Not quite breast & bottle feeding - but would like to hear your views...

[suzi2]

Since I value your opinions... I could post on "FEEDING" but don't know anyone there (being all shy now..)

Would there be any good reason to introduce your baby to solids early? I ask because so ladies on another site I use have introduced their babies to rice - their babies are 6wks + 10wks. They have done this as their babies never seem satisfied, want more milk an hour later, chew their fists and don't sleep through at night. I m pretty shocked - I thought this was a no-no.

My DS won't be getting anything other than milk until he's 6 months as I have severe allergies.

But just wanted to know if there is any real benefit introducing solids early?

LOL at 6 week old baby not sleeping through the night - well there's a turn up for the books. Sorry, it is not funny really, more sad what people will do to try to ensure this fabled night's sleep.

I foresee this thread could get heated. Put your hard hats on, ladies...

No, it's a really, really stupid idea.

didn't want to start a fight...

As milk is more calorific than baby rice, I can't see that there's any benefit at all. Six weeks is ridiculously young imo.

People do this because they think it's the sensible thing to do. If you have a look around (particularly under Weaning), you will see a bunch of threads on this subject, including one on weaning before 16 weeks.

To say "opinions vary" about this is putting it mildly. (I weaned at 16 weeks with DS1, and at nearly 6 months with DS2. Waiting was certainly easier, and I'm sure it was more sensible.)

Oh, sorry suzi, it's a good topic. Just one people feel very strongly about. There are lots of people on here who enjoy a good debate - there's nothing wrong with that. I think most people will agree weaning before 6 months is generally not the best idea, and weaning at 6 weeks is one of the most ignorant things I have ever heard of.

Message withdrawn

On this topic, has anyone noticed that Boots sell EGG CUSTARD to be given "From four months"!!!!

Come on you lot, be properly horrified, in true MN stylee.........

Is the horror because it contains eggs? Can't remember when they should be introduced, tbh, about nine months?

cos it contains eggs, and cos weaning isn't recommended at all until 6 months old.

Yes, but all baby food jars say 'from four months' (well, all the fruit/veg puree ones).

that's why I was moaning. They shouldn't say that, not if the WHO say you shouldn't wean til 6 months.

People who have never heard of the Who will get totally the wrong impression from the jars. They will think it's ok to wean at 4 months.

It says about 4-6 months on the jars, so a desperate mum might push that to mean "14 weeks is fine. It's about 4 monhts"

colditz, I think that the "milk only til 6 months" is more applicable to breastfed babies. The health benefits to formula fed babies is less distinct. Hence, 1st baby foods can still be suitable from 4 months.

SoupDragon, the way I understand it is that the gut isn't mature enough for solid food at 4 months, whether the baby is breast or formula fed, and that's why the WHO's advice is 6 months. It's not really to do with the type of milk that's being fed, as far as I'm aware.

I think theres a real opinion that almost suggests your baby is somewhat more advanced than others if they take solids early. The bumber of times I've heard "well milk wasn't filling him up and he wanted food at 8 weeks etc" as if it's something to be proud of. I think this is ingrained in a lot of people especially as our parents generation were weaning on all sorts from about 4 weeks in some cases.

It's going to take a while for the consensus to change.

100% correct WigWamBam. babies gut isn't developed enough & there are 'holes' in the gut which means any food eaten may be absorbed rather than being digested.

I have a friend who's Dd has allergies (orange juice & has excema) & she gave solids from 4mths - well 16 weeks to the day. She now has a little boy & I was almost BEGGING her not to wean him until at least almost 6 mths. "Oh but he won't sleep through". Well, did a couple of tbsp's of carrot/baby rice/courgette make a difference ? of course not - still waking...HA !

(not meaning to be offensive, but I JUST DON'T GET IT !!!

So can we petition Boots into stopping it?

A conversation with one of my friends recently went (this is how I know about the egg custard btw)

"I'm going to give him egg custard next week"

"You not waiting until 6 months then? They are a lot less likely to get allergies."

"It says on the jar I can give it from 4 months. It wouldn't say that if it was bad for them!"

OMG - just discovered the weaning forum and see what you mean about hard hats! One message had 400+ replies.

Forget i asked... I've read the responses to that post and think I have my answers. TBH, the whole weaning thing confuses me greatly! I'll hold off until 6 months - can't be bothered worrying about meals!

Also, my mum tells me that she stopped breastfeeding me at 3 months and moved me onto formula with some babyrice too. I have awful asthma, eczema and a few life threatening allergies... my mum says that regardless of whether it's 'the reason' she feels guilty as it's a possibility that solids caused it.

Har har suzi

Yers, we have had pleas from the original posters before, do you know what happened to them?

We ate their livers with an iced Chianti.....F-F-F-f-fff....

No benefit. Just lunacy.

Even if you're not worried about an egg allergy, egg custard is quite a sweet thing to be giving a tiny baby, in my opinion.

I'm forever seeing people buying crates of the bloody stuff, though. The thought of some poor baby living on tinned egg custard, ugh.