To be shocked that a baby at baby clinic today was already being weaned onto baby rice?

[Plonker]

...he was 7 weeks old!

Apparantly she started him on baby rice last week (so at 6 weeks old )

She was really matter-of-fact when telling me that baby was a really hungry baby and need to baby rice to fill him.

I couldn't manage more than "oh ..."

What else can you say?

I know that lots of people wean early, but 6 weeks?

Still now!

used to be the norm in the 60's and 70's - start with a bit of baby rice in the bottle at about 6 weeks and build up from there. In My Day (the very early 90's) it was 4 months, but my Mum and older sister thought this was scandalously late and expected me to be weaning him at 3 months at the latest

I remember being told by the Health Visitor(in 1994) to add baby rice in to one of dd's bottles, and just make the teat bigger with a sterilised needle. I was shocked to say the least as dd was a 9pounder when she was born and would just feed and feed and feed on me for y=18 months. So no baby rice for her then.

My best friend had to wean her baby really early as she had a severe allergy to milk. It really helped her.

First, a little background. When I had ds1 in 1993, I met a girl on the postnatal ward whose baby was the same age as my ds. She herself looked to be about 16, if that, but was very kind and supportive to me when ds1 was having phototherapy for jaundice.

Cut to the baby clinic at the doctor's, about 8 weeks later, and I found myself waiting to see the health visitor, when the girl, her baby and her mum sat down next to me. The girl's mum, after commenting on my ds1, told me very proudly that her dgc was already having food off the edge of her plate, and was especially fond of chocolate!!

I was aghast, and didn't know what to say, but told her that she should make sure to tell the Health visitor this. I suspect that she thought I approved of what she was doing - and to be honest, that was my intention - I hoped that this would encourage her to repeat the story to the HV so she could set her and the baby's mum straight. I know that I bottled the issue and was somewhat manipulative, but felt that the ends justified the means in this case.

Apparently I was given the odd spoon of baby rice at under 4 months as this was the norm in the 70s. I wonder why it used to be considered good practice and now isn't. Is my health going to suffer as a result? Would be genuinely interested to know the medical opinion on this?

I would find it strange to see a baby given baby rice at 6 weeks now as the guidelines are not to start weaning until approx 6 months. Although I found it easier to wean my first child at 4 months than the second at 6 months. The second child has always been a very fussy eater and I'm wondering if she would have been more receptive to new tastes at 4-6 months.

To return to the OP I think 6 weeks is too young for baby rice.

YANBU

this is too young

guidelines are 6mths at the moment

but have been 4

we started babyrice at 4 mths as was waking u duirung the night and milk wasnt enough

it all depends on the child

but 6 WEEKS OMG

fair too young

sunnygirl - I think that was good quick thinking! I wonder what happened....I wonder if they sussed you out?!

was she my mother?

YANBU

Ok i had this last night.

Do you know about the mothers circumstances?

My DS has a heart condition and it was too much strain on his heart for him to suckle so with the advice of the HV i started weaning him as 6 weeks.

So please before you say anything to her find out her circumstances, i got offended when i thought that someone was thinking that i would do anything less than the best i can for my DS.

but MUM2OJ - she didn'e say the woman was horrible or anything. she said she was shocked. not unreasonably so in my opinion.
6 weeks is young. there may have been reasons for her weaning so early but it's still a bit shocking.

mum2OJ - no, i don't know the circumstances and i didn't ask, but the mother did tell me that she was giving her son baby rice because he was a hungry baby.

I do think its shocking to wean so early for a hungry baby.

Obv your circumstances are different and I hope that I haven't offended you. I hope your son is ok.

Great response sunny I wish I could think on my feet quicker ...I said nothing because i'm was far too worried about causing offence.

My dad swears i was sucking the chocolate of a chocolate finger at only a couple of days old

Ds1 now 10yrs old was having baby rice from 3 weeks as he was a very very hungry baby 8oz of formula every 45mins to be exact and I could do nothing else but feed him.

Ds2 now 14m was on baby rice from about 7 or 8 weeks as he too was a hungry baby who was bf and ff.

Every child is different and every mother knows their child.

My HV told me if i had to feed him then make sure he had plenty of fluids at meal times and between.

Both boys are healthy, well built and eat pretty much everything. BUT have very different tastes.

Mum2OliverJames - did the HV who advised you to wean your child early offer you any medical evidence that it was beneficial for your son? I'm just flabberghasted that this would be given by a health professional as a reason to start a vulnerable baby on solids. Milk is the perfect food for newborns and small babies. If there are problems with milk transfer (because of issues surrounding suckling for example) then surely that should be addressed - there is more than one way to get milk into a baby who is too week to suckle! What about cup feeding for a start? Solids like baby rice, pureed fruit and veg, and cereals are less energy dense and less nutritious than breastmilk or formula at this stage. What possible advantage could there be to giving them to a six week old who is having problems suckling other than the fact you can spoon it into their mouths?

Whoops - 'weak'.