At what age did you wean your DC?

[alfie22]

I ask this question because my MIL is absolutely insistent that I begin weaning my DS at 12 weeks old (he's 9 weeks atm).

I feel this is far too early and I don't think I'd be comfortable starting to wean at that age. But then again I'm a FTM so haven't done this before.

What age did you begin weaning?

6 months is the current nhs guidelines op but people do it earlier or even a little later depending on the baby.

I started at a little over 5 months as my boy was desperate for our food!

I think the guidance is that, if you're going to start before 6 months, at least wait until 4 months.

Rusks contain 20-30% sugar (even the 'low sugar' ones) so are best avoided imo. Adding anything solid to a bottle is unwise and dangerous, please never do this.

It sounds like you need to ignore your MIL when it comes to weaning! If need be smile and nod to please her!

Im in the UK, I followed the NHS guidelines as had no other professional advice to say to do otherwise, therefore I introduced solids at 6 months.

5 months or 4 corrected for my twins and 6 months + for DS3.

None of them have digestive issues, allergies, are too fat or too thin. At 7 and ten they’re all good eaters although one twin will revert to beige if given the chance!

We started the twins early because they were having 11oz of hungry baby milk and were still hungry, HV said to go for it. DS3 I started at 6 months but he was the interested until nearly 7 months. Interestingly he’s always been the lost adventurous out of the three.

I can’t remember having any ‘advice’ from adults but if I had and didn’t want to follow it I would have told them ‘thanks for the advice’ and done my own thing.

5 months. Both my babies were big though and needed more than milk at this stage. 6 months is the current advice xx

6 months. He didn’t care for it or eat much until he was about 18 months!

5.5 months. Definitely 100% not before 17 weeks though. Also don't add rusk to bottles, it adds tons of sugar so no reason and is a choking hazard. Mil needs to read some updated advice, it must be hard to tell her that though without offending her

@alfie22 just say the guidelines are 6 months, and Do when you feel your baby is ready... I weaned son at 5 and half months he had been showing all the signs a while and he literally grabbed the spoon and started shovelling in the food as soon as.

Rusk s are fine as a treat ( in my opinion others would disagree ) but it’s best to try and keep sugar and salt intake down a baby can only have 1g of salt ... so I wouldn’t add to the bottle.

Does your baby cry out for food?? As in shows sign of being hungry?

I defno would wait until 4 months at the earliest unless otherwise suggested by a medical professional.

My mil kept asking if I had given my son juice yet at 3 months ... and look worried that I hadn’t .. still haven’t it’s water or milk juice is something you are not recommended.

By signs I being hungry I mean straight after feeding x x

At about 5 months, when she starting trying to grab food off my plate. No allergies, and luckily she's always been a good eater.

Both my daughters at 5.5 months, now age 8 &11 months. Digestive issues run in my family and thankfully the older one has displayed no signs of this yet. Myself and my sister were given food at 8 weeks and 4 months 😱

My dd1 and ds (now 19 and 17) at 4 months, dd2 (15) at 6 months. As per guidelines at the time.

Both of my DDs were about 4 and a half months- think the guidelines said 20 weeks when mine were babies.

First foods were baby rice mixed with breast milk and puréed veg ( sweet potato, carrots, broccoli etc- used to do this in bulk and then put into ice cube trays.)

Your baby, your rules. Guidelines changed between me having my first & second babies 5 years apart. Guidelines are going to be different between generations.

Do what you think is right & based on the knowledge/ information you have today,

6 months with DS and I did BLW and will do the exact same for DD, who is currently 13 weeks. Absolutely believe she is too early to start weening atm despite the fact that she seems to be interested in food. But this is just what I believe is right for my kids. I do think 12 weeks is very wary but I also think you should read the guidelines and decide what’s best yourself. Tell MIL to read up too and see what current advice is and to back off. Your child, not hers!

5 months and a bit. Slightly ahead of guidelines but we were going on holiday with the in laws and I (who have a difficult relationship with them) wanted DH and I to give her her first solid food. Looking back it does seem slightly silly, but in the midst of PND it seemed like a small thing to help me keep it together.

6 months. Did baby led weaning so no purées.

4 months.Not English, different rules.

Mine weaned at 6 months, but you'll know your own baby so watch for signs of readiness - they can sit up unaided, lost tongue thrust (automatically pushing something out of their mouth with their tongue), good pincer grasp, and actually interested in food!

Sounds like you know to go with your gut. It's your baby, so try to stand your ground!

Definitely don't add anything to the bottle and don't spoon-feed any purees when baby is reclined (sounds like you'll have to watch grandma to check she isn't going ahead with "grandma knows best").

I spoke to a children's dietician about this and she said definitely not before 4 months, and no benefit to starting before 6 months. I also read the book Why starting solids matters which I'd recommend. Covers all the evidence, which is mixed but overall no clear benefit to starting before 6 months, plus possible risk of infection. Also milk is far more calorific than food(esp early foods like fruit, veg etc) so replacing milk feeds with foods will not help to fill the baby up. Having weaned my first, it seems exciting but it is a faff. So I'll definitely also be waiting til 6 months with my second.

4 months for my first, which was in line with the guidelines at the time.

I was keen to start, as I wanted her to be happy with solids before I returned to work when she was 5 months.

The younger one wasn't ready as soon, so it was more like 4.5 months.