To wean the way I did with my eldest (old recommendations)

[babyweaning]

With dc1 I was told to wean by giving some solid food instead of a milk feed once a day at 4 months.
I agree with current advice to wait till 6m but I’ve found with my youngest if I follow current advice to give milk first then solids she’s just too full up !
So what I’ve been doing is replacing her second breastfeed of the day with some porridge and she’s eating it. The HV says this isn’t what’s recommended and I need to follow advice.

The porridge is made up with breastmilk and a bit of fruit too so in a way it’s a partial milk feed ?
I don’t think HV realises I need to get things going well with weaning as I do have to go back to work and she refuses a bottle !
AIBU to do things the ‘old fashioned way’

Health visitors talk such shit. Just carry on with what works for you. We survived for millennia before HVs.

How old is she?

7 months now. Started weaning at 6 m following current advice and she wasn’t wanting anything as too full so at 6.5 m changed to how I’m doing it now she only has breakfast so far

Before she was bf 630 am, 830 am and 930 am. I’ve cut the 830 bf to give her porridge which she loves but I’m getting told I’m not following advice and that I should but it’s working.
The fact she refuses a bottle but will have breastmilk in her food means hopefully when I go back to work she can have food and then feed more when I’m home

Then I don't understand what your hv is banging on about. After my lo was 6 months I started introducing breakfast instead of a feed, I'm sure that's pretty normal?

Carry on as you are, health visitor isn’t helping one jot.

Of course your not unreasonable - just do whatever works for you and your baby and this clearly is. How would your health visitor even know how you’re weaning?

The HV said they prefer it as well if babies are predominantly having just milk and doing blw till 1 but I don’t think they realise sometimes that although held up is the ideal won’t work for v busy parents. I’d love to be able to have a bit more time but I think it’ll end up being up, dressed have porridge and out to nursery and if I do blw that’s more clothes changing and mess. She said it needs to be more about taste and sensory experience at this stage not ‘filling up’

Not sure what advice you’re not following. You sound as if you’ve waited till 6 months anyway. What more were you told?

@User7312019

Of course your not unreasonable - just do whatever works for you and your baby and this clearly is. How would your health visitor even know how you’re weaning?

I had asked for advice because my lo has eczema so I had a phone call and she asked about how everything else was going and we discussed

Sorry cross post!

Solid hasnt got much nutritional value till 12m old on average in my understanding, hence why it's milk first to ensure calorie intake etc and then solid to play/taste/trial slowly How is weaning going to help with work/bottle refusal thing? When are you back in work? As baby is breastfed you may find he/she just does reverse cycling and starts feeding loads overnight if you're at work during the day.

Porridge made with breastmilk though sounds a good compromise but for any other solid introduction I'd do milk first then sit down at the table to play with food.

@CecilyP

Not sure what advice you’re not following. You sound as if you’ve waited till 6 months anyway. What more were you told?

Apparently I should offer all the usual milk feeds then food after but if I feed her as usual at 830 am she’s full and then grumpy and the 930 feed gets her off for a nap. If I feed at 630 then offer breakfast 8-830am it works out perfectly. Plus I think her breakfast which is ready brek, fruit purée and breastmilk is healthy

DS is our only and we weaned at 6 months. We offered him food then milk or he would be too full to eat anything. He's 15 months now and it's done him no harm. He always ate well and still wanted plenty of milk. Do what works for you. I'd only be concerned if things weren't going to plan and your little one started to loose weight for example.

@babyweaning

The HV said they prefer it as well if babies are predominantly having just milk and doing blw till 1 but I don’t think they realise sometimes that although held up is the ideal won’t work for v busy parents. I’d love to be able to have a bit more time but I think it’ll end up being up, dressed have porridge and out to nursery and if I do blw that’s more clothes changing and mess. She said it needs to be more about taste and sensory experience at this stage not ‘filling up’

Tbh I don't value HV much but on this one she seems very much spot on. Having said that it doesn't hurt to have a bit of porridge on the spoon especially made with bm. But what she says is absolutely right. There is no rush with solids, you can give a little bit or do porridge at breakfast and then a longer blw session in the evening or something (when at work).

@Mylittlesandwich

DS is our only and we weaned at 6 months. We offered him food then milk or he would be too full to eat anything. He's 15 months now and it's done him no harm. He always ate well and still wanted plenty of milk. Do what works for you. I'd only be concerned if things weren't going to plan and your little one started to loose weight for example.

Thankyou I’m glad it’s not just me ! Milk just fills her up so much I think. She’s def not losing weight she looks very healthy !

As long as it's not dangerous and works for your dc do whatever works best for you. Is what my fabulous HV said to me.

Wean however you like. How old is your eldest though? It’s been six months for twenty years I think? My older teens were both weaned at 6 months

Why are you seeing a HV? I opted out after getting daft advice with my first (so bad a paediatrician called her in front of me and blasted her for it it was so ridiculous). Never seen one with my next two.

My baby is 6.5 months.

Weaning is a nightmare so far as she doesn't drink much milk anyway, less than half of what's recommended, always has done. So I feed solids two hours after a milk feed (who's is usually only 2oz).

My older two were good milk drinkers thigh so I replaced their milk feeds with solids. But they drank in one feed what my baby drinks in a day! (She's been tested for everything - she just doesn't want to drink milk).

Sorry, that’s not very helpful. I meant to say what you are doing sounds fine to me

Sounds fine to me. While some ngs are worth emphasising (like waiting until yiur baby is 6 months to start weaning) health visitors do sometimes treat other ‘guidance’ as law. Babies are different. I had a health visitor who used to say you must breastfeed 20 mins on each side. I just used to smile and nod and do it my way, I don’t recall anyone saying I must give milk then solids but DS is 14 so I may have forgotten. We did BLW though (finger food) from the get go so he probably didn’t each much for the first couple of months. We offered at meal times and I am sure I didn’t make a oont of BF first (although I expect I did after - once I had cleaned him up). They do say milk is their main food until 12 months. My DS wouldn’t take a bottle from me btw but would for his Dad and ultimately nursery.

Sorry for the typos!

@LouNatics

Wean however you like. How old is your eldest though? It’s been six months for twenty years I think? My older teens were both weaned at 6 months

My eldest is 18 and HVs used to push 16 weeks. Not 4 months, but 16 weeks. They were quite pushy about it where you was at the time.