To wean or not to wean???

[Fcas]

Hi all, my son is 16 weeks and is havin 6 feeds a day of 7oz (aptimal hungry baby)
He sleeps through 8-7 and has done since 6 weeks, but recently on the odd occasion he has started waking up at 3am for an extra feed.
Should I introduce baby rice? And if so ideas advice on how? Eg. Time of day to start?

Thanks! X

Trust me when I say weaning makes no difference. They often have a huge growth spurt aroyund 16/17 weeks which can last ages. DD2 just coming out of it now I think at 26 weeks and has been feeding on formula up to 3 times a night.

She is fully weaned, made not a scrap of difference.

17 weeks is the earliest you should wean, both of mine went straight onto baby porridge when weaned - around 20 weeks.

I was told porridge stays down better?

It's a growth spurt and 11 hours is a long time to go without food, picture how tiny his stomach is and how fast he's growing. I bet you dont go that long without food. He won't be able to digest the rice properly either so you'll just give him tummy ache.

I weaned one of mine at 16 weeks, as was the advice then, and it made his sleep worse, not better, sorry if that's not what you want to hear.

There are many more calories in the formula than in the rice, you'd just be filling him us with something that was less calorie dense and had less nutrition, so he could end up missing out on some of the things he needs to help him grow.

Its very common for 4 month olds to start waking, have a look at some old threads on "4 month sleep regression". There's nothing wrong, and nothing that needs fixing, he'll just grow out of it again in time. One thing to check though is the temperature of his room, both of mine woke more if the temperature dipped too much.

The current advice is to wait until the baby is at least 6 months old and there are lots of good reasons for this. One of the main ones is that it is so much easier . There is some information on weaning here, on sleep and on sleep regression here.

Thanks guys!

I wasnt so much concerned about his sleep, like you say 11 hours is a long time, he's fallen into that sleep pattern entirely himself. I just didnt want him to be unsettled in the night, if that makes sense?

As a first time mum the only advice I have is from my mum.. Which back then the advice was to wean at 8 weeks!

Probably a good reason to ask then Fcas . My family were pretty much like that too, my Auntie even suggested weaning my DS at 6 weeks .

The thing I always try to point out, as nicely as possible, it that so much research has been done since then that we are really benefitting from it now.

Have a read of this, you could always get your Mum to read it too .

very useful thread! my ds is 17 weeks. i am ebf and he is starting to feed much more throughout the day now and i am exhausted. stupidly mentioned this to my mum who has been pushing me to start him on solids since 5 weeks! so i was wondering whether i should start now....

Fcas, your LO sounds v similar to mine (and im also a first time mum), sleeping through 12 hrs a night since 5 weeks (entirely his own doing), but in past week or so has started to stir in the middle of the night and is having MUCH shorter naps during the day.

i'll hold off on the weaning for now and see how it goes in the next few days.

although i think mine is stirring in the night (whining in his sleep mostly) because he is having some trouble teething... dodee seems to help (after i give it back to him in his sleep 15 times!!)...
good luck with yours! :)

omri lots of babies start to wake more during the night at around 4 months, however they are fed. Have a look at www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html.

Babies also have a growth spurt around this time. It can be hard work but doesn't last and the best thing you can do is to feed when your baby wants it, even if that feels like all day.

Just wondering if you go to any Bfing Support Groups? You might find that going along to your local LLL group helps as they sometimes have talks on weaning.

Everything you have described though is perfectly normal and absolutely no indication that your baby is hungry .

thanks for your message and that link. i am off to my breastfeeding group tomorrow, havent been in a few weeks and i always come away feeling cheered up!

Glad you find the support they offer helpful .