Am I doing the wrong thing???

[bunnyrabbit]

I've read a lot of books which recommended starting to wean at 16 weeks. As baby bunny has reflux, the bigger his bottles get, the more there is to thow up, and I know that having something more solid in his tummy will make things better for him, so I started weaning him this week.

Having read several of the other threads out there, with people saying you should not start weaning until 6 months, I am now feeling guilty and thinking I should have left it.

He seems to like the baby rice and I'm only giving him a tiny bit once a day.

Should I stop???

BR

IMO you know your baby best and if he is enjoying a little bit of baby rice and he is keeping it down okay you are doing no harm whatsoever and should carry on. I weaned my ds at about the same time and he thrived from it, just try and keep the milk he would have had in his diet, baby rice is an excellent way..just take new flavours slowly.

I think the 6 months weaning thing was for exclusively breastfed babies and there was no evidence to prove the positive benefits applied to exclusively formula fed babies. Someone else may know this for certain.

Foiund this on the net:

Paediatric Group Position Statement on Breastfeeding and Weaning on to Solid Foods

Following WHO guidance, the Department of Health has issued astatement on breastfeeding (12/05/03):
?Breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for infants. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months (26 weeks) of life
as it provides all the nutrients a baby needs.?

? There are nutritional and developmental reasons why infants need solid foods from six months (DoH, 1994; Northstone et al 2001). Infants who are weaned at or near six months will need to be moved onto a mixed diet more quickly than those weaned earlier to ensure continued development of normal feeding behaviour and continued nutritional
adequacy.
? Many parents will choose to give solid foods before six months. They should be encouraged to view four months (17 weeks) as the earliest age at which solid foods can be introduced.
? Further research is needed into the best age at which solid foods should be introduced ? and into whether there are different needs for breast and bottle fed babies, as their oral experiences are very different.
? Whatever feeding decisions parents make (breastfeeding or bottle feeding; early or later weaning), they need to be supported and given appropriate advice to ensure that all infants are fed safe, nutritionally adequate diets.

When ds was this age, (just over 2 yrs ago)it was expected to start weaning at 16 wks. However, my friend has a 4 months old, and was told by her HV that 6 months was now the advised age. I think that there is not hard and fast rule. My ds was always really hungry, and was feeding every hour (breast fed), which was reallt tiring for me. After a month of weaning, the feeds got further spaced apart. I think that he was ready for something more solid in his diet. You know your own baby.

My hv's advised starting with "tastes" rather than full-on meals at 4 months, and this is what I did. DD now 6 months and has started eating larger and larger portions over the past 2 months in a very relaxed and casual way. I always gave milk first, with solids as a top-up immediately after, although am starting to give bigger solid lunch now, with breast for top-up and will do the same for other meals gradually.
IMO it's not very helpful to rely unswervingly on a baby's age by weeks in making this decision as each baby is different, and what suits one may not suit another.

Nothing more to add on the 'best' age to start weaning but just wanted to add my experience of reflux. Ds is now 9 months and still suffers badly with reflux. I too was keen for him to move onto solid food as the bigger his bottles got the more mess we had but just wanted to warn you that although there is less volume of sick now, he is still sick as often and in many ways it is worse as its baby food coloured (usually orange and so stains!) and as it is food and not just milk the smell is really bad. Not trying to be the voice of doom as I know how frustrating reflux can be but in my case I have yet to see a dramtic improvement.

BR just seen the 'dilemma' thread and read your comment about other mums reasurrung you that solids have woked for their babies with reflux and now feel really awful - really hope solids work for ds (just wanted you to be prepared in case it doesn't)

Hi Ames,
That's fine. I'd rather be prepared and appreciate you sharing your experience with me.

Susanna, this is exactly what I intend to do, introduce different veggies every 3 days to find out what he likes and get him used to different tastes so he's prepared for 'proper' weaning when he has 3 proper meals and I start replacing his milk feeds at 6 months.

As for orange stains, I have also heard that banana stains brown and have therefore decided that DS will eat cauliflower, potato, parsnips and (eventually) white fish and chicken. All other foods will be slowly introduced when he can do his own washing!!!!

BR