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Original poster

Delaying weaning

24 replies

Losingexcessweight · 12/03/2013 14:06

Hi all, I was hoping someone could advise me on this..

Dd is very nearly 5 months, I have no intention of weaning before 6 months etc.

My health visitor told me the signs of baby showing to be ready for weaning.

Dd has 4 bottles in 24 hour period, drinking 5-6oz per bottle.

She sleeps through the night.

She isn't showing any signs of being ready to wean at all. So I was wondering if it would be ok to delay the weaning till about 7 months?

Obviously if dd starts showing signs in the next few weeks then I will start to wean at 6 months.

Would it do her any harm for me to delay weaning past 6 months till I think she's ready? She weighs about 17lb I'm guessing and is in 6-9 month clothes and has been for 3 weeks now if that helps with guessing how big she is as she's very long.

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Indith · 12/03/2013 14:10

NO reason you have to start on the dot of 6 months. She will change a lot in the next few weeks though!

Forgetfulmog · 12/03/2013 14:10

Your dd isn't even 5 months yet so how do you know whether she's going to be ready for weaning at 6 months?! Wait until she's 6 months/24 weeks as per the guidelines. There's honestly no point in worrying about it now.

I started at 24 weeks when my dd lunged for my toast Grin

nancerama · 12/03/2013 14:14

Why not do Baby Led Weaning at 6 months? If your little one is ready for solids she'll pick up food and feed herself. If she's not ready she'll throw it! I offered DS 3 meals a day, but he didn't want to eat until he turned 13 months.

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Original poster
Losingexcessweight · 12/03/2013 14:14

She's 5 months in afew days. I know a lot can change in a few weeks, I was wondering whether it would be ok though if she didn't show any signs within the next few weeks.

I didn't know though if I was denying her of nutrition by delaying the weaning etc

OP posts:
Original poster
Losingexcessweight · 12/03/2013 14:15

I don't know anything about baby led weaning.

Also does everything have to be puréed at first?

OP posts:
Indith · 12/03/2013 14:20

:) 6 months is rough guide to when they are ready. So when she can sit, can coordinate picking up food and putting it in her mouth and can chew and swallow without her tongue shoving it all back out then she is ready. That might happen just before 6 months, 6 months on the dot or a little after.

You don't need to puree at 6 months. Baby Led Weaning is just a fancy name for giving them normal food. You just give them a bit of what you are having (so long as suitable- no added salt at all, no honey or whole nuts until a year) and let them play. Often they take a while to get used to it so don't stress if she doesnt eat right away. Milk is main source of nutritian for first year. It is about playing and exploring tastes and textures.

Original poster
Losingexcessweight · 12/03/2013 14:25

So a baby that's never had food will take proper food without being puréed and be ok with it?

Why do they sell those puréed Heinz baby jars?

OP posts:
Indith · 12/03/2013 14:29

Yup a baby can eat normal food.

Puree I think became very, very popular when weaning guidelines were earlier. When weaning at 4 month food had to be pureed. Jars are still sold because they make money. Pure and simple. Plenty of people still prefer to spoon feed puree though, it is up to the individual. So long as you wait til your baby is ready and give nutritious, mostly home cooked food then it doesn't matter if it is puree or not. Jars can come in handy at times of going somewhere with a newly weaned baby when you don't think there will be anything suitable for them! Weddings (most restaurant food too salty), festivals (burger van not great for baby) and so on.

Original poster
Losingexcessweight · 12/03/2013 14:32

Ahhhh

If I give dd say weetabix or porridge and I make the milk up using formula, do I still offer her, her morning bottle of milk as well?

OP posts:
Indith · 12/03/2013 16:35

yes :) let her dictate her milk feeds, she will drop them/reduce how much she drinks when she is ready. You can give cereals with formula but you can just use cows milk if you like too, it is just as a main drink she shouldn't have it.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 12/03/2013 20:09

Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if repeating. No harm in delaying weaning at all, have a read of this Smile

brettgirl2 · 13/03/2013 06:00

The reason for giving purees ime is that at first you can get more into them that way. So if they are very hungry it fills them up a bit. There is no need to give purees at all if you dont want to. I did but only until 8 months with Dd2.

I reckon she'll be ready at 6 ish months, even dd1 was ready at about a week before. She deffo wasnt ready anywhere near 5.

paperclips · 13/03/2013 06:57

Our health visitors say you shouldn't leave it much longer than 6 months because 6-7 months is a "window" where you want them to try and taste a big variety of foods. They say if you leave it longer they get fussy. I don't know how true this is. Dates need only be approximate, every baby is different.

Here's what we doing, I guess you could call it baby-led:
We were going to wait till 6 months but started yesterday, he's 24 weeks. So its close enough. Nothing is going to significantly change physically in two weeks. He's been sitting well in high chair for ages. I felt if I left it late, I might feel like we're a rush, this way he's got plenty of time to just start by playing with food, exploring it. Started with mashed sweet potato in a bowl which suctioned to table and put a bit on the spoon and let him get on with it. He knew to eat it, and seemed to really enjoy it. I was surprised he ate like he did, he was clearly ready. Most gets smeared round of course! But exploring food and tasting new things is the key.

Good messy fun! Going to try banana today.

ceeveebee · 13/03/2013 07:07

I have twins at at 6 months DTS was very ready, he grabbed at food and ate everything we gave him. DTD wouldn't eat anything at all except yoghurt (and plenty of milk - I have memories of bf her while attempting to spoon feed her brother!) until she was about 8 months old.
Now at 16 mo she eats absolutely anything and everything and loves her food. So I don't really believe in a 'window' of 6-7 months.
I did start with purées at 6 months but by the time DTD was ready to eat she went straight onto proper food. She just always wanted to feed herself and not be fed.

forevergreek · 13/03/2013 07:17

Yes just offer your food, but offer milk feed first

So if you want to say give porridge, gie milk at say 7.30. And porridge at 8.30am ( or whatever suits)

Lunch offer milk at around 11 ish, then something off your plate around midday

That way she will still get the milk feeds she needs without filling up on random things

They can eat anything apart from honey or whole nuts ( after 1) and no salf.

So adult regular porridge is fine for example ( with or without formula)

If you look on the weaning board at blw there is
Lots of advice if interested

ehmumbo · 13/03/2013 08:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MortifiedAdams · 13/03/2013 08:41

Another one that did blw. offered brocoli florets and sticks of toast and strips of chicken.breast.

Original poster
Losingexcessweight · 13/03/2013 09:48

Many thanks for your advice Smile

OP posts:
Bumpsadaisie · 13/03/2013 11:08

TBH they eat such a tiny bit when they start off it doesn't really matter whether she is totally "ready" or not. If she is 6 months, can sit supported then she will probably be able to hold a banana and play with it. Even if she is not "ready" (as in showing signs of "desperation for food"!) you might like to let her play with some veg or fruit as an activity. Or you may well wish to delay the mess for as long as poss, ha ha! Smile

In terms of worrying about her nutrition if you delay it, I wouldn't worry about the difference between starting at 6 and 7 months, because a few spoons of puree a day and a chew of a nana isn't going to make much difference. She will still get all she needs from milk.

By 9 or 10 months she will prob be on three small "meals" (they may be rather random though!) a day plus a couple of snacks and 2 or 3 bottles, maybe. At that point nutrition is more important, but they do say that milk remains the main thing till 12 months or so.

callini · 15/03/2013 21:27

Hi,
just wanted to add had an appointment today with a paediatric allergist specialist(Top man at Thomas's and Guy's in London Uk) was told ALL babies should start weaning at four months!!! ignore current advice bout no eggs, wheat,etc and introduce them to as wide a variety as soon as possible as new research shows in fact LESS chance of developing an allergy than leaving certain foods until over one and they are physically ready to digest and cope with solids .....goes against health visitor's and GP's advice.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 15/03/2013 21:37

Did he tell you what research his advice is based on?

callini · 16/03/2013 00:49

He is a leading world expert on food allergies in children and babies been involved/lead studies worldwide, one link below but just google him, my career is in children's health and have had many much older colleagues telling me similar things for years.
www.kcl.ac.uk/medicine/research/divisions/aalb/departments/paedallergy/index.aspx

callini · 16/03/2013 00:58

Here's another link....think it started in 2009, also threads on mumsnet with people that took part.

www.eatstudy.co.uk/

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