Weaning baby ?

[CJ98]

I was just wondering what signs I should be looking out for so I know my baby is ready for weaning. I’ve been told to not wean until she’s close to 6 months (baby girl is only 13 weeks so probably too early to be weaning her now) but I haven’t been told what signs my baby will give to show she’s ready for more than just milk. When’s the best time to start ? What am I best giving her to start her off ?

The signs are that they can sit up in a high chair, can bring food to their mouth and that the tongue thrust reflex is gone. In times gone by the advice was to start with baby rice etc from 4 months but now it's to just go straight into normal food at 6 months. Good first foods include things like yoghurt, broccoli, sweet potato and thinned-out peanut butter. It's important to introduce allergens like peanut butter early to reduce the chances of severe allergy.

6 months and not before, sitting unaided. Start with fruit and veg, yogurt, oats etc. Especially veg and savoury things as we’re predisposed to like sweet things and it’s good to get them onto savoury, bitter, sour. Steamed asparagus, chunks of avo, bit of wholemeal bread to gnaw on.

There really is no need to focus on “signs”, there’s no benefit to food before 6 months so just wait until then. Baby needs to be able to sit up straight in a highchair, with good head control and bring food, when they are too young their tongue will just push the food back out.

The first line of this is not completely accurate! It's when readiness signs are present which is around 6 months. For some babies it will be 5 for others 7. They do not need to be able to sit up on their own entirely. It's that baby is able to hold their head upright and steady while seated for a meal. This can be with the support of a highchair or a parents lap as long as their head is stable. Google nhs or solid starts or any paediatric dietitian for the other readiness signs and advice. Note the advice is also different for babies at high risk of allergies so if that is you, then follow that guidance

The NHS advice is AROUND 6 months and not minimum 6 months, so yes absolutely it can be before, 5.5 months would be fine for example, if baby is showing the physical signs of readiness. These are: able to stay in a seating position (e.g. in the highchair) holding their head steady, can pick something up and bring it to their mouth and loss of the tongue thrust reflex in order to swallow food. Solid Starts is a good resource if you’re unsure how to start.

Great advice on the first foods but sitting unaided is a 9 month milestone so you definitely don’t need to wait for that, and guidance in the UK and US (the countries I’ve had babies in!) are both around 6 months as opposed to ‘6 months and not before’. I know you might live elsewhere though where it’s different…

Just start around 6 months. I wouldn’t be focused on signs unless there are concerns about developmental delays. Don’t even be thinking about it now. It’s a lot of work. You’re feeding them twice as often and it takes a lot more time than feeding milk, even when you just feed what you’re eating with no extra prep involved.

Able to sit with support, able to grab something and put it to their mouth.

I started my first weaning just before 5 months because I bought into the idea that they start waking more because they are hungry, and weaning will help with this. Spoiler alert - early weaning made absolutely no difference to frequent waking. The 4 month sleep regression is real and affects some babies worse than others.

I planned to wait until my second was 6 months because it’s such a faff. However, we actually were on an all inclusive holiday when she was 5 and a bit months and she was getting so het up watching us all eat 3 meals a day. So she had some watermelon and bread as finger food. At first they are really just playing with it and gumming it rather than ingesting anything. Now she is 6 months and having a meal or two a day of some purée on a spoon to feed herself or finger foods (very soft broccoli, carrot, etc)