to consider weaning my DS at 17/18 weeks?

[auburnlizzy78]

I will discuss this with my GP and HV of course, but have a feeling they are going to give me the party line of "the DOH/WHO guidelines say exclusive BF for the first six months" and there will be very little discussion of our actual situation. So I wanted to ask what you would all do/did do if you had a similarly big and hungry baby. Trying not to be accused of drip feeding so these are hopefully all the relevant facts:

• DS (first child) will be 14 weeks old this weekend
• He was 8lb 13oz at birth, at 42 weeks gestation.
• At 13 weeks he was 16lb 3oz and has stayed faithfully to his 91st centile line for weight since birth. Think he will double his birthweight (i.e. reach 17lb 10) by 17/18 weeks. I understand that this is one of the indicators for readiness to wean.
• He is 98th centile for length. Overall, size pretty appropriate considering DH is 6ft 3.)
• He slept 12 hours per night without waking since he was nine weeks old. But in the last week he has started waking up again and properly yelling in the early hours, necking 150ml/5oz and going straight back to sleep. So I don't think it's teething pain, nappy, or any other reason.
• I think he is starting to teethe but not causing any major discomfort yet.
• He is fed about 1 litre/30-32oz expressed breast milk every day, plus a 200ml carton of formula. In the last week he has needed two cartons a day. He sloshes when you hold him.

• Plenty of wees and an epic poo a day.
• No health issues. He's a bright, alert, feisty, very wriggly baby!
• Can sit up supported and hold his head up. Pretty much was doing that from 8 weeks old (GP was quite shocked at the 6-8week review)
• He has become fascinated by us eating.
• He is quite capable of taking 120/150ml- 4-5oz every hour in the evenings, growth spurt or not.
• No allergies in the family on either side.

Thanks for reading. Instinct tells me and DH that milk alone is no longer enough. We would only give a bit of baby rice for now with a couple of feeds each day, to see how it goes, rather than weaning fully, for now.

What would you do if you were in our shoes?

Thank you all. Some really good points for and against. This really seems to have divided opinions!

We will give it some serious thought again over the next couple of weeks.

Wow, first time on MN I have seen so many people advocate early weaning!

I wouldn't. Mine were both big/hungry babies and at4 months there is a massive growth spurt that is the worst/but the last.
I woudl hold off for at least 10 days to see if he starts sleeping again and then think about it. BUt I wouldn't do it.

Evolution wise, when a baby can feed himself, how can anyone argue he isnt "ready"...

My DS is being weaned with the agreement of my HV. Screw anyone who disagrees with this, hes my child.

Only read the OP, but no HV or GP will take account of your unique situation because it isn't unique, it is perfectly normal.

Go to a toby carvery, stick him in a high chair, put loads of mushy veg on his tray and let him enjoy himself.

If you notice any of it coming through his nappy over the next couple of days he is probably ready, but even so, there is no harm in delaying.

My ds doubled his weight at 10 weeks by the way. It is not a sign of being ready to wean.

Also, you are unfortunately wrong about GPs and HVs towing the party line. They 'generally' don't and talk bollocks about early weaning.

hth

Stealthpolar - no i said it clearly states 'from 4 months' of course i don't trust them! But i do trust my own instincts as i feel all mothers should. I was pointing out a fact thats all.

22 years ago I weened my son when he was 3/4 months old it was the norm then, when a baby needed it you done it. None of this guideline stuff, you went with your instinct.

Go with the rice theory best to have with his evening feed though so he sleeps through, as time goes on increase it same as if you would if he was six months.

It should never be about old the baby is, but what he needs, his overall size.

We didnt have health visitors in those days either because the majority talked out of their asses.

or they poked their noses in where it was not wanted. Sorry missed me last sentance off.

Me again!
Do some research - babies seem to hit some kind of development stage at around 4 months that has nothing to do with hunger but people often seam to think that is what it is.

I found a good check list on-line for starting weaning(no longer have it sorry)

They are going to be eating for the rest of their lives. From my experince I would still say to wean later rather than earlier. My thoughts have changed after weaning DS2. (I posted above, I weaned DS1 at 17 weeks, DS2 8 months)

I am now thinking that if baby isn't able to pick up food, investigate it, explore it and needs to have it pureed then they can't be ready (regardless of how many times they are waking, or how often they need milk)

And baby rice - what is the point of that? Wait a few weeks and give him "proper food"

Fabby, why should it be about size and not age? More calories can be gained by more milk, and developmental ability to manage solid food is surely age rather than size-related?

My son was 9 1/2 pounds at birth (41 weeks), so 96 centile. He's the biggest baby in my family and my partner's family... no idea where this huge baby came from, but he came out C-section because his head was too big, etc.

I digress. He was holding his head up very early too, his neck is very strong (partner's family trait). At 4 months, he was breastfeeding pretty much constantly, as you described. I was exclusively breastfeeding and we were spending all our time nursing, and I was desperate for some sleep. People said he might be ready for a rusk, and I hesitated because of the new guidelines to not give them food before 6 months. But I was desperate, and he was clearly very hungry.

I bought a box of rusks, and when I let him try one he nearly bit my hand off. That convinced me. I bought these round ones, and cut them into thirds, making little sticks he could grasp. He would get one after his naps, or after a feed. He really looked forward to those. After a few weeks of this, I would dissolve a bit of rusk in some breastmilk and make a very thin porridge, to get him used to a spoon. We started him on baby rice the day he turned 5 months old... I know there's no calories in it, but he was still sucking down the breastmilk and need a little solids in him just to make him feel fuller.

This is not what I planned. I wanted to go by the guidelines, etc, but I had a huge baby, and you have to be flexible. He's nearly 1 and still breastfeeding, but not like before, because boy has he discovered food. He loves it all, especially Sunday roast dinner. I suggest you start out gently with the rusks and making them into thin porridge and see how you go from there. Good luck!

i was in your situation:

• those things you menntioned are needed for weanning, but they are no indicators of being ready.
• the reason you must wait till 6 months is because there is no way to know if his gut is ready before
• if he is not ready, it can cause a lot of harm, not just allergies

-gram for gram, milk has more calories than solids, especially baby rice, so he won't get a bigger intake this way

i also have a big boy, he can hold his head from 8 weeks and sleeps 12 h per ninght since 20 weeks, especially if you are breast feeding, even if it is expressed, keep going as long as you can
i started weanning at 6 months and we are now in quite a varied diet that he eats easily
talk to your gp, he can explain this better than i do.

good luck, whatever you decide to do

Sounds very similar to my DS. DS is 13 weeks yesterday and weighs 16lb 4oz. He's bloody huge and eats constantly. He also sloshes! However, he's ff. I feed him about every 2 hours, though not in the night, and he has about 1.3 litres a day.

Have been considering weaning him early but would like to avoid it if possible. Largely because it's a massive pain. At the moment he's not too hungry at night though has started waking early for food.

GP and HV less likely to give you the WHO guideline yawnfest than mumsnet.

I really don't understand this "mother knows best" mentality, ok maybe most of the time but,
And I'm sorry, a mother weaning their child at 8/9 weeks doesn't strike me as someone who "knows best" irresponsible? maybe, un-educated? possibily, but knows best? No. Sorry don't buy it.

And I don't include mothers who where advised to wean this early on a Peads advice, because that's a different situation.

I'm confused then - what is the significance of Cow & gate putting 4 months on their labels?

Common sense though surely says it is not just about calories. Of course milk is full of calories but a high milk intake does not mean baby is not still hungry.

There are far more calories in a cream cake than a big bowl of pastabut the pasta will make you feel more full and for longer.

As long a baby is getting all the milk nutrition he needs I don't see why he shouldn't have a bit of something else to satisfy his hunger.

YANBU to consider it, but your post does leave me wondering why you are considering weaning.

Nothing you have written indicates to me that he is wanting more than milk. He is growing (well!) on milk alone, and even though he's waking at night appears to be easily satisfied with 5oz milk.

I imagine he can sit supported because he is so solid - I don't mean that in a nasty way at all but if he is a big chunky baby they don't bend and wobble as much as skinny ones!

Size and weight has no relation to readiness for weaning - that is dependent on gut maturation which is unrelated to weight. I understand it does vary between babies (ie the gut doesn't suddenly mature at 26 weeks to the day) but generally speaking all babies mature in the same way. My daughter sees a consultant paediatric endocrinologist who believes that premature weaning (ie before about 17-18 weeks) is a factor in the development of metabolic and inflammatory disorders including diabetes and things like Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis later in life.

Honestly, if your baby is happy on milk then don't rush to get onto solids - it's also a right faff!

because,surely,you dont want to fill a baby's tummy up with something thats doing him less good...if they're are hungry,surely its because thir body needs more calories,after all thats the reason we feel hunger,no?

Weaning your baby onto solids will not solve his sleeping problems, it's just a myth (far more calories in milk than in any amount of solids that you will be able to get into him). More milk might help if he is going through a growth spurt.
Worth reading Baby Led Weaning by Gill Rapley, just to get more of an understanding of the importance of milk and solid food for the first year.

They do make a hungry baby milk which might be worth a try if you haven't already, I may have missed that in your OP.

Good lord - did someone really just suggest that a 17 week old babies first weaning foods should be veg from a Toby Carvery served on one of their high chairs!!!!!

Words fail me....

Personally I think weaning somewhere between 17-26 weeks is fine. I would try to wait to the upper end of that range though.

I started weaning at 22 weeks as my ds seemed ready to me - it was nothing to do with weight or sleep though. He sat well with support, was interested in food and ultimately could pick things up, bite bits off, chew and swallow!

I can see why they changed the guidelines from 4-6 months to 6 months though, seeing as 4-6 months got interpreted as 8/10/12 weeks being fine

I'm not sure it means they'll take less milk either.

DD is nearly 8 months and we've been weaning since 6, she's a big baby (don't have her weighed so not sure of her weight but she's in next size clothes) and has always drunk loads of milk (ff). However since weaning she drinks just as much milk - plus 3 meals a day!

On top of naps, nappy changes (many more now on solids, and they're interesting to say the least), milk, solids, clearing up mess etc..I barely seem to have time to leave the house.

Weaning is fun (blw is brilliant) but honestly it is so much extra work, no need to start early I don't think.

Can I just add something from a nutritional point of view?

I really think it would be extremely unwise to give a baby under the age of 26 weeks any of the following foods:

Anything containing gluten such as rusks or porridge. (as previous posters have recommended)

Anything from a Toby Carvery which may well contain a lot of salt

Chocolate (this was one of the first posts)

fwiw I feel that the size of the baby is irrelevant as others have said. "maternal instinct" that is telling you to wean at 9 weeks is wrong (imo)

I truly believe that the nearer you get to 26 weeks the better it is for the baby's health.

Baby rice is literally powdered rice; honestly it does not contain some sort of magical sleeping potion.

Well, that works for adults, Shakira, but with babies it really should be about calories - their growth is so fast that really you want them to be eating all the calories they need, no filling up to the extent that they're not hungry and don't eat enough, iyswim? I do have sympathy with the exhausting feeding schedule - still remember dd feeding for an hour each time, only to be screaming blue murder 1.5-2hrs later; I'm just not convinced that a different sort of food is "the answer".