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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what age you weaned your children?

172 replies

buncakes · 15/09/2017 23:13

I have a DS, 19 weeks and am a FTM. I am conflicted about when to wean. NHS says 6 months. But my family and friends think I'm mad for waiting and they think he needs food now. He is FF and does cry for milk a lot more than he used to and I find it hard to fill him. I am not sure if weaning would help this - everything I've read online says no but everyone I know says yes.

Would be interested to hear experiences and opinions. I just want to do what's best for my baby.

OP posts:
Susierocks · 16/09/2017 07:48

I started at 6 months but realistically he didn't eat until 7 months. And he was a huge baby, on the 98th percentile until he was over 1. I got loads of people saying I should start earlier, not really sure why. All he wanted was milk and it was so much easier when all i had to worry about was milk. He was breastfed though so not sure if that made any difference. And he wanted milk all the time.

purpledonkey · 16/09/2017 07:51

Wow so many doctors on one thread that know all the facts.

Or so many people that listen too hard to the spin and love to spout 'facts' about obesity.

Mine were weaned when they were hungry, interested, and the health visitor said it was ok. 4 months in both cases.

Susierocks · 16/09/2017 07:57

What happens if you put food in front of him? I did babyled weaning so always knew it was at his pace even though it was stressful when he wasn't eating anything for ages.

BlondieNikC · 16/09/2017 08:04

When my DD was born in 99 the advice was 4 months. I started weaning her about 2 weeks before that - just 1/4 of a spoon of baby rice - because she just wasn't getting enough from milk and she was starving. Every baby is different.

pleasingone · 16/09/2017 08:07

Does he watch you eat? Both my DC started weaning at 4 months but that was the advice 15 years ago. I always gave puréed vegetables & fruit and make sure they still eat healthily now. He sounds like a hungry baby, follow your instincts. Both my DC are healthy and eat well. Think of the generations of children around you that may have been weaned before 6 months that are healthy.

Cailleach666 · 16/09/2017 08:10

At 4 months my babies watched me drive.

pleasingone · 16/09/2017 08:11

PURPLE DONKEY
Completely agree.. my DC are now teenagers and I sometimes wonder how we got here with all the new guidelines of what we should or shouldn't be doing and what wrong or right.

eurochick · 16/09/2017 08:16

6 months. As I haven't conducted my own peer-reviewed studies, I thought I'd go with the WHO and NHS advice.

I have no idea why people want to wean early. It's a total pain in the arse. My baby was six weeks prem so had the motor skills of a 4.5 month old when we started weaning. It was a total ball ache.

Branleuse · 16/09/2017 08:22

I started weaning ds1 at about 14/15 weeks. Way too early. Guidelines were 4 months , but i did it a bit early as i think i was excited about moving on to the next stage. Stupid really. He wasnt interested. It was only baby rice but even so...

Ds2 was about 5 months. He kept trying to eat my food and he was a very big boy, so i gave him a bit of banana to hold and he was very happy munching on that.

Dd was about 7 months. Possibly a bit older. She would not entertain the idea of food. Health visitor seemed all worried about it and kept on at me to start trying from about 5months onwards. I wasnt worried in the slightest. She started eating when she was ready.

RedBlackberries · 16/09/2017 08:23

6-7months. I could say it was because I wanted to do the right thing to support her growing digestive system but honestly it was just easier to get a boob out than start making pots of mush and cleaning it off the walls!

kaytee87 · 16/09/2017 08:26

5.5 months, he was showing all the signs of readiness, could sit well in his high chair, had lost his tongue thrust, was interested in food and could put something in his mouth himself.
These signs are more important than an exact age however it's rare for all these signs to appear much before 6 months.
Increased appetite for milk isn't a sign of readiness, probably just a growth spurt.

kimlo · 16/09/2017 08:28

both of my dds were weaned at 6 months, they are 13 and 8 now.

kaytee87 · 16/09/2017 08:33

I'm 30 and was weaned at 5 months as my mum didn't think I was ready before that (despite constant pressure from HV) I have no allergies etc. My DH was given crushed rusks in his bottle from around 3/4 months and has eczema and asthma... purely anecdotal obviously.

NoMoreAngstPls · 16/09/2017 08:36

My DD was 5m (that was the advice at the time), with pureed, baby rice etc.
My DS was 6m (advice had changed, and tbh I was in no hurry to start the fecking pureeing again!).
In the end we did BLW with DS (it wasn't a 'thing' back then) - i basically just gave him a bit of whatever we were eating, and if he ate any of it, that was a result!

FWIW OP, my DMIL we trying to get me to give DD real food from about 2mo! "Ah bless her, she just wants some of our crisps,!" Hmm Dont be swayed by the older generation if its massively against current advice.

noeffingidea · 16/09/2017 08:36

3-4 months, as per guidelines (oldest is 29). I started them off on baby rice. Solids were always in addition to milk, not to replace it, in the first few months, and only when they were taking full bottles.
No problems with allergies or bowel disorders, but the eldest does have weight problems, there again both me and his dad struggle in that area as well. I probably generally overfed him as a baby and toddler, as a baby being big and 'chunky' was seen as a good thing then, especially boy babies.

Eminybob · 16/09/2017 08:47

6 months.
Honestly I don't understand why anyone would be in a rush to do it any earlier. It was the most stressful part of parenting so far for me, we did blw so it was messy, constantly worrying that he wasn't eating enough. My advice - wait as long as possible before putting yourself through that, enjoy your baby and the relative ease of just giving milk.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 16/09/2017 08:49

Just be aware that if you do chose to wean early, you won't know if it's done then any harm until they are much much older as often gut issues won't be visible until adulthood or beyond.

I weaned both mine at 6m as I felt a few more weeks was such a short time in order to reduce the risk of gut issues.

Witsender · 16/09/2017 08:53

6 months. Both were still BF but took increasing amounts of food once they got the hang of it. Daughter took a while getting the hang of it (blw) but son dived straight in and was eating plate loads within a week.

Witsender · 16/09/2017 08:54

And of course guidelines change, that's what happens after continued research. 😂 Why wouldn't you go with the most up to date?

Grilledaubergines · 16/09/2017 08:54

Mrs but you wouldn't be able to attribute it to early weaning anyway.

If a health visitor on looking at my child says at 16 weeks to wean them, that's good enough for me.

RandomUsernameHere · 16/09/2017 08:56

6 months for both of mine and very happy with my decision.

Grilledaubergines · 16/09/2017 09:02

random. And that's the important bit. Feeling confident that having taken advice appropriate to your own baby you are doing what you feel is correct.

RaisinSmuggler · 16/09/2017 09:03

To be honest as a mum and health prof I think you'll know when baby is ready. The WHO and NHS provide GUIDELINES not laws. Even the guidelines say every child is different and should be treated accordingly. Discuss it with your HV. They will inform you and help you reach a decision that is right for you and baby. Don't rush it though, milk is easier than food lol

My 1st was 5 months and demolished the food. My 2nd was 6 months and not interested so I waited longer. My 3rd was around 5 months too and was like she'd had solids all along! If baby isn't ready they will let you know.

Racingraccoons · 16/09/2017 09:06

I weaned my DS at 6 months exactly. I wouldn't have done it before then because I didn't think he was ready and the guidelines agreed.

The reason it is 6 months is because their bodies need time to mature and feeding them early (and I mean early early *i know someone who did it when her baby was 8 weeks) can cause all sorts of digestive issues.

However, only you know your child.

CaptainAmericasShield · 16/09/2017 09:19

Whenever you choose to wean don't bother with baby rice! Has anyone tried it? Disgusting stuff! Surely it's another product pushed on parents by big companies. I am sure this is why DS1 wasn't keen to start solids as I dutifully bought the baby rice. Fruit and veg that you already buy are fine to start.