am i terrible for letting 4mo taste a tiny bit of our food

[hazeldog]

i know he cant have an actual feed of solid food but he is so interested in what we are having and really enjoys the taste. reading the article on MN about signs of readiness; sitting up, putting things in his mouth, not pushing out with his tongue..well he can do all those things.. im literally talking about a taste on my fingertip of mash or yoghurt or a single spaghetti hoop. he really goes for our food and is quite ahead of his milestones. im inclined to think that given all these outward signs if the gut can be sealed at 4 months then his probably is.
are we terrible parents?

So long as you are waiting til at least 17 weeks, I think the risk of doing any harm is minimal so it's up to you.

hazeldog, do not worry AT ALL.

With DD1 I was told by HV (and the many leaflets she forced onto me) that DD1 MUST be weaned at 4 months - she was not remotely interested in food but apparently it was a "hugely important step for brain development" and a DAY after 4 months would be TOO LATE. Struggled to get her interested in food, gave up and weaned her at 6 months.

DD2 was DESPERATE for food at 4 months (big baby...) grabbing food from us, crying when we ate, she nearly threw herself out of her highchair trying to grab food from the table. I was told by the same HV that I must NOT wean until 6 months or TERRIBLE THINGS would happen. This was 3 years later. Apparently the guidelines had changed. I obviously smiled, ignored her and weaned DD2.

You can't keep them in a bubble for their lives, no, but when they are 4 months?

Up to you OP, obviously, but personally I wouldn't take the risk just for the entertainment value.

My DS1 was weaned at 16 weeks because that's what the advice was at the time. (No dairy, salt or wheat for 12mo though) I have no idea how we would have made it to 6m, he was starving

Can't believe some of the people on here! They are GUIDELINES not the LAW.

I know the guidelines have changed but thousands of kids have started on solids at this age ... and its not like that was in the dark ages.. it was 5 years ago and they are fine ...

so really giving him tastes is not going to do him serious harm imho

I'm sure I remember the HV telling me a while ago that babies can be weaned now from as early as 16 weeks if they are showing an interest in food, my DD is just over 16 months btw.

I agree with therapeutic, respond to what your baby is trying to communicate, if they're a bigger or hungrier baby they might be ready for solids a bit earlier than smaller babies. I think that HV's can be so dogmatic over certain issues that parents are left second guessing themselves. Of course, avoid the biggies like salt etc but use your own common sense to decide when you think your baby is ready

Where I live they advise to start with fruit and veg, unsalted, at 17 weeks and nothing other than that until 6 months when meat, fish and dairy can be gradually introduced. My paediatrician gave me that advice last year. Along with zero processed food - even baby food - until 6 months and then only paying attention to ingredients and suitability.

So yanbu to let your dc taste, but Careful what you let them taste.

Yep. So long as you also let him drive the car as soon as he shows an interest in the steering wheel...........

Oh come on...entertainment value? Where did i say i was doing it for my own entertainment? Car driving? That's hardly a direct analogy for eating a spaghetti hoop is it? this is getting silly now. I have a degree in biomedical science so i do have just a fraction of a clue how digestion works. The guidelines are parrotted everywhere but obviously babies are all different and i do believe they are expert communicators if we choose to listen. Shheesh people talk some crap on the Internets. I'm off to feed him 10 packets of pom bears now.

Just wondered why you asked the question hazeldog you seem intelligent, educated and confident about your choices. Did you just fancy stirring people up a bit?!

As for wheat we have coeliac and allergies with our little ones and my consultant who is leading top child allergy clinic said current wisdom os if there is risk of coeliac disease (disease where body can't tolerate gluten) is to introduce wheat between 5 and 6 months, not earlier or later, to optimally reduce risk.

DS1 was weaned 21 years ago at 6 - 7 weeks on hv advice (and after trying everything else)
DD1 was about three months 8 years later
DS2 made it to four months uninterested in food. He is now the most interested!

All fine of course. Guidelines change. Children are different.

I wouldn't wean a child before it was interested in food or for reasons of sleep or anything else. But denying an interested child a tiny taste seems bizarre.

That's the thing mamaonion, the experts can't make their minds up. When my DSs were babies (less than 10 years ago) weaning at 4 months but not introducing "risky" foods until 12 months was the best way to avoid allergies.

You're right, OP just needs to do what she thinks best, I don't understand why it's possible to stir people up to this extent on this issue (regarding other people's children). There's current advice, but when it keeps changing how can it be considered black and white?

That said, salt has always been considered not just unhealthy, but dangerous for small children, so giving them what you have as an adult, unless you are salt free yourself should be done very carefully. Even I am at spaghetti hoops and just one is actually a fairly large, salt laden, helping for a (weaned) baby of 4m imo. DS1 was hungry at 4m and took some solids, but not what you could call a meal.

I actually agree that you'd be doing it for entertainment value. Either you think your baby is ready for weaning or not, giving 'tastes' of things is for your benefit, what other possible reason could there be?

If you think he's ready to be weaned and he's 17 weeks at least then discuss with your HV and wean him on appropriate foods, which don't include spaghetti hoops...

The think is, it doesn't "keep changing". The guidelines have been milk only until 6 months for more than 10 years now. And my dd is 16 and she was milk only til 6 months, so it must have been advised by someone- can't remember who.

It must vary area to area then seeker, my DS's are 9 & 11 and my HV definitely told me to wean them both at 4 months by introducing baby rice, fruit and veg, but no meat, eggs or dairy til 6m, no wheat til 12m. Unless it changed between your DD and my DS1 and then back again?!

The World Health Orgqnization's 6 month recommendation was published in 2001.

Hazel - DD(5months) loves packets of pombears - they make the BEST noise!

Fascinated by the number of people saying fruit puree only, avoid dairy and wheat. DS1 (nearly 6yrs) was weaned on fromage frais and the crusts from my toast as finger food (didn't give him marmite though.)

I'd be more worried about the processed spaghetti hoops than anything. I think tastes are fine, as long as you know what's in the food.
I'm doing baby led weaning with DD (6 months), which is good because it's forced me to do lots of cooking and I feel much better for it! She's been interested in food since around 4 months. At 5 months she would taste bits of fruit and vegetables.

My kids were all weaned early greedy sods and could not imagine them getting by fir 6 months on milk. You are not terrible and if she showing an interest why not ?? Cannot believe the dairy, wheat meat thing. Oh I am a terrible Mother OP not you.

As usual lots of ignorance around the subject. They guidelines are there for a reason. Research (lots of it) showed the risk of coeliac disease & allergies to be linked to introducing food before around 26 weeks.

It's not necessary before then & can be damaging for some. It's all very well that your 2, 9, 15, 21 year old is 'did it & was fine'. Coeliac disease isn't usually diagnosed until people are in their 30's.

I was weaned early as per the advice at the time. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in my mid 30's. Doesn't run in my family. I'm the only one. It's a total pain the the arse & had changed my life enormously.

Don't rely on HCP that trained years ago to update their knowledge, as it doesn't always happen sadly. I say this as a HCP. People are too lazy or ignorant to do it.

seriously having a son who was horrifically ill with coeliac and a MIL who has osteoporosis as result of poorly managed coeliac disease that developed in her 50s I agree it is no laughing matter. It's easy to be flippant and say 'can't do any harm- my dc are all fine'. But sometimes you can be unlucky and it could happen to you. My dc3 diagnosed with milk and egg and nut allergies and they don't run in family. I'm glad I stuck to the guidelines as at least I don't blame myself and that was all I could do.

The recommendations have changed

SACN statement:
"Based on the available evidence on autoimmune diseases the Panel notes that the early (

No, the recommendations have not changed.

The quote is not a recommendation. It is an opinion of the EU panel on allergies, which SACN are taking into account in their on-going review of weaning age.

But the recommendations and guidance for WHO, UNICEF and the UK and several other countries remain the same for now.

I cant stand people who say, "well ten years ago it was ok, so there is no harm" "our ancestors figured it out without guidelines"

Yes. and our ancestors mostly died at the age of 50. Not so long ago cars didnt have seat belts...but studies and science has proven that they help prevent death so now the guide lines have changed.

How ignorant. of course guidelines change as more and more scientific based research is developed. Why on earth would you ignore the most current and up to date advice??