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Weaning?! Just need to know what other mums think in general

34 replies

Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 15:11

I have three children, a daughter and son who are 9 and 4. Then my son who is 18+ weeks.
Now I know that the weaning guidelines have changed drastically compared to when I was at that stage with my oldest son (almost 5)... My baby is looking at foods and watching us eating, he's also doing his excited arms and legs as though he wants some Hmm he has been quite content up until now with his first stage baby milk, slept 12 hours a night up until 2 weeks ago now he's waking through night starving.... I am considering starting him with rusks and baby rice as I did with my other two at little over 4 months old (that was the recommended age then)
I have mentioned this to health visitor and she basically said politely that it was absurd.
Has anyone else with older children who weaned at 4 months then waited till the recommended 6/7month now and seen a difference to waiting?
Just don't want my boy to be hungry and he can't possibly drink more milk, I can imagine the vomit 🤢 . He's 19lb 5oz a bigger baby?? Other people opinion would be great.... Grin

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Nuckyscarnation · 14/08/2019 15:35

Guidelines state six months because your babies gut isn’t developed enough for solids before then. I personally would never take the risk of the potential complications.

Also baby rice has no nutritional value and rusks are full of sugar.

MiltonRoad · 14/08/2019 15:42

I have children in their 20s, teens and a
Toddler and I’ve never weaned any at less than 6 months. More milk if their hungry, they definitely don’t need rice or rusks ever- rice has no nutrition and contains arsenic and rusks are sugary crap, just start at 6 minutes with whatever your having minus the salt.

MiltonRoad · 14/08/2019 15:44

Oh and the recommend age definitely wouldn’t have been 4 months 4 years ago and I doubt 9 years ago either

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doadeer · 14/08/2019 15:50

The rice and rusks have no nutritional benefit compared to milk - why wouldn't you give more of that then wait until they can have veg purees?

The readiness signs are supposed to be sitting up, can pick things up and lost tongue thrust I think.

BendingSpoons · 14/08/2019 15:57

I suspect the poor sleep is due to the 4 month sleep regression and weaning won't help. Milk has the most calories anyway.

The guidelines have been around 6 months for 20+ years, although there are signs of readiness (sitting, able to feed themselves, no tongue thrust). Personally we started at 5 months as he showed all the signs, although only veg sticks etc so far.

PixieLumos · 14/08/2019 15:58

Adding rusks to milk is a really old fashioned thing to do - I’m sure this wasn’t advised when your other DC were babies either. Advice changes for a reason so I would go with the current guidelines. Your baby won’t go hungry, nothing you give him will be more high in energy than his milk - and if he vomits because of drinking more milk surely that’s a sign he’s had enough and isn’t hungry.

Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 16:01

Yes it was always 4+ months on all baby jars etc back then, even a few of the jars in supermarkets and boots have 4-6+ months now.

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whensa · 14/08/2019 16:01

Start around 6 months. Anything before that they should only have fruit+ veg, or baby rice but I didn't bother with that as it has no nutritional value. You can introduce dairy, bread etc from 6 months.

It's extremely normal for babies to wake in the night....

Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 16:02

They still advertise from 4 months this is why I'm confused to what's best

Weaning?! Just need to know what other mums think in general
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whensa · 14/08/2019 16:03

It may be written on the jars but the first thing a HV or medical professional will tell you is that is for marketing and not advised. Same as "growing up milk".

whensa · 14/08/2019 16:04

Advertising is for selling products. Health advice is for health. I agree they shouldn't write it on there, but cot bumpers etc are still sold even though they are risky. I imagine there are a small percentage of babies that might really really need early weaning so all food manufacturers put that on the label.

whensa · 14/08/2019 16:06

Btw I started around 5.5 months, so it doesn't have to be 6 months on the dot, but 4 months is seriously early. They won't be developed enough yet.

dementedpixie · 14/08/2019 16:06

Guidelines have been 6 months for nearly 16 years as they changed the year dd was born (2003). Of course they say from 4 months as they can make extra money out of that extra 2 months

PixieLumos · 14/08/2019 16:07

They still advertise from 4 months this is why I'm confused to what's best

I can understand that to be fair. The NHS guidelines say 6 months, I think they should have to put the same because it does send mixed messages (and I don’t think it’s the same as follow on formula which is unnecessary but by no means harmful - feeding to early can cause problems though for some which is why they changed the guidelines). They’re allowed to get away with it though and obviously want to put 4 months because then they can sell more of their products.

Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 16:14

He's not 5 months until next week.... Just curious to how they are allowed to advertise 4months. And how my health visitor encouraged me to wean my other son and he was 19weeks. But he was also a big baby and milk wasn't enough....

Has anyone any experience with hungry baby formula as maybe this will fill him up, he's just constantly hungry. Still a very happy babes though. Just never full. Haha....

Thanks for all your advice ladies. And I just want to say I used rice and rusks an example as just getting off the phone with my darling mother and this is what she said she used so that's what was at front of my head when writing posts. .. I always used blended foods and pureed fruit and veg. I made my own baby foods. And bought jars for convenience at times. Don't think ever bought baby rice. They did love rusks as snacks when older though. Blush

My thread sounds like I haven't got a clue. Grin

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Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 16:15

@PixieLumos obviously a money maker for them but it is wrong!! Blush

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YouLikeTheBadOnesToo · 14/08/2019 16:17

The 6 month guideline was introduced in 2003. Baby food jars still say from 4 month purely to encourage people to buy them for longer. Cow & Gate etc are a business, their main aim is to make money, they don’t care about our children as such. As a pp said, cot bumpers are actively discouraged by health professionals, you can still buy them in mothercare. Baby rice had almost zero nutritional value, supermarkets are still more than happy to make money from it. It’s not morally right, but then big business isn’t exactly known for its ethics.

There are some babies who need to be weaned early for medical reasons, I’m assuming the 4+ jars are trying to capitalise on this too. It’s all about earning them money.

Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 16:17

@dementedpixie
Fair one on the actual guideline again I wasnt being very clear I meant the jars have always been from 4 months and health visitors weren't so strict with pushing the weaning guideline back with my other two (maybe just my health visitor).... Anyways both my children turned out okay regardless! And have a varied healthy diet. Guidelines are there for a reason though eh!!!

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YouLikeTheBadOnesToo · 14/08/2019 16:18

Sorry, cross posted op. Glad you found the advice you needed Smile

Samlew89 · 14/08/2019 16:19

@YouLikeTheBadOnesToo
I think you nailed it there.... Just me being a bit dippy and worrying about doing the right thing etc. Always good to hear others opinions Grin

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itshappened · 14/08/2019 16:23

I started weaning my daughter a week before she turned 6 months, and only with vegetable or fruit purée to begin with. As a reflux baby, the paediatrician suggested doing it earlier, but I wanted to wait until as close to 6 months as possible. I think it really depends on a baby's development as some have better core strength and are bigger etc, so may be more ready before 6 months. However I really would keep it very simple if you do wean earlier and take it very slowly in terms of introducing new things. As others have said, I would go for things with genuine nutritional value and not processed things like rusks or baby rice. So for example I would suggest making simple homemade purées like sweet potato or pear. They eat so little to begin with that steaming a carrot or some peas is so easy, and much better for them than something in a jar. As they get older you can be more relaxed, but they tend to sweeten everything in jars, meaning babies don't learn to enjoy a more savoury flavour and the taste of vegetables without apple juice mixed in. But just go with what feels right for you and your family.

SnuggyBuggy · 14/08/2019 16:27

I weaned at 5 1/2 months with a bit of veg puree but it didn't seem to make any difference to sleep. I thought it was a myth that baby rice/rusk in milk filled them up and made them sleep.

ColaFreezePop · 14/08/2019 16:40

I weaned at about 5 and half months. I looked at the research from different countries in Europe where it said not to wait until 6 months if there are food allergies in the family. There are food allergies in my family including with me.

She was drinking a load more milk from 4 months so we just made more up - no hungry baby stuff - and I breast fed more when I was at home. Sometimes she would drink two and a half bottles in one go or breast feed then have a bottle then breast feed again.

Even though she was watching us eat and chewing when we chewed she spat it all out for the first 2 weeks. So we still had to fill her up with milk.

We gave her a range of veg but she was only really happy when we gave her mashed up peas, avocado and bits of cucumber. She then refused to eat any fruit until over 7 months and then grabbed strawberries. When offered an orange until recently she would only eat the peel.

At about 6 and half months she started having meat.

At about 8 months she started having cereals including sugar and salt free rice cakes. We fed her baby porridge and she started grabbing bread off us. She then made it clear that she prefers spiced food.

The sell the 4 months stuff because it is just very pureed stuff. You can give them stuff like that when they are a older particularly when they are teething and won't eat stuff with lumps as it hurts.

In short they sell you things for your baby before you baby probably is happy eating that texture.

Our biggest joke is some of the brands tell you that you baby should have x amount for a portion, when your child wouldn't eat that much until they are about 3.

And yes she is a tall baby. Her 12-18 month clothes are starting to be the right length at 11 months.

IMHO the only people who should eat Rusks are adults in their 20s likewise with Coco-Pops and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. They contain too much sugar and only in your late teens 20s will you burn the calories off.

mindutopia · 14/08/2019 16:41

I think you should do what makes life easier. Starting solids almost across the board does not make babies sleep better at night. Perhaps eating a hearty meal at 15 months might but not just the teeny bit of almost calorie free food you feed them at 4 months. Most babies start to sleep less well initially because the changes to digestion can affect sleep.

So I wouldn’t make a determination for that reason. Is it easier for you to feed food and bottles or just bottles? I think weaning is a massive faff. It’s fine when they are older but at least initially when you start, you are basically feeding them every 2 hours again and doing a lot more food prep and cleaning. As it’s the summer holidays, I’d save myself the stress, enjoy days out with your older ones (without having to pack bibs and food and extra changes of clothes to go anywhere). It’s more in line with the guidelines anyway but just for totally other reasons, I’d wait til things quiet down next month and you have a bit more time to focus on your baby again.

Fontofnoknowledge · 14/08/2019 16:43

All mine were weaned by months 4 months. Now 24, 22 and 17. I weaned them when they started to wake hungry in the night. None have any allergies or food intolerances. Nor IBS related issues.

4 months was recommended for the first two. It was six months for the last but knew my child was ready. Go with your instincts.

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