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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

OK ... so did you REALLY get to 6 months without solids??

136 replies

Ghosty · 26/05/2004 14:22

Just a little survey really ...
DD is coming up to 4 months old now and I would be very rich if I had a $ for every person who has said to me in the last week, "You'll be thinking about solids soon then?"
I have not spoken to one person in real life who has made it to 6 months of exclusive milk (breast or bottle) ... In fact most people I know started solids between 3 and 4 months (me included with DS 4 years ago) ...
I am not in any rush to wean DD yet but I wanted to know ...
When did Mumsnetters introduce solids to their babies?

I'll start -
DS ... 13.5 weeks (shock, horror, gasp!!)
DD ... nothing yet ... she will be 16 weeks on Tuesday ...

OP posts:
Original poster
Ghosty · 26/05/2004 14:24

PS ... not really wanting a debate about it though ... I think we all know what WHO recommend ... just want to know what you all REALLY did ...

OP posts:
Twinkie · 26/05/2004 14:26

DD 18 weeks - she just didn;t take to them for the first 2 and then only ate egg custard or rice pudding for 3 weeks!!

toddlerbob · 26/05/2004 14:28

You know I am real Ghosty, and Bob and I made it to six months, and then we only did a week to placate my mother and then went back to exclusive bf for another month.

IMO it's just something to say, like in another month it will be "is she sitting yet?" and then "is she crawling?" at six months, and "is she walking?" at nine months. I never ask these questions (so people probably think I'm not interested.)

emmatmg · 26/05/2004 14:29

All 3 of ours were bottle fed so slightly differnet anyway but

DS1......beat you on this one ghosty........wait for it........11 weeks! and I'm sure I created a fussy eater because of it.
DS2- a few days under 16 weeks
DS3- exactly the same as DS2.

Northerner · 26/05/2004 14:29

DS baby rice at 16 weeks.

Off to bad mothers club.

tamum · 26/05/2004 14:30

Oh go on then (gulp)

DS 16 weeks (9 years ago, as recommended by HV and books)
DD 14 weeks (I know, I know). She was exhibiting every sign imaginable that they told you to look out for, was starting to look like a shot-putter, and the HV strongly recommended that I start. In fact it took about another 2 or 3 weeks before she stopped the pushing food out with her tongue reflex, so I might as well have waited.

In my defence, neither of them ever really had formula and apart from ds having asthma they are both very healthy!

gloworm · 26/05/2004 14:31

ds...16 weeks(4 months exactly)

dd...14 weeks but she was a whopper 10lb 1oz baby when born and had a huge appetite and at 14 weeks was still hungry even when belly was bursting with milk!

having said all that I congratulate all those who were able to hold out longer

my hv said she had one mother who introduced solids at 8 weeks!!!

kalex · 26/05/2004 14:32

DD - wait for it -- 10 weeks - and she stills anything at all
DS - 17 weeks

coddycodcod · 26/05/2004 14:32

nah!

gloworm · 26/05/2004 14:34

toddlerbob, agree with you on the whole "asking age-appropriate questions"...must admit I do it, we own a shop and its an easy way to get customers talking!

Original poster
Ghosty · 26/05/2004 14:35

gloworm ... my mum says she had us all on baby rice at 6 weeks ... can you imagine doing that these days????
Yep ... I know you are real toddlerbob ... you did really well holding out with Bob ...

OP posts:
coddycodcod · 26/05/2004 14:38

I was on boiled egg apparently at about a week!

gloworm · 26/05/2004 14:38

I know of a few people who say they are not on solids yet but...wait for it...have been adding a bit of baby rice to their bottle for ages!!!!
"just to thicken it up a bit so they sleep better"

elliott · 26/05/2004 14:40

ds1 - 16 weeks (and one day). Got spooked by sudden drop off in weight gain. Took to it immediately and it made a huge difference to his general contentedness and his night sleep.

ds2 - 20 weeks and 5 days. He was a much more contented baby and fed much less frequently. My strategy with him was always - get to 4 months, then start when he seems ready. I never aimed to get to 6 months. Basically he upped his feeding frequency for several weeks before I started solids - crunch point came when he started waking 3 times in the night, I just didn't want to put up with that especially with starting back at work. He's also taken to it very well and is eating a small mountain in addition to 5 or 6 breastfeeds. He's also sleeping through from 7-7 now.

My own view is that you probably have to be very committed to get to 6 months on exclusive bf - and be prepared to put up with frequent night feeds (please do correct me if anyone has had a different experience!) - I decided after looking at the evidence that the benefit/cost ratio wasn't favourable!

Soapbox · 26/05/2004 14:45

12 weeks for both DD and DS, both big babies though (9lb 8 ozs). They still eat extremely well both in terms of quantity and variety.

aloha · 26/05/2004 14:50

With ds 15 weeks. Caved in under pressure from MIL who promised me it would make my non-sleeping son sleep. It didn't.

My friend exclusively b/f her son (HUGE!!!) for six months. She has a strong family history of allergies and was very motivated.

Coddylicious · 26/05/2004 14:50

I dont see why its such a hoo ha

People do far worse to their kids!

musica · 26/05/2004 14:52

Ds was 4 months exactly on breast and bottle milk (supplemented b/feeding with formula). Dd was a week off being 6 months, but was 2 weeks late being born, which I have heard can make a difference. She was exclusively breast fed.

charliecat · 26/05/2004 14:53

I didnt with dd1 she didnt ever like food anyway but she tasted bits and bobs from about 4 months onwards. I did get to 6 months with dd2 though, exclusively breatfed too. The reason being weaning had been so much of a disaster with dd1 that i thought id hold out as long as possible!

roisin · 26/05/2004 14:57

Mine both excl bf til 20 wks. (Everyone I knew started much earlier than that).

With hindsight I think ds2 should have gone longer on just bf, but I should have given ds1 solids a couple of wks earlier. (Very big and very greedy; also very cranky, VERY frequent very messy nappies, and VERY sicky - all of which settled down when we started solids )

gothicmama · 26/05/2004 15:06

I started baby rice when dd started to be hungrey after bf about 17wks but only this until about 20wks Just go with your instinct I think if you also continue to Bf benefits are there still an davoid potential allergic food an dintroduce things one at a time

papillon · 26/05/2004 15:09

dd will be 7 months on the 29th and she really does not want to eat.. so apart from a few attempts with her mostly pursing her mouth closed and sucking on afew dried mango sticks she is still exclusively bf

my midwife has books from the 1930´s/40´s that recommend not starting solids until 7 - 8 months!!

KateandtheGirls · 26/05/2004 15:09

5 months for mine.

CountessDracula · 26/05/2004 15:10

dd was about 4.5 months - she took to it like a duck to water.

Piffleoffagus · 26/05/2004 15:14

ds1 6.5 months and then he resisted most foods except cereal til 9 mths. He was size of a small house either way!

dd 6-7 months, she threw up everything at 6 mths so tried again at 7 mths and she has eaten everything offered since then!

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