Talk to me about EBF a big baby and early weaning

[StepfordWeeble]

I am exclusively BF my 12 week old DS and have been very fortunate not to have had any difficulty feeding him. In fact, it has been lovely .

DS was 8lb 1oz when he was born but soon became a 95th percentile whopper and at 12 weeks is 16lb 5oz. A friend who is a GP has suggested that I might think about weaning him early because she thinks he will get hungry. I responded that I don't feel like he's hungry or that he's not getting enough, but I've since realised that his feeding interval isn't really getting bigger - in fact, he might not be going as long between feeds as he was a few weeks ago.

I've been putting this down to all sorts of things: about a month ago he had a terrible cold, so I thought that explained a period of hungriness. Then he had his 8 week jab, various trips away from home which I thought might unsettle his "routine" (not that we really have one), then his eczema has been playing up - particularly at night, so I've fed to comfort him, then 12 week jabs and, now, theoretically, the 3 month growth spurt. But what if he is just hungry?

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy to carry on feeding on demand for the moment, but wondered what the experience is of those who have had big, hungry babies? Do they eat more and more often, or is that just a habit my DS has developed? If you decided to wean early, how did you make the decision and how did it go?

Hilariously, he did try to steal my creme egg the other day...

Well, I'd warm then mash the creme egg .

Seriously, frequency of feeding seems to have nothing to do with size based on my sample of friends. I know big babies who fed frequently, and ones who went four hours wthin a few months. I know small babies who've fed every two hours to eight months....

Just to add my tuppence worth. DS was a big baby at birth 10lbs+, has been 98th percentile ever since and last week has eveb gone above it. At 12 weeks he got a cough, needed to feed more often but started to shorten his feeds to 5mins from 20mins both boobs. I put this down to teething (and maybe a bit of comfort feeding in the night) and thought it would pass but 4 weeks later he was feeding for less than 5mins on just one boob and needed feeding every 2hours day and night. Got him checked out by doc and HV, but nothing physically wrong. He's always been an advanced baby - interested in food, sucking his fist, could sit up for a few mins unsupported by 12 weeks. Apart from being permanently exhausted, I was getting really worried he wasn't getting enough milk (as I was so knackered) and he wouldn't take a bottle of ebm or formula so I started mixing up milk with baby rice and feeding it to him at 17 weeks. Three weeks later, he is getting 5 breastfeeds a day and 3 solids - just rice, fruit and veg purees. There is a lot of work involved in prepping and serving his solids so it isn't an easy option! However he now doesn't need feeding every 2hrs day and night - just during the day! So far no ill effects, I think it really depends on each baby and on you. I'm definitely staying off gluten, dairy, meat until week 26 though.