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Children's health

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Original poster

Food at 4months…

28 replies

TheOtherAlice · 07/10/2015 17:56

So my baba is over 4 months old now, my HV says start BLW at 6 months. I ask everybody I meet when they weaned their baba I have never heard of a person who's waited until 6months
Also NO MUSH!?!

I spoke to a trusted family doctor about it and she said she's never heard of people waiting until 6months either and she weaned hers at 4months. I'm confused I obviously want to do well for my baba but don't know what advice to follow. When did you wean?

Also… there is NO information on feeding before 6months. So any info on what to do and what to avoid would be great! They don't give you any info about stuff they disagree with like bottle feeding had no idea what to do when I gave up attempting to breastfeed but I guess that's the NHS for you.

Anyway feeding my baba… help!!

OP posts:

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longdiling · 07/10/2015 18:01

That's odd. I know lots of people who waited until 6 months. Is your baby showing any signs of needing food? Can they sit up? Have they lost the tongue thrust? Baby led weaning is a good idea because if a baby can hold food, get it in their mouth and chew it enough to swallow some then it's a pretty good sign they're ready. You can shovel mush into babies from a very young age but it doesn't mean they should have it.

Original poster

TheOtherAlice · 07/10/2015 19:12

I've asked so many my family, partners family, people at playgroup.

Don't know if he's ready yet seems happy enough at the moment. Just like to be organised. He sits up and is always stuffing and munching anything and everything into his mouth. How do you tell about the tongue thrust thing?
Just like to be in the know, just want to do what's best, HV is very much you must stick to the guidelines about everything kind of person.

OP posts:

Fluffy24 · 07/10/2015 19:15

The guidelines in the UK are to wait until 6 months (though don't specifically advocate blw).

Why would you start early?

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 07/10/2015 19:16

I didn't wean until 6 months.

Do you think there will be any need to wean your baby at 4 months?

2ndSopranosRule · 07/10/2015 19:32

The advice is 6 months. It hasn't always been and there's a very good chance your GP and family members weaned at 4 months as per previous advice. Surprised at the GP but there you go.

Your hv is providing you with current advice.

I weaned both mine at 6 months as did many of my friends.

PitBlackwell · 07/10/2015 19:35

I waited well past 6 months, nearly to 7 and could have waited longer. Sometimes, the 'signs' are just normal exploration.

Bishboshbash · 07/10/2015 19:38

I waited until 7or 8 months. There is no rush! Plus remember food is fun until 1. They don't need to eat 3 square meals a day, milk is still their main food source until they are 1 (roughly!) so just let him explore and enjoy the food.

LucozadeBreath · 07/10/2015 19:41

I weaned at about 4 and half months on the advice of a paediatric consultant, my gp and HV - I wouldn't have done it without the advice of health professionals purely because the guidelines are there for a reason. But then again, you always do what you feel is right for your baby! I struggled to find anything to read about weaning before 6 months too, but from what little I could find, I learned that there is a long list of foods you shouldn't give to a baby before 6 months (any type of meat or fish, eggs, dairy products, soya products, gluten), and you should never ever try weaning before 17 weeks because the change in the digestive system that allows proper digestion of solids will not have taken place before that time. It happens at some point between 4 and six months, but there is no way of knowing if your baby's digestive system is ready...so the longer you leave it, the more likely baby's tummy will be able to handle solids

Eminybob · 07/10/2015 19:44

Everyone I know has waited until pretty much 6 months.

My advice is don't be in a rush. Weaning is a messy pain in the arse, why would you want to give yourself more work? Delay it for as long as possible!

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 07/10/2015 19:52

I've weaned all three of mine between five and six months (DD1 was six months. DS started stuff if other people's food down not long after 5 by stealing from their plates or hands!)

Really no good reason to hurry without specific medical advice.

blibblobblub · 07/10/2015 19:55

Why do you want to wean now?

My DD is 4.5 months and she shoves everything in her mouth, has done for probably the past month, but it doesn't mean she's ready for food. She can hold her head up but I don't know that she'd be able to sit in a highchair. Can your baby?

HaloEveSteve · 07/10/2015 19:58

My dd was between 7 and 8 months before we started solids. She's a baby though, maybe Baba's are different?

CultureSucksDownWords · 07/10/2015 20:12

I guess it depends on the demographic of who you know! Nearly everyone I know with a recent baby weaned at around 6 months. I weaned DS at just shy of 6 months, as he could sit very well, pick things up and bring things to his mouth, and as he was nearly 6 months he had lost the tongue thrust reflex. Did BLW too, so no mush.

JoeMommuh · 07/10/2015 20:14

This seems like such an odd thread. All the studies show the benefits of waiting until 6m.

A 4m old having food is absolutely ridiculous. They're floppy little newborns.

Just wait until 6m... Why wouldn't you?

CultureSucksDownWords · 07/10/2015 20:22

I'm amazed that a currently practising GP hasn't heard of weaning at around 6 months, tbh. Has this GP been retired a while or something?

Madratlady · 07/10/2015 20:29

Nobody I know started weaning before 6 months. It's not necessary and quite honestly it's just extra hassle when they're better having milk. Some have done blw, others have done the traditional purees, do whatever suits you. The advice is to only give fruit and veg before 6 months anyway which is much less filling than milk, and milk has all the nutrition they need anyway.

IamChipmunk · 07/10/2015 20:43

I have only ever seen advice to wean at 6 months. Not sure why you would bother before that? It's a hassle!

We also did blw. I only know one other person who did blw but I have had a few people say they wish they had, and not bothered with mush!
My ds didnt really 'eat' much until about 8 months, although loads went in his mouth!

I'd recommend a book on blw. The principles and ideas made a lot of sense to me and I think it really suited my ds

RattleAndRoll · 07/10/2015 21:01

Weaning is awful. It's messy. It takes up time. Wait for as long as you can!

AfroPuffs · 07/10/2015 21:02

The advice is not before 6mths as babies need their digestive systems to develop and strengthen (something like that anyway). Nobody sensible that i know ever weaned before 6mths...why do people always want to rush? The mind boggles.

blibblobblub · 07/10/2015 21:16

Afro I had to stop following someone on Instagram recently because she posted that she'd put rusks in her 10 week old's milk. She'd also dipped his dummy in jam to try and settle him down

I also know someone who gave rusks at 3 months...

And I just look at my DD, dribbling everywhere, trying to snatch things from me to shove in her mouth, and I know I probably could get a bit of mashed banana or something down her, but what would be the point? My milk has more calories for her, it's easier, no hassle, very little mess.

People do strange things for sure.

Iwanttobeadog · 07/10/2015 21:28

Weaning is a pain in the arse, I can't imagine why anyone would rush into it

eurochick · 07/10/2015 21:33

Everyone I know bar one person waited until 6 months or very close to that. Why rush? As others have said it is time consuming and messy!

I have some idea of what feeding a four month old might be like as my daughter who was 6 weeks prem was weaned at six months (so four and a half months corrected), on the advice of her paediatric consultant. It was hard going. She still had the tongue thrust reflex, had very little interest in food, didn't have the coordination to blw and vommed up most of what we gave her. Not fun!

Thelushinthepub · 07/10/2015 21:38

I'm quite gobsmacked at a GP who hasn't head of the 6 month weaning guideline. It's been in place about 15 years

Original poster

TheOtherAlice · 07/10/2015 21:48

Thanks
I just want to do the best for my little man, to be fair I don't know many new mums and the guidelines have changed since I had my first, but unfortunately we never made it to real food with him, so I'm lost at what to do. My mum had three babies and it went from 4m to 6m and back to 4m for weaning. I start to question what's best with people telling you what to do. Also the GP was talking to as a friend not a GP.

OP posts:

CultureSucksDownWords · 07/10/2015 22:19

I would take the current advice from the people who are currently advising you on weaning ie the HV.

Even if the GP was speaking as a friend, they should still be aware of guidelines that have been in place for well over 10 years.

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