Starting to wean 14 wk old baby as he has reflux is eating his fist almost sitting up and stares at us when eating food...

[Scruffyhound]

Just wondered if anyone else has started thier baby this early? I started my other son at 4 months plus a few weeks as recomended by the health visitor he was a great baby in respect to drinking milk and being settled. He was a normal baby. With my little baby now he has had refulx and has had problems with colic. We have gaviscon and colief. Hes been on them for 4 weeks hes a lot better. However he started to stare at us all eating our food a few weeks ago hes trying to sit up on his own and he eats his fist a lot and does so when we eat our food. I was told by the health visitor he was not putting on enough weight. Hes having 6 oz of milk 5 - 6 times a day (he would not drink anymore even without solids). Hes on number 2 cow and gate milk I also give him pureed porrage in the morning then some pureed desert at tea time (after he has drank his bottle) he also has started sleeping through the night. He seem very content and happy hes not underwieght and has baby chubb on his legs and arms. But he did shoot up in height. The health visitor here only does weight not height or head circ. Where I lived before you had a appointment and she weighed, did height and head circ also cheked fontanel and general apperiance. Here is turn up weight your turn get weighed and see what she says. Have not dared tell her I have started solids as think she will have a fit at me and she would prob say its because I am giving him solids but hes having the same amount of milk. So I dont know what to do really. He is demand fed as well. So if he needs more he can have it. Any help welcome...... also tried 1/4 of a rusk with milk he eats that no problem so he has 1/2 a rusk sometimes mixed with his milk instead of a dessert at tea time. Im not sure what else to do?

OK Scruffy. Are you a troll? Sorry, but i had to ask. If you are not a troll then listen carefully:

This is far, far to young to be weaning. The gut is not yet sealed. Pureed carrot is not going to help him gain weight being as it has about 5 calories in it.

Mixing milk with a rusk in a bootle is a choking hazard - DO NOT do this.

Please, please talk to your GP if your HV hasn't got any useful advice and get some support for your son;s weight gain.

it sounds like u might be overfeeding your baby... i would up the milk for a while and maybe give just baby rice - or single grain cereals. dont give rusks. i check on this site for babies and it says betwen 4 - 6 months :

Single-grain cereals

(Fortified cereals give your baby iron, an important nutrient he needs now. A baby is born with a natural reserve of iron that begins to deplete around 6 months of age.)

Mix with baby formula or breast milk, or even water on occasion.

my son eats his hands, and tries to sit up but at 20 weeks even i dont assume that means feed more and more.
you need to speak to your hv or doc.

also at 14 weeks, dessert should not even be a word u use with your baby. milk and perhaps a single grain cereal should be all they have.

First can I say im an NOT A TROLL( have posted here quite a bit before about labour and being induced...) im looking for advice for feeding my son and making sure he will be ok. Im already a mum of one boy who is 5yrs old. But my baby boy this time has struggled. I have already said about the problems we have had. Im asking for advice from this forum as I have asked advice from health visitors (3 so far) all give contradicting advice. For instance I was worried about the volume of liquid my son was having as it was coming back up he was being sick (not spitting up I know what this is as my first son did it like most babys do) so asked if there was any way I could fill him up the same but less liquid. One suggested one scoop of cow and gate number 2 and the rest cow and gate number 1. I tried it and it did not work. I told another health visitor I had tried it and she said she would never advise that and not to mix the two different ones together. That is just one instance there are a few. I also had to see a few doctors until they gave me some gaviscon to keep his feeds down. I was lucky to see a good doctor (it took time I was told he would grow out of it..... he was in pain every night that was no good) in the end and he gave me the prescription. So now Im in the position of needing to give him more food hes keeping the milk down but will only drink 6 oz and no more at a time. I have been told the last time I went he had not put enough weight on so Im now trying to get some weight gain by using something as well as milk. Can I say thanks to Ama28 I have baby rice in and also a fruity baby rice for morning by cow and gate. I will try only this instead. I will mention to the health visitor when I see her next week. Can I just add that are you a TROLL ZIMM? as Im not stupid just asking advice as the medical advice so far is not filling me with confidance who better to ask than mums on here I was hoping to get a mum who had been through/was going through the same as me. Not some really silly statements when you clearly never read all of my post. I never once said I fed my son CARROTS I have given him foods with fat in and kept an eye on the sugar content as well. Also Im not so stupid to add the rusk to the MILK BOTTLE I put 1/4 of a rusk in a CLEAN BOWL and added his milk to that. Thats right not cows milk that I would drink but cow and gate number 2 milk... who would of thought it?

Please please please do not give your baby any more solids until you have spoken to a Health Visitor, GP or other healthcare professional. It is really not a good idea and you could end up hurting him. 17 weeks is the absolute earliest you should do this, and even then only in certain circumstances.

Baby rice or cereal will not make your baby gain weight - what you would you eat if you were on a diet, cream or plain boiled rice? If you are worried about your babies weight gain ask for a referral to a paediatrician who will be able to give you advice about what you can safely do to help your baby.

Speak to a doctor and then go from there.

Thanks GetThePartyStarted I will speak to the health visitor this week and see what she says. I will take it from there. I can remember giving my first son baby rice/ purees at just over the 4 month mark he was normal and this was at the advice of the health visitor. Thanks for your advice and will see how he measures this week. I certainly dont want to harm my baby boy!! Thanks

Sorry scruffy it's just we do get ppl on here trying to start fights about weaning. Have you tried feeding him smaller amounts of milk more often? 5-6 times a day is not much for the age of your baby. Try feeding every 2 hours during the day.

As other posters have said, food will not help him gain weight at this stage, he needs more milk and if he can't keep big amounts down then just feed little and often. My daughter fed at least every 2 hours at this age.

Hello all sorry Zimm think I was a bit offended? I have just started my first period as well after givning birth and just found out its normal to be this heavy and horrible so that does not help my judgment!! I have tried more feeds more often he is demand fed so when he gets restless we give him a feed. They are always 6oz now so he can have as little or as much when he likes. The health visitor said this was the right thing to do. The problem with little feeds and often is the fact of we can only give 6 doses of gaviscon (as directed by emergancy doc at hospital). So we can only put it in 6 feeds through out the 24 hour period. If he has 2 oz form a bottle I have to put it back in the fridge for no longer than 2 hours and then try him again later if he wants it. Then make up a fresh bottle after that as I cant put the gaviscon in each feed if he has say 8 small feeds but I can only use 6 doses. If this makes sense? I think I have the milk sorted its just he is maybe not drinking enough so I though the only other way to give him his milk was to add it to something baby porrige/rusk/rice that way hes getting the right amount in some form or other. But then its too much for tummy I hear people say so not sure. I dont want to fight about it just wanted to know out what other people may have tried. I will speak to the health visitor this week and ask as her and see what she says then ask another one to see her outlook on it as well. Prob will be different advice as I have found now several times.....

I'm sorry you haven't received the advice you were looking for - I do remember your name from the pregnancy threads (DD2 is 25 wks) so didn't think you were a troll.

Is your DS losing weight or just not putting on as much as the HVs think he 'should'? Is he falling down the centile lines? (HVs ime are very good at telling you there's a problem but don't acutally give you any advice on how to rectify them) I would imagine that if he's been suffering from reflux which you've only just received medication for and he's been bringing up a lot of milk then this might be one reason for the 'poor' weight gain. As others have said, milk more often is the way to go - smaller bottles every 2-3 hours maybe. I don't think you can overfeed him milk at this stage.

Ah X-posted there scruffyhound. I see your problem with regards the Gaviscon. There are other drugs available to treat reflux I believe which may be easier to give? Is it worth seeing your GP again to see if you could try something else?

My DS had reflux, we were prescribed gaviscon though as I bf it was so difficult to get into him (plus the issue of how many doses you could give) that I went back to the GP and he prescribed ranitidine. That worked brilliantly for my DS and we just had to give it 3 times a day so it didnt matter if he fed 12 times in 24 hours or whatever. I know some ppl who haven't had much luck with ranitidine and have found omeprazole better. I think you should go back to your GP. I can't see why they wouldnt prescribe something else especially if your LO isn't gaining weight as they would like (is he actually dropping through the centiles?)

We waited until almost 6mo to start weaning as I didn't want to do the whole puree/baby rice etc thing. And it has worked out great for us. As many others have said I really do think that 14wo is too early to wean and suggest you speak to your GP for some advice on this. I'm not sure a good HV would advise ignoring the guidelines this much without referral to a Dr first. And if a HV DOES suggest this then I would be a bit about the rest of their 'advice'.

hi scruffyhound my ds is 16 weeks and we are thinking of starting him on some baby rice next week so he can get used to the spoon and the texture before beginning weaning at 17 weeks/4months. I will be checking with a doctor that this is alright but I don't think he'll wait till 6months. We've also noticed that he is trying to sit up (holds your fingers and tries to pull himself up), stares at you while you eat and is constantly sucking his hands and whatever else he can get into his mouth, plus near constant drooling. The cow and gate weaning guide we received in the post (have you got one?) says these are the four signs that could show they're ready to eat. Today he even tried to feed himself with the bottle.

We have had similar trouble to yourself, so I know exactly what you are going through. I queried reflux but it looks more like he has CMPI, which can cause similar symptoms. Are you on the support thread for reflux? I've found that really great. DS also has a large strawberry birthmark on his lips which has caused serious problems with feeding (has been hospitalised twice this week due to it). He wouldn't really eat little and often, it was always 5 bottles. The HV's did nothing when I said he wasn't eating enough as his graph looks fine (despite only putting 4ozs on in 2 weeks a few weeks ago).

He has actually dropped his bottles to 4 a day as his feed amount has gone a little up, which I'm taking to be another sign that he is ready. My hv said 16 weeks when I asked at 14 weeks about it... I know a few months who weaned between 3 and 4 months but I would check with HV or gp about it.

Remember that Cow and Gate have a vested interest in you weaning early hellitops. Have a look in your birth to five book for unbiased info on weaning.

Lots of misinformation around... if you look in the birth to 5 book you can find the official "signs" of needing weaning ... cow and gate are treading shaky ground, but I suppose by saying "signs which could show they are ready to eat" they have covered themselves.

Here's the NHS site with some readiness guides: www.nhs.uk/start4life/pages/no-rush-to-mush.aspx

As you can see they are quite different from the cow & gate ones, the NHS says they must be able to sit up well (even if that is with support) - this makes more sense as babies tend to try sitting up at different ages, DS was able to sit with support from 4 months or so but didn't sit up himself until 9 months! And if they can sit with support there is less risk of choking than there is if you are feeding them in a reclined position.

The second NHS one is about them being able to grab food and get it into their mouth, rather than just looking at it. Remember they won't know that what you are doing is eating, the fact they put their hands in their mouths is just a developmental stage (and might be related to teething as well) - I expect they watch you when you are driving the car, cleaning the bathroom, walking around... it doesn't mean they are ready to do these things. They are just observing because what other humans do is interesting to them.

hi there, I do think it would be best to speak to your hv, as every baby is different. My dd is 20wks today and my hv advised me to start her on solids at 17 weeks as she was taking 8oz of extra hungry milk 5 times a day and as she was only 9lb her stomach couldn't handle any more. (she was born at 36 weeks and was only 5lb 4).

She is now taking baby porridge and a 6oz btl at breakfast, two small petit filous yoghurt's for lunch, a 6oz blt mid afternoon, a small dinner and dessert at tea time with water and a 6oz bedtime blt, and according to my hv she is thriving!

but then again my friend goes to the same hv and was advised not to wean untill 6months , her ds is at least 3lb bigger than my dd, depends on the child i think.

Hi Scruffy. Some of the responses on here have been very patronising. I am sure it has done your lo no harm at all to have the small amount of solids you have given him and those that think weaning before 6 months is so terrible have not had a hungry baby to deal with. I weaned ds2 at 15 weeks because he was hungry ( not going to justify myself by listing symptoms ) and it was absolutely the right thing to do. I increased the frequency / portion size as I felt appropriate and as I felt he 'demanded'. Being your second child I'm sure you are more confident to go with your instincts. My ds2 is now a very happy healthy 2.6 yr old with a fantastic appetite and attitude to food.
I have just started weaning my dc3 ( started at 19.5 weeks) and she has taken to it so well and has definitely put on a lot of (much needed) weight so I cannot understand why people insist that it doesn't give them extra calories - surely it does if they're still taking a full quota of milk feeds too
So OP - trust your instincts, I'm sure they are right.

I agree with you musttidy ,rather patronising indeed! I have had three children and FOR GOD'S SAKE don't be scared to follow your instincts, I am sick of hearing about health visitors,family members,nurses,random people on the street etc putting their ten pence worth in,and it's all just PERSONAL opinion/experience.'they' change the so called rules all the time. Do what you want,when you feel is right, baby rice is fine (in my opinion), pureed fruit and veg is fine (IMO) baby porridge, etc,etc. As long as you keep away from anything with salt in it.

Iquitelikevodka - But scruffy has ASKED for strangers to comment by posting on an internet forum. If she does not want the advice of strangers she shouldn't post here. Sometimes it is NOT a case of mummy knows best - for example if you knew someone who insisted that their child slept better on their front, in their own room at 2 weeks old would your query it? I knwo I would - becuase sometimes mums do things that could well be unsafe. And weaning too early is one of them. No, i doubt scrufy has done any harm at all with the small amount of solids she has given. But she should stop now and try and find a way of making her DS happy on milk alone.

Scruffy - could you split the gavison doses between bottles so you could give smaller bootles more often? Are you really sure he isn;t getting enough food? You have not given us details of his weight.

dmason123 - I knwo you're going to tell me to midn my own business but petit filos have 4 teaspoons of sugar in them each. So at lunchtime is a lot. I would perhaps consider plain yoghurt instead. It's cheaper too.

hi, zimm, as im sure u have already guessed im a first time mummy!i would never tell anyone to mind their own business, i appreciate all and any help, hints and tips lol! i wil def look into changing yougharts, i think its just a case of 'my sis did that so ill do that' if you know what i mean!

Oh cool - Plum organic ones have no added sugaer and DD loves them. Def can recommned.

Just wanted to point out that petit filous do not have 4tsp of sugar per pot - there are 12.4g of sugar per 100g (which would be 2 small pots) which is around 3 tsp altogether in both pots i.e. nowhere near the amount Zimm is suggesting they contain. I used muller little stars ones as they had less artificial ingredients.

I started weaning at 18wks when on 3 occasions, dd shoved food off my plate into her mouth

I can recommend a big tub of full fat natural yoghurt instead of the little pots. Much cheaper. Dd loves it mixed with fruit purée. Petit filous also have the little pots of plain yoghurt, much less sugary!

Just want to say that it's not unusual for a reflux baby to wean earlier.

Hey, just wanted to recommend trying SMA Staydown formula for babies with reflux. Our now 12MO DS has always had problems keeping his milk down. At 10 months we eventually tried switching formula after getting tired of him throwing up everywhere. SMA Staydown has been brilliant! Really wish we'd tried it earlier.

When mine was nearly 4 months old, he was watching us eating as well. We gave him a spoon to play with, now at 7 months he feeds himself with pre-loaded spoon, and having lots of finger food.

I tried to start to wean him at 20 weeks following the HV advice, but stopped after a couple of tries as he wasn't ready. I think the real sign of being ready if he steals the food off from your plate and eats it.

About the hungry baby formula: I gave my son but I wish I never did. I should've only given him the no 1 formula a bit more often.