To start weaning my twins at 4 months?

[mummybearah]

Everyone I speak to and everything I read says that I should wait until 6 months.

However I feel that they are so ready! Of course I'll still be giving them their milk, but to be honest they aren't that interested in milk anymore.

Found that they would eat more solids than milk (baby porridge, rusks etc.)

I feel so bad- AIBU?

[OlderMummy1]

M

[HayDayQueen]

If you find it hard to say no to MIL now, it will get even harder once you start weaning.

Just think about the crap she'll want to add to the weaning diet......

[AmberLav]

From a purely practical point, I find the effort of coming up with a nutritious varied diet tedious, and I always recommend holding off solids as long as possible, as most mums I know also find it draining once they start solids (including the ones that I warned in advance who cracked on with solids early!).

[mummybearah]

Purplepidjin- mine went to full term, they are 18 weeks to be exact.

[LoonvanBoon]

My twins were weaned at 4 months. They're 11 now & the official line then was no earlier than 4 months. I started on vegetable purees, not baby rice. My boys were full term & big, & it was right for them.

Puzzled by the final paragraph of your last post, though, OP. What has MIL got to do with it? Either you think your babies are ready & are showing the signs or they're not. If you do it, you need to be confident that it's your decision, based on what you believe is right for your babies. If you're feeling pressurized by someone else, that's a different matter completely.

FWIW my MIL was obsessed with trying to get us to introduce baby rice at 8 weeks! We just told her that there was no way we'd be weaning that early, & repeated as required.

[YouTheCat]

Your mil will be thrusting chocolate buttons in their little hands next and saying 'it'll do them no harm'.

Practise saying no to her, a lot.

[TinyTear]

Oh do ignore the MIL!

If she pushes, say you are still reading all the current research


I personally weaned my DD about 1/2 weeks before she was 6 months old, but she was grabbing food from my plate and eating... so I thought I should give her a stick of carrot anyway...

Carrot, sweet potato, broccoli were the first things we gave... in the end we did have a box of baby rice from a coupon but only used it to bulk up the veg...

Main thing is to give the milk feed (formula or breast) and then half an hour later do the solids... milk is the main nutrition until 1 and solids are for play, texture and fun

Also note: weaning poos are RANK!
And babies don't sleep any better when given solids... often it even disturbs sleep as they are not used to digesting other things...

Good luck whatever you choose...

[mummybearah]

Amberlav, I think I agree.

Haydayqueen- she's already suggested potato and mackerel? Had to put my foot down at that point!

[schokolade]

Hi mummybearah. I have a 4.5 month old and have been reading this with interest. I was adamant that I wouldn't be weaning her before 6 months, but then she hit sleep regression people (mainly PIL) have been pressuring us to start weaning. This thread has reminded me, through my zombie state, that the sleep regression is nothing to do with wanting solid food.

I'm going to have my work cut out for me though. PIL are visiting next week and DH wanted to give her a cookie to "just suck on" (?!) yesterday.

[TinyTear]

Cheesy potato, fine... but mackerel? My dd only just started saying she likes mackerel and she is 2!

[mummybearah]

Tinytear- that's great advice, thanks!

Loonvan- you are very right- it's nothing to do with her at all actually. 8 weeks is outrageous.

Youthecat- LOL!

[SueDNim]

Mackerel might be a superfood (I have no idea), but I wouldn't be keen for my 4 mo to smell of it.

[HayDayQueen]

We do so many things because 'it's better to be safe than sorry'.

I really think weaning at 6 months should be one of those as well.

You don't KNOW whether your DC is going to be the one that suffers intolerances, or will have food issues, or is one of those that gets sick a lot and will need lots of medicines. Quite likely they won't be, but what if they are?

Give their digestive systems the chance to be as developed as they can be.

Both my DSs had problems digesting certain things. If I had tried to wean them early then I shudder to think what sort of damage that would have caused. As it was formula milk got them through some serious illnesses when they weren't able to eat at all, even when they were older.

[YouTheCat]

Mummybearah, my two were about 3/4 months when they had their first load of Easter eggs. My parents (who had twins too, and some sense) sent them an outfit each. But every single one of my mil's friends, and her, gave them Easter eggs.

I put on some serious weight that Easter because no way were my tiny babies getting chocolate.

[mummybearah]

Haha. Schokolade my dad even tried to give one of them a nut to lick the other day. I think the moral here is mum knows best! Will follow my gut but as they're past 17 weeks, think it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have little bits of solids here and there.

[HecatePropylaea]

ok, well that's a bit different. In your OP you said that you feel they are ready and it is everyone else who is telling you about the guidelines.

If you are saying that it is actually your mother in law who is pressuring you and you are not sure then ignore her. Don't do something that you are unsure about, because your mother in law is bossy.

Just tell her that you intend to follow the current guidelines.

[CremeEggThief]

Only if both your GP and HV agree.

[HavanaSlife]

Ds1 was weaned at 4 months as that was what was advised 19 years ago. Ds2,3 and 4 were all around 6 months.

Ds1 is the only one with any food intolerances, which is one of the reasons I held off weaning with the others.

[idontlikealdi]

I weaned mine at 5months on peads advice due to reflux. Its messy and a pita to fit it in around all the milk at that age.,

If you're going to do it I wouldn't bother with rusks or baby rice though.

[Mumto3dc]

I've got 3dc, 8, 5 and 3 and have never been remotely tempted to wean before 6 months.

I have never thought the risk of potentially life long health consequences for a child was worth waiting a couple of months.

What harm is caused to a baby by not weaning before 6 mths if they were actually ready? Vs what harm could you be causing by weaning early if their gut is not ready?

I just don't get it. Selfish IMO.

[Georgina1975]

I exclusive BF for 4 1/2 months and continued to BF until DC was 12 months. I also started to wean my DC at 17 weeks on baby rice (2009) and then moved quite quickly onto veg + fruit puree.

The advice on weaning came from WHO in 2001 as part of an initiative to encourage exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. It is a really complicated area from a scientific point of view because (obviously) the scope for randomized trialing is very limited. For every alleged health benefit to waiting for 6 months + you can find a counter-claim.

Please just remember that the science is guidance based on latest research findings (note research limitations above). It is not set in stone. Moreover, this is a really political issue sigh.

Bottom line: I know it is really difficult but just try to trust your instincts on this one.

[PickleSarnie]

Weaning is an utter faff. It's messy and time consuming. Why rush it? Milk will fill them up so much more than the amount of mush you'd be able to get in them at 4 months.

[FizzyMummy]

My DD was under one of the top gastric paeds due to intolerances. My DS is seeing him now. His advice was to wean at 5 months. I was shocked and horrified after reading all the NHS advice to wait until 6 months. However, he just laughed and said that the guidelines come from WHO guidelines which is advice for the entire world. They have to take into account countries that don't have safe water and so need to encourage breast feeding and no solids for as long as is possible and safe. Babies NEED more than milk from 6 months so that is why the guidelines recommend this. The paed told me that even weaning from 4 months would be absolutely fine and that breastfeeding after this age has negligible benefits also. He said that research stating early weaning causes intolerances has been completely debunked but has still managed to find its way into NHS guidelines.

[PostmanPatAlwaysRingsTwice]

When DS was a baby three years ago I looked up lots of proper research online and found there was no evidence pointing to harm caused by weaning from 17 weeks. Earlier than that there was. There could be harm from waiting until after 26 weeks (higher incidence of allergies) also. So the window seems be when your baby is ready, between 17 and 26 weeks.

DS had his first food, normal porridge, at 23 weeks. He was sitting independently by then.

[PostmanPatAlwaysRingsTwice]

I find NHS guidelines are often contradicted by actual research. They seem to be a few years out of date. Recent issues I've found include vitamin D supplement dosage and diet suitable for diabetes sufferers (not orange juice and mashed potato, NHS!)