Weaning early

[user1490112835]

My son is 10 weeks old Thursday coming, he's been on aptamil hungrier baby milk since he was 4 weeks old drinking 6ozs and still wanting more :/. The milk isn't satisfying him he's wanting a bottle every 2-3 hours.. can I give him baby rice once a day preferably tea time? Or is it far to early.. I'm a first time mum and really appreciate people's opinions and help.

Hi user - I'd avoid food this early if you can. At 10 weeks old a baby's gut is really not ready to handle solids. Also, there's more calories and nutritional value in milk than there is baby rice.

Have you spoken to your HV about it?

Way too early for anything other than milk. I didn't formula feed so not sure on best way but try upping amount per feed or frequency. May be a growth spurt, he's still very young they need feeding very frequently. I spent some days with DD constantly feeding.

Baby rice is a polyfilla substitute imo. . No nutritional value to a baby. .
And early weaning is not advised without professional referral.

10 weeks! That's ridiculously early. My daughter fed every two hours at that age, it's normal. Just give him more milk.

If I were you I'd make up larger bottles and offer milk every 2 hours during the day (more frequently if he wants it). It's not unusual to feed that often especially if there's a growth spurt. Baby rice isn't the way forwards here. The age to wean is controversial but there is good evidence that prior to 17 weeks is a definite no no.

10 weeks is far too early. His stomach is too immature to deal with food. He'll get more calories and nutrition from milk so if he's hungry he needs more milk.

It's far too early. Six months. You'd do damage at ten weeks.

No no NO!! My Lo fed every 2 hours that age. She's now 4 months and is every 3 hours. You will make your baby ill if you do it now.

Please don't! 10 weeks is way too early. It's probably a growth spurt so just feed him more milk.

I started weaning my DS at about 5.5 months old. Before that would have been a bad decision indeed!
If someone suggested this baby rice thing to you at this stage, just ignore them!

Way too early!!! Wait till 6 months.

He's been like this for a couple weeks now he's nearly 14lbs already. I'll up it another oz but sometimes when he has more he's sick quite a bit :/ I'm a first time mam so I haven't a clue it's still all very new to me. My Heath visitor said no to baby rice and weaning early but loads of other people are saying yes give him baby rice when he's three month. I'm totally confused

I would suggest you listen to the health care professional telling you not to give food at this age, not the people around you who are giving outdated advice. Try feeding more frequently as other posters have suggested.

Hiya - my wee one was exactly the same and that was only ten weeks ago. Keep going with the milk but if your still concerned I would see a paediatrician. Please do not go on the advice of other people - honestly if I fed my DD from when people told me she'd be on steak dinners now! Haha - try not to worry your LO will eventually have a fuller tum soon

Can u feed him smaller amounts on demand? Their stomachs are tiny at that age, little and often is better.
Does he have reflux? My first DS drank loads at first but he was just comfort feeding due to the pain caused by his reflux, once we sorted that he drank a much more "average" amount.

I would recommend speaking to your health visitor about this. I believe the very youngest you can begin weaning is 17 weeks, as before then the baby cannot digest food properly.

How do I know if he has reflux? He used to have colic but that's gone now.. I'm just going to keep him in the milk and up it to 7ozs hopefully that should satisfy him a little better

Wanting a bottle every 2-3 hours is completely normal. Please do not give your 10 week old baby rice, it will really damage their gut. The guidelines are 6 months for a reason. Your baby isn't even half that age!

Agree with what everyone else has said. This early it's really, really dangerous to wean. Babies can't even hold their heads up properly to swallow let alone the damage that could be done to the digestive system. Please listen to your health visitor.

And 6oz every 2-3 hours is completely normally for that age.

I agree with pp it could be a growth spurt. I find with my dd sometimes she wants lots more milk, whereas other times she has less. If it's a growth spurt and he's hungrier, you will find milk is more nutritious and filling anyway.

I understand that people you know may be recommending baby rice, but this is against advice as your little one's tummy cannot digest it properly.

I weaned at 16 weeks starting on banana and baby rice. He was a big baby and ready for it - no way could I have waited to 6 months. He's now a strapping lad of 11 - still with a very helpful appetite

Healthy appetite not helpful!!

Babies of this age are often frequently hungry due to growth spurts. People mistake this for being ready to wean or needing 'hungry baby' milk. A baby doesn't need different milk or food, it just needs more milk! Weaning at 10 weeks really isn't a good idea.

As others have said far too early to wean. Listen to your HV as that's why they are there. I find my older people push weaning early as that's how they did it but advice changes.

I would also change from hungry milk back to normal as it's apparently harder for the baby to digest & can cause constipation.

Also feeding every 2-3 hours is completely normal

He's fine on the hungrier baby milk so I'm not changing it again as when he was on the normal milk he was projectile vomiting because he was having 6ozs plus an extra 4 without 29 mins after the 6oz bottle. The hungrier baby milk has helped him in that sense.. most baby food especially (Ella's kitchen) say from 4 month which confuses me because if it's meant to be 6 month why does baby food say 4month +.. I'll hold back on giving him baby rice for now because i don't want to do damage to his system.. he's a healthy baby anyways and he's 14lbs. I don't want to make him ill.. I just needed other people's opinions and advice as I'm a first time mam and I've been told so much different ways on nearly everything lol x