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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

weaning at 10 weeks

44 replies

kiki22 · 14/04/2012 14:43

I am having a huge dilema here and need advice.

DS is 10 weeks old and constantly hungry he's a big boy already 14lbs from 7lbs 3 at birth. He seems to need more food than he's getting as his milks not satisfying him he's constantly staring at us eat and puts everything in his mouth spends 90% of the day chewing his hands!

I've asked HV about his and she says there are 2 options 1 being giving him hungry baby milk but he's currently on lactose free so the hungry baby may give him a sore tummy again which makes him very miserable or 2 start giving him baby rice as it's lactose free but obviously it's very early. HV has more or less said she can only advise the hungry baby as they won't advise weaning before 16 weeks but it's up to me which has left me thinking why would she mention baby rice if it was a no go? Do i put him on baby rice and milk until 16 weeks or hungry baby and risk making him ill again?

Anyone have any ideas? i really don't know whats for the best but the poor boys going to eat his own hands if something isn't done soon!

OP posts:

lagartija · 14/04/2012 14:46

Eating his hands means nothing, it's a feeding cue for more milk. Please don't give him baby rice, he's faaaaaaar too young. Recommended age for solids is 26 weeks. Just give him more milk more often.

SparkyMcSparrow · 14/04/2012 14:49

He is far too young for baby rice.

All babies chew their hands, it does not mean that he wants to eat.

6 months is the nhs recommended age for weaning, however I know lots of people have started earlier. I did it at 18 weeks. but 10 weeks is far far too young!

JellyMould · 14/04/2012 14:52

Have to agree that more milk more often is the solution. Not sure why the HV didn't recommend that. Please don't start weaning.

pumpkinsweetie · 14/04/2012 14:56

He is far too young at 10 weeks to have anything other than milk.
6 months is the recommended age for weaning,speak to your HV first but maybe he could start a bit early say 4 months?
My first 2 dcs were weaned at 4 months and are perfectly healthy but this was before the new guidelines, my 3rd dc 5 months and my fourth dc was about 7 months as she wasn't taking to it straight away.
My advice would be to talk to HV before you wean him x

LadyWidmerpool · 14/04/2012 14:57

Completely agree with lagartija. His tummy isn't ready for anything but milk. He's staring at you eating because he is interested in you and in the things that are going on around him. And babies put everything they can in their mouths! Could you feed him more often?

Original poster

kiki22 · 14/04/2012 15:06

I've tried to feed him more often but he still does not seem happy with it. I'm reluctant to try the hungry baby as the normal milk give him tummy pains sickness and constipation and constantly woke him up making him tired and unhappy. I gave him a little baby rice at my friends 2 days ago just one spoon mixed with 15 spoons of his milk then the rest of his bottle. He loved it and went another 3 hours before wanting a bottle i kept a close eye for sickness and on his nappys and all seemed fine but he is so so young.

HV has just totally thrown me by mentioning it at all have asked woman i know and most have weaned at 3 month with one even at 8 weeks but these kids are all between about 5 and 30 yrs.

I just want ds to be happy and full it's so confusing this parenting thing :)

OP posts:

5madthings · 14/04/2012 15:12

eating his hands is just because he can! he has learnt they are a part of him and he can put them in his mouth!

watching you eat, thats just what babies do, he wants to watch you eat or do whatever you are doing.

i would give him more milk and also is he a sucky baby? it may be that he wants the comfort of sucking and not the milk sometimes, does he have a dummy?

some babies do just feed a lot btw, so its not unusual for him to want feeding more than every three hours :)

what is he like at night? and how much formula is he having over a 24hr period? i vaguely remember reading that unless a baby under the age of 6mths is having more than 40+ oz of formula a day on a regular basis then they arent hungry and needing food?

there is a method you can use to work out roughly how much formula he should need, its something like his body wieght in kilos, times 2.5 and that will give you the amount of oz of milk he needs in 24hrs?

lagartija · 14/04/2012 15:12

There are long term health implications with weaning so so early, his gut isn't ready for it. Babies eat their hands, they cry, they watch you when you eat (and most of the rest of the time, cos you're endlessly fascinating to them and the centre of their world) it does not mean they are ready for solids. he went longer after the baby rice cos he couldn't digest it because his gut isn't mature enough. Please wait before giving him solids, he just needs milk for the next 16 weeks. Babies cry, they often seem unhappy, solids are not the answer at 10 weeks old.

5madthings · 14/04/2012 15:13

also when you say he isnt happy what do you mean? if he has a sensitive tummy maybe has wind type pain? is he screaming for milk or just generally unsettled? lots of babies are unsettled sometimes it doesnt mean they need to be weaned.

daenerysstormborn · 14/04/2012 15:18

he's only 10 weeks, slllloooooooooooow down! don't be in such a rush to wean and don't assume he's paying more attention to what you are eating means he's hungry. at 10 weeks, he's starting to become more alert and his eyes are starting to focus, he'll be interested in everything not just food. he may just need more entertaining and playing with.

Original poster

kiki22 · 14/04/2012 15:24

By not happy i mean he crys and moans until he gets a bottle he takes an oz then is happy and smiley again. He usually feeds every 4 hours except at night when he goes 6 hours then 4 and 4 between 7 and 7 but in the last 2 weeks wants to snack in between. He's not in any pain between feeds just seems to want to snack. I mentioned to the health visitor about weaning early at 16 weeks since he seems more hungry than usual and i don't want to try the hungry baby as she suggested before (doc said hungry baby not the best idea) and thats when she started on early weaning or hungry baby.

OP posts:

5madthings · 14/04/2012 15:28

well he wants to snack, so let him? thats what he needs to do, it could be a growth spurt, it could be teething, or any number of reasons honestly, if he wants to have extra milk then let him have extra milk. he is sleeping well for his age and 4 hrs is a long time for him to go without milk he is still little!

how many oz does he have in general?

lagartija · 14/04/2012 15:28

HV is talking (dangerous and irresponsible) bollocks. 4 hours is quite a long time between feeds at 10 wks old. If he seems hungry offer him a bottle. If you add up what he actually takes over 24 hours it's almost certainly not over the recommended amount nad he's just a normal baby and isn't particularly hungry. He's not actually feeding v often at all for 10 wks from what you say and is probably just having a growth spurt. If he seems hungry, give him milk.

Original poster

kiki22 · 14/04/2012 15:35

i'm quite happy to let him snack tbh it doesn't make much diff to me except i make 2 extre bottles with 2oz in them. 10 weeks did just sound 2 early to me tbh i'm not very keen on HV she's a bit OTT if you ask me told me to throw out every bottle and dummy and buy a new steriliser because he had a bit of thrush, and the question 'he seems quite hungry is it 16 or 17 weeks the earliest babies can be weaned?' somehow turned into utter confusion for me about bloody baby rice!

He has 7 6oz bottles a day plus maybe 3oz extra at random times between bottles. He does like his grub and is in 75th centile so not surpising he's quite hungry a lot. Glad i came on here about this asking friends and family was no help they all said 3 months.

OP posts:

pumpkinsweetie · 14/04/2012 15:37

I fed all my babies formula every 3 hours, i was told to feed betwen 3/4 hours so 3 would be fine if he is hungry.
Every 4 hours for a hungry baby doesn't sound enough
Have u tried hungry baby milk ?

pumpkinsweetie · 14/04/2012 15:38

Omg she told you to throw out your steriliser and dummies coz he had thrush seriously she sounds well ott, see another HV x

5madthings · 14/04/2012 15:40

you dont need to throw out steriliser and dummies as he had thrush! thats what the sterliser will do, sterlise them!!

7 6oz bottles a day with a couple of smaller ones inbetween seems fine :)

SparkyMcSparrow · 14/04/2012 15:45

I think your HV sounds very odd tbh!

catsareevil · 14/04/2012 15:51

If he was a breastfed baby you would most likely be feeding him whenever he demanded food, without knowing at all how many oz he was getting.

Why not just give him milk when he seems like he wants it?

MyDogShitsShoes · 14/04/2012 15:51

Give him more milk!

From about 3-4 months ds was having 8oz bottles every 4 hours at least. That was hungry baby milk.

Some babies need more milk than others.

By the time he was weaning at 6 months he was having up to 50oz a day.

It seemed like far too much to me but he was never sick and never constipated, pooing too much or suffered from tummy ache or wind.

It wasn't up to me to tell him if he was hungry or not!

Fwiw he is 8 months now and still on the same centile he was born on. (born 8lb 9oz so big but by mo means massive)

Don't over think it. Just feed what he wants when he wants it. He knows how much he needs.

Original poster

kiki22 · 14/04/2012 15:52

Going by the guildline for how much fomula he should be taking for his age it should be 5 oz 5 times a day but by weight it should be 7 oz 5 times a day so over all he's taking what they think a 4 month old should need, this is from the guild lines on the tin btw.

According to HV he should be taking more milk less frequently but he's started taking more milk more frequently. As i said hungry baby was suggested but doc does not think it's a good idea and neither do i.

An idea of how he's feeding at the moment yesterday

7.30am - 6oz
10.30am - 6oz
12pm - 1oz
1.00pm 6oz
3pm - 6oz
5pm - 2oz
7.30pm - 6oz
1am - almost 6oz
4.30am - almost 6oz

todays almost the same so far. He's fine at night i was thinking he would prob need weaned a bit before 6 month but 10 weeks seems to be to early to me.

OP posts:

Original poster

kiki22 · 14/04/2012 15:58

pumpkinsweetie and all my bottles too was temped to ask if she craps money because i sure don't.

OP posts:

Sirzy · 14/04/2012 15:58

guidelines on the tins are crap ignore them! Feed him the milk he wants when he wants it but please dont consider weaning just yet

catsareevil · 14/04/2012 16:01

Your HV advice sounds strange. He should never feed more frequently? Not allowed to be hungry or have a growth spurt then?

Debs75 · 14/04/2012 16:02

OP as a comparison dd3 was breastfed and fed easily as often as that at 10 weeks. SHe also had huge weight gain going from 6lb6oz to around 12lb by 10 weeks.
He is way too early for weaning, his gut isn't developed enough. Taking more milk could just be a growth spurt and those couple of 2oz bottles are helping him snack. Remember guidelines are just that, they are not an absolute must to follow. HUngry baby is just a harder to digest formula which makes them feel fuller for longer, not really needed as 1st stage can last you till 1 easily.
Have you tried offering water inbetween feeds, he may be thirsty which is why he is only taking a couple of oz's

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