weaning before 6 months old

[scrummymummy13]

My baby is just 4 months old (first baby). The health visitor was quiet firm about not weaning until 6 months old for various reasons. She is also promoting a concept that I had not heard of 'Baby Led Weaning' (missing out the puree stage). Jars in the supermarket state 4 months plus-I am confused and could do with some advice!

I'd suggest looking on the weaning board on here. There is loads of info about BLW and it's great, though not for everyone. There is a book by Gill Rapley and an excellent :) website babyledweaning.co.uk with loads of info but the basic idea is that at about 6mo your LO doesn't need purees so can just tuck into whatever youa re having (barring honey, whole nuts and too much salt/sugar) so you just stick food in front of them and leave them too it. DS had sweet potato chips at lunch and is having macaroni cheese for tea.

I don't know much about traditional puree weaning but I'm pretty sure the 4mo thing on the jars is safely ignored. Waiting til 6mo means you need no jard (not good for the food companies obviously). Sounds like you have adecent HV, I'd listen to her advice.

excuse the typos!

The jar manufacturers put 4 months on the jars because they can. And an extra two months of flogging the stuff equals an extra two months of money for them.

The weaning guidelines are here. They're very good if you're confused about where to start.

As you can see, the way you know your baby is ready for solids is that they will have started to sit up, will have lost the tongue thrust reflex and will be able to reach out and pick up food, put it in their mouth, chew and swallow. As the developmental ability to do this generally coincides with the gut's readiness for solids, it makes sense to allow them to help themselves and not bother with purees. They're showing you they're ready and it quite cleverly allows them to regulate their own appetite.

When dd was around 6 months she started reaching out and grabbing food. We let her. She ate what we ate (no nuts or honey and careful with salt/sugar being the only provisos) and weaning was a lovely, enjoyable, inclusive time.

Whether you do baby led weaning, or puree/mashing and spoon feeding, you're best off waiting til around 6 months - or at least until your baby can sit well (hold up head/not slump in chair), has lost their tongue-thrust reflex and can co-ordinate picking up food and getting it to their mouth.

I think it depends on the baby but later is better. I was planning on five
months but this morning DS (4.5 months) grabbed a banana I was eating while he was on my lap, shoved it in his mouth and sucked away. He ended up eating half the whole banana! I was a bit but he's 99th centile, could hold his head since birth and can sit up with one finger on the floor. So I guess he's telling me he's ready!

Hello Ladies,
I am feeding my almost 6 months old baby 3 - 4 defrosted ice cubes offruit and veg 3 times a day but yet to give dairy,wheat, chicken,fish and other meat could anyone give me some tips as my heath visitor says at 6 months I need to feed 3 times a day and snacks. Seems i need to up it alot in a few weeks.

lear3038 You have just summed up the biggest problem with weaning at 6 months! You suddenly need to introduce all sorts of food groups in a very short space of time.
In 13 years of nannying all my babies we're ready for weaning at 4-5 months. I started my DD at 4 months, very small amounts, at least 3 days before introducing new foods & I pureed. She is now a healthy 2 year old who eats what we eat.
I've not done BLW but I don't see how you can get enough calories, nutriants or vitamins into a baby without some pureed food. Baring in mind a babies natural iron store is depleated by 6 months, unless they're on formula you'd need to be giving vitamin sups. finger foods are great, I just think both are a better option.

There's no hurry to use solids to get nutrients into a baby. Milk is the chief source of nutrients until 1. Yes extra iron is required but not immediately at six months, there is time to build up to that point.

Thanks for the advice ladies atleast I know I don't have to rush

There is no problem with introducing 'all sorts of food in a very short space of time' - you can just start at 6 months and give whatever, if you choose to.

nannyn Until the age of 1 babies get sufficient calories, nutrients and vitamins from their milk - Food is for fun until one.

It's great that you think traditional weaning is a better option (ie puree AND finger foods) but BLW is also a perfectly healthy alternative.

lear3038 You will find that one HV will say you need to have your child on 3 meals and 2 snacks by 6 months, another will tell you that's what to aim for by maybe 8 months. The advice from them varies as much as the advice from posters on here

My DD is 8 months and we never bothered with slowly introducing different food. She ate what we ate, so that was steak, broccoli, parsnips, sweet potatoes, tortellini... She has a great interest in food so why not encourage it? Although (bowing to pressure from DM and DSis) I tried puree with her from 4 months, she wasn't interested and also just pushed it back out with her tongue. So I stopped trying and at 5.5 months DD reached up and grabbed a tortellini from my DH's fork and ate it. Basically, don't feel rushed. Baby will eat when ready. If it's a struggle to get food in, I'd wait a week and try again. If the same result, wait another week etc. Weaning shouldn't be hard work in my view, it shouldn't be a battle to stuff food in. FWIW, we mix puree and real food. I'd do 100% real food but sometimes we just don't have time (we travel a lot and are often on the road where it's easier to open a tub of mush).

My DSis's kid is a lousy eater and was weaned at 4 months. He only eats yoghurt and he's 1 year old next week. So I do think some kids can be messed up by rushing too much early on.