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

3 months is far too early. 6 months recommended. She needs to keep on the milk.

What do.ypu mean by thickened milk?

I'd go back to the GP and ask for omeprazole and query CMPA with them. My DD has just started weaning at 18 weeks with advice from the dietician due to CMPA and reflux. She was dropping bottles so dietician suggested trying food. We've been going three days and she's not vomitted since.

Yes was 3 months when my eldest was a baby, she used to eat whatever we had, I used to blend it down for her

Obviously I know she needs milk I know milk will her main source of food for the foreseeable. I’m not asking about fully switching her to solids I just meant like baby rice etc. her anti reflux milk is thick milk to help keep the milk down

Have you tried the gaviscon now she's on the anti-reflux milk?

(You can mix with water and give on a teaspoon)

@May2000

Baby rice has no nutritional value at all.

Stick to milk until 6 months, then give proper weaning a go.

She doesn't need baby rice her internal organs are not ready for food. Wait until 6 months.

Why are you all so grouchy and being rude to this lady? She’s going based off of what a health professional has said due to the severe reflux.. which i myself have seen countless times on Google. Offer your advice kindly or don’t bother. X

My sister had projectile reflux and my mum was advised to wean early after she had been admitted for refeeding at 10 weeks as she was less than 1lb heavier than her birth weight. This was the 80s when normal weaning was 16 weeks so I expect it was around 12 weeks. My mum describes it as traumatic and vowed never to do it again. My sister continued to projectile vomit until the age of 2. I have a strong suspicion she had a cmpa and she sound a lot like my daughter who also has cmpa.

My daughter feeds like crazy and screams like she has never been fed when her reflux is out of control the way to help it is to feed her less and stick to a normal amount and no more and get her omperazole and domperidone doses reviewed

Exactly! This is what I’ve been trying to say. I thought this place was to ask questions and not be judged just because I don’t have the experience they do, every baby is different just because they didn’t wean their baby at young age doesn’t mean they know what’s best for my baby who suffers from severe reflux and we have tried numerous things to try and help it or even reduce the sickness. Some people think they know it all x

Thats the minimum recommendation from The WHO. I weaned early at around 20 weeks with my second. Just tastes until 24 weeks and then one meal per day. Baby was more than ready. Each baby develops differently. But I would say 14 weeks is far too early

Baby needs to be able to sit unsupported
Not have a tongue thurst reflex - where they push food out of their mouth
Hold head steady and upright
Swallow food
Hand eye coordination and can bring food/toys etc to their mouths

Alot of Americans wean from 17 weeks once given the go ahead from their pediatrician. The NHS is still on the 6 months recommended weaning age. HV And midwives I've spoken to have said they are waiting for it to be changed to from 17 weeks. It's apparently been discussed many times but no changes made yet.

Do your research. Weaning baby before they are ready is not good for their digestive system and may cause other issues.

Thanks but If you research too babies with severe reflux could be advised by professionals to try early weaning

Mine had severe reflux. Still hasn't fully settled and baby is nearly a year old.

I would pay to see a pediatrician privately. Actually, get a professional opinion. We're just Internet randoms with our own experiences. I wouldn't rely on any of the advice posted here.

Early weaning is usually from 17 weeks.

Thank you I’m just a mum in need. I get people are trying to help but there’s absolutely no need for me being called a ‘bad’ mum’ and it being ‘neglectful’ if I was to wean baby

My daughter has severe reflux weaning did nothing. She's fully weaned and nearly 4 and still has severe reflux.

Medication should be tried. My daughter needs high dose omperazole, gaviscon and domperidone to manage it. What treatments have they been having for the reflux. Very early weaning was how they tackled reflux back in the day and my HV was just saying the other day how awful this approach was to mums and babies and how much better it is to treat the reflux medically. I'm having counselling with my HV because of the toll of managing my daughters reflux has on my wellbeing

I 100% get what you are saying but please believe me I wouldn’t come on here just asking stupid questions if I haven’t tried other things first. I have been fighting the GP to actually acknowledge she has reflux I was just being told I was feeding her too much and they wouldn’t prescribe me anything until I tried cutting her feeds down for at least 4 weeks. We then tried gaviscon which didn’t help what so ever. We now are on anti reflux milk and it seems to be the only thing making a difference. my HV suggested just trying her on a few little spoons of food every so often as even she seen how bad she was and how much I couldn’t deal with the endless sleepless night worried she was going to choke.
not only that but my little one has always been way ahead of what most babies I know can do. She can sit up. She’s always been able to hold her head up since 2 days old. She’s a lot more advanced. I know that doesn’t mean she’s 100% ready for weaning but like I have said numerous times I’m just following advice I was given from HV and GP

Maybe because there is zero mention of reflux, GP appointments and gaviscon prescriptions in her OP?

My daughter held her head up at 2 days too. That didn't mean she was ready to wean at 3 months. She actually didn't wean until 13 months because she flat out refused to eat. She didn't eat until her reflux was under control as eating caused pain.
I do understand the desperation in a previous post I spoke about my sister who was weaned at 12ish weeks due to reflux as she wasn't keeping down any milk. Weaning did not improve her reflux either she just threw up all the food as well as all the milk.

Rather than pushing weaning I would absolutely be pushing the GP for adequate reflux treatment. Thickening liquids is fine for mild to moderate reflux but severe reflux needs omperazole and possibly domperidone and looking at dairy free formulas too. Weaning and introducing more of a potential allergens is unlikely to improve the reflux and it is more likely to make things worse.

Reducing the volume of feeds makes a huge difference to reflux. In one relapse my daughter went from 5-8oz overnight to 25oz overnight and absolutely desperate for more. We literally couldn't fill her but she was screaming for me. The problem was each bottle of formula was causing her more and more pain and but drinking provided some respite so she kept demanding more but it was causing her to be so much worse. She didn't sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time all night and slept on my face. We realised what was happening were very strict with only offering 5oz twice a night and within a few days the screaming calmed down and she was sleeping for 90minutes at a time. We reintroduced domperidone and she went to 2oz twice a night and sleeping for 3-4h. They aren't suggesting reducing feed volumes to be cruel it is a well known reflux treatment plan that does make a difference to a lot of babies alongside medication. I would try a different GP to be honest because there is very patchy knowledge and experience. I had a GP who told me for months that reflux was just a washing problem. I ended up in a psychiatric hospital due to the toll my daughters reflux had on my mental health

I wasn’t justifying her being ready to wean because she held her head up I was just trying to say that every baby develops differently.

I have took on board what everyone is saying to me and I am in the process of changing GP

Good luck! It was 17 weeks before we got anywhere with my daughter's reflux and allergies due to an unhelpful GP. We were fortunate that she was sent to paeds for something else and they reviewed her reflux treatment as well and corrected incorrect advice from our GP.

I see such poor GP responses to reflux all the time and that was the only reason I was more insistent. I hope your little one gets some reprieve soon. Best of luck x