To be a bit shocked that people are still weaning their babies really early?

[bumbleymummy]

I'm not talking about within a few weeks of 6 months and I know that some babies with reflux are weaned a bit earlier under the guidance of a paediatrician - I'm talking 3 week olds being given bottles of baby rice/rusks because they're big/hungry/whatever. I just can't believe that some people still think this is ok and will argue about how milk just wasn't enough for their baby at that age

what? seriously, what's wrong with what i wrote?

It was patronising to say the least.

MrsK I'm not sure .

Research has moved on and guidelines have developed in response. Yes the older generation has experience but they may not know the latest guidelines. Some of them do take it as an affront if you choose to follow a different path.

Same with not drinking or smoking in pregnancy. The risks are now understood much better and so the advice is to avoid it rather than have a Guinness for the iron.

emerald, what thebody said, exactly!

Weaning (to me) means introducing new tastes and textures to supplement the bottles (or breast), until such time as the baby is taking down a larger proportion of 'solid' (pureed or lumpy) food and barely bothering with the milk.

I had reflux boys and introduced baby rice and puree 'tastes' from 3.5 months, they both evolved at a natural pace until they were ready to stop all daytime bottles at 6 months.

And it seems almost impossible now to remember that there was a world pre-internet (where you didn't get so much conflicting info and instant guilt trips!).

How? i have re-read it repeatedly and i can't see it. When the advice from Aunt, after seeing ds take gaviscon from a spoon at 6 wks, that this was a sign to give him rice. Or to leave him in the garden crying. Or from mum not to feed less than every 4 hours and let ds cry. Or not to bf at all. Or to stop at 6wks as that's what they all did. Etc. I put wrong in inverted commas, to show it was considered wrong on matters which have been elastic thru history. That's all. It isn't patronising at all. They are convinced i am 'wrong' and tell me often.

I neither smoked nor drank during pregnancy. The guidelines are just that, a guide, and in the future guidelines will give different information. The best advice I was ever given was from my mother, she said trust your instincts, listen to your baby and your doing a brilliant job so carry on. That's from a woman who had 6 babies, all home births, no drugs, no doctor, no Internet.

i drank guinness during pregnancy (just 2 halves a week) not because of any recommendations - but just because i like it ! Everyone assumed it was on advice for extra iron.

Then I apologise Mrs Koala, I was stupidly under the impression that they were naturally sensible women. Obviously not.

oh no! not in my family!!

But on a serious note i do think that's part of the problem OverTheFields. They are usually sensible. And they are the type of people you would turn to for sage wisdom. They are also convinced they are sensible, no nonsense ladies so therefore they are right. My Cousin would keep finding her babies at the end of the garden - no matter what she said to my Aunt. This was gospel and that was that.

They actually told you to stop bf at 6 weeks......and leave him in the garden crying????? I can promise you those methods of babycare were not practised by any mothers I knew.

I don't feel defensive in the last. I parented how I choose to and read latest guidelines but generally just did what felt right for my baby.

I am actually sooo glad the Internet wasn't around when mine were baby stage or I would have turned into an obsessed loon.

I will wait and see what the latest parenting guidelines are when and if my gc appear but I will be amazed if they are the same advice as around now.

someone somewhere is always making cash out of parenting advice you can be sure of that.

They were by my nans tho. And they followed their mothers advice. And naturally expected me to do the same.

Obviously I did get rather defensive......shocked myself on that one. What is written and what is read can be miles apart. So cross with myself now.

The Internet can be a nightmare - google anything and disastrous stories can be found. Similarly thebody I'm glad Facebook didn't exist when I met DH and previous boyfriends - would have driven me mad checking it. Interpreting text messages was bad enough.

I have friends who were weaning their babies from 3 months and then the baby doesn't want the food and they wonder why. I think that all babies are different, true but when your baby isn't interested then why continue to go against guidelines?

Don't worry OverTheFields it happens to me all the time. There i am, all 'disgusted of tunbridge wells', hammering away on the keyboard. then i realise about 80% of my outrage is totally projected

I posted way back on page 6 about certain medical conditions and said I'd find out more. So I have :)

Turns out in the case of cystic fibrosis it can be recommended to offer pureed fruit from early on with medication to help with absorption of fat mixed into it, this can also be done with milk. Advice is to start regular full on weaning at 6 months.

So I was half right and half wrong. Hope that clears it up! Apologies for any confusion.

Overthe,

Oh come on she said nothing wrong and she has a perfectly valid point.

You may not feel like that but many many older relatives do

no, my strongly held views are based on many many years of scientific research, by very clever well trained people.
Yours are based on....your common sense and what your mammy did too.
not all opinion are equally valid.

There have been 16 studies, of which 7 were conducted in developing countries, which concluded that it was beneficial not to wean until 6 months.

There have been 33 studies which found 'no compelling evidence' against weaning at 4 months.

Some research has indicated that weaning at 6 months does not give babies the nutrients they need.

This is why the majority of developed countries still recommend weaning at 4 months.

Your high horse looks a bit rickety to me.

Just a reminder that I wasn't really talking about 4 months vs 6 months. It was the cereals from a few weeks old that I found shocking. A few people have mentioned that their HVs/doctors advised it but has it ever actually been the official guidelines?

Remember, in 30 years time the guidelines will have changed many times and you will be perplexed why your DD or DIL are doing it all 'wrong'.

they might. they probably won;t though. And if you've any sense at all you'll listen to why they've changed and suck it up.

Sock, I apologised.

Emerald, my dd sounds exactly like your dd, she never liked milk whether it came from breast or bottle and was always quite a small baby.

She sat up early from 18 wks and was looking very interested in food so I started to give a small amount of baby rice, apple or carrot puree from about 19 weeks. Never looked backed, she loved her food and thrived. She is now a tall and very lovely 7 yo

I personally don't know anyone who has managed to wait til 6 months to wean, for most parents it seems to be around the 5 month mark.