To think that some people are really up there own backsides over early weaning.

[annieee]

Of all the things to latch onto about parenting, why this? Who cares if your kid watched tv in the day, or doesnt eat 5 a day, every day, or hasnt had a bath for a week, or hasn't had enough one to one contact, or enough cuddles, or enough sleep, or enough alone time, or enough attention - you weaned at 6 months, that's whats important. Not like so -and -so's kid from down the road who weaned a few weeks early, He's obviously doomed to a life of allergies and street crime.
Seriously, I'm not the only person who thinks that in a few months/years you genuinely won't give a crap, and neither will anybody else.
I understand not weaning at 'mush' stage when baby can barely hold its own head up, but telling everybody that their baby is DEFINITELY not ready for food before the magic 6 month mark is ridiculous, IMHO.
maybe it's just me who think I'll look after my own not everyone elses...

I weaned dcs at 4 months, but tbh I am not entirely sure that my weaning was exactly the same thing as someone who does it at 6 months. I seem to remember tiny portions of baby rice stirred out in breastmilk, not the same as an older child sitting up and grabbing a carrot. Mind you, dd couldn't sit up at 6 months either.

I suspect the Swedish and British health authorities are interpreting the findings in different ways, rather than the Northerners being unaware of them.

I weaned DS1 at oooo about a week before he was 6 months, and DS2, around the same age I think (7 and 5 years later it seems so unimportant) However, this was because that is when they were ready, not because hv told me to.

Interestingly though, when DS2 was a baby, and SIL was expecting her 1st, I was told by MIL and SIL that i was 'mean' and 'cruel' not weaning the baby until 6 months As all MILs 5 children were weaned at 3-4 months and were fine, and SIL was a nanny and was always telling me she knew more about babies/toddlers than me. Then when her DS was born, I was 'irresponsible' for weaning him before guideline age . I think she finally weaned him at 4-5 months (iirc) as he was 'watching them eat which means he is ready for solids' Based on that, my DS' would have been weaned at 2 months! However, her children, her 'rules'
My children however, have suffered far less stomach complaints, which more than likely is a coincidence, plus she is a total hypocondric

Basically, YANBU, and people should mind there own about such a trivial matter :)

I weaned mine when they started grabbing my food off my plate, gumming it successfully and swallowing it. With DD1 this was just past 4 months, with DD2 it was almost 6. DD1 favoured home-cooked curry - fortunately I am pretty much a no salt merchant, but the turmeric caused interesting nappies. This was before such a thing as BLW existed, what did I know? I did do the odd puree, but only when I needed something I could shovel down them in a hurry when they were hungry, but mostly they ate what we did early on - canvas on the floor under the high chair, wet cloths at the ready, let them have at it. Saved me a lot of hassle later on, they were independent and quite neat with spoons and forks before 18 months. Before then - well, let me put it this way - I have a fabulous picture of DD1 with apple porridge everywhere

They now eat pretty much anything

Basically I think if the advice is that you should try to wait til 6 months then you should try and hold them off until as near to six months as possible - not shovel baby rice down their necks at 6 weeks because they were watching you eat a biscuit or some other 'sign'.
But I don't judge people who weaned their baby at 3/4 months or whatever if they have sought medical advice and decided their baby needed to be weaned early. I also don't think it is the only or most important aspect of bringing up a child.

Isn't the WHO's advice on the introduction of solids six months? Their advice is what's best on average globally.

Every baby is different and I think that a baby which was well fed in the womb, came out full term and has had excellent nutrition from birth will be better developed earlier on, so likely need to be weaned much earlier than recommended by the WHO.

I think four months is being advised again in developed countries because research suggests that it is best (on average) for babies in those countries.

Parents need to use common sense.

Just to add - I think the most recent research suggests there is a 'window' during which babies become ready for food other than milk and this is between 4 and 6 months for the majority of babies - so it's a spectrum, not a definite time point.

People who are going to wean early are going to wean early. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

I weaned DD at 3 mths. I was counting the days down till I could give her baby rice!

DS1 at 4mth
DS2 just over 4mths
DS3 & 4 at between 17 & 20 weeks I think.

When I weaned DD it seemed perfectly normal but when I look back on it it does seem weird to feed a baby that cant sit up or hold its head up.

I dont feel the need to stick to a rigid 6 mths rule. I understand that babies have growth spurts and need more milk rather than solids, I dont expect my babies to sleep through the night at 4 mths and think they are hungry for solids if they dont..

But I pretty sure by now I can tell if a baby is ready. I am also a very slow weaner. I take my time and introduce foods individually and in tiny portions. I am also careful what I give them.

I very much dislike netmums threads where someone is asking about giving their 4 week old rusks and people go 'go on hun, u no best, moms no their babies best'

They are toss.

Waiting for the lecturing to begin.

Meanwhile, I see when you started a thread about weaning your baby early, op, you got nothing but agreement and pleasantries from all the people who responded to you.

Still, that doesn't make a headline grabbing thread title does it hmm?

I cried because I had to start weaning my bottle refusing baby 2 weeks shy of the sixth months mark. She was going to nursery as I was going back to work, and they suggested it might be a good idea.

Then I realised I could split up my lunch hour and breaks to go and breastfeed her during the day. She never ate any bloody baby rice there anyway, it was a waste of expressed milk.

However, I have to say a relative of mine gave her 8 week old a chocolate finger "cos she's teething." Get that for irony...

if someone asked me when I felt it was right to wean I would say 6 months (we actually weaned at 5.5 mths) but if someone said they weaning earlier I really wouldn't judge nor say anything - everyone's entitled to their own opinion

The aim is to get them eating family meals-how you get there and when you start are unimportant-the main thing is to get there. It is all within a similar range-people get so caught up with the details.

The guidelines are ideally to wait until 6 months but certainly no earlier than 4 months, or 17 weeks.

To me, early weaning is before 17 weeks.

I know a few babies recently who have been weaned at around the 3 month mark which I find quite bizarre these days. And a woman who brought her 8 week old baby for it's first immunisations that was already on baby porridge twice a day and got really defensive when we said that wasn't recommended. Why on earth would anyone think an 8 week old baby needed porridge?

In Canada it's 4-6 months. All my kids started on (homemade) purees at 4 months and were eating "family food" (still mashed, pureed) by 9 months ( bf until 1 year). No health or allergy issues whatsoever.

Just been on the WHO website and their recommendations are to

Start with thick porridge, well mashed foods and then to
continue with mashed family foods at 6-8 months and then to let baby have more textured food/handheld foods from 9 months. Funny how you never see that mentioned by the BLWs. But it is definitely on the WHO website. (Doesn't mean we have to believe in it of course)

They are guidelines and every child and family are different. If you like guidelines, and are unsure, I would follow them, if you are more confident go with your own instinct.

The whole subject of weaning makes me feel very . I had to wait six months to the DAY (surgeon's orders) with youngest due to bowel surgery and from the second he turned 4mo I had every fucker asking me 'have you started weaning yet'. I got as much grief for not starting as some people get for starting earlier.

We all sat very nervously while he ate his first thing (I went for BLW cos I thought if I actually know how much he hasn't eaten I will freak out with stress) and it was like we were waiting for a bomb to go off!

Yes I think people are a bit up themselves with it... but... I think a lot of people do deliberately ignore the fact that there is medical research to back up the NHS line on weaning.

Cory - that's pretty much what I did with my DD (4).

I didn't buy any new baby books (older mum) so just re-read the ones that worked for my other 2. Had never even heard of BLW until I came on here

She's doing ok though. Her favorite foods are cherry tomatoes, peppers and sardines.

I'm being really smug aren't I?

She also likes sweets and chocolate

here you go bibbitybobbityhat - the lectures about weaning bfore 4 months you were wating for

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1385739--to-think-that-this-is-just-rubbish-MIL-and-babysitting-one

Mine is 16 now and I can honestly say that I can't remember what age he went onto solids.
Nothing wrong with his bowels or any of the rest of him either.

I think most people were disgusted that the mil gave something as awful as a rich tea biscuit mashed up in water, weren't they? White flour, hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt and sugar. Yum! for a 4 month old. I'm sure if it had been some pureed carrot or baby rice then there would have been a lot less fuss.

I agree that 4 months + is not 'early'. Personally I weaned all mine in the same way. One meal from 4 months ish onwards with no immediate reduction in breastfeeding then two meals then three but slowly. Dd was still having two meals a day at 8 months. This horrified the hv (WHY I do not know) but I stuck to my guns that if she had lunch she then wouldn't have the breastfeed in the early afternoon and as she was having a good breakfast and tea but wouldn't drink any sort of milk from a beaker I thought it was more important for her to have the breastfeed rather than the mashed up chucks of whatever.
Dd3 got more stuff to wave about and gag on (scaring dh) as I'd read about blw by then but I still started her on puree etc.

Hmm but that's all well and good. I was weaned early on Farley's rusks - it was recommended at the time (I'm 44). Of a recent group of 6 women I happened to do a course with, born around the same time, 4 of us had IBS. Why risk it I say. IBS is crippling, painful, and many people have to give up their jobs/careers for it. Why not wait a couple of months until the baby's digestive system is well established?

Just for the record I was diagnosed aged 18 but most of the others started to have problems late twenties/early thirties.

psketti - come on there are plenty of lifestyle factors that contribute to IBS. It's just not possible to lay the blame at the door of weaning age.