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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Hands Up Who Weaned before 6 months

139 replies

BibBabBob · 17/12/2005 19:16

How many people wean before the 6 months deadline. I've just started my DS on solids after four weeks of horrendous feeding frenzies day and night. I deliberated over the decision for a long time and think I made the right decision though I know there are billions of arguments against it. I wonder how many mums out there have done the same and feel they got it right.

OP posts:

hercules · 17/12/2005 21:45

It helps to ignore your hv.

expatinscotland · 17/12/2005 21:51

i will have to go to expressing b/c i have to go back to work when dd2 is 4.5 months. but the plan is to let dd2 tell us when she's ready to wean.

we did this w/dd1, who was formula fed. she was right at 6 months and started watching us eat, trying to grab out eating utensils, etc.

Nemoinapeartree · 17/12/2005 21:58

I weaned at 4mths with ds who is 2. Personally felt he needed it as did HV so I would do it again if felt need.

NutcrackingXmas · 17/12/2005 22:03

I weaned all mine at 4 mths or slightly later because thats what the guidelines were then.

Can not imagine how I would last until 6mths if i ever had another.

NotQuiteCockney · 17/12/2005 22:06

I weaned DS1 at 16 weeks. The guidelines were 4 months to 6 months in those days, and I had the idiot HVs hassling me to do it. (He was thin, although not alarmingly so. And I think I used up all my energy for opposition in resisting giving formula.)

It was a total waste of time, and I don't know why I bothered. Orange puree goes in, orange puree comes out, maybe a bit smellier!

I started offering DS2 food a few days before 6 months. He started eating, really, around 7 months. Much less work.

colditz · 17/12/2005 22:10

I weaned at 4 months, the health visiter told me to, and I believed her. Although i think he would have weaned himself somehow before 6 months - my mu took him to a family party at 5.5 months old, and he snaffled a sandwich over her shoulder from someone else's plate - and ate it

harpsiheraldangelssing · 17/12/2005 22:16

I honsetly can't remember
but she only had pear for ages, I remember that because we had a raelly good crop from our tree and I was too tight to buy anything else

NorwegianFir2 · 17/12/2005 22:31

DS is five now - but we were all (eg: me and my mummy mates) told to wean our babies at 4 months back then. Nobody had any problems, kids are all absolutely fine now. Don't stress - do what feels right.

paolosgirl · 17/12/2005 22:36

My kids are 8 and 6, and we all weaned at 4 months then - I think it's only changed in the last 3/4 years. DS was starving by 4 months, DD wasn't so bothered, so I weaned her at about 5 months. I can't imagine having to wait til 6 months for DS esp - he would have been starving for about 2 months, poor thing!

It worries me that the advice can change so often - and if they're now saying they were wrong about the weaning guidelines, what else are they wrong about????

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:37

it's been who advice for about 12 years and in the 1920s -30s etc was up ton a year.

paolosgirl · 17/12/2005 22:40

So why were we advised 4 months - and why are all my children (and others) who were weaned at 4 months absolutely fine?

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:43

it's been done to death here. The gov had to wait until they changed maternity leave. Yes, loads are okay but lots arent- irritable bowel syndrome being one example. Babies guts arent ready for solids until around 6 months.

NotQuiteCockney · 17/12/2005 22:43

It's not about individual children, it's about averages, and likelihood. Much as everyone knows a smoker who lived until they were 80, lots of kids can be weaned early, and be fine.

It's also worth noting that some of the problems associated with early weaning (adult obesity and IBS) may not show up in kids.

I don't know why the advice moved to 4 months. I wonder if there was some babyfood-manufacturer-funded research involved?

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:44

Lots of the problems dont show until adulthood.

paolosgirl · 17/12/2005 22:48

Oh, for heavens sake. The crap food that kids are served nowadays will have far more effect on obesity levels than whether a baby was weaned at 4 months or 6 months. Stick to what feels right, Bib. Millions of kids from the last 50 years or so have been weaned earlier than 6 months - and guess what! The vast majority are just fine.

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:48

which is why we have so few obese adults....

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:50

You asked a question, I answerd it. Why so defensive. Should the research be hidden?

paolosgirl · 17/12/2005 22:52

We have obese adults because of lack of exercise and the use of convenience foods.

Queenmab · 17/12/2005 22:54

I did at 16 weeks because DS was on 7 8oz bottles a day and seemed constantly starving. My HV told me I was not to wean before 6 months under any circumstances and then we moved and got a new HV who said if I felt he was ready to do then go for it with rice and see what DS thought of it. He slept through the night the first day he had it. Incidentally my cousin is a paediatric staff nurse at GOSH (qualified 3 years ago so not exactly out of date skills etc) and was horrified that HVs seemed to have a blanket ban on weaning before 6 months. Apparently they do it at 16 wks if the baby seems ready.

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:55

ignore the research if you wish but it should be available for others to read even if you done agree with it. much better to be informed and thendecide what to do whether you follow it or not.

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:56

Yes, there is a lot of ignorance re bf amongst the medical professionals. I've been told some real corkers.

Queenmab · 17/12/2005 22:56

50 years ago no-one waited until 6 months before weaning and there are a hell of a lot less obese people aged 40 plus then there are in the average group of school age kids nowadays.

paolosgirl · 17/12/2005 22:58

I've lost the chain of this thread now...does this mean the paediatric nurses are classed as the medical professions, and have it all wrong because of their being misinformed about breastfeeding? I'm very confused now...

hercules · 17/12/2005 22:59

I've yet to meet a gp who knows the first thing about bf.

Queenmab · 17/12/2005 22:59

Also all his solids before 6 months were as well milk not instead of. His milk intake did not go down one bit Although I do know several people who had 5 months babies on only two bottles a day...

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