To say something to this mum re. early weaning?

[Greywalls12]

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.

She knows it's against the recommended guidelines, she isn't going to listen to you is she? There are other countries who recommend weaning at 4 months so she isn't too far off.

I can't get worked up about baby rice, it isn't the worse thing to start weaning with. There was a fb competition a few months ago by a baby company asking for pictures of babies being weaned. There were many pictures of babies who were clearly under 6 months. Lots of comments such as 'my Freddie loves mashed up rusks' - now because of the added sugar, that's a crap food to start weaning with because

You never hear a breastfeeding mum complaining that milk isn’t enough for them

I've 100% heard breastfeeding mums say this. I breastfeed until 6 months and I said it.

I never said I did have statistics, I said you didn't.

Yes "we're all here" to implement the new guidelines, apart from the ones who died and unfortunately can't share with us on mumsnet that it's not a good idea because they're now dead.

Of course those of us that are alive survived the "old" guidelines 😂

Alsohuman It wasn’t fine at all, hence the change in sleep advice. SIDS levels dropped massively since the campaign in (was it 1991?).

We are constantly evolving and learning, advice will always change with more research, you can’t just ignore it because it will probably change? It will change for the better, I don’t understand your lack of logic?

Do you not vaccinate too because they never used to exist?

When starting solids with my my youngest two years ago she was under a paediatric consultant for various things, consultant said that the guidelines for weaning are to start at six months but all babies are different so the advice they give is to start somewhere between four and six months with nothing but milk before four months (unless medically indicated like my DS who was started at 12wks) and to try get as close to six months as you can but don't panic if it turns out to be 4/5 months instead.

You never hear a breastfeeding mum complaining that milk isn’t enough for them

I breastfed and said this.

Ok so a quick google suggests before 1991 2000 babies a year were dieing due to aids, since the campaign the levels have dropped and are now around 200 cases a year?

You never hear a breastfeeding mum complaining that milk isn’t enough for them.

I wasn’t complaining when I said this, but I did say it.

It’s hardly lack of logic. Of course I had my kid vaccinated, it was the advice at the time. Just like everything else I did, most of which is now outdated, yet he thrived. You get old enough to see enough fashions come and go to treat them with healthy cynicism.

I haven’t voted because I don’t think YABU to think it’s a bad idea or to want to say something... but I don’t think you should. It’s pointless. She doesn’t care, just leave it.

The only guidelines I see are for six months. I am not sure where the four-six month guideline is.

Aids? I meant sids obviously. Bloody autocorrect

Alsohuman You can’t be serious?

So, if you get cancer for example- will you opt for the treatments that were only available 20 years ago? Or the latest medicines that are developed due to enhancements in technologies that aid research?

I never said I did have statistics, I said you didn't
I personally didn't make any claims that needed backing up with statistics - just that the guidelines were different when my older DC were younger and they suffered no ill effects. I think the other posters were similar: simply relating their own experience.

And if you have no statistics for your own point of view its a bit ridiculous to criticize others for this.

Alsohuman Lots of people thrived, lots of people also didn’t.

Look at smokers for example- some people die thanks to illnesses they get because of the smoking

Some people can live their whole life smoking to no ill affect bar the obvious breathing noises and coughing.

Does that mean cigarettes are fine? We should ignore the advice and research because many people are fine?

@Jellybeansincognito, you’re missing the point. I suspect quite deliberately.

There’s lots of baby food aimed at 4 months+ And I weaned my baby at 3 months on the advice of health visitors

The NHS guidance is 6 months, so she's weaning well before the recommended time. Not sure why people are mentioning 4 months, that was old guidelines.

The NHS mentions early weaning, but it's clear a baby should never be weaned before 17weeks, unless medically advised.

Alsohuman I’m really not missing the point. You’re saying that advice back then was fine because your child thrived on that advice. I’m giving you the bigger picture but you’re too ignorant to see it.

My youngest was referred to a consultant paediatrician at 5 months with chronic diarrheoa, growth issues and reflux. He was most annoyed that I didn't start weaning at 4 months, which was most appropriate in his opinion. He said that the 6 month advice should only apply to babies in the developing world, who are exclusively BF and do well until they are weaned.

I would be much more concerned about the front sleeping and from what you have said she's not going to listen to you.

I mention 4 months because you can go in any supermarket and find lots of baby food aimed at 4 months.

cardamoncoffee You no longer have to be concerned about the front sleeping, given that a couple of posters here have said that their pediatricians considered it a motion sensor mat.

Doh. Considered it safe with a motion sensor mat.

Weaning my 18 week old and I started before 17 weeks...all babies are different and I wouldn’t appreciate someone telling me what to do with my own child. It’s a guideline not a law. When my generation were babies 3/4 months was the guideline and we all survived! I hate this cliquey judgemental crap of giving ‘disapproving looks’ to mother’s who wean early/don’t breastfeed/don’t co sleep etc. I wish people would just mind their own business. Just because a ‘guideline’ says something it won’t be right for everyone!

No @Jellybeansincognito, I’m not too ignorant. I’m too old and cynical. There’s a difference.