what to expect and when would be so appreciated, as well as any hints about how to get them eating and enjoying this strange new stuff called food!
Thank you

[dementedpixie]

It really sounds like he is not ready tbh. I am not sure that early weaning foods are going to help put on weight as they are more about new tastes and textures than filling them up. I imagine more milk will help with weight gain rather than baby rice. If they are. If they are not ready then you can't really force them to do it

[LegoCaltrops]

We started giving DD food from about 4.5months. She loved it, but used to gag at first, due to the unaccustomed texture. She will still gag at weird textures now, so this was probably just the way she is. If your DC is reacting like you say, maybe he isn't ready - can you introduce an extra milk feed instead?

[SweetPeaPods]

My ds2 was advised to start early weaning at 6m due to low weight gain with cmpa.
He really wasn't keen so instead we added oat cream to his bottles of oat milk to try adding more fat content to each bottle. Could you try something like that?

[BertrandRussell]

Is there a reason why he can't just have more milk? It's got more calories in it than any food he's likely to be able to eat at this stage.........

[idontlikealdi]

We weaned at 5m due to severe reflux. It was a pain in the arse - DTs were not ready. If it's weight gain I would really try to get more milk in if possible.

[Riversmum1]

Thanks so much for all your input. DS at 4 months is guzzling over 700ml a day and we feed every 3 hours - even at night - to try to get the cals in. AND his feed is slightly concentrated so I think its the equivalent on 770ml a day!
Its just not translating into weight gain. we still have lots of blood tests to come back which are looking for scary metabolic disorders and eve cystic fibrosis - its horrid thinking there might be somehting serious wrong. he is SO happy and jolly in himself and laughing, really trying to roll over, engaged, smiley babe.
we will start with a product called neocate spoon and mix pear / sweet potato into that and see? its not going to work for a while that's for sure...
x

[ClassicCoast]

Is 700 that much - am well past those days but one of mine took 1000mls + and gained normally on it and wasn't unusually big

[eyebrowsonfleek]

700ml isnt very much.
My oldest was a hungry baby and drank double that when I started weaning him at 18 weeks. (that was the guidelines then)

Does he have the tongue thrust reflex? When you put something on his tongue does he automatically spit it out or can he move his tongue back and swallow? If he hasn't lost that reflex, there is no point in weaning him.

Milk has more calories than solids like veggie puree by the way.

[Riversmum1]

Oh I see! That's what the hospital has advised for the correct amount for his weight - he is still only 4.7kg. We are constantly trying to get him to guzzle more for sure...x

[dementedpixie]

700mls is only 23oz so not much at all. I would feed as much milk as he will take as it will be more calorific than first weaning foods

[Riversmum1]

Will do. How many oz should we aim for then?

[unimagmative13]

I surprised you've been recommend early weaning when baby isn't even drinking a lot of milk. Surely the danger would be he could start dropping milk for food?

I would be guided by the bottles. Is he draining the bottle, try upping an oz.

[Riversmum1]

At the moment he eats 100ml-120ml max per feed. this is huge improvement - about 2 weeks ago he would average more like 70ml.
constantly trying to find more ways to get more milk in!
we will keep trying to up the mls intake every week and fingers crossed at some point he will eat enough to really take off.
yesterday he topped 800ml which is great for him ;-)
its very interesting to hear your babies needed more, so we will aim to keep increasing intake, any more ideas are so welcome! thanks all xxx

[Babettescat]

It's all very nice to suggest a baby needs more milk but sometimes some babies just won't take it. My breastfed DS when moved to formula mostly with morning and evening BFs takes way less than what other FF babies take he simply won't have any more and its not a nice feeling really. The guidelines are guidelines and no baby will take more than he wants to I suppose

[Babettescat]

And we moved him at 6 months as I returned to work but his appetite has never been big and still isn't.

[unimagmative13]

I suppose it's a slightly different story when your BF and formula,

Your not going to be able to compare that to a fully formula fed baby.

Also all formula babies are different still.

Your also discussing your 6 month old , the OP is debating weaning at 4 months - in which case the advice is to not wean and increase milk.

[ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay]

For 4.5 kegs that isn't really a lot of milk. Milk is the most calorific thing to give to babies so unless the dietician was keen for you to give him his current amount of milk plus more plus solid so don't see the point in solids. Can you discuss with a paed doctor?

I weaned ds at 6 months and he would not take rice porridge etc due to the texture so I have him ellas fruit pouches. Pear was a good one to start with as it's super smooth and quite bland

[unimagmative13]

We are very successfully doing baby led weaning, started at 6 months it was well worth the wait and DS has never had baby rice or puree.

[Babettescat]

Yes that's fine but it still holds that sometimes some babies don't have the same appetite as other babies. It is great if this baby will down 35 oz a day but it may well be that he simply won't take more than 28. Especially if feeding on demand. All BF babies are also different.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I would follow what the hospital has told you to do.

Ds was weaned at 4 months. Bashing the bowl was par for the course iirc

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Tomorrow try keeping the bowl away from him and give him a spoon to hold while you load up another one and feed him.

[unimagmative13]

Just pointing out you can really compare formula with a 6 month old who also BF.

[swg1]

Guys, unless you have actual medical degrees please don't advise the OP to follow advice from a message board over that of a hospital. Even for a doctor, unless you have the medical history of the baby in front of you, that is a terrible idea.

[VocalDuck]

In my experience hospital dieticians will give you lists of suitable foods to give your baby and how to extra extra calories in. I would go back to your dietician and ask for this to be sent to you as it will give you a great list of tips. My concern would be that vegetables and fruit don't contain many calories and a baby needs lots of extra calories in their diet, let alone one that is being weaned early.

It's worrying that the hospital haven't given you the support you need when telling you to do this.

[GraceGrape]

If you've been advised by the hospital to start, then you should go ahead. All I would suggest is that you make everything as runny as possible so it's similar to milk in consistency. I haven't heard of Neocate spoon but does your LO drink Neocate milk? If not, I don't know if Neocate spoon tastes like the milk, but the milk was a really unpleasant taste. If he isn't familar with it maybe he doesn't like the taste or smell? Perhaps you could mix in a little fruit puree to encourage him? Also, I think it's normal for them to take very little at first, regardless of what age you start.