To think that our 13 week old ds, who is long for his age and weighs 15lbs would need...

[mameulah]

...weaned before the rest of the majority of his peer group?

Or do I not understand the whole weaning thing?

It really feels like everyone thinks I should be feeding him porridge and baby rice. I am interested in the baby led weaning thing but I can't imagine how I am going to keep him going only on milk for the next three months.

What do you think?

It's not about how big they are it's about how developed their digestive system is.

Being bigger and/or heavier than average (which I'm not sure 15lbs at 3 months is?) does not make his gut any more developed than the average baby.

Give him more milk.

popcorn<

I cant wait for this one to kick off

The thing is that the gut is really not ready to digest food other than milk before it is ready - you can't hurry it, and if you do you risk lasting gut problems in later life.

The gut is usually ready at about 6 months - and tends to coincide with the ability to sit upright unsupported for a few minutes, and the ability to bring hand to mouth with an object.

Also milk is higher calorie than most foods (certainly higher calorie than weaning foods such as carrots, rusks, pear etc) so a bigger baby is better on milk.

Being bigger doesn't mean he needs weaning earlier.

My DS was quite small at birth but piled on the pounds, and he is tall. He was 17lb at 14 weeks. He could sit unaided at 4m. However he wasn't interested in food until about 6m. OTOH my friend's DS is quite small but showed signs of wanting to wean around 4m.

Look, the average person like me is an idiot.

Which is why we have the world health organisation to give us recommendations. And on this issue they're really clear.

Gut instinct in this case doesn't actually apply to guts

one of mine was nearly 13 pounds at birth (yes really)
when do you suggest I should have weaned him ?

he waited till six months BTW .

It's about how developed his insides are though.... If he's hungry feed him more milk.

Weight and length are bog all to do with weaning readiness. It's to do with gut maturation. When the gut is ready for solids, it's ready for solids. This probably happens somewhere between 4 and 6 months but if you leave it till they're nearing 6 months AND showing the signs of being ready, then you can let them take the lead. The exterior signs of readiness are believed to mirror the internal maturation of the gut. The signs are...

Sitting unaided
Able to pick up items accurately, put them in their mouth (and then chew and swallow)
Loss of tongue thrust reflex

None of those things are to do with weight. Other stuff like waking up or looking at you eat or chewing their hands or drooling are NOT signs either.

Think about it. Milk is a calorie rich, perfect food for them. Why you'd swap in some mushed up veg and baby rice instead, I don't know. The reduced calorie intake certainly wouldn't help with any perceived notions of hunger.

Think of it this way, I know babies born at 11lbs. Were they nearing weaning readiness? Not at all. It's just a number.

Try and tell yourself that- rightly- milk alone has grown your baby to that size. Because it's that good.

I bf exclusively and weaned dd at 27 weeks. She weighed nearly 26lbs. Milk did that. DS was about 25 weeks and weighed around 22lbs. Milk did that too. Their weights were irrelevant.

The official weaning guidelines are v good, not strict or patronising and offer good info on when and how to wean if you really do want more info.

my ds was born at a healthy 9lb 14oz and by the time he was 2mo the health visitor told me to start weaning him as milk will not be good for bigger babies as it puts them weight on rapidly. i was totally shocked but she told me that if i didn't wean him and try and get his weight down he could have a greater risk of health problems and obesity in the near future. so it is possible.

willoughboobs your HV was a dangerous idiot.

My ds was nearly 20lbs at 13 weeks. I fed him milk until he was 6 months. They don't need to be weaned earlier at all.
To be honest it was easier to wean later as he was more capable of holding food and spoons and the like than he would have been at 13 weeks.

Although, 18yrs ago when DS1 was born, weaning was at 10-12 weeks - he isnt fat, nor has any eating disorders, neither of my 18 and 17yos do.

Our DS was 16-17lbs at roughly that age and at 14 weeks was drinking 10oz bottles. Yes we weaned him early and yes it was bloody obvious he needed it.

He started on "proper food" (i.e. finger food) at around 20 weeks and we have a tonne of photos of him shovelling in broccoli, carrot batons, cauliflower, toast, sliced chicken, home-made pizza, chunks of cheese etc etc at well under 6 months, all of which he was perfectly capable of picking up, putting in his mouth, chewing and swallowing.

Only you know your baby, do what you think is right.

ds was 21lbs when he was weaned at around 5½ months. No need to wean earlier just because they are heavier

Willighboobs - your HV should be struck off then because s/he doesn't understand the most basic and well established advice on weaning, nor any of the research that shows there is NO LINK between being a big baby and an obese adult. You may as well go and listen to someone in a cave.

why? my ds weight started dropping and he returned to a perfect weight and his a perfect healthy little buy now. my son was huge though, he went straight into 6 month clothes when he was born and choked when having a bottle because his weight was giving him breathing problems.

Breastmilk changes as baby grows and becomes richer, more calorific and filling so is absolutely right to be milk only until six months ish.

My DD born at 9lb extremely long and in 9-12 month clothes size at 4 months is 7 months and still not eating solids properly , started at 6 months and been EBF since birth and is still a big bubba. Dnt wean early unless medically you have been advised , I think there is no need.

What ShowOfHands said.

And I'm hoping that willoughboobs health visitor retired years ago as their discussion was decades ago

We started ours at somewhere between 12 and 16 weeks. They were massive, and were not filled by big bottles (plus I don't imagine that it's very pleasant, having nothing but fluid sloshing around). I'd go with whatever you think best.

bobs formula milk doesn't get richer like breastmilk so babies end up just having to drink more and more of it to feel full.

hollyBerryBush the worry of early weaning isnt eating disorders, but gut disorders like coeliacs and IBS which actually might not show up until later in life.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4554661.stm

our 3dd had awful and i mean awful reflux and was weaned onto baby rice under doctors recommendation at 10 weeks, tiny amounts and moved on cows milk at 6 months ....... and guess what perfectly healthy 1 year old.

i may get flammed but whats right for one child may not be for others they are "guidelines" and it eased my daughters pain. so if it was between making her comfortable or sticking to the guidelines and in pain.... clearly the 1st was right!

threesy what part of gut maturity are you struggling to understand?