Health visitor says no baby porridge at 16 old any opinions pls

[isobel79]

Hi

My HV has said no baby porridge for my lo who is 16 weeks tomorrow. He is on 7oz of milk. He weighed 15lb on 16\6.

Any opinions would be gratefully received. I feel like he needs something more. He's on pepti 1 and it doesn't seem to fill him up.

Thanks all

My girls didn't have baby porridge until 6 months, 16 weeks seems a bit early. I would follow your health visitors advice.

My premature twins were weaned at 16 weeks 10 weeks adjusted however it was on a consultant peadtrician advise due to severe reflux.
He did say that the guidelines were changed to six months only to be inline with who , they say six months because breast milk is better than poor nutrition in underdeveloped countries.

16 weeks is a bit early. My son was constantly after milk so I put my him on hungry baby milk and that made a huge difference. I'm glad I waited until he was 6 months old to feed him proper food as he is the best eater I know

"It's up to you as parents to decide. They are probably giving blanket advice not to wean til 6 months. maybe you decide what's best."

I weaned my first at 4 months but on the advice of hv and dr-he crossed x2 centiles and point blank refused further milk feeds. It was a way of increasing his milk intake by mixing everything with milk. I definitely wouldn't have chosen to do it. My second is 22 weeks now, EBF.

Are you getting pressure from family to wean? I've heard a lot of 'maybe your milk isn't enough for him' recently (it is. He's a total chunker)

17 weeks is the absolute minimum age.

Babies should be 'sitting up' (on your lap or in a high chair, supporting their own heads) rather than needing to be 'sitting unaided' (as in, on their own on the floor).

All my 4 kids were eating mashed banana and various other bits at 4 months...big babies that needed filling up my gp said...teens now and a perfect weight

Petal - Erm yes and what's more carlorific baby milk or fruit?

The NHS has never advised solids before 4 months as it doesn't benefit babies and can damage their guts and leave them more susceptible to infections.

Mine pretty much started eating when they could hold stuff and put it in their own mouth. At 16 weeks they couldn't really do either - they chewed on stuff for fun from about 5 months when they could sit in the highchair at the table, but didn't really chew and eat stuff until they were about 7-8 months iirc. It seems logical to wait until they can feed themselves.

All my 4 kids were eating mashed banana and various other bits at 4 months...big babies that needed filling up my gp said...teens now and a perfect weight

And my granny was told smoking was good for you, and lived to be 90. So what?
Times change, we know more now.

I have a 20 year old. She started on food at 6 months. That was the advice then. As it is now.

The recommendation is 6 months, but we all know a lot of people can't wait and start at 4. If I were you I'd hold out as long as possible, even waiting to 21 weeks wouldn't be that long a wait.

I've two boys. First was horrific on the bottle, wouldn't take it was losing weight, so started baby rice at 20wks, my second was a great feeder so didn't start him until he turned 6 months. You know your own child but I would be in no rush to start weaning, just up the milk amount and hold or another month

It's not as simple as can sit therefore can have real food.

Don't rush to the next stage. Just giving milk is easy. Why make more work for yourself when milk is sufficient now.

Try the hungry baby milk instead of food

You could damage their digestive system for life so it's best to wait 8 more weeks and then give food

OP - milk (formula or breast) has all the nutrients your baby needs so make sure that you are giving your DC the proper amount.

Any "real food" they try even as far as 9-12 months is just tasting and experimenting - not as an alternative to milk.

Milk first - tasting/playing with food second.

Official advice used to be 3 months, not 6. I'm not sure when it changed but that's what it was when Ds was a baby and he's only 12, so we aren't talking generations ago.
I'd give baby rice mixed with stewed pear or apple . A baby who is always hungry surely can't be a happy child.

The first official department of health advice was 4 months, in the 1970s. It became 4-6 months in 1994 and 6 months in 2003.

Vri - that's is incorrect. It was 4+ months when I was born 30+ years ago. If you have a 12 year old it was 6+

I still have my 19-year-old's red book and weaning advice. It was 16 weeks then.

It will probably revert to 16 weeks, I would strongly predict.

My DCs are mid teens and the advice back then was 4 months. Surely there isn't a generation with gut or allergy issues due to this advice!

Loads of older people have IBS and gut issues.

When my eldest who was ebf was 17 weeks he weighed 16lbs and he started on baby rice and some veg. He slept through the night 12 hours the same week. He's nearly 14 now. My HV at the time suggested it even though the new advice then (2002) was to wait until 6 months.

From 1997.

It has not been 3 months for a very
long time.