Should I introduce a little baby rice?

[mousebacon]

DS2 is 20 weeks and exclusively breastfed. I was fully intending to stick with just the breastmilk until 6 months but this week he is struggling to go more than about 2 and a half hours between feeds (he's always been a 3 hourly boy). He's a big boy at nearly 18lb and was wondering if this might be a sign he's ready for food?

Any advice much appreciated!

Posted too soon!

From all other aspects of child rearing from discipline, bfeeding, sleeping both where and how even how to transport baby we are prepared to look at and consider different opinions but on weaning we treat the WHO guidelines like the word of god

Considering less than 2% of babies in the UK are exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months I wouldn't say that people were taking the recommendation all that seriously!

Here is a good website ... I have been to few of the seminars and find them really helpful. www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

My view on weaning ( after extensive experience ) is its about experience of taste, texture , colour etc . Not just stuffing them full of food. Babies are more receptive to new tastes between 4 and 6 months old . Make your own purees. Gradually introduce new textures and tastes and don't mush everything together like the shop versions . As baby can cope (all are different ) introduce finger foods. So they see what an actual vegetable looks like. Small broccoli spears. Carrots etc etc . Oh and it's messy . Be prepared.

Nanny, why are babies open to new tastes and textures between 4-6 months!

Bf babies experience a variety of flavours regardless of weaning as bf contains this.

My dd had reflux and I introduced purees and baby rice from 4.5 months. It did settle her reflux down and make her more settled, despite what lots of people say. And I had full support from hv and gp. I carried on bfing her til 12 months and she is very healthy.

Infant and Toddler Forum website is owned by Danone - a big noise in the baby food industry. Some of their information may be helpful but they are hardly an unbiased source

Yes, weaning is indeed about new experiences of taste and texture. There is no evidence I am aware of that this has to be begin between 4 and 6 mths, and that the opportunity is reduced when it's 6 mths. If you have some info that shows this, then please share :)

I never get how introducing foods will help with a hungry baby. It's a spoonful (if it's not spat out) of pureed sweet potato, with a calorific value of, what, 10? How could that help a baby settle more than milk? They're not eating proper meals for aaaages.

I waited until 6 months and then gave my babies whatever I had to hand. I've never wasted money on baby rice, it just seemed so silly and a pretty obvious marketing ploy.

Your baby's probably having a teeny growth spurt. I think the 4 month window thing is an old wives tale isn't it? Not helped by annabel karmel banging on about it at every opportunity .

Guidelines say 'around 6 months'. I read something (maybe the BLW info) that said that in the 30s recommended weaning was at 8 months. My sister in law was weaned at 6 weeks (!). It does change all the time and most babies are pretty tough and cope with whatever, but I think there is some evidence that their digestive system isn't really ready before 6 months, which is what swayed it for me, because it was the only bit of actual evidence that I read, rather than just opinions.

Everyone I know except me and 2 other people weaned at 17 weeks. HVs are all over it around here. I'm not sure why.

Yes, infantandtoddlerforum is specifically directed towards persuading mothers to wean at 4 months. It's true of course that babies are more receptive to new tastes and textures between 4 and 6 months (because that's just about the first time you can get anything other than milk in their mouths!) - but what is implied thereby is that there is a dropoff in willingness to experiment after 6 months. Which would be an outright lie if they dared to say it, but of course they don't. They just imply it and leave you to infer that you really should wean before six months as otherwise you'll have a fussy toddler. For which there is no evidence whatever.

All this talk of windows and introducing textures at the right time just makes parents think that weaning is very complicated and that if they don't do it right then it can cause all kinds of problems.

Both are total poppycock, obviously, but it can make some parents panic and buy the jarred baby food with the right sized lumps and age ranges written on the label because they don't want to mess it up :(

Actually I think the most sensible advice would be around 4-6 months, as closets after 6 months as you can get give any a boiled floret of broccoli, a bit of squishy banana or a bowl of baby rice and let them have at it. If they are ready they will eat it, if they aren't they will chew it a bit then lob it at you.

Job done, baby food companies thwarted, mothers not at each other for weaning too early.

whatinthe although it is a massive money making thing there is a basis for rice I realised. My MIL suggested rice powder and banana, I was surprised she knew about baby rice as she is v traditional Bengali. Turns out she hadn't, in Bangladesh when baby is ready they grind the family rice into powder and feed mixed with milk and a banana to hold. True traditional non baby food company influenced weaning. They just nicked the idea, put it in a pretty box and quadrupled the price.

close to not closet after and baby not any.

Not so smart phone