Weaning at 4 months

[Georgia0808]

Hi everyone, on the advice of my baby’s doctors, health visitor and pediatrician it has been decided it’s best to start weaning him at 4 months and I was wondering if anyone has any tips, advice or anything with weaning this young, in the nicest way possible I don’t want anyone telling me I shouldn’t or I should wait as that’s not what I need. TIA

There's no medical reason to wean a baby this early so quite frankly, I don't believe for a second you've been advised to do this by "doctors" a HV AND a pediatrician.

Early weaning is unhealthy and can be dangerous. There's no medical condition which would make it a good idea.

Because let's be honest...if you had taken your baby to see all these health professionals and they HAD advised weaning then they would DEFINITELY have told you how to go about it. And you wouldn't be looking for "tips" on Mumsnet.

What medical reason? Mine wasn’t interested in food even at six months. She’s was more like 7 months when anything significant was going in. 4 months is very young. It won’t help them sleep better if that’s your motivation

OP literally posted a day ago asking about her baby not liking formula and saying the doctor and HV "weren't much help" So nobody has advised her to feed the baby solids. OP I understand you might be feeling desperate but solids can not only cause choking in babies this young but can also damage their stomach lining. Please don't feed the baby any solids. Ask to see a different HV or different doctor.

They can and will advise it for severe reflux, and also in the case of severe allergies in the family. And I wasn't given much help, just told to crack on. I didn't actually end up early weaning as my daughter's other health issues made it very difficult, but I can 100% promise you our consultant told me to do it.

OP at that age you're going to have to spoon-feed, and do purées. I would start with bitter veg like broccoli, potato, cabbage or kale, pureed (boil it for ages then blitz with a blender). Do that for a few weeks, see how you go. After 6 months really anything goes, that's when I'd start introduction of the top 8 allergens.

But OP hasn't said the baby HAS reflux and if the baby does have it and it was "severe" then surely the doctor would have told her what and how much to feed?

@FortunesFave

Because let's be honest...if you had taken your baby to see all these health professionals and they HAD advised weaning then they would DEFINITELY have told you how to go about it. And you wouldn't be looking for "tips" on Mumsnet.

Yep exactly what I was going to say.

I weaned DS early due to allergies, reflux and other issues and we had support from trained medical staff. I certainly didn't post a thead on MN and use advice from random strangers online. If a medical professional has advised early weaning, they won't be sending you on your way with a pat on the back and a simple good luck.

To be fair, there are whole generations of people who were weaned at 4 months and even earlier (I'm not saying I agree it's a good idea, just stating the obvious) and they don't all have serious digestive problems or damaged stomach linings.

OP, if your dr and health visitor etc have actually advised you start weaning, I suspect they will have told you what foods to start with. As it's not the norm nowadays. Contact the paediatrician or HV for advice specific to your baby.

Fwiw, I weaned mine at 5 months on vegetable purées...carrot, sweet potato etc, by 6 months he was happily eating chopped up spaghetti bolognaise and family meals, and he's been the easiest child to feed. I have some friends who waited strictly til 6 months, did exclusive Baby led weaning, and their kids now have multiple allergies and have never eaten a family meal as they don't like them.

I weaned my eldest DS from 4 months (DS2 from 7) and just started by giving apatamil baby rice mixed with expressed milk before a feed (for reflux). This helped him keep his feeds down and I did this for a month building up from once to twice a day. I then started introducing fruit and veg purees from 5 months. His main nutrition though remained from milk. I noticed you posted yesterday about your baby not liking formula. If that is why you are thinking of weaning you won't be able to replace the formula with food this early as babies just can't eat big enough volumes of food to get the nutrition they need as this age. I would probably suggest at first trying some different formulas. Not sure what professional advice you have had but I would suggest speaking with the health visitor again.

With a baby that young, I would ask for advice from the medical professionals that suggested it, rather than other parents.

Weaning at 4 months is no longer recommended for a reason, OP. For those saying they did it, guidance changes on all sorts of things in response to new evidence, so I would always follow the most up to date advice. Early weaning causes inflammatory issues in the gut and can lead to a host of digestive issues in later life, plus increases allergy risk. It sounds from your other thread that you’re struggling with formula OP, so I really feel for you, but giving him food is not the answer - your LO still needs all of his dietary needs to be met by milk and only milk at this age. Have you tried changing to a different formula?

The guidance was changed to adopt WHO guidelines which have to account for the variability of family life/ food availability/ resources etc globally. The predominant risk of early weaning is gastroenteritis which can be managed if you have access to equipment to properly sterilise utensils, bowls etc. I would be interested to see what evidence there is weaning from 4 months can cause inflammatory issues or increase allergies? From what I've read previously weaning prior to 17 weeks has these risks but not after. So long as you are offering appropriate foods, maintaining milk as the predominant food source there is no evidence to suggest weaning from 4 months is harmful, beyond the risk of gastroenteritis.

@FortunesFave do you get off on being rude to other people online? I have been advised for medical reasons and have also been given a schedule of how much and how often to feed him while often trying to get him to take bottles but I was just asking if anyone had any helpful tips, I wasn’t asking what to feed him was I? I said in the post I don’t want people telling me not to do it so what you’re saying is quite irrelevant, there a few medical reasons to wean at 4 months, just because you haven’t heard of something doesn’t mean it’s not true

@Notwithittoday my baby sleeps 10-12 hours every night so I definitely don’t need him sleeping any longer at night, I wake before him most mornings, wanting him to sleep isn’t a medical reason

Fortune was not being rude. Absolutely nothing about your post suggests you've had proper medical support with weaning your child early. If you have actually been adviced by medical professionals to wean early then you wouldn't need any tips or advice or be asking people not to tell you to not to wean.

If you've got professionals supporting you then use them. I'm genuinely wondering what help you think will be gained on MN that they won't be able to give you?

@FortunesFave not that it’s any of your business but I resorted to taking my baby to the hospital as he’s gone down to drinking we’ll under his needed amount of formula a day and throwing most of what he did drink up, he has been on gaviscon, omeprazole and lansoprazol and none worked as well as changing his formula multiple times which isn’t great for them. So yes I have been advised as I was there ages talking to different people and it was decided that was the best option for him. I’m beyond sick of the people on this app being rude ignorant people when all I’m asking for is if people have advice. You’d think mums would want to help each other but clearlypst of you of you are just judgemental and spiteful and think you’re all perfect parents.

@ReggaetonLente thank you for actually giving some advice, I’m sorry you didn’t get much help, luckily they’ve given me quite a lot of support in what to feed him and try! My baby is also being weaned for what they think is severe reflux which is making him not drink and throw up what he does. I’m stressed about having to do it early as I know it can cause problems and just wanted any advice and people have decided to attack me instead

Less than 2 weeks ago. What’s changed, OP?

@PinkWaferBiscuit all I’m asking is if people have any advice, If you don’t have any then move on from my post because I don’t need everyone’s attitude and accusing me of lying. I can’t constantly contact professionals every time I have a question as they’re busy. I wanted to know how anyone else’s babys are that were weaned early and if there’s any tips or recommendations they have in regards of weaning products, what foods their baby’s enjoyed best or any other advice someone who’s already done it has had, there’s a lot of advice I’ve got from other parents that has helped me that doctors don’t think of because they aren’t the parent

[quote Georgia0808]@ReggaetonLente thank you for actually giving some advice, I’m sorry you didn’t get much help, luckily they’ve given me quite a lot of support in what to feed him and try! My baby is also being weaned for what they think is severe reflux which is making him not drink and throw up what he does. I’m stressed about having to do it early as I know it can cause problems and just wanted any advice and people have decided to attack me instead[/quote]
Strange. He didn’t have any reflux/issues throwing up a fortnight ago……….

So in the 8 working days since you posted that your baby has developed, and been seen and diagnosed with “severe reflux“? Where do you live? It takes me upwards of 6 weeks to get an appt with a GP, never mind consultants……..

@DicklessWonder if you read what I’ve posted I had to take my child to the hospital. Everyone on here has such bad attitude and is so quick to accuse people of being liars and I’m sick of it. I thought I’d get some helpful advice not know it alls telling me they think they know what’s best for my child.

@DicklessWonder I’m sorry how the hell do you know when my child got reflux?? My child has had reflux since 6 weeks old. I’d love to know how you think you know anything about my baby from a post I posted, his reflux has gone from normal to severe and I don’t know what crap area you live in but when it’s for a baby it takes 1-2 days to get an appointment for them to be seen where I am. I have seen the doctor 5 times in 2 weeks to try to get this sorted before taking him to a hospital where they finally took action. It’s people like you who need to get off your high horse cause I can bet you’re not a perfect parent and attacking others isn’t necessary.

My child has had reflux since 6 weeks old.

How can he had reflux since he was 6 weeks old but yet when you posted a few weeks ago he didn't have reflux at all?

Look if you want support from those who have weaned early there's honestly nothing we can tell you that the medical team can't or won't know. Follow their advice as they are the professionals who cam actually see and assess your child, not the advice from people on an anonymous online forum.

“I don’t think he has reflux as he has no signs of it.”

Your words. 2 weeks ago.

Now he’s tried multiple drugs for reflux?

I started DS at 5 months, started with just fruit or veg purees, very messy haha but had no issues whatsoever.