Do you know anyone in real life who has held off weaning until 6 months?

[pgwithnumber3]

I don't. Are the guidelines a load of twaddle then?

I waited until 6 months and I put that mainly down to information received from Mumsnet but not one of my friends have done the same. All their DC were on 3 meals a day by 5/6 months.

[Fadge]

yes, me and a few of my friends too, but then we are an enlightened bunch

[JaneLumley]

Is this - Mumsnet - real life? If so I held off with dd till 9 months. She didn't stop bf till 3 and a half, but had solids from 9 months.

[DeJaVous]

I waited, as did everyone I know. I experienced no pressure to wean early at all.

I'm not in the UK though, if that makes a difference...

[Clockface]

I did with dd, partly because she wasn't interested in food (she's making up for it now!) She started eating solids (if you can call pear puree solid!) at 7 months.

At the time the hvs were advocating solids from 4 months and they kept hassling me to give her food...

[sweetgrapes]

Me. And some of my friends. Lots of others told me that they started at 4 months but didn't directly say that I should too.

Was the advice 4 months till quite recently - maybe till about 5 yrs back?

[lou031205]

Me. With DD2 - tried at 6mo, not ready. Weaned at 7mo.

DD1 (End of 2005) guidelines were 4-6, but weaned at 14 weeks on advice of HV.

Happy with both decisions.

[liath]

A couple - my sister and one of my NCT group.

I have a few friends who are GPs and they all weaned before 6 months (with the full backing/encouragement of their HVs).

I think the guidelines really hit up against a brick wall - a lot of people genuinely don't believe it applies to them - their baby is too hungry/they were weaned early and never did them any harm/HV has recommended weaning/research is based on 3rd world countries etc etc etc. There is huge peer pressure to wean as well, people get quite competitive about it.

[AnarchyAunt]

DD (5.6) was 23 weeks when she first had solids. I didn't know then what I know now, and if I had done we would have waited the extra 3 weeks.

I have lots of friends who have waited til six months and beyond in some cases, introducing food as their baby seemed genuinely ready - ie, sitting, holding food, etc.

I know a couple who started on rusks/rice in a bottle at 8-10 weeks, and one person who started her prem baby (32 weeks!) on jars at 9 weeks old.

The tendency seems to be waiting til six months, but I think (of the people I know) those who do wait, would have waited whatever the guidelines, and the same for those who weaned ridiculously early. IME people only follow guidelines if they make sense to them, and those who choose to wean very early seem to think the guidelines are a load of inconsistent crap, as the threads-about-Bounty-threads would show.

I think there's a whole culture around weaning that needs to change, so its seen as a developmental stage rather than a hunger issue.

[AnarchyAunt]

Re, the idea of it being a 'developmental stage' - the signs of readiness are not understood properly, so people are thinking their baby is ready because s/he watches them eat for example. Thats not readiness - they watch you have a beer! But nobody thinks that means they should have one.

True signs include sitting, holding food and bringing it to mouth, loss of tongue thrust reflex and some more I can't remember. But try explaining that to a generation of women who think being propped in a chair having mush shovelled in their mouth somehow makes their baby advanced/clever/grown up.

[StealthPolarBear]

I did BLW with vegetable sticks at 23 weeks so the theory is he wouldn't have eaten anything he wasn't ready for!
I also have a friend who is a non MNer who weaned on the dot of 6 months and is still bfing at 17 months! [SHOCK]

[StealthPolarBear]

oops accidentally caught caps lock and didn't think it would matter, I'm not that shocked!

[TrinityRhino]

lol polar

yes my mate did as did I

gecko didn't have anything but bm till she was 6 months and she was blw and now is still bf at 20 months

[AnarchyAunt]

Oh yes the friends I have who waited til 6months do not MN! But like I said, I think they would have done so 'instinctively' (I know the word is used wrongly when it comes to weaning) whatever the guidelines.

[AnarchyAunt]

I think (please excuse terrible generalisation here, I know there will be differences but it is IMO a noticeable trend) that better educated, better supported, more 'middle class' mothers are more likely to understand the guidelines and reasons for them, and so more likely to follow them. I also suspect that if you BF you are more likely to follow them too.

[TrinityRhino]

and no the guidelines are a load of twaddle its just that some people dont bloody listen to what is sensible

and also stupid hv's spuot a load of shit that isn' the guidelines as mine did

we got into quitew a heated argument about it actually

[ErnestTheBavarian]

I weaned ds1 & 2 at 4 months as that was current recommendation. waited till6 for ds3 as the age changed. Now dd is 4 months (in 4 days). I'll certainly be waiting the 2 months. Longer if possible. I hate weaning. so boring. never heard of blw with mine, but sounds like that's what ds3 did all by himself - he refused to eat anything unless he could pick it up and put it in his own mouth. refused mush & spoon feeding. Great for me - lazy mare who hates peeling apple mountains and bloody puree

[Bucharest]

Everybody I know that trusts that medical professionals and advances in research are more valid than the time honoured mentality.

[TrinityRhino]

my above post should say 'guidelines are NOT a load of..'

[Guadalupe]

Most of the people I know waited, though I think some were giving tastes by five months or so.

[ZacharyQuack]

I did as did most of my RL mates. In NZ the "Breast is best, solids after 6 months" message seems pretty firmly established.

[theSuburbanDryad]

I did, as did another mum I know but most of the people I know weaned at between 4 and 5 months - mostly on the advice of their HV, i might add.

Totally agree with AnarchyAunt on the culture of weaning that exists - great post.

[LazyLinePainterJane]

I live in a middle-class, generally well off (we are the poor relations ) white area and I know no-one who waited for 6 months. I did with DS (3 years ago) I knew what the guidelines were but mainly I waited until he was ready.

At playgroups they talk about how they weaned at 3/4 months ("he was desperate, always watching my food") and they take HV advice to wean at 4 months because they seem hungry. I did put to someone who was thinking if weaning their child (with severe eczema) at 4 months that milk had more calories and would satisfy him more and she told me that I sounded like the crazy HV that no-one liked!

They are also ALL (without exception) bottle feeders. Not that I think this is linked, but I think the fact that they are bottle feeders who think that breast feeding is a call beyond duty and rather disgusting might be linked to the disregarding of advice and guidelines.