weaning a big baby 18wks and 20lb!

[jay3]

my baby boy is 18wks and 20lb. I had to start weaning early as he started to sleep through the night at 21/2 months then started waking up like a new born and was doing a 8oz bottle of breast milk at every feed. My hv said to give him some rice so i did and now i give him 1/2 a jar of veg and rice and fruit puree at bedtime and milk and rusk in the morning. Hes still waking up in the night to feed. He has about 32oz of milk in 24 hours. Does anyone else have a big baby that they have weaned early. He is not fat but very solid. He doesnt look heavy but he feels it. please help my hv is never available!

I don't understand why you felt you "had" to start weaning. Presumably, you thought it would make him sleep better... but it isn't making him sleep better; do you want to keep giving him solids/non milk foods given what a hassle they are and the fact that he isn't sleeping better, anyway? And the (officially) recommended age for starting solids is still 26 weeks?

I think your thread might be more about "sleep" issues than "weaning" ones.

Breastmilk is very digestible & so they do get hungry again sooner; but breastmilk also has more calories in it than most early weaning foods so it should keep him satisfied for longer. If you think he needs more food, he should have more breastmilk or formula, not solids.

Jay - firstly, the recommendation is 6 months, and it's just that, a recommendation - everyone does it differently.

If he's waking up in the night, there can be many reasons:

1. habit
2. cuddle/comfort
3. teething
4. sick/fever
5. hungry

just to name a few.

In my opinion, at 18 weeks, if he's not teething or have a fever, and when he wakes up he's downing 8 oz, then he's hungry. As such, you are doing the right thing. I wouldn't move onto complex foods at 18 weeks, but perhaps introduce baby rice three times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner - mix it with breast milk and fruit or veg puree - try to stear away from jars if you can, and make your own if at all possible (more fibre).

By the way, what's you daily routine, including feeding and amounts?

oh, and make sure he is still getting 24 ounces of breastmilk or formula a day

the rule of thumb I heard was 2-2.5 oz of milk/per pound in weight per day, so that would imply the baby should be having 36-45 oz of milk a day, anyway.

jay3 feeding doesnt necessarily mean better sleep. just be careful now that the feeding doesnt cause a wee bit of constipation, and that can be like iternal wind for them. i'd leave out the rusk and give him porridge in the morn with some fruit on it.more easily digested and helps move bowels. rusks mingt be a bit heavy to digest initially or are u putting milk on them?.

if he's wakening at night, its quite normal! dont feel you're the only one.

how many feeds between 11pm and 7am are u giving him?

My baby girl is 17 weeks and 18lb i weaned her at 16 weeks she loves it, sleeps better goes longer between feeds.
Do what you feel is right for your baby. Every baby is different just go by your instincts not what the book says. As long as they are over 4 months it is safe to wean them.

I weaned my other daughter (also a big baby) at 16 weeks and she was fine.