Weaning at 4 months opinions

[alakhx]

Has anyone weaned there child at 4 months
Before anyone comes at me I just want opinions and if anyone says it's wrong the food I've been looking at is 4-6 months so if you couldn't give at 4 month it wouldn't say

The advice to change from 4 months to 6 months was in 2003 so the poster who says she had 16 to 26 woild have been in the 6 month recommendation for her youngest (perhaps not followed it and many HV were reluctant to) I know this so precisely as I was on morning tv pregnant with my 4th with my 3rd child over him not having been weaned until 6 months.

My mother would claim it didnt harm me to be weaned at 3 months she ignores the fact I have bad IBS. My friends mil loudly proclaimed at a lunch that this was such rubbish advice and it never did her children harm to be weaned at 4 months both her children as adults have severe allergies one has eczema and 1 asthma so none of these mothers can proclaim it 100% didnt do any harm as we now know early weaning can increase the risk of these things. We can not go back and wean later to find out if that person still would have IBS allergies eczema.. All we know is that it increases the risk of many things

For me and many others that is enough to wait.

Everything @Mmmmmmbop90 said. Sorry OP, but it's true and unless there's a medical reason it's totally unnecessary.

We can not go back and wean later to find out if that person still would have IBS allergies eczema.. All we know is that it increases the risk of many things

I think this is why so many people ignore the guidance and do what they like, thinking they know better than the experts. It reminds me of people who smok for decades, get cancer and claim they might have got cancer anyway.

Yes the results and effects are nit as imminent as something like using a car seat vs not using a car seat but that shouldn't mean people ignore the guidance. There is genuine medical backed research behind the age and yet some people still seem to act as though the number was just randomly plucked from thin air.

[quote Rumples]@cdba88

Not disagreeing with your points but I have been reading up on weaning as my baby is 5.5months and noticed that the nhs website mentions baby rice as a starting point to weaning.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/
[/quote]
I can't see anywhere on here where it recommends baby rice? It just points out that baby rice also counts as food and then specifically states that babies don't need baby rice.

Not 4 months but I weaned DC3 at 5 months on medical advice (reflux).
With DC1 I followed advice to the letter and he was 6 months to the day. DC2 also almost 6 months.
Weaning early didn't do any harm but it did absolutely nothing for the reflux.

My youngest is 8 months and has only just started weaning. So far has only had breast milk. Not even water and is a chunk of a thing.

How is a four month old who refuses an extra ounce of milk in need of food? Genuinely confused. Babies don’t know food exists until it’s introduced so why give it if was rescuing more milk? I think the hand to mouth action, sucking on fists etc, is just normal development for a baby that age. It’s when they find their hands. Nothing to do with hunger.

Ultimately it’s your baby and you can do what you want but what the rush?

We started to wean DD at about 4.5 months on the advice of the HV. DD was insatiably hungry on my milk, had been no different on formula, & was showing interest in food. She actually managed to get at a piece of fruit I was holding once when she was about 4 months - she looked quite surprised but went back for a second go at it so she obviously liked it.

She's always had a significant appetite. DH & I occasionally joke that we should have called her Nibbler, you'd think she had a black hole in her stomach the amount she eats sometimes. And then other times she's completely un-interested. She's tall for her age but relatively slim.

@SpamIAm - I only used baby rice as an easy way of thickening DD's food if it was too thin for her to easily eat with her hands or a spoon. It's got very little nutritional value apart from calories/carbs. You're better off giving them potatoes, at least there's vitamin C in those.

You asked for opinions and then said you’re doing it anyway and just wanted validation.
Babies weaned before they are ready are likely to be giving to the generation of people with bowed problems now as our generation was given baby rice etc from 10weeks

I don't know why you've bothered asking when your OP makes it clear you wouldn't listen to differing opinions anyway... but seeing as you did ask, I wouldn't be weaning at 4mo unless a doctor recommended it. It's far too young and babies don't show the cues of being ready at that age.

(I work in child development)

Started weaning our son at 4mth, our girls were around 6mth. Current youngest is loving being spoon fed and still has plenty of milk, 6.5mth now.

I did it at 4 months as DC had reflux and paediatrician advised. It didn't really do much for the reflux but she took to it well and there were no adverse effects.

In many other countries in Europe and in the US, weaning at 4-6 months is the norm.

My 20yo ds was weaned with baby rice and puréed food from 4m, this all worked fine. He was happy, I was happy.

Advice had changed by the time dd came along 4 years later, I did baby led weaning at 6m. She ate what we ate for the most. She has never been fed by me, refused a spoon point blank. She was happy, I was happy.

There's no difference in them now but... dd was by far the easiest to wean and became a much better eater, trying a wider range of foods. Were I to do it again, I'd def wait till 6m.

I weaned early for allergies but didn’t start with fruit or carrot purées as they’re too sugary. From memory I made spinach purée but I can’t remember what else.

The GP told me the same as what a PP said - that the guidance is 6m+ because they want to encourage people in developing countries to breastfeed as long as possible, and also in the uk they don’t want to undermine the message around BF for 6m.

I’m interested to hear about the link between early weaning and gut problems - I didn’t know that last time so will take it into account for DC2. It’s a tough one though because early weaning reduces allergies but increases gut problems. I guess that’s why it’s best to do what you’re advised by a doctor - they’d know what is best for a child fitting your child’s profile (ie no family history of allergies, no need to wean early).

If your baby is hungry feeding her food lower in calories than milk won't help and could lead to lifelong digestive issues. Also linked to obesity as your baby won't learn when they are full, they are just used to opening their mouth to someone shovelling food in.

And when people say didn't do our generation any harm, ask around your friends, how many of th have IBS?

I am so wary of causing digestive issues! My siblings and I all suffer. I EBF my first but then weaned with a mixture of purée and finger food. This time I’m going to do full baby led weaning. EBF until 6 months again and won’t start until DS is fully sitting. No rush. Both kids have CMPA so will introduce all the allergens early on and carefully to rule out any further allergies. That’s the bit I found most nerve-wracking to be honest.

I guess you’ll do what you want OP, and plenty of people will validate that for you. I personally wouldn’t wean before 6 months.

Rice contains arsenic - the poison. It has relatively high concentrations, provides no nutritional value to a baby and is no longer recommended. Why on earth would you give that to your baby?

It changed around 2004, DS (nearly 18)was weaned at 4m onto mushy organic purees Dd (15) I waited till 5.5m and then she snaffled her brother's birthday cake off my plate as she sat on my lap. She went straight onto family foods, no mush needed.

Mine started on baby rice then porridge at 4 months (just a hungry baby), 4 months (severe reflux) and 5 months (bad reflux). Moved on to jars and then just introduced hand held foods by 6/7 months and then replaced jars with chopped up versions of whatever we were eating. All of them are fine, eat healthily, no issues.

Well, on the one hand you have the consensus of medical researchers and doctors who carry out in-depth studies on child nutrition and disease.

On the other hand you have multinational corporations who want you to buy their super processed baby food a bit earlier than the doctors say.

You've obviously gone with the latter.

Yes, advice changes and it probably won't always stay the same as it is now, but the current advice is based on trying to stop babies eating before their guts are ready because it can give them allergies and problems later on. Why do you think you know better than them? Are you going to go through every decision about your child ignoring medical advice if it doesn't suit you?

Personally I think it's better to wait until six months unless advised otherwise, and then give them actual food not something out of a packet. It takes a while for their bodies to be able to get any nutrition from it anyway, for a while everything just passes through.

My oldest started around 4 months 27 years ago. Started with liquidised veg and went from there

By the time my 19 year old was born it had moved to 6 months. I'm pretty sure car seats were a legal requirement by then as well! Even my 27 year old always had a carseat

Ah it was 2006 , I didn't know anyone who didn't use one though back in 1995 when the oldest was born

@ExhaustedMumma Once they can sit with support is fine, they don't need to be able to sit unsupported :) I think the 'normal' age for sitting unsupported is older than 6 months so could mean waiting a while! I used to pop a rolled up towel around DD for a bit of support.

I wouldn't to be honest, babies that age don't 'need' extra food and often mums will do it in the hope they may sleep through my MiL insisted my 4 month old should be having supper before bed and toast! It's fun and I think as a first time mum you can't wait to do all these new exciting things but I'd hang on as it really can affect their little tummies and they are much more sturdy and able to enjoy it at 6 months

@SpamIAm

I said that the nhs website 'mentions' baby rice. But why would the NHS say that you can give your baby, baby rice, if it is not recommended? That makes no sense to me.