WHEN TO USE BABY RICE?

[MollyMooMin]

I'm a bottlefeeder, and my 14 week old is on sma white. She goes every 6 hours & takes 8/9 oz. My friend has given me a pack of cow&gate breakfast rice.. Would you say it is too early to try her on a teaspoonful in the mornings? The sma white doesn't seem to fill her much now & I can't use the next milk up until she's 6 months.

they've recently changed the department of health advice from starting weaning from 4 months to 6 months (tho I think it's fair to say a lot of mums and some HVs would say to start before six months). I would just give her more than the 9 oz of milk - let her have as much as she wants, even if it's 13/14 oz, before looking at starting weaning.

I think the guidelines to start weaning are from 6 months but you can start from 4 months.

I started my dd on baby rice from 15 weeks which worked for us but and I found this did satisfy my dd.

If she is going every 6 hours that is really good. I would expect a really hungry baby to be having 8/9oz every 4 hours. It really does sound like she just needs milk more often rather than solids (which don't really fill babies up anyway.

14 weeks is incredible early to wean (and baby rice is like wallpaper paste). Its best to nearer 6 months until you wean.

MMM, the bottom line is this: 14 weeks is much too early to giive anything other than milk. There is research that shows the health risks of this, and the nutritional risks are equally real. Why do you say a baby who is going six hours between feeds is not being 'filled' with the milk??? The best thing for her health and nutrition is to increase the frequency with which you give her the bottles. Your health visitor will confirm this - unless she is way off beam (and some are!)

oh i didn't realise you meant that she feeds every 6 hours - thought that you meant she poo'd every 6 hours!!!!

Thanks everyone. Some good advice. Makes sense really to give her more, & more often. Will do that then.