Is 3 months too early to wean?

[May2000]

My baby girl is 3 months old and is having 6-9 oz every 2/3 hours ( having a 6oz then wanting more so she has another 3oz) she was taking 5oz every 2/3 hours HV said it’s normal as she was a bit small at birth and she might be ready to wean early.

I tried her with a little bit of banana porridge the other day and she loved it and was demanding more when I took it away as I was too scared that she was too young. Has anyone else’s baby been ready before 4 months if so what do you start them off with? Thank you x

I haven’t read the full thread but I know from experience that reflux babies can easily take in too much milk which they will then vomit up. A viscous cycle can develop as baby cries, baby gets milk, baby cries again because they are struggling with reflux and baby gets more milk which makes reflux worse.
Reflux isn’t always CMPA. Early weaning can help with reflux but it probably depends on the root cause of it.
We tried all sorts of things here and they just eventually outgrew it.

No they genuinely never suggested it or I would of put up a fight when they told me she had reflux. I wouldn’t do anything to harm my baby if GP and HV told me I shouldn’t do it. I now understand that I shouldn’t just take one GP’s word for it

This book is really helpful, written by the woman who coined the term baby led weaning. Lots of data & research from a number of studies. Much more helpful than back & fore with strangers on the internet.

amzn.eu/d/1dLdRnV

When my son (who is now 21) was a baby I was told to introduce solid food at four months - so I did. When my daughter (now 19) was a baby I was told not to introduce solid food until 6 months, so I waited - it was quite a big deal for me at the time as she was a big, hungry baby and exclusively breastfed. I just wanted to do my best by them and followed the advice I was given. My son has now got gluten intolerance whereas my daughter is not affected by anything like that, but I don’t know if this is related.

I think this is what my HV was trying to say. Although it might not 100% help with her reflux but at least she would be keeping food down and gaining weight yes it might not be right but it’s just what I was told and from what I can gather from the whole of mumsnet all HV advise people differently

No matter when thjs was, your 3 month old baby shouldn't & couldn't have been eating 'everything'.

When weaning was recommended earlier, most babies had largely milk-based baby cereal / porridge. Pretty dire stuff, not like real food at all.

Now that we wean later, and babies' digestive systems are more developed, in a short space of time they can be eating suitably modified meals that are the same as the rest of the family & much better nutritionally.

Paediatric nurse here - a baby should be 6 months old when starting solids - this is EVIDENCE BASED advice. The only time you might be advised to wean a baby earlier is if he/she suffers from severe reflux and that advice should be only be given by a doctor.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/

Thank you as I stated numerous times my baby suffers from bad reflux and has ever since she was 1/2 weeks old x

Always used to be 3 months. Didn't harm me or my siblings or any of mine!

Please don't do something absolutely insane and feed her a bag of Wotsits like I have seen some do.

Never! I may of done wrong by giving her baby porridge but I’d never give her that x

@ilovepixie "Always used to be 3 months. Didn't harm me or my siblings or any of mine!"

When?

But that's daft.

When I was a baby, it was still advised to put a baby to sleep on their front, as I and all my siblings were. Clearly it didn't cause us any harm, but that doesn't mean we can ignore the evidence that babies should always be put on their backs to sleep.

Guidance & advice, based on continued research, move on. It's absolutely been 6 months for weaving for 20 years minimum now, so that's a long time for it to be established.

Actually @EarringsandLipstick sleeping on the tummy was supposed to be evidence based but was excruciatingly poor advice. Women of my mother's age, 87 now, tutted and told younger women not to do it. Because you know, the NHS does come out with claptrap. Marge anyone? And there are countless others supposedly based on research.

It sounds like you've already made a decision so not entirely sure why you've come on here for advice. It's recommended at 6 months for a reason. Babies have an immature gut and weaning too early can cause real problems down the line. Just because she seems hungry or has a tooth already does not mean you won't cause her issues and I think you should listen to what people are saying on here. It's not just plucked out the sky. How are you expecting to feed a baby that can't sit up anyway?

I’m an oldie on here and back in the day it was normal to mash a Farleys Rusk the moment they hit 4 months but even I wouldn’t wean a three month old.

Hmm. I'm not sure. My grandmother / grand aunts offered no such advice. And my own mother is now mid-70s, so having DC in the 70s & 80s, and it was accepted as the correct methodology.

Of course, at the time, it was based on the research or belief as best practice, at the time.

That's what happens. Further research informs better practices, including the 20-year old advice to wean at 6 months.

Because you know, the NHS does come out with claptrap

And incidentally, what does this mean?

I really doubt it. (I'm in Ireland). I can believe that they gave advice which subsequently changed, but I doubt it was claptrap at the time.

Too young. I have a 4 month old and we are definitely waiting until 6 months. She drinks a lot of milk too similar to the amounts you have said.

Health visitor told me 6 months.

My understanding for the change from 3/4 months to 6 months I thought was to do with additional research coming out about babies’ stomach structure.

Which current NHS guidelines are clap trap.
Which past NHS guidelines were not evidence based? Research and therefore the evidence base moves on. Guidelines are often the best evidence available at the time. Describing them as claptrap is disingenuous and misleading

Sorry I’m not sure if this has been said but are you sure she doesn’t have silent reflux? One of mine did and fed 24/7 because the milk as she was drinking it was the only thing that soothed the acid burn.

I weaned both at 6 months, DD2 especially has always been on the smaller percentile and whilst she could roll and move early, she was far more wobbly sitting up so I wasn’t comfortable she was ready until 6 months!

and fwiw DD1 had 3 teeth by almost 4 months and I still didn’t start weaning her as that’s not a sign they’re ready! Did hurt my boobs though when she was feeding!!

edited again because I’ve just seen she does have reflux! That may well be why she’s feeding so much IMO and weaning won’t help with that sadly

Just over 5 months for us each time. Would never have considered 3 months

Saturated fats
BMI
Tavistock Clinic
Front sleeping
Lying flat for six weeks with a bad back
Smoking, yes smoking for bad chests
Staying in bed and resting after childbirth for two weeks
Covid guidelines - 2 metres, masks, closing schools, letting the dead die alone
The breastfeeding mantra in the first world at the expense of the well being of the mother when it isn't working
Not grometting, rather allowing infants to suffer pain and glue ear to their detriment
That babies feel no pain and don't need anaesthesia
That women don't suffer excruciating period pain

I am sure there are many many more

Dd was 16 weeks when I was told to wean her but that was by her paediatrician.

I'm in the UK.

Rusk in a bottle for me at 3 months, as I was a big baby. Rarely been ill or overweight my whole life. My teeth aren't great though.

Ddad and aunties and uncles, all in their 70s and 80s. Fed on condensed milk. It's amazing their arteries didn't completely clog.

Ds: ebf until bang on 6 months. Fed all the bastard time. Hv suggested weaning at 4 months, but that wasn't the nhs advice in 2009. Rarely ill or overweight. Teenager now.

Conclusion: I might be lucky and come from a healthy family, but I'm still going to follow current guidance.