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Original poster

early weaning problems

40 replies

ionesmum · 08/07/2002 21:58

We are now weaning our 19 week-old dd; she is definitely ready as she has lost her gagging reflex, wants our food and is eating like a horse. The problem is her sensitive tummy. We began at 17 weeks with a little puree but are very limited as to what we can give her - no broccoli, cauliflower or potato, and I've found sweet potato makes her windy & uncomfortable as well. We then introduced a baby banana porridge for breakfast -suitable for 4 mo plus- but it made her colicky. Puree doesn't satisfy her and her tummy is always rumbling. We have been advised by our hv to avoid baby rice as it isn't filling at all.

Looking ahead, dd is currently on lactose-free milk so we will have to avoid yoghurt and cheese etc. too. This might make things difficult as I was hoping to raise dd as a vegetarian.

I would be really grateful if anyone could help me. What can I give to my dd that isn't likely to set off her wind problem? What is likely to fill her up? Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks so much.

OP posts:
Eulalia · 09/07/2002 21:45

Strictly speaking if she is having problems with solid food then maybe she shouldn't be having any at all. Can't you just feed her more milk?

pupuce · 09/07/2002 22:12

What about a little at a time ?
I agree with Eulalia... 19 weeks is young.
Is she bf ?

Lizzer · 10/07/2002 12:04

Hi ionesmum, I wonder why your hv advised against baby rice? It was the first solids my dd had, mixed with a little breast milk. I found it good as there's no added sugar, very little risk of alergic reactions or tummy 'disagreements', and dd liked the taste as it tasted just like her milk. I also found it very filling - much more so than just fruit or veg puree. Also used to mix the fruit or veg with a little rice to add a bit of 'bulk'.

sobernow · 10/07/2002 12:13

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sobernow · 10/07/2002 12:15

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manna · 10/07/2002 13:35

i think tomatoes are too strong for a baby of this age, especially with such sensitivity. I agree, why not baby rice? It's recommended EVERYWHERE as an ideal first food - what is your hv like? do you trust her? broccoli & cauliflower are strong, although I've never heard of a baby not liking sweet potato
You could try: carrots, potato, pear, barley (pureed), courgettes.
Are you sure about the banana porridge? Could you try another cereal? Also - later on Yofu, a soya yoghurt, is great as pudding. Really creamy, no sugar etc and lactose free. A big pot is about 99p and lasts a week, so much better value than petit filou.

pupuce · 10/07/2002 14:25

I agree with Manna - avoid tomatoes as they contain some toxic elements (same for potatoes, peppers and aubergines).
Make sure your baby rice is free of fillers (Organix baby rice is). At this very early age I would avoid : wheat (was that in your porridge), barley, corn, rye and oats.
You can try quinoa or millet.

Bear in mind that breastmilk has more calories than solids - especially in the quantities you will be giving at this stage so DO NOT reduce the milk intake to replace it with foods.

Good luck.

Original poster
ionesmum · 10/07/2002 19:26

Thanks for all the advice. All the books I have contradict themselves - even the hvs don't all give the same advice.

I'm not b/f (I wish) and think that perhaps I'm keen to wean dd so that I have some control over her food rather than foul l/f formula, and so that I don't feel so guilty. Having said that, she has a huge appetite and will happily take a bowlful of puree and a 7 oz bottle in one go, and apart from dropping her night feed occasionally (which she did before weaning anyway) she is still having the same amount of milk. I started weaning because the l/f milk made dd a bit constipated, so gave a little fruit to get things going...and she loved it so much and was obviously ready so I just carried on. She can eat most fruit and carrots and swede with no ill effects.

The hv advises against rice as she says that it turns to water in the stomach and is therefore not satisfying. I had thought about using it to bulk up her puree esp. as she can't have potato. The baby cereal did have oats in it (I made sure it was wheat-free) but it said on the pack it was okay from 4 mp unless baby has a problem with gluten, and as dd's never had gluten I don't know for sure!

I like my hv but from talking to other mums I get the feeling that there is a bit of a "one size fits all" feel to her advice.

Oh and dd loves sweet potato, it just makes her windy! If she sleeps face down on my chest (yes, I know this is a Bad Idea) the wind goes so I am hoping that once she can roll over to sleep things will improve.

Do you think it is best to give solids at the same time as milk? Most books advise this but our hv says to give them 1 hour apart.

Thank you for all your ideas and tips.

OP posts:
sobernow · 10/07/2002 20:10

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SofiaAmes · 10/07/2002 22:03

Rice doesn't turn into water in the stomach. It is actually very nourishing. I used to make my own baby rice. Just boil rice a little longer than you would for yourself and mush it up with a mouli or blender. The secret to keeping it from becoming one sticky ball is to add plenty of warm water to the mixture. My son was 6 months before we started solids, but I mushed up all sorts of things like courgettes, spinach, carrots, beets, avocado, and mixed them with each other and with the rice mush or potato puree. And used parmesan cheese for extra flavor. (we had problems with sweet potato and wind in early on). I know it's been mentioned in other threads, but if you are not bf'ing and you are weaning from formula (yucky, but full of vitamin supplements etc.), you should really be giving vitamin drops to your dd. There is no way that she can be getting sufficient vitamins/minerals otherwise, especially if you plan to raise her as a vegetarian (although normally you wouldn't give meats at this age anyway).

pupuce · 10/07/2002 22:54

Have you thought of flax oil ? I read that adding 1 tsp a day for a bottlefed baby is excellent.

tiktok · 11/07/2002 01:56

Ask your HV again about rice 'turning to water' in the stomach...sounds a load of b*cks to me. I mean, think about it.....

Rice is a reasonable first solid food, as it is not likely to be allergenic, its taste is quite bland, and it mixes well with breast or formula as well as other foods like purees.

bloss · 11/07/2002 03:43

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angharad · 11/07/2002 10:17

I found that all ours liked yam from very early on, but it's a real mess to make..

As for timing I think it depends if your DD has a particular routine, for example mine all had milk at 4 hourly intervals, (7,11, 3, 7) so I gave them solids at normal meal times, breakfast at 7.30, lunch at 12.30, tea at 5. TBH I don't think it makes any difference really. They drop the milk when they're ready.

Original poster
ionesmum · 11/07/2002 20:27

Thanks for all the extra advice. I will try mixing in some baby rice with her tea-time puree. It's amazing what will make our dd farty, I'm not even sure about the swede tbh but I can't help feeling that if she has another bowl of carrot she'll chuck it at me!

Something else that my hv said is that when we first wean we must expect a bit of tummy discomfort as the bowel muscle suddenly has to really work for the first time. She likened it to us doing an aerobics session for the first time in years. What do you think?

OP posts:
pupuce · 11/07/2002 21:29

Ionesmum... I am worried about something (sorry) - she is so young and she already eats a bowl full.... no surprise her tummy is finding it a challenge !

Original poster
ionesmum · 11/07/2002 22:49

pupuce, this is something that I worry about too. She can quite happily munch her way through two whole carrots, and on the morning of her baptism I gave her a jar of puree (sorry) and she ate the lot! I asked our hv about this and she said to be guided by dd. And as I said, she has a huge appetite; in fact last night she got us up for a bottle at 3 a.m. and had 7 oz! And I can often hear her tummy grumbling. Is this normal? Should I be splitting her feeds?

OP posts:
pupuce · 11/07/2002 22:56

I have no idea - is she "big" ?

mears · 11/07/2002 23:04

Ionesmum,

I don't have experience of a bottle feeding baby but my gut instinct is not to disrupt her milk feeds until you have her on a full meal of solids. Sound as though you are doing just fine. i would give her baby rice at this stage mixed with the food you have mentioned. don't worry about the 'farting' she does - that is very common and is better 'out than in'.
I personally did not reduce milk feeds until my babies were on 3 meals a day. You will probably find that she will then naturally take less milk. She may look for feeds during the night at various times. let her have them - she is too young to be too rigid.

pupuce · 12/07/2002 10:09

Mears is right and she raises good points - milk is still her most important food... and that will absolutely be the case until she is at least 6 months old... and beyond. Do not reduce her milk for solids as solids do not contain the same sorts and quantities of vitamins and minerals as solids do.
Good luck

Original poster
ionesmum · 12/07/2002 21:07

Dd isn't big but she is v. long. And don't worry, I'm not reducing her milk. I make sure that she has her bottles before solids, and I always give extra feeds if she wants them (Let's face it, with the noise a hungry 4 mo old makes I wouldn't have a lot of choice anyway!)

Thanks for all your good wishes. I'm keeping a food diary for dd so that should give us some pointers.

OP posts:
oxocube · 12/07/2002 21:16

mears and pupuce, my d.s is almost 9 months old and has been eating solid food from 6 months. He now eats 3 meals a day, eats everything I give him (ie is not at all fussy) and is breast fed. From the comments I read from other mums, maybe he should be giving up a few milk feeds by now but he still has b/f at 6.30 a.m, 10ish, about 3ish and before bed at 7.30. I am perfectly happy to continue with this, but should I be actively trying to reduce his milk consumption? He is happy and I am happy so there is not really a problem but I am curious!

oxocube · 12/07/2002 21:18

mears and pupuce, my d.s is almost 9 months old and has been eating solid food from 6 months. He now eats 3 meals a day, eats everything I give him (ie is not at all fussy) and is breast fed. From the comments I read from other mums, maybe he should be giving up a few milk feeds by now but he still has b/f at 6.30 a.m, 10ish, about 3ish and before bed at 7.30. I am perfectly happy to continue with this, but should I be actively trying to reduce his milk consumption? He is happy and I am happy so there is not really a problem but I am curious!

oxocube · 12/07/2002 21:19

doubly curious, obviously!! Sorry!

SofiaAmes · 12/07/2002 21:53

oxocube, i am neither mears nor pupuce, but if you are happy feeding this often keep doing it. Breast milk is only good for your baby and gives him all the extra vitamins/minerals he will need until he has a fully rounded diet. Enjoy. I actually missed the bfing when i finally gave it up (15 mo.) and am looking forward to the arrival of the next one (2 1/2 months left) so i can start again.