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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say something to this mum re. early weaning?

354 replies

Greywalls12 · 18/07/2019 17:59

Was at a baby class today, when one mum mentioned that she'd started giving her 15 week old baby rice.
No one said anything, but their were quite a few disapproving looks.

AIBU to say it has no nutritional value and she could actually be doing her child harm by weaning before 17 weeks?

Or is that incredibly rude and should stop being miss judgy pants?

I don't actually think she would care as she ignores most guidelines e.g. has baby in own room and puts on front to sleep etc.

OP posts:
Alsohuman · 20/07/2019 11:48

Is putting babies in the garden to sleep not done any more? Why on earth not?

I uncovered this. It’s fascinating, it looks as if additions to milk were given at 2/3 days the year I was born! No digestive issues here.

www.bounty.com/baby-0-to-12-months/weaning/ask-the-experts/weaning-through-the-ages

SoyDora · 20/07/2019 11:57

Oh mine do sleep in the garden if they’ve fallen asleep in the pushchair on the way back from somewhere, or if I’m out there playing with the older DC etc. I mean more like things I’ve heard the older generations of my family say about babies literally being left in the pram at the bottom of the garden all day and only really given any attention every 4 hours when they deemed it was time for a feed (no idea if people actually did this or if it was just something my auntie said to me when she was telling me I was ‘spoiling’ my 6 week old by feeding her on demand and holding her in between feeds Grin).
My point really was just that I thought baby rice to help babies sleep was a kind of outdated concept that no one really does anymore... I didn’t even know you could still buy it so I’ve learned something from this thread!

Badcat666 · 20/07/2019 13:15

Weird, I have severe IBS issues but my bowel specialist never asked me if I was weaned early (I wasn't).

Also I come from a big family, half of us are overweight, half are very slim. Also at least 2 of the slim ones were weaned before 6 months.

Odd thing genetics!

UnchangedFaces321 · 20/07/2019 15:18

I'll also say that early weaning can cause childhood obesity, too

MrsBadcrumble123 · 20/07/2019 15:43

Nothing to do with you unless she asks

Giantcatbear · 20/07/2019 15:45

I would ask her why she's decided to ignore all the guidelines. Mainly out of interest though. If she's determined to be a crap parent against all the very widely available advice there isn't much you can do about it...

flowergrrl77 · 20/07/2019 16:49

Oh don’t worry @Pinktinker I was very aware of the stats. My eldest child was actually in the highest category for SIDS likelihood, premature, boy, IUGR. NICU stay, infections whilst in NICU.

I did not choose the sleeping lightly, I would never recommend to anyone else ever. I probably didn’t sleep much as I would check on her constantly until she could roll.

It was done with full advisement from health professionals too. Telling me I am irresponsible would be uninformed of you. I was informed and fully aware and taking medical advice. Perhaps you’d rather my daughters brain development be further impaired than she had anyways. She has a rare genetic fault and will always be disabled. Sometimes the “general advice” re sids isn’t correct for the individual. That would be the case with me. I do not know about the other person who had a baby on their tum.

I repeat. I would NEVER advise anyone to do it, I did not do the wrong thing for my child.

MaisieDaisy1 · 20/07/2019 17:45

Generations of babies have been weaned from 12 weeks and come to no harm. I realise that this goes against the guidelines that are current but you need to mind your own business. It has absolutely nothing to do with you or anyone else. So many ‘baby police’ judging others.

booboo82 · 20/07/2019 17:55

all.mine had rusk milk by the time they were 6 weeks so yeah keep your nose out her baby her choice

Alsohuman · 20/07/2019 21:22

Not following current guidelines doesn’t equate to being a “crap parent”. On that basis everyone who had children in the 70s were crap parents, that would be the parents of a lot of people posting here.

Bookworm4 · 20/07/2019 21:42

I cannot believe that PP here would have a go at this mum and are judging her a shit parent. Guidelines are that a guide, my DC are between 13/25 and guidelines changed back and forth during these years. Stop being so fucking judgemental, wait until you’ve raised your perfect child then you might be in a better position to pass comment.
One of mine was weaned at 12 weeks and is now a strapping 6’4” lad never had a days illness in his life.

saraclara · 20/07/2019 21:47

If you wean too early, your child will more than likely get IBS, Chrons and/or multiple other digestive system issues

So several generations of adults mostly have serious digestive disorders? Seriously?

So many experts on digestion in this thread.

itscallednickingbentcoppers · 20/07/2019 21:48

'I would ask her why she's decided to ignore all the guidelines. Mainly out of interest though. If she's determined to be a crap parent against all the very widely available advice there isn't much you can do about it...'

Fuck sake. Get a few years of parenting under your belt and then come back and let us know what you think of that statement you made there Biscuit

FelicisNox · 20/07/2019 22:04

Nope... she's not the type to listen from what you've said and guidelines are just that, they also change every few years so what's fashionable this year won't be next year.

Also, all of my children slept on their backs and in their own room from 9 weeks.... like I said, guidelines.

lakeswimmer · 20/07/2019 22:20

My children were all BF and none of them would take a bottle. Unfortunately I had to go back to work when DS1 was 16 weeks old as at that time (2003) you only got 4 months mat leave. Because he wouldn't feed from a bottle we had to start weaning earlier than planned so DH could look after him while I was at work. We used to give him milky baby rice at 4 months - it was all a bit stressful at the time but he's now a healthy teen and in the long run this stuff doesn't matter.

Also used to put ours to sleep on their fronts as that was the only way to get them to sleep. After they'd nodded off we'd turn them onto their backs. Sometimes we just need to muddle through and find out what works for our own kids.

Catastrophejane · 21/07/2019 00:04

The current guidelines are not simply mirroring what is fashionable, They are the best advice with the information currently available.

The fact that they can change and be updated is called progress - it doesn’t mean
science is wrong!

Lots of us survived the 70’s - it doesn’t mean there was nothing wrong with the way we were brought up ...and I say that as someone who thinks they had the best mum ever.

If the advice is not to wean kids early, then why do some people insist on doing it?! As a previous poster stated- it might be appropriate in some cases, but only a qualified dietician can make that call

Flooopers · 21/07/2019 00:09

!

!?

Why do some people insist on punctuation abuse?

ethelfleda · 21/07/2019 09:12

catastrophe
Finally - a sensible post!

flowergrrl77 · 21/07/2019 10:37

@Catastrophejane spot on!

Thank you for your post xx

Boomwhatwasthis · 21/07/2019 10:49

With respect, mind your own business.

What's the garment rending about swearing in aid of? Are we all 10 years old here? Confused

saraclara · 21/07/2019 11:03

The current guidelines are not simply mirroring what is fashionable, They are the best advice with the information currently available

Except, as has been pointed out many times, they're probably about to be changed back to four months, to reflect the newest research on allergies and crohns disease. So those reacting with shock and horror to weaning at four months, are already out of touch.

saraclara · 21/07/2019 11:05

...and the present UK guidelines do not reflect the best advice with the information currently available

BigusBumus · 21/07/2019 11:12

I weaned all my boys at about 14-16 weeks and i think they all had a Petit Filous as their first food! So shoot me. Its just what we did back in 2002!

They are teens now, 6ft 3 and built like body builders.

Camomila · 21/07/2019 11:18

And then of course people have to weigh up their own individual family circumstances/history/ethnic sensibility to different illnesses and allergies

Which I think might be part of the reason why different countries have slightly different weaning advice as well

crispysausagerolls · 21/07/2019 14:23

f the advice is not to wean kids early, then why do some people insist on doing it?

Why is the UK advice more correct than opposing advice from other countries?