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

The recent diabetes thing was a smallish study done on children with a genetic risk for diabetes, and advised that more research was needed. The advice remains to wean at 6 months.

Surely HVs/family members and friends are also capable of giving guilt trips? Plenty of posters here have already talked about being given a hard time for holding off weaning until the recommended age. 'That poor baby is hungry, when are you going to give him/her proper food/milk' etc...

bumble - I would harzard a guess that the diabetes thing is some sort of developmental window - the regulation of sugars and so on needing to happen within somekind of timeframe. I'm not sure of that though. It's what they've been saying about allergies, that introduction of allergens too late can be a bad thing (body over-reacts, like the link of allergies with spotless modern living).

Yes monical. The judging and pillorying is horrible.

And is the advice now to wean at 6 months

I thought that it was between 4 and 6 months?

Thanks BFG, it will be interesting to see what more comes out about it.

It's been "around 6 months" since 2003 ExcuseTypos. From 1994 onwards it was "4-6 months", and before then just 4 months.

maya

DS1 was born 1995, I've just got out my red book [sad aren't I] and the advice on page 36 is 'Babies can begin solids at between 3-4 months, if you want to begin solids before then, ask for advice'

bumbleymummy what I meant was that in the internet age you have such quick, easy access to "research" on any topic and the advice can be polar opposite. I raised my children my way with the on hand advice available at the time; for me to research various methods would have required an extended trip to a library or two.

As long as parents are doing the best for their children then whether they introduce solids before 6 months, co-sleep or not, breast feed/bottle feed, whether they let their kids cry at night or not, etc is their business alone.

The internet (and mumsnet) is brilliant for today's new parents, but can also be awful. Also, HVs and friends tend not to guilt trip you as harshly as an anonymous online poster!!

The NHS website says around 6 months. Ambiguous enough.

I have a 5mo at the moment grabbing bread out of my hand, sucking it and munching away. Very odd! Sometimes people forget that babies like eating. I think that's why I find it strange that people want to start so early - I can't see how the baby can have any enjoyment in eating.

monica, but this isn't just 'before 6 months' - this is within weeks of them being born!

LeBFG, yes, I remember feeling very uncomfortable watching a mum spooning baby rice into her 3 month old in a bouncy chair. His tongue kept pushing it out and she just kept scraping it back up with the spoon and pushing it back in :( Not much enjoyment in that.

I understood that very early solids put the baby in tremendous pain and can damage the digestive tract.

doesn't sound like a parenting choice that should be 'respected'.

AnnabelleLee, yes afraid I agree you are strident.

although your phrase that 'advice doesn't change all the time' gave me a good old laugh.

your either very young, very naive or very entrenched in your views.

I do hope you don't lecture other mothers in real life like this.

bumbleymummy I agree with what you said about within weeks of birth, totally - it was more to do with subsequent posters questioning introducing solids at a few months old.

YouStayClassySanDiego - a Department of Health publication "Weaning and the Weaning Diet" recommended 4-6 months as the weaning age in 1994. Possibly it took a while for red books to be updated.

Perhaps it did take a while to update although I don't recall the weaning advice at that time being between 4-6 months [ I may have forgotten of course]

If that is the case, it's poor that they were sending out literature stating one thing whilst advising something else , no wonder people get confused.

Well I think we're all in agreement that none of them were recommending under 10 weeks anyway which it would seem that most of these mums have done. Although I don't think they consider it weaning either...

There are some very specific conditions which it can be recommended that babies are weaned very early (weeks old) - cystic fibrosis is one example I can think of.

However this is always done with close supervision from a paediatrician and specialist cf dietician and following the national guidelines for this condition.

Ofcourse not all early weaned babies fall into this category but I thought it interesting enough to add in to the discussion :)

Thanks volleys. :) It is interesting that there are certain conditions where early weaning might be recommended (I wonder why?). None of these children have cystic fibrosis though and none were weaned under paediatrician supervision. Very much a case of 'mummy knows best'.

colleys! Sorry, autocorrect to volleys.

it was commen place to wean at 3 months old in the late 80s. I was there, I had a baby in 89 and 91.

every mum I knew then did on the advice of health visitors and GPs.

just saying. again!!!

In the case of cf a high percentage of children and adults have associated pancreatic insufficiency so the digestive system doesn't breakdown and absorb nutrients like it should. Used to be one of the signs - failure to put on weight - before newborn screening was introduced.

I think (only think!) It's to do with ensuring weight gain but I'm not an expert by any means.

It's the one condition I can think of instantly where its done from very young but as I say under strict supervision

Surely milk has more calories than pureed fruit/veg though?

I have a well known parenting book from 1974 that states the min age should be 16 weeks (4 months). Thats almost 40 years. I've also seen evidence that over a hundred years ago the advice was milk till 6 months.
There was a very brief fashion for early weaning for a couple of decades. It was a blip. The advice does not, in any way at all, change all the time.

I have a well known parenting book from 1974 that states the min age should be 16 weeks (4 months).

What about the official red book from 1995 [ that I have] that states between 3-4 months?

I think a lot of Health Visitors are giving out bad advice.
I was told with DD I shouldn't exclusively breastfeed because I would get PND, and was encouraged to wean her at 13 weeks, the advice then was 16 weeks and HV badgered me until I gave in at 15 weeks.

SIL was told by her HV last week if she delayed weaning until 6 months then she would only have a small window to wean DN in before she needed proper food, so it was best to start a 16 weeks.

My best friend was told to give her DD baby rice at three months to settle her stomach.