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?

what the govt said the advice was wasn't necc what the HV at point of delivery would advise though _ and no tinternet to cross-check, innit.

certainly my mum was advised to wean @ 10-12 weeks from 1975-1982.

although i wonder why when people say 'oh its ok to wean then if a medical professional type says so' - is it really different to be a GP who looks at a baby and says 'bit refluxy - does it up with baby rice' or a mum that looks at the ween and thinks the same thing....barring obvious other illness etc.

dose it up

A1980 that's not true. It's been 6 months for 8 years now and before that it was between 4 and 6 months for 20 years.

I was there. In 1989, she weaned her first DC with baby rice when he was 3-4 months. Ditto second child in 1991, ditto 3rd child in 1993.

I saw her do it and I fed the youngest one (I was too young to care for the older ones when they were baby's) a spoonful of baby rice or two before his bottle. He was about 4 months old.

She didn't feed them a whole bowl of it, it was a couple of spoonfuls. The baby rice packets said "suitable from 3 months" on it.

In any event there's nothing wrong with any of them and they're not obese and don't have any health problems.

You could try giving him pieces of banana - if he is able to take it to his mouth, chew it and swallow it then imo he's ready for solids.

Nothing else in your post would indicate readiness to me.

'readiness' is a cultural construct. some cultures view different signs for readiness (getting born in some, being 18 mo in others)

actual evidence says weaning is best done from 4-6 months. in this country.

It doesn't matter what they did. The guidelines were 4-6 months. I was just pointing it out. I was born in 1980 and weaned at 5 months (my mother still has her weaning info in my baby book).

Packets now still say from 4 months on them, even though the guidelines have been 6 months for years.

There's a big gap sometimes between what hcps say and what's official guidance.

I was just pointing out the facts for good info's sake.

show - there was litigastion about that, and it basically ended up carrying on being contested because there hadn't been any evidence of specific harm in this country in usage from 4 months.

I was in a similar position, he was feeding hourly and milk alone didn't seem enough. I slowly started to wean my baby at 15 weeks, I continued to BF for 8 months (combined with formula laterly). At 11 months he's not overweight and enjoys a healthy diet. Listen to the health visitor and advice they offer but don't get too hung up, go with your gut feeling.

I know, was just pointing out to A1980 that there's a long history of what's on packets not matching up to what's on the official guidelines.

I'm not wielding an axe, just pointing out the facts. I'm bored, sitting up watching a temp spiking child and wishing I could sleep.

I weened at 16 weeks. Just a few weeks ago-baby rice only until 17 weeks. I know I will get critisied on here, but when my DD (9lb8 birth) went down to 2 hour feeds of 8 oz bottles, then you do what you have to do. It extended the day feeds back to 4 hours, and at 5 months now on 4 solid meals a day, and 6 bottles every 24 hours. She is a healthy baby off the charts in length andon 91st for weight-health visitors happy and not supprised.
If you can cope on just milk, then do, Iam sure it is better and is certainly less of a faff, baby rice is great for getting used to thicker food, but not for 'food' and do talk to HV as there are some things -eg eggs, meat, fish you musnt give until 6 months
I hope I have given you a sensible balanced viewpoint

Do what you feel is right, as one previous poster said in the end it really doesn't matter, before you know it he will be going crazy around the house with a lightsaber, my 9 year old was weaned at 4 months as was my 7 year old, I also have a 4 week old, am I supposed to loose sleep over this because of the new guidlines.......it may be my first post birth glass of wine talking but bollocks to that

I know it's the DM but

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1347006/Call-U-turn-wean-baby-warnings-exclusively-breast-feeding-months-causes-allergies.html

Not just DM BananaGrabber, BBC have it too, just can't copy paste link cos am on iPad

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12180052

Sorry if there are already other threads on this but it appears to have been published this morning - another point of view now to throw into the mix!

just do what you think is best, that bbc article is old news IMO, I think for a while people have been saying 4-6 months, and many of us have been appraoched for the allregy trial where they start solids at 3 months

one word of advice, my baby is same as yours a big hungry boy. however when he has tried both baby rice and a smidgen of potato he got, I think, a tummy ache. I am now waiting till 5 months as I dont think his system is ready, so go slow! and dont worry too much!

My little girl sounds the same as your little man, she's always been on the 91st weight line and 95 in height, she had her first baby cereal just after she was 4 months, she didn't eat a lot of it, and we kept the milk feeds up, but she took to it fine.

Speak to your HV and Dr as you said you would, and you may find they take the stance that if he's ready it may be right to move him to some solids.

This is relevant

news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Babies-Up-To-Six-Months-Old-May-Need-More-Than-Just-Breast-Milk-Says-New-Research/Article/201101215894413?lpos=UK_News_First_Home_Page_Feature_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15894413_Babies_Up_To_Six_Months_Old_May_Need_More_Than_Just_Breast_Milk%2C_Says_New_Research

Absolutely not. If you think your baby is ready then in all likelihood your baby is ready. It will soon let you know if you are wrong.