Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

parents of teens......only.........when you teens were babies

56 replies

ewwwmy2shoesarefullofblood · 25/10/2008 22:33

did you wean them at 4 months as was the advice then, and were they ok.
Just wondered as ds is 16 and way back then It was 4 months.
a lot of new parents seem to assume this was all wrong

OP posts:
witcheseve · 26/10/2008 00:58

I still want to know what the health problems will be, not being arsy, just interested in the current thinking.

RGPargy · 26/10/2008 01:02

DS was weaned from about 3 months i think and he's 18 now. The only thing that's wrong with him now is that he's a pain in the arse!

chapeloffearstickchick · 26/10/2008 01:10

im afraid im one of the hounded on the other thread but yes I trained in the 90s and it was 4 months however some {chappy whilstles innocently *dared8 to wean earlier under professional advice]

but yip 4 months was the advised time ......

Uriel · 26/10/2008 01:17

My eldest is 14 and was weaned at 6 months as per the official guidance at the time (fully breastfed until then).

No health problems at all.

cory · 26/10/2008 10:10

Dd is 11- 4 months was still official advice then. I weaned quite slowly (and was still giving slurps of breastmilk at 11 months)- but I did start at 4 months.

Ds (8) also weaned at 4 months- either the advice hadn't changed or I'd missed it .

Neither of them have any health problems that are not genetic.

Also have a range of nephews and nieces weaned at same age- all healthy.

AMumInScotland · 26/10/2008 10:38

My DS has just turned 15 - I still have his "red book" (still noting his height and weight every year or so ) and it says "Babies can begin to take solids at about 3-4 months" and "From 6-7 months slowly build up a normal, mixed diet" - I'm sure that's what I will have done. He's tall and slim and has no health problems or food allergies.

AMumInScotland · 26/10/2008 10:43

I think the potential health problems from earlier weaning are to do with avoiding likely allergens till their immune system is more developed - obviously many children will not develop allergies, but delaying weaning may help protect those more likely to be affected, and you can't tell which they are.

Also, avoiding refined and fatty foods at first may give protection against heart disease in later life - again, that maybe just means if you give them solids earlier you should be careful what they are, but like many things the simpler the message the more people are protected from bad choices.

findtheriver · 26/10/2008 11:22

Yeap, my oldest started to be weaned at 12 weeks, though I continued bf. I think the 'official' stance was 16 weeks, but a lot of health visitors recommended earlier for a big/hungry baby.

As with all these things, the advice changes as the wind blows. My youngest was exclusively bf til around 6 months.

Milliways · 26/10/2008 15:51

Yep, started DD at 4m with Baby rice - she is absolutlely fine. No eczema, allergies or other problems.

BTW, she LIVED on peanut butter as well!

What got me was the difference in how I was told to treat my 2 - just 4.5 years apart. We had sleep on front/sleep on back. Eat liver/don't eat liver. etc etc. My childminder refused to give DS peanut butter, even though DD was practically weaned on it & they both loved it.

You just go with the latest guidance and hope for the best

snorkle · 26/10/2008 16:13

weaned both at 4m. One had egg allergy & eczema quite badly which may or may not have been related, but grew out of both by about age 4. Both very unfussy eaters as youngsters but one is more picky now.

aGalChangedHerName · 26/10/2008 16:19

Yes i did wean ds1 who is now 17 and he has had really bad stomach problems. Whether it was weaning at 4 months i don't know but boy has he suffered over the years.

Has also had kidney op and pretty bad kidney damage.

Lilymaid · 26/10/2008 16:23

I weaned both mine (now 21 and 17) at around the recommended time for that period - though the Health Visitors were always suggesting that I should wean earlier. So, yes, around 4 months. Both are tall,slim and healthy with no allergies - perhaps we were lucky?
Oh yes, also remember the advice to sleep on the front for DS1 followed by sleep on the back for DS2 - though I think that sleep on the back is obviously far safer!

ranting · 26/10/2008 16:25

Ds (15) weaned at 3 months as per advice from HV (because he was huge, it was apparently OK). Has always been fine, no fads, no food allergies etc.

DD (6) was weaned at 6 months, (according to advice current at time), she was a blardy nightmare but that is for another thread.

ranting · 26/10/2008 16:27

Forgot to say ds tall, now slim, hasn't had a sick day from school for about 9 years.

hercules1 · 26/10/2008 16:29

The trouble is with the sort of survey what is 'okay' to one parent may not be to another. There are plenty of overweight teens out there for example but I am sure a lot of people who would answer this type of thread might not say that. Not saying the weaning is linked to it necessarily just using it as an example.

My ds is nearly 13 btw so I can post here!

needmorecoffee · 26/10/2008 16:46

yes with my 16 yo, the 15 yo weaned at 6 months as the guidelines changed between them.
The 16 yo has always been fine.
15 yo had terrible excema.

DecayingDisaster · 26/10/2008 17:02

DD1 4 moths. no problems, normal size, no allergies
DD2 less than 4 months but the size of a 6 monther. was huge. now v tall and skinny and after eating anything for 2 years stopped eating everything since. have big food probs with her but don't think it has anything to do with early weaning more to do with the fact that she is a stroppy mare and has unrelated health ishoos stuff.
bloody hell maybe it is all to do with eating rice early. bollox. more mother guilt.

SaffySpook · 26/10/2008 17:41

DS1 nearly 15 was weaned at 3 months but he too was a 'big' baby. Now he is 6ft and as thin as a rake. Never ill and never off school.

Original poster
ewwwmy2shoesarefullofblood · 26/10/2008 23:16

there are over weight teens, but I don't think you blame that on when they were weaned

OP posts:
mumblechum · 27/10/2008 14:02

DS1 4 months

DS2 about 3.5 months, he just howled with hunger no matter how much milk he had and was happy as soon as he had some baby rice.

Lots of peanut butter & nutella here, too.

No tummy type probs for either of them

potoftea · 27/10/2008 14:14

18 years ago the information I read advised weaning at 3 months. So literally on the day she was 3 months, my dd started on baby rice.

She's very healthy and always was a really good eater. Very into fruit and veg rather than "goodies", and never any health problems.

Her brother was also weaned around the 3 month mark, and he's not a good eater, but has no health problems now. Although he has slight asthma and excema/dermatitis, as a young child.

Original poster
ewwwmy2shoesarefullofblood · 27/10/2008 14:59

Talking about peanut butter........
here is something that stumped me, and no way am I asking young mums.
my mil told me that mn dn was not letting her dd have nuts, incase she might have an alergey.
??
so if you don't let them try nuts, how do you know??

OP posts:
Original poster
ewwwmy2shoesarefullofblood · 27/10/2008 15:00

my not mn

OP posts:
brimfull · 27/10/2008 15:07

weaned at 3 months and she's tickety boo fine

ScareyBitchFeast · 27/10/2008 23:44

ds very nearly 14, weaned 15 weeks, 1 week early shamefully.
on potato, as suggested by hv.
dd 11 weaned same age on potato, guess who got told off for using potato this time,

yahboosucks to her.
dd 8 same age, can't remember, don't think it was potato this time, too much hassle probably