Upset after 6 month weigh in and confused by weaning!

[MissMoneypennyAgain]

This is my first ever post on Mumsnet so sorry if I'm doing this all wrong...

Anyway, I just took my baby boy for his 6 month weigh in and he's dipped below the percentile he was on (he was born at 3.02kg and now weighs 6.92kg). The weigher said she wasn't really worried, but then gave me a long lecture saying that I should bump up his calorie intake. He's breastfed and I started weaning him a couple of weeks ago, using baby rice and now purees. I've been following the guidance in the book 'Your Baby Week by Week' and good old Annabel Karmel. However, the woman at the clinic said I should already be giving him adult cereal and whatever my husband and I are eating at meals. I'm so confused as I thought I had to do things gradually, slowly introducing new foods and not giving meat / fish until 7 months?! Anyway, for some reason (prob sleep deprivation!) I got really upset by the whole thing and sobbed on the way home.

Should I be worried about his weight? Any advice on the weaning? There just seems to be so much different advice out there and I've got friends whose babies have had really bad allergic reactions...

At 6 months baby can eat anything accept honey. Whole nuts and whole grapes chopped due to chocking

Can def eat all meat/ fish/ dairy/ carbs

Think of it like this. Baby rice and fruit. That's basically diet food. If you ate just plain rice and fruit purée you would loose weight also. Babies need high fats and calories

Please don't stress!! Re food, just try to remember the mantra 'food before One is just for Fun!' and keep up ds's milk intake and his weight loss should soon level off and start gaining again... He should totally still be getting most of his calories from milk at that age anyway! I think they say to try to give baby what toy ate having where possible as not only does it make it easier on you (supposedly!) but obviously is a more natural and realistic diet for him. Anyway, sounds like you're using good resources anyway so try not to worry too much about centiles - as long as he's happy and looks healthy the rest will surely be fine.... Next visit so what I do - 'forget' your Red Book and just plot it yourself at home... Saves all the lectures!

Sorry for typos but sure you get the gist!

Don't worry about the weight as long as baby is bright and alert.

Also seconding that food before 1 is for fun.

I actually did baby led weaning for my two, so straight onto proper food, no purees, unless of course the food is naturally a puree (e.g. dhal, yoghurt etc) which made it much easier. If you think about, back when people weaned at 3 months, they would be on to finger foods by 6mths anyway. Back in the day I found the Baby led weaning blog helpful for ideas. We never cook with salt anyway, but it did mean our own meals got healthier

Milk (formula or breast) is higher in calories than most food.

If you feel your baby needs more calories offer more milk feeds.

Offering solids AFTER a milk feed is another way of ensuring higher calorie intake and still lets baby experience new textures and flavours of solid food.

I don't take my baby to be weighed for precisely this reason. There's nothing wrong with your son, he's doubled his birthweight and he's fine. Dipping below a centile line means nothing.

Thank you so much for the replies! Silverstreak, you really cheered me up; love the comment about forgetting the red book! IssyStark, thanks for the info - I'll investigate it! Babieseverywhere - thanks for the reassurance, as that's what I'd heard about milk being main source of calories so I'd been doing exactly as you suggested - milk as usual then solids after . Mariposa10 - thank you too for the reassurance!

The health visitor at the clinic is giving you wrong advice.

Babies under 12 months continue to get most of their calories from milk (boob or formula), reducing gradually towards the 12 month mark.

AND most babies self regulate highly successfully re calorie intake.

As long as you put food in front of them frequently (boob, bottles, a selection of other stuff) they will sort it out. Unless there is an underlying problem, but usually you will know if there's a problem - either they will be not themselves or they will drop two weight percentiles.

A paediatric dietician usually won't get involved unless there is a two centile band drop or an obvious sign of poorliness (because babies don't gain weight at a uniform rate).

You are completely right about the way you're introducing food - do it methodically, do it slowly, leave a few days between each new thing. Otherwise you won't know if something disagrees with your baby.

This sort of thing is why I don't go to the health visitor clinics! I bought luggage scales and I weigh DD at home and update the red book myself.