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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this is rediculously early weaning?

110 replies

Fryib · 19/11/2010 20:24

Someone I know has been telling people that she has started weaning her baby boy at the age of 2months!

He wad a big baby, 11pounds and some ounces, and has continued to grown so is now about 14 pounds.

She has been complaining he wasn't sleeping through the night and getting through 9oz bottles every few hours so someone suggested to give him baby rice.

This 2 month old is now having rusk for breakfast and milk, plus baby food for tea and finally a scoop of rice in his bedtime bottle.

Aibu to think this is damaging and far to early. She said she's going to start giving him lunches next week to.

Or am I a bit out of touch, my youngest is 16 months.

OP posts:
activate · 19/11/2010 20:28

advice changes

DS1 was weaned at 12 weeks on doctor's advice
my mum used to put rusks in my bottle of formula

research shows statistical benefits in delaying weaning

but whether its damaging to that specific infant? who knows?

Mowiol · 19/11/2010 20:28

Odd how things change - my mum used to put something in my bottles (Farex?) as I was so hungry. This was 1960's and considered fine - I'm not overweight or unhealthy either!

When mine were babies the advice re weaning was 15lbs or 4 months.

Nowadays it's 6 months or........ ? how many pounds?

Ah well, times change

nickypomtimes · 19/11/2010 20:29

yanbu

is she my mil?

booyhoo · 19/11/2010 20:31

yanbu

guidlines are just guidelines but they are basd on research not just some random timeframe plucked out of thin air. just because someone was on sunday roast at 2 weeks and is 'fine' now doesn't mean it is harmless.

booyhoo · 19/11/2010 20:32

advice now is 6 months.a s far as i know there is no weight target.

ModreB · 19/11/2010 20:33

Well, according to the current advice, that you should wait until 6 months to begin weaning, YANBU.

But - given that my now 20yo DS was exactly the same, even down to the 9oz bottles and screaming for more, also at 8 weeks, and is now a fit, healthy, rugby playing, 6 footer, IMO, if the baby needs more, then the baby needs more.

Lunches at this age might be a bit much though, mine had 1/4 rusk in milk at breakfast, and the same at tea time and with his late feed. BTW, he was always fed off a spoon, and not via the bottle.

I will probably get flamed, but, hey ho.

MoreTrampThanVamp · 19/11/2010 20:35

yanbu

but not as bad as the woman i know who had her baby at 32 weeks, and then weaned her onto mashed up baked beans and value chocolate pudding at 8 weeks old.

yes really.

poor thing was only meant to have been born that week Sad

SoStressedAndConfused · 19/11/2010 20:36

My eldest is nearly 17 and when he was born the baby food used to start at 'from 3 months'. Health visitors would advise that a particularly hungry baby could be given solids from about 8 weeks.

I suppose it's like most guidance - many will have suffered no harm as a result of this but it's now considered much wiser to wait till 6 months.

Time moves on - we learn new things every day and your friend has probably been given some very outdated though well-meaning advice.

StealthPomBear · 19/11/2010 20:36

Isn't rice in a bottle a choking risk too?

booyhoo · 19/11/2010 20:36

more tramp that is worrying. why did she do that? Confused

LadyOfTheFlowers · 19/11/2010 20:38

I started having babies in 2005 and since then the guidelines have always been 6 months plus unless advised otherwise, by a Doc I presume.

All mine we weaned at 6 months. The first 2 were happy to start at 6m, DS3 was not interested until around 9m and I think DD is going to be the same - can't get her to eat a thing at 7m!

My lightest baby was DS3 at 8lb12. The babys' birth weight always seems to come into it somewhere.

2 of my friends have just weaned their babies - both of them born prem at 6m - at 4m old.

Original poster
Fryib · 19/11/2010 20:39

Moretramp, that's really sad.

I wonders about the checking hazard putting rice in the bottle. It was her mum who gave her that 'magic tip' as she put it.

OP posts:
mumeeee · 19/11/2010 20:40

My eldest DD is 23 and when she was a baby the advice was to wean at 3 or 4 months but even then 2 months was considered much to young.

MoreTrampThanVamp · 19/11/2010 20:43

bpoyhoo - 'never did her any harm' of course Hmm

she used to give her DD evaporated milk in her bottle from birth as it was 'what they used to do in the war' which was so ridiculous i didn't know what to say

this was before i had any dc but even then i knew it was crap

when dd was a baby she tried to get me to give her cheesey wotsits at three months because they are a perfect weaning food - they just dissolve Hmm

people like that really do exist, lots of them

booyhoo · 19/11/2010 20:52

wow. yes because during the war they had access to all sorts of great health advice and sources of food. they wouldn't have had to ration things like milk would they? Hmm

CubaCat · 19/11/2010 21:03

Maybe she should give him some Bear . Sorry, couldn't resist. Grin

pinkstarlight · 19/11/2010 21:06

my daughter was also a big baby,she was going every 4 hours during the daytime but got very hungry at night wanting feeding every 2 hours, i was advised by my health visitor to start weaning very slowly at 2 months starting with a tea spoon of baby rice at night.was amazing she slept straight through the night everynight after that, never did her any harm and mum and baby very happy.

imgonnaliveforever · 19/11/2010 21:12

Current advice for premature babies is to wean earlier, from 4 months. Which makes me think, if it doesn't do a 4 month premature baby any harm then it can't be that disastrous.

2 months does seem a bit early though. But then to me 6 months seems a bit late.

MoreTrampThanVamp · 19/11/2010 21:12

pinkstarlight it is normal and healthy for a 2 month old baby to want to feed every 2 hours at night

my ds is a huge baby, 10lb at birth, at 14 weeks he is nearly 17lb and still breastfeeding every 2 hours or so round the clock and i wouldn't dream of giving him anything other than milk.

sleeping through isn't actually what babies should do at this age.

booyhoo · 19/11/2010 21:12

I'm amazed that HV are recommending weaning for 8 week old babies. surely they are aware of cluster feeding at night and know to expect it?

booyhoo · 19/11/2010 21:14

agree moretramp. i expected to be feeding my ds more during the night at that age.

Nancy66 · 19/11/2010 21:16

i was weaned at six days. I weighed over 10 pounds which was very unusual for my birth year (1967) and they didn't really know what to do - so told mum to start giving me baby rice etc after a week!

Pingpong · 19/11/2010 21:17

My DD2 was a big baby - over 11lb at birth all she wanted til she was 7m was milk. I tried her on solids at 6m and she wasn't interested. Every baby is different. It is a myth that all big babies need weaning earlier. Yes she wakes in the night but to me that is normal. I would rather feed her at night than start weaning at 2m with baby rice.

Showaddywaddy · 19/11/2010 21:21

Big babies don't need weaning any earlier than small babies. Gut maturation is nothing to do with weight. My dd was 25lbs before she had anything other than milk. She was clearly thriving. It's such a myth. And there's nothing wrong with a tiny baby needing frequent feeds. And yes at night too.

And can I just clarify that the guidelines don't change all the time. They have been 6 months for 7 years now. And before that they were between 4 and 6 months for 20 years.

MoreTrampThanVamp · 19/11/2010 21:22

funny 'cos i've also heard that smaller babies need weaning earlier Hmm

the amazing properties of wallpaper paste baby rice eh Grin

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