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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

health visitors recommending early weaning

20 replies

puffling · 01/08/2006 12:24

My little girl is just over 19 weeks and 18Lb. 2 health visitors have told me to start weaning her despite new guidelines recommending that you wait till 6 months. Their argument is that if she's weaned, she'll drink less milk and therefore not put on as much weight. I'd have thought solids would put more weight on. Does anyone have a similar experience? I really would like to delay it a little longer as ahe's not demanding more, she's on 31 oz a day and also with my partner having severe hayfever, I want to reduce her chances of having allergies.
Dawnx

OP posts:

VeniVidiVickiQV · 01/08/2006 12:28

You are doing fine. Ignore them, they are talking out of their....hats..... Stick with the original plan. In any case, IMO, the possible health benefits of delaying weaning outweigh the possible cons of an "overweight"? (cant think of a better word) baby.

Her weight will naturally start to balance out when she starts crawling etc in a few months. Milk should be the primary source of nutrition in the first year. Seems like you know your stuff anyway. Good for you

Kiskidee · 01/08/2006 12:31

if you are happy with your daughter and willing to wait to 6 months then do so. the hv is right that there is less calories in weaning foods than there is in milk - but why are they willing to risk long term health problems? is your baby Obese? didn't think so. Is her weight in proportion to her height? bloomin health visitors and their charts. Give them a hammer and they treat everything like a nail.

flack · 01/08/2006 12:33

I was told to start my son on solids at 17 weeks so that he would start gaining more weight (I did start solids, and he stayed skinny anyway).

Kiskidee · 01/08/2006 12:49

yeah, hv's go figure. they recommend weaning for gaining weight (wrong) and for not gaining weight so fast - still wrong if baby is too young.

youknowwhat · 01/08/2006 13:19

I have never ever heard anything like this before !!!! Starting solid to slow them putting on weight???
Your dd is just doing what nature intented for her. You can't overfeed a 19weeks old.
If I was you, I would not take any notice and do what seem to be right for you. Start weaning when you think SHE is ready for it. By the sound of it, Iam sure she will let you know.
Oh by the way, don't worry about you dd being too big. It's like worrying about being too small. If she is a happy baby then she is doing well, just as she should be doing.

LynnC · 01/08/2006 13:25

My HV told me to start weaning dd around 21 weeks but only because dd had been sleeping through night then started waking looking for more. But your dd doesnt sound like she is looking for more and quite content on what she already gets from her milk. I think you will know yourself when she is ready, stick to what you believe to be best for your own little girl.

YellowFeathers · 01/08/2006 13:28

Its very very common for babies to have a growth spurt around 4 months. Which is why alot of people start weaning I think.

That was why I did it. Thinking dd was ready when really it was just a spurt.

Sorry but I think those HV are talking from their bottoms.

FanjoFanjoWhosGotTheFanjo · 01/08/2006 13:31

I thought early weaning put babies at higher risk for adult obesity? At any rate, I really wouldn't worry about your daughter being heavy now. I think it's mad to worry about these things when they're tiny. You're right, the HV is wrong.

thekidsmum · 01/08/2006 21:21

Ask the hv for advice, get all the facts and make your own decision based on them. If you go with your own intuition you wont go far wrong.

Uwila · 01/08/2006 21:38

Your health vistors are dumb. Plain and simple. Of course milk is better -- especially if it is breast milk.

Dumb dumb health visitors. You are better off asking MN for advice.

And another thing, what exactly is wrong with being a fat baby????

Caligula · 01/08/2006 21:42

I would phone the local Health Authority and ask them why their fucking HV's talk out of their arses.

But I guess I'd probably be on the problem parent list.

Jesus, when are they going to start training those women?

Ignore them, ask the milkman if you want weaning advice - you're as likely to get informed up to date advice from him, as from the average effing HV. In fact, ask the postman too.

Lucky Mumsnet's here, eh?

hunkermunker · 01/08/2006 21:45

Is it any wonder HVs have such a bad reputation when so many of them are so dim?

Tandp · 26/10/2009 07:17

My daughter was 8 weeks premature, now doing absolutely fine and gaining good weight. Shes 18 weeks old and 11lb 3oz. 2 weeks ago she started taking areal interest in our food, not really wanting more volume of liquid.. statred on a tiny bit of mashed banana and since we have given her a small amount of puree with her formula feed at 5pm. HV says wait till 6months `- i dont think she;ll wait that long but really dont want to harm my baby. Any suggestions or mums who weaned slowly at around 16 weeks?

Longtalljosie · 26/10/2009 07:26

OP - by my calculation your daughter's on the 95th centile? Well - well done you. Where's the problem? Someone has to be. My daughter's on the 98th, and no-one's ever suggested that's anything other than a good thing.

onemoretimetoday · 26/10/2009 07:54

Breast fed babies should wait until 6 months to wean,formula fed babies can be weaned from between 4-6 months. Sounds like a rubbish reason to wean though and I wouldn't on those grounds but if she's not BF then the guidelines for 6 months are not set in stone. My paed is on the WHO working party for weaning guidelines so it comes from the horses mouth so to speak.

MunchMummy · 26/10/2009 08:01

I weaned my 2dd at 17 weeks. Yes, I know its very early, but she was a huge baby (about an inch off the chart) and honestly wanted the food. We started really slowly and don't feel back for doing so. Even the HV told us because of her size she wasn't going to last out until 6 months.
She's now almost 16 months, and she's now slimming out from the size 3-4yrs tops she was in at 9 months to 18-24 tops and 2-3 bottoms. I loved having her as a very chubby baby, theres nothing we could have done about her size, its the way she came out and wouldn't have her any other way.
So I'd say if you want to wean early just start really slowly and give baby rice etc. Theres no rush to get them onto their roast dinners

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 26/10/2009 08:02

I bf both of mine so not sure what truth there was in this but, I had a HV banging on at me from 4 months with ds to wean him.
I was very strong in my opionion not to least of all because ds just absolutely wasn't ready or in the least bit interested.

I spoke to another HV who I had always liked and respected the advice of about it and she did say as DS was bf it was a no brainer keep the exclusive bf up. She did however say that there is (a very rare I might add) arguement for weaning a ff baby a little earlier for some of the reasons the op stated her hv gave her. She did say it wasn't soemthing she had ever felt she had to recommend more than once or twice and as the calories in weaning are less etc etc then in (very few) but smoe cases it can be recommended.

MunchMummy · 26/10/2009 08:03

Just to add for Puffling - my little one weighed 2 stone at her 1st year review (fat little bugger). Almost 5 months later she still weighs 2 stone, amazing how crawling and walkikng are thinning her out.

pooexplosions · 26/10/2009 12:25

TandP I think you should seek advice from an expert. Your baby was 8 weeks prem, so corrected age is 10 weeks, and you have been feeding solids for 2 weeks already. All available data suggests this is far too ear;y for solid food. A full term baby is not ready for solids at 16 weeks, a prem baby even less so.

PartOfTheHumphreysGroup · 26/10/2009 12:37

The rest of the thread is 3 years old, but.. TandP - what on earth made you start with solids so early?! sounds incredibly dangerous and pointless.

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