Hands Up Who Weaned before 6 months

[BibBabBob]

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.

16(ish - may have been 17)weeks here. was the guidlines then. Is bizarre that only 2 years later it has changed. though I would deffo try and wait out the 6 months next time, although dd was huge, hungry and a guzzler so i don't think she would have coped!

4 months for both of mine DS5 & DS3, no problems,

No doubt in a couple of years time Mums will be asking 'who weaned at 6 months' when 'experts' change their minds again and parenst beat themselves up about what is right etc.

But the WHO advice has been 6 months for about 10 years, I think.

Thought the thread question was really aimed at those who weaned pre 6 months after it became official UK advice.

Weaned both dss at 4 months and was weaned myself at 6 weeks

I don't think I could have carried on breastfeeding my guzzly boys without supplementing it with something for a single day longer.

Did i damage my boys more by weaning them early than I would have done by topping up with formula instead?

what I gather was that 6 months was the ideal esp for purely breastfed, but 16 weeks (2 years ago) was the earliest they recommended doing it, plsu they recognised that a formula fed baby may need more sooner (I am not actually sure of the logic of that, it's what i heard in various places) as might a big, hungry, milk intolerent baby......

I imagine none of us have done any harm!!!!!! even those old ladies who claim to have weaned their babies at 4 weeks (lol) have prob got reasonably healthy children. not that i'd recommend doing THAT!

i think the point maybe that although the advice is 6 months pople are getting concern about doing it before 6 months when half of us here did it at 4 months, because the advioce was so.

There are Mums out there weaning now who are getting het up as they are doing it before 6 months when 2 or 3 years ago it was 4 months and some did it even earlier.

I think its reassuring to those Mums when they see that only a couple of yeras ago we did it ealier with hopefully no major problems.

DS is 21 months & started solids at 16 weeks, despite the WHO guidelines, as my HV team was very pro and many of my peers were doing it too, so I did. hadn't discovered Mumsnet then.

Definitely wouldn;t do it again, for obvious reasons, but also because I sodding hated all that pureeing lark, it just made more work.

And btw the advice 9 years ago was weaning between 4 to 6 months. We were definitely not told to wait until 6 months.

I weaned my first at 4 months, not concerned at all, had no other resource than my HV. But I think the WHO advice has been 6 months for approx 10 years.

DS was weaned on baby rice from 16weeks, he was a huge baby and started waking in the night, getting very grumpy and was transformed when he was weaned. He only had pureed organic veg until he was 6mths though.

WHO recommends exclusively breastfed for 4 to 6 months.

So who has come up with the 6 months deadline ?

WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. Not 4-6.

4 months will all four of mine as per guidelines at the time (youngest is 4). Fortunately they all survived to tell the tale!

Sorry no good at doing links but found this quote :

WHO's infant feeding recommendation states that infants should be exclusively breastfed (no other drink or food) for the first four to six months of life, while being allowed frequent and unrestricted access to the breast. Beginning around four to six months of age, babies can begin receiving appropriate complementary foods while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond. The immunological properties in breastmilk continue to provide both nutrition and protection from illness as long as your baby/child continues to nurse.

This is very confusing as on here we have conflicting advice so could som eone find a link and clarify.

Here in Austria they think you are mad (and a bad Mother)if you wean before 6 months. DS was weaned at 4 months in UK and we moved here when he was 5 months, I was obviously seen as a "bad Mother" !

Found this

I don't know where that quote is from. I do know that the WHO site here says:

As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.

WHO Weaning Info

The Expert Consultation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, with introduction of complementary
foods and continued breastfeeding thereafter. This
recommendation applies to populations. The Expert
Consultation recognizes that some mothers will be unable
to, or chose not to, follow this recommendation.
These mothers should also be supported to optimize
their infants? nutrition.

For "supported" read "bullied, guilt-tripped, ostracised and generally treated like errant children by health visitors who don't have children"

Hrumpf

Thank you for clarification.

Outdated info here \link{parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bbreastfeed/0,,3wsr,00.html}

Um, lots of mums are bullied etc by HVs for trying to wait until 6 months.

Yes...I think whatever you do someone is going to tell you you shouldn't be doing it. I think mums should do what they think is best and pushy HVs should push off!! Sorry if I sounded like a horrible ogre, I am having a crap day with bolshy 3 year old and pooey 1 year old!!!!

I know I bloody was, NQC.

So I shot my HV. Then I put a tape recorded message saying "top up with formula, give pureed carrots at 4 months" inside a nodding dog and nobody has yet noticed.