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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Is 20 weeks too young to introduce solids

72 replies

PeanutButter99 · 30/11/2010 13:17

DS is 20 weeks and ebf. I'm back at work so he takes bottles of emb. According to some of the threads I've read on here of late he should be taking an 1oz an hour.
Well, DS takes 3 bottles during the day of 6-8 oz and he feeds from me in the morning, after work and before bed. He is now feeding at least twice during the night as well.
It doesn't take a mathematician to realise he's drinking far more than what is recommended Grin
Does he need some solids now? Is 20 weeks too young?
I'm over the ebf for 6 months as we've run out of freezer milk so will have to take some formula anyway.
Oh and distraction doesn't work and he's still on new born teats. He is screaming blue murder at the moment and stops as soon as he gets milk. When he has the bottle he cries when it's finished!

OP posts:
putthehamsterbackinitscage · 30/11/2010 13:26

I'll probably get shot down for this but...

You know your baby better than anybody and guidelines are exactly that....

Between my 2 DCs the guidelines changed from weaning at 3 months to 4 months and are now 6 months.....

My eldest made it to 9.5 weeks then out of desperation I put him onto baby rice as he was taking 10 oz hungry baby formula at each go and screaming for more in less than 3 hours (gave up Bf totally at that point after mixed feeding from 6 weeks as I was exhausted, he had teeth etc)

He is now a healthy 12 yo with no issues, and has a very healthy appetite despite being quite skinny....

My youngest went to just about 4 months exclusively bf, then weaned onto solids with bf and ebm when I was at work.... she now has asthma...

All babies are different, and you know what issues there may be in terms of allergies etc in your family...

Talk to a HV and see what they think - they will probably want you to carry on for another 6 weeks though....

PrematureEjoculation · 30/11/2010 13:32

minimum 17 weeks is current recommend.

tis just a guideline.

notnowbernard · 30/11/2010 13:32

Is 26w the WHO advice?

PrematureEjoculation · 30/11/2010 13:36

yes. though UK recommend - 17wk min, 26 week 'ideal' though that ideal also presumes ebf.

notnowbernard · 30/11/2010 13:39

Bloody Hell, I've no idea how I'm going to get to 26w on just bm...

DS on 98th centile for length and weight and likes bf A LOT

RibenaBerry · 30/11/2010 13:44

Peanut - you baby's appetite is not necessarily an indicator that they need solids. Formula or breastmilk is far richer in calories than pureed vegetables or baby rice (if you are following a conventional weaning route). The recommended starting assumption is simply to let your baby have more milk. They have differing appetites, just like adults, and the rough guidelines on amount are just that, very rough.

The generally medically recognised signs of readiness for weaning are ability to sit and hold their own head unsupported, ability to grasp an object and put it in their mouth and loss of the tongue thrust reflex. If those things are true, why not set him going on some sticks of soft boiled vegetables and see what happens? If nothing else, playing about with food in that way may keep him occupied! If he's not showing those signs, no harm upping the milk and seeing what happens.

Original poster
PeanutButter99 · 30/11/2010 13:46

DS likes bf A LOT too :)
He pulls at my top and grabs my boob to pull towards him. He's only 20 weeks!!

OP posts:
Suzie1601 · 30/11/2010 13:53

My sister is in australia and they have just changed the guidelines and are being advised to begin weaning at 5 months. Everywhere is different, maybe just go with your instinct?

Franup · 30/11/2010 14:32

Notnowbernard I got dd2 to 25 weeks on bm alone in which point she had gone from under the 25th centile to the 99th. She did take to solids avidly though, I will admit.

It was my 2 littlies who both had some solids before 6ms. I've not got a problem with gentle weaning from 20 weeks, but it is definitely easier at 6ms and with head control and no tongue-thrust.

Original poster
PeanutButter99 · 30/11/2010 14:37

Ribena, I understand that bm is far richer in calories than vegetables or baby rice. But if I give him more milk will he not explode Confused.
Might try the sticks of cooked veg though. They might distract him. At the moment everything he picks up goes in his mouth. He even tries to eat the table when he's on my knee!! :)

OP posts:
fifitot · 30/11/2010 14:51

It's a guideline. Do what you think is best. My GP suggested early weaning to me and was very dismissive of the set in stone 6 months deadline.

SirBoobAlot · 30/11/2010 15:51

There's no need for solid food, just more milk if he's hungry. Giving him solid food will do nothing to help fill him up at this age. Just stick with milk.

MoonUnitAlpha · 30/11/2010 16:06

Look for signs he is ready, don't worry too much about number of weeks - he'll be ready somewhere between 4 and 6 months.

Signs include - loss of tongue thrust (if a baby is still pushing things out of his mouth with his tongue then he's not ready), sitting up with little/no support, and being able to co-ordinate grabbing something and putting it in his mouth.

There's no harm in waiting til 6 months, but of course there could be harm in weaning sooner. Personally if my baby is showing the above signs of readiness at 20 weeks I would wean then.

marzipananimal · 30/11/2010 16:14

is that 1oz an hour thing right? Doesn't sound like much to me. That would be only 4 feeds of 6oz in 24 hours!
You can start weaning if he's showing all the signs of being ready as people have described but no harm in giving him as much milk as he wants

EdgarAllenSnow · 30/11/2010 16:30

my experience of it was that solid food did help to fill them up. and there is no reason to believe additional formula preferable to additional solids (name the paper if you want to claim it!)

redflag · 30/11/2010 16:30

My Ds started on baby rice at 12 weeks, simply because he was having 57 oz a day, of hungry baby formula. I think its up to you, our know your baby, as long as its egg and gluten free go with what they want to do.

TruthSweet · 30/11/2010 16:37

Marzipananimal - BF babies of 1-6 months usually consume between 19-30oz of bm a day so 24oz is about smack in the middle of that range. Though usually it's 'one oz for luck' in each bottle as well - so if mum's away 12 hours you'd give 4 feeds of 4oz = 16oz.

lagrandissima · 30/11/2010 16:39

I guess you could try supplementing your BM with formula for another few weeks (if I understand it correctly, you're out of extra supplies of frozen EBM?) Clearly some babies will go "yuck" at formula if they've only had BM before that point, but you could try (or mix some in). I'm a big fan of BFing, but think that using some formula at that stage may be preferable to early weaning. That said, you'll see from above posts that everyone's definition of 'early' is different.

I weaned mine when they reached 17lbs or thereabouts, at 21 and 23 wks (and exclusively breastfed to that point), but have friends who fed their large babies to the 26wk mark. FWIW I saw a marked difference in how easily DC2 took solids, as he was a little bit older and didn't seem to have to learn to swallow the mush as much as our PFB did. In neither case did it make one jot of difference to night wakings - they were both very noctural creatures for the first few years.

If you do wean at this stage, I think the current advice is to just use root veggies and fruit. No meat until 6+ mths. Also good to avoid gluten until well over 6mths; millet is a good gluten free alternative to wheat-based products, and of course there is baby rice (which is basically rice flour - a lot cheaper to buy!)

llareggub · 30/11/2010 16:40

Bloody hell, I've never seen so many early weanerson mumsnet. Why on earth would anyone want to wean their babies early is a mystery to me. Early weaning = faffing with puree and mess. So much easier to carry on breastfeeding until around 6 months, which of course are the current guidelines.

In Victorian times they thought it OK to send children up the chimney. Just because it was OK then, it doesn't mean I can get my family through the recession by sending my boys up the chimney.

OP, there is a growth spurt around 20 weeks IIRC, so it could be that.

Original poster
PeanutButter99 · 30/11/2010 16:46

Shit!! Lagrandissima I never even thought of the possibilty that DS might not like formula. Shock

OP posts:
redflag · 30/11/2010 16:47

I didn't bloody want to wean my baby! Angry

Why would you assume that? My son was taking 57 oz old milk a day minimum! It was the hv who after a close eye told me to introduce solids to my ravenous son, He was already sleeping through, so it was nothing to do with that!

I was happy for him to stay on milk for 6 months, it was him who was not!

MamaChris · 30/11/2010 16:59

PB99, my ds1 was feeding all the time at this age, it was exhausting. but when we offered him solids, he wouldn't bloody eat them! carried on having only milk (and lots of it) till 9 months or so. just to say - drinking lots of milk is not necessarily a sign that they're ready for solids. sorry!

EdgarAllenSnow · 30/11/2010 17:02

'In Victorian times they thought it OK to send children up the chimney.'

Grin

i suppose you want to enter into a rational discussion of the issues - or maybe not!

EdgarAllenSnow · 30/11/2010 17:04

"but think that using some formula at that stage may be preferable to early weaning."

*lagranissima - to a formula manafacturer perhaps. for a baby...well - Name the study!!
Stat meeeeee

porcamiseria · 30/11/2010 17:29

go with instincts, the guidlines are to bloody mixed anyway. in the 70s they started at 14 weeks and we are all fine! but seriously, i'd do the same