To think this may be dangerous

[Armadilloboss]

Just went on social media and a girl I know who has given birth 10 weeks ago has uploaded a video of her feeding the baby smashed avocado!

I always thought the guideline was nothing Til 4 months, which has not been changed to 6. Surely 10 weeks is far too early!!

Weetabix in a bottle at 4-6 weeks? Is that a joke?

It's silly to say I did this 30 years ago and all mine survived. I don't think anyone is worried the baby would die, but it's bad for their digestive health. Also, you have no idea how your children would have faired had they not been fed so early on.

It's like saying all my children watch 8 hours of telly all day, everyday and they lived. Of course they lived, but just maybe their IQ and abilities would have been higher had they not been stuck in front of a TV all day, you will never know.

@kaytee87 I'm 44 so my mum added baby cereal to my milk in 1975. It was very normal to do it then. I waited for 5.5 months with my own kids and they were def. ready.

"I've barely slept worrying about this"

Have you thought of becoming a Hollywood actor. You'd certainly win a,few Oscars. Without a shadow of a doubt.

It's what people did ginless. I think most people would have used baby rice rather than weetabix because of clogging up the teat, but I well remember a friend of mine whose huge hungry baby ate three weetabix for breakfast at about nine months old! Even I gulped at that

Funnily enough, and I have no evidence to prop this up, but it seems to me that there were far fewer kids with food allergies around when early weaning was the norm. (Ducks behind flame proof protection) Who knows, it might all turn around again one day........child rearing is very prone to changes in culture!

My boy had reflux, and was below the 0.4 centimetres line. At 15 weeks he started looking very interested in food and at 17 weeks we started weaning. For the first week it all got spat out but now (20 weeks) he loves it. His reflux disappeared, he sleeps better, he's gaining more weight and swallows all his food that doesn't drip but still most of it. Anything above 16 weeks is considered fine for babies who seem ready to wean. 10 weeks mind you, complete nutter. Tell her to leave her baby until both the baby is ready and they have reached the age limit.

Yes I am very serious, we just bought a larger teat for the bottle so the the thicker mixture fit through. I really cannot imagine waiting until 6 months to start weaning, baby must be starving! Mine were all large and were needing feeding every 2 hours so health visitor suggested thickening the milk up.

*centile not centimetres!

It might not be right to wean that early but I believe years ago it was the norm to start solids early and it didn’t do thousands of babies any harm.

I’m not saying it’s right for her to do so but don’t panic.

My grandmother said she put my uncle on baby rice on his bottle really early and solids weee also started early. My own mother started me on solids at about 11/12 weeks too.

my son weaned before 6 months (about 4 months I think). My daughter was about 5-6 months.

@viques I tend to agree with you there were definitely not as many allergies and dietary issues around when the weaning age was lower.

There was a time when people used to put Farley's risks into bottles to fill up babies more.

The weaning age has slowly risen from 3 months to 6 months. But I think it depends on the baby and it's needs, anywhere from about 4 months onwards sounds ok.

Knowing what we know now, anyone weaning earlier than 26 weeks/6 months without the guidance of a paediatric dietician is downright stupid IMO. There are links between early weaning and a whole host of issues including bowel issues, allergies, intolerances and digestive problems. Babies don't need anything other than milk until around 6 months.

Yes it used to be the norm to wean earlier, but that was on less information than is currently available. Know better, do better.

The 'experts' change their minds on the correct way to care for babies every 10 years or so, so unless she starts feeding it blended up kfc I really wouldn't worry too much.

I really cannot imagine waiting until 6 months to start weaning, baby must be starving

They won’t be hungry unless you are not giving them enough milk.

When I gave birth the advice was 3 months or 12 lbs whichever was first.
When my mother had my sister (who is now 60) she was born weighing 11.5 lb, was very hungry and wouldn't entertain being breast fed. The midwife advised adding farex to her bottle to thicken the milk and slow it down.

She has always been healthy and a size 10 to 12 as an adult.

Whilst I am sure the current advice is correct, in most babies it won't cause a problem. Although avocado???????????

My eldest is 28, weaning was advised from 12 weeks, they suggested baby rice, risks and Weetabix. The following year when I had my next baby it was 4 months. I'd be less worried than you but a bit surprised as the guidance to start at 6 months has been in place for quite a while. I'd send her a private message asking if she'd been advised to wean early by her HV as it was so much earlier than the standard advice.

The 'experts'

Why wouldn’t you rather go with the advice given from people who have studied health for years and understand digestive system etc than some idiot with no medial/health knowledge at all and goes by the motto ‘It did me no harm’.

Nah. The advice changes. Readiness for solids will be on a spectrum. We’re all physiologically different so a hard rule helps very few.

DeadlyAlien is right. In the 70s the standard advice was 12 lbs or 12 weeks. Avocados hadn't been invented then though.

I started my daughter on solid foods at around about 2.5 months. She was getting through ten 210ml bottles a day and I couldn't keep up. Started her on rice/fruit&veg compotes and she was really happy. This was about 2 years ago. It's OK OP, I'm sure the baby will be fine.

My health visitor told me to wean when ds was 3 months, I held off until 4 months but by then he was crawling and needed the calories

Why wouldn’t you rather go with the advice given from people who have studied health for years and understand digestive system etc than some idiot with no medial/health knowledge at all and goes by the motto ‘It did me no harm’.

I would take the advice as a guideline because despite all that studying the 'experts' are obviously not always right just and sometimes the parent is.

Increased allergies aren’t caused by later weaning.

There are more calories in milk than the food described as a top up so the hungry baby stuff is nonsense - you’d just give them more milk

Increased allergies aren’t caused by later weaning.

There are more calories in milk than the food described as a top up so the hungry baby stuff is nonsense - you’d just give them more milk

I would take the advice as a guideline because despite all that studying the 'experts' are obviously not always right just and sometimes the parent is

Smh. The world is fucked.

DS was part of a study (EAT study - look it up) where he was required to eat some solids (yoghurt, Apple puree to start, then on to mashed weetabix, even peanut butter) at 12 weeks I think. He was, still still is, absolutely fine!! He has no allergies and a strong preference for healthy food. He has a perfectly average bmi and is very fit and healthy.