17 week old - starting weaning

[mummytasha11]

hi everyone,

i have started to slowly introduce my 17 week old to some solids, only porridge in the morning ( which he loves ) and sometimes a banana or some rice in the afternoon (3pm)
i have tried him with the jars of cow and gate cheesy potatoe bake, sweet potato bake and cheesy veg but he doesnt like these at all - he spits them out or gags on them

could it be because its savory rather than sweet and should i persevere or maybe try a different brand?

any help would be greatly appreciated?

oh dear.

good luck.

Is there a reason you're doing this?

What does your health visitor say?

The guidelines are much later for babies now

he weighs 17lb 14oz and was big at birth, was on hungry baby milk at 4 weeks old and the milk just isnt satisfying him

hv basically said she cant tell me to start weaning but that i need to do what i think is right for him so i started...

you could do your own simple veg e.g. sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, etc - just cook and puree/mash. Dairy (e.g. cheese, etc) is not recommended before 6 months despite what the jars say so I would avoid them just now and stick to simple single flavours for the time being.

p.s. ds was over 20lbs when I started weaning at around 23 weeks

okay thanks, think i will try that :)

DD was 26lbs by the time we started weaning. Weight means nothing. If you think your baby is big then it's because he's thriving on milk alone. If you think that he needs more calories, then give him more milk. In terms of calories and nutrients, they should have milk as their main food/drink for a year and from the time they show signs of readiness then they have solids as a complement to this. The signs are....

Sitting up reliably with support
Loss of tongue thrust reflex (if he's pushing the food back out, he's showing you he's not ready)
Able to pick up food, put it in his mouth, chew and swallow

What makes you think he isn't satisfied? It's very normal for children of 17 weeks or so to wake more frequently, be distracted during feeds and to be a bit crotchety. It's like having a newborn again. But it's normal and developmental. Nothing to do with needing solids.

Some babies will be ready before 26 weeks, but the way you know they're ready isn't them feeding more or night waking, it's in the ways detailed above.

Department of health weaning guidelines here. They're fair and easy to read. Very encouraging too I think. They tell you to look at your baby and aren't prescriptive.

If your baby is rejecting food, then leave it for a while, give him milk and try again when he's a few weeks older and showing signs of being ready.

read this

2 months too early.

Milk has more kcal and goodness then a mashed carrot.

If he is a good weight then it's because if the milk.

Early weaning can have serious health implications in later life.