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Original poster

HELP......WHEN TO WEAN

51 replies

laneydaye · 31/01/2005 12:34

hi, please give me some advice on when i should wean. i weaned my son(now 4) vat 4 months, now people are saying its 6 months, my daughter is 14 wks and although shes not even ready for food other mums are saying give her baby rice(no way) some mums i know with babies the same age have already weaned their babies and regularly give them pots of food??????? any advice, thoughts and tips most welcome
THANKS

OP posts:

Original poster

laneydaye · 31/01/2005 20:08

thanks twiglett, i am breast feeding so the link was really helpful. I have decided im not gonna allow people to make me feel pressured into giving my dd any type of food...... my mum is always on my case to give her water she wont have it that she dosent need it, to be honest tried for weeks daily to get dd to have milk from a bottle but shes happy being bf...so not sure whats gonna happen should i give her a beaker at 6mths and if so any suggestions for the type...
thanksxx

OP posts:

Twiglett · 31/01/2005 20:14

vess .. I am glad your baby is so healthy and happy ..and I weaned DS at 14 weeks

BUT all babies go through growth spurts when they increase their milk consumption for a week or so (around 6 weeks and 12 weeks usually) .. if people want to make it to 26 weeks in line with the WHO recommendations then it is important to know that these increase in appetites are a short-term thing and NOT a sign that they NEED to be weaned

My generation was weaned at 6 weeks BTW .. times change ..

Twiglett · 31/01/2005 20:17

laneydaye .. people recommended Tomy tippee to me .. and they were good for DD .. introduced her to one at 6 months with sips of water .. and she's been fine

I must admit though now at almost 9 months, I cannot get her to take milk through anything other than my boob so she is down to only 1 - 2 breastfeeds a night but she eats lots of natural yogurt and milk / cheese in foods

Newbarnsleygirl · 31/01/2005 20:18

Well I'm going against all of you I'm afraid! (strike me down if you wish!) Because I weaned dd at 15 weeks, she was waking and demanding more milk so I started her on baby rice for the 1st 2 weeks and then slowly introduced pureed veg and fruit. As a result she did stop waking and was more satisfied.
As for the Asthma and excema I suffered with both as a child, I was exclusively BF until I was 1yr (my mum was too scared to wean me!) and no one in my family suffers from either so When the Dr's diagnosed me it was a bit of a shock.
If I had another child and they displayed the same actions as dd I would do it again however I do agree that you should do what is best for you and your baby and if you want to wait then that is what you should do! BTW Welcome to MN!

Harrysmom · 31/01/2005 20:49

I weaned my DS at 18 weeks....I didn't want to, was determined to do everything I properly, ie. wait till 6 months to wean, BF for 1 year etc....but he was having none of it! I was having to eat my meals in the kitchen hidden from him whilst DP took him into another room as he was screaming and grabbing for my food...even after a full feed. He also decided to quit BF himself by completely rejecting me one day!
Be guided by your baby, hold off weaning for as long as you think is comfortable for them.

Amanda3266 · 31/01/2005 20:58

Having read Harrysmoms post I'd definitely reiterate - go with the child.

Gwenick · 31/01/2005 21:15

I@d agree - definitely go with your baby.

With DS1 I weaned at the 'then' recommended age (he was BF) and he took to it like a duck to water - after 2 weeks he was having 3 'meals' a day. Turned out to be a fussy eater (like his mum

DS2 was weaned at 4 months (so similar age) at my choice, I knew the research, but I also knew my DS better. He started off more slowly - but by 6 months was eating everything we ate (yes I was naughty and just pureed everything up for him regardless of whether it was 'suitable for his age- except gravy because of the very high salt). Anyhow, he's 14 months now and eats like a horse, everything and anything that goes near his mouth is consumed - that's just the way he is.

Gem13 · 31/01/2005 21:21

DS weaned at 4 months. Good eater, good sleeper always.

DD weaned at 6 months. Wasn't great for a few months - had definite likes and dislikes but I just carried on offering food regardless. Her sleep was ok just not as good as her brother's. She's now almost 1 and eats anything and everything and sleeps well.

I think it's more down to them than when they were weaned. Glad I waited until 6 months for DD. Straight onto cow's milk in food, no fussing with expressing or sterilising.

melon1 · 31/01/2005 21:22

Hi, quick question - when you start to wean, should you give baby their milk first or their food?

Gwenick · 31/01/2005 21:27

hiya melon - I think most professionals suggest giving the milk first and then the food - but I found it didn't work with my kids both loved their milk so much that they'd completely fill up (no chance of taking the milk away half way through to try food as they'd just scream the place down) and have no inclination to eat - so I switched the order - gave them food and then offered their milk afterwards.

I knew they'd both still drink their milk even after food as they loved it so much

melon1 · 31/01/2005 21:31

Thanks Gwenick - came to the conclusion today that dd isn't ready for weaning (at 4 1/2 months) - despite pressure from other people!

Gwenick · 31/01/2005 21:33

NP Melon - as with most things with children its a case of whatever works best for you - regardless of whether its the 'recommeded' way or not

Dior · 31/01/2005 21:33

Message withdrawn

biglips · 01/02/2005 11:18

how do you start it then? as i havent got a clue, you just give baba bits of baby rice in every milk feed or every other day?

sweetkitty · 01/02/2005 11:30

DD weaned at 22 weeks one meal a day tbh I should have waited those extra 4 weeks save all the hassle.

biglips I didn't add the baby rice to a bottle but gave in a bowl with some expressed milk. She hated baby rice so we moved onto carrot, sweet potato and mashed banana and milk.

After about 2 weeks I added a second "meal" and then again after another 2 weeks a third. I've always gone with her sometimes she eats a spoonful sometimes finishes it all.

Its so confusing especially if you listen to mums or aunts they were telling me to mash a rusk up and give her a bottle at 6 weeks. My mum still can't get her head around why DD isn't drinking cows milk yet (6 months) as they were told to get babies drinking milk asap.

sweetkitty · 01/02/2005 11:31

sorry i meant to say I started with a few spoonfuls of baby rice at lunchtime first.

Sponge · 01/02/2005 11:31

Give a bit of baby rice at one feed, after milk, every day for about a week. Don't put it in bottles of milk, feed it by spoon separately. Then start to introduce some pureed fruit and veg - one thing at a time so you can test likes/dislikes and watch for reactions. So for instance in week 2 give milk plus baby rice for breakfast and milk plus pureed carrot for lunch. Gradually build up the repertoire of things you've tried and once you're confident of no adverse reactionws you can start to mix them up - root vegetable medley, banana and apple etc.
You'll only need one or two teaspoons at first then as db gets the hang of it you can increase the amounts.
Don't introduce cow's milk products, wheat or other gluten containing foods or meat until at least 6 months.
Good luck. It's quite fun when they start to eat .

jane313 · 01/02/2005 11:31

The thing is (and this is something that I only realised after reading mumsnet) if you give only veg, fruit and rice btw 4 and 6 months its never going to be as calorific or filling as milk. Thats why people on diets eat lots of fruit and veg as its very low in calories. I wish I'd waited now as I did it at 15 weeks cos he had been sleeping through the night then woke and his weight gain wasn't good (I didn't know then that the charts were not based on b/f babies), he also had acid relfux and was a 98th percentile baby. 3 meals a day from early on never changed any of these things and he only started sleeping though again when he started protein at 6 months. In fact weaning probably made his sleep worse as my milk production may have gone down.

He was very interested in me when I ate and reached for it; but at this age he was fascinated by everything I did and reached for all manner of things.

LIZS · 01/02/2005 11:40

Biglips, You mix about a teaspoon of baby rice in a bowl with enough of baby's usual milk to make a runny porridge. Allow baby to take a very small amount from tip of flat spoon to start with. Or, particularly if baby is nearer 6 months, you can go straight to pureed veg such as carrot or stewed apple/mashed banana again blended with the baby's milk and/or baby rice to make it a sloppy consistency. Rice/cereal in bottles is still used in Europe but not recommended in UK due to choking risks.

Gwenick · 01/02/2005 11:42

But be warned - some babies HATE baby rice (and I'm not suprised its the blandest, most horrible tasting stuff I've ever dared to try and feed my children).

With DS1 I tried him on it and he didn't want to know. A friend suggest trying other veg and stuff and what a change - didn't even bother with baby rice for DS2

Original poster

laneydaye · 01/02/2005 17:20

Im starting to realise that most mums seem to be under pressure be it little or lots to wean.... why do we feel pressured??? is it the other mums feeling a wee bit guilty for weaning their babies early? whatever the case may be after finding this site i wont allow myself to feel this way again.... yeah im tired but as ive read its not always the case that weaning will induce more sleep anyway, as some mums would have you believe.......THANKYOU...

OP posts:

NotQuiteCockney · 01/02/2005 22:48

I think some of the pressure to wean is all about wanting babies to be more advanced. It's like wanting your baby to crawl or walk sooner ... only eating solids isn't really an accomplishment in the same sense. It's more like being happy your 18 month old no longer has a nap every day - yes, this is something children do as they get bigger, but is it something your child is ready for?

Of course, I would say that, as I hope to not give any solids to DS2 before 26 weeks, and DS1, at 3y4m is still napping every day.

Gwenick · 01/02/2005 22:51

and NCQ - I've had one of those doesn't need a nap by 18 monthers - and they are a NIGHTMARE - constantly on the go, and that age VERY tiring (for mum) - my DS2 will be napping for a lot longer than that (I hope!)

MANDYJ · 03/02/2005 14:38

My son is three months old. I am breastfeeding him and it has been going well. He is now demanding more food and seems to be constantly hungry. he is a big lad for his age. I am thinking of starting to wean him just on rusks, pureed banana. I tend to think it is a bit early for him but it is hungry a lot more now and my breast milk does not seem to fill him up now. Any tips!

hercules · 03/02/2005 14:45

It's quite common I think to go through that around that age. The advice is just to feed more often.

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