Big baby = early weaning

[RillaBlythe]

can someone explain why this is? I've seen several references over the years to having to start solids because baby was big & therefore hungry.

I've had two big babies, dd1 was literally off the chart at 6 months, & dd2 is 98th percentile at 4.5 mths. But I don't get why that would mean I would wean earlier as they are clearly growing & thriving on milk.

Just wondering & not trying to be contentious never posted in here, hope it's not a hot button topic

My two biggest were the latest to wean, both 99% percentile babies at 6+ months and they were 32 & 28 weeks when they started eating solids, the 32 weeker was crawling before that! They were EBF and thrived, still didn't eat more than a few mouthfuls a day until they were about 11 months when thier appetite for solids suddenly went through the roof.

Yes I know that the OP was to do with big babies, I was just incredibly offended by seeker saying that I obviously thought I was "beating t he system".

Well the avoiding a bunfight thing went well didn't it?

The answer to the question is largely that it's something people say based on erroneous logic as opposed to information.

You can't talk about weaning in general terms because people will always take personal offence. Milk is all a baby needs until 6 months. Weaning readiness is nothing to do with how much they sleep/feed/wake/how hungry they are/how big/how small though people will try and apply it to affect/solve these questions/problems. There are a lot of problems generally with people accepting what a baby is and how it behaves. They wake up. They feed lots. They need a lot of work. This is true for many months and years. But we're somehow made to feel judged if we haven't achieved a 12 hour sleeping, 4 hourly feeding baby. Like we're somehow doing it wrong. And early weaning is just another stick in this strange game.

And some people do see it as a badge of how advanced their children are. Fortunately I've only encountered this attitude twice but it does happen.

I like the weaning advice and actually Edgar it's not too far from what you said though people like to claim it's 'do NOT EVER feed a baby before 6 months'. What it actually says is babies only need milk for 6 months and some time around/about this mark they'll be ready for more. They point out that waking/feeding lots etc is nothing to do with it, they explain the actual signs a baby is ready, remind you not to do it before 17 weeks and foods that should never be given if you do wean before 26 weeks. They encourage you to look to your baby. They actually say enjoy it, don't force it, look at your baby. Actual Department of Health guidelines here.

DD is huge.

She was 98th centile at birth (10lb), 108th centile on the boys scale by 2 months, 118th centile at 13 months (which was scary and I posted about it lots) and then has settled at about 108th since then.

She weaned when she wanted to, which was trying stuff like avo and pear every now and then at about the 5 month mark onwards, then me religiously pureeing everything I could lay my hands on at 6 months. Like most babies she was at her fattest at 6 months when most of her calories were from milk, and has slimmed down month by months since then.

Her bigness has made no difference to any of her developmental milestones (she's hit them all with metronomic preciseness, neither early nor late), except that we had to produce documentation that she was under 2 when we went to parks and attractions and even the biggest boys think twice before trying to take a toy off her .

The fact the 'when to wean' debate causes such anger is something find both baffling and fascinating - I didn't encounter it before MN. Surely once you're over 17 weeks (when I believe most docs agree the gut is mature) it's pretty irrelevant exactly when?

It is also old advice, and we all know what people are like for repeating that . 20 years ago HVs used to say wean at 12 weeks or 12lb whichever came first . this turned out to be a load of tosh, so has been superceded by more sensible development-based recommendations.

well i had a litle baby, only 6lb 6oz and had to wean at just over 4 months. having been bottlefed from 3weeks she was never a big milk drinker, and went off completely around 4 months. she's loving solid food and gets her milk mixed in so is getting plenty, she's thriving.

i'm a mum of 4. every1 of them baby has been different. different feeders of both breast and bottles. different sleepers and different weaning schedules etc etc.

everyones baby is different and babies def don't stick to the rules, little ones and big ones, some are happier on solids, some would live on milk alone. Lets just do what we feel is right for our babies. sometimes i think we're too hard on ourselves it's hard work being a mum x

I've got The Worlds Biggest Baby. She's 23lbs at 22 weeks.

She's been sleeping for between 8 and 14 hours at a stretch since about 10 weeks

She's just started helping herself off my plate in the last week or so, she's surprisingly competent.

Is it 24 or 26 weeks you're meant to wean? I can't remember

We weaned DS early - around 20 weeks as he was drink 11oz of milk every hour or so pretty much around the clock. You could hear it sloshing inside him. 26 weeks is a guideline - that means some babies will be ready earlier. I know my DS better than anyone else.

So we are weaning early then

Just goes to show....um not very much. Individual needs n'all that or something