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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

When to Wean?

17 replies

Labs1701 · 21/04/2012 10:49

Hi Everyone

I am new to the site. My fiancé and I have a 4 month old lovely little man called Daniel. I was just wondering when most of you started to wean your little one? and what did you try first? My health visitor has given me some advice but I just wanted to hear from the other mums out there as I am the first one of my friends to have a baby and therefore would like to talk to some other women who have babies too. Thanks xxx :-)

OP posts:

Gumby · 21/04/2012 10:52

I weaned at 24 weeks
there's more calories in milk anyway and the longer you leave it you can avoid the pureeing, ice cube tray thing!

BikeRunSki · 21/04/2012 10:56

I weaned DS at 26 weeks. 2 day of purees, then on day 3 he grabbed a tuna baguette out of my hand, chomped on that and it was BLW all the way.

DD was 26 weeks on Tuesday, gave her a rice cake and a strawberry. She's had various bits of soft fruit and steamed veg to play with, cheese, pitta bread, tea cake and a few spoons of lentil stew and porridge.

notcitrus · 21/04/2012 12:07

I waited until the recommended 6mo mainly to avoid all the mess and daddy as long as possible, and there's more calories in milk than solids per meal so I didn't believe it would help ds sleep better. Apparently solids don't improve sleep on average despite all the anecdotes saying they do.

notcitrus · 21/04/2012 12:10

Tried some rice porridge dn had used, then weetabix, mashed potato, carrot, parsnip, cheesy mash, banana and also finger foods - sticks of pork and chunky chips and sticky rice were great hits by 7mo.

Ds ate anything until 16mo when overnight he became a really classic fussy eater...

JiltedJohnsJulie · 22/04/2012 10:47

Hellow and welcome to MN . I weaned one at 16 weeks with purees, back in the old days and one weaned herself at 23 weeks when she grabbed and scoffed a sandwich.

Out of the two the second was much easier as she just ate what we ate most of the time. Mumsnet and the NHS both have some great information on weaning.

Have you heard about Baby Led Weaning? Did your HV mention how easy it is compared to purees?

Original poster

Labs1701 · 22/04/2012 17:03

Thanks for all the advice I think I am just a bit overwhelmed with all the information from my HV. I think what scares me is starting a whole new routine as wee man is in such a good routine as it is he sleeps 11pm-7am and is just bright as a button, finshing all his bottles. I know obviously things have to change it's just getting started on all the new exciting, albeit mushy, foods. I think I am just going to try him with a spoonful of baby rice this week and see where we go from there. Once I get into the swing of things I know we will be grand.

OP posts:

CMOTDibbler · 22/04/2012 19:19

Why give him baby rice ? He's 4 months old, sleeping great, so why change now ?

GodisaDJ · 22/04/2012 21:43

Welcome to MN

Whilst you feel overwhelmed by the advice and information, the NHS guidelines recommend weaning at 6 months (around this time) and several people on here are saying the same to you.

From the information you have given, it doesn't make sense why you are going to give baby rice (ie DS is sleeping well, happy and content and you're worried about disturbing a decent routine/pattern)?

Why do you want to start weaning at 4 months?

What has made you consider baby rice as a first food?

I'd recommend you read up on Baby Led Weaning (also called BLW) and also read this on why baby rice isn't that great.

We started BLW at 6 months and skipped purée completely. Dd is nearly 9 months and eats anything I give her herself (no spoon feeding), and she loves meal times. I only have positive things to say about BLW.

HTH

BrianButterfield · 22/04/2012 21:56

24 weeks, no baby rice (apart from a little sachet I got free and mixed with some fruit - waste not, want not!) and no purees, just BLW from the start. Just avoided gluten until 6 months but that was easy enough as I started on fruits and veg mostly (sweet potato wedges and the like). I think it's better to start when you can really see them taking pleasure in food. Where's the pleasure in being stuffed with boring baby rice?

Springforward · 22/04/2012 21:58

I waened DS at 23 weeks. He'd suddenly stopped gaining weight and had been in a (ebf) growth spurt phase for two weeks, so HV suggested it.

I was a bit disappointed I didn't get him to 26 weeks, but he did seem ready for his first meal of mashed banana when he got it!

Original poster

Labs1701 · 22/04/2012 23:09

I am just going by what my HV said to try him with some baby rice at 17 weeks as he seems like he wants to try something.

OP posts:

CMOTDibbler · 23/04/2012 08:02

Your hv is giving really bad advice that is against the NHS guidelines on weaning then

GodisaDJ · 23/04/2012 20:39

It's hard when a professional gives advice labs but I have to agree with CMOT, around 6 months is the guideline so your HV has given you incorrect advice.

Based on what you have told us, your DC doesn't seem ready for food.

The guidelines changed from 4 months to 6 months (can't remember when, approx 5 years ago?) but the baby food manufacturers are still allowed to market to 4 month olds onwards ie baby rice, purée jars etc. Research suggests that a baby's gut isn't ready for foods until 6 months, hence why the world health organization (WHO) recommend exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months. With formula feeding, they also recommend this for 6 months.

What signs do you think your baby is showing (to be ready to be weaned)?

The signs I looked for included:
Siting up unaided
Grabbing food off your plate
When eating food, pushing it around their mouth (and out) ie developing their tongue thrust
Interested in the food they grab (not just straight to mouth...for example, most toys and remote controls go straight to my dd's mouth at 4 months because that's what babies do at 6.5 months, she'd look at the food in her hand, inspect it even, before putting it in her mouth.
(has anyone else got any other signs, I'm sleep deprived today and may have missed one? )

Maybe have another chat with your HV and mention baby led weaning, see if she knows about it / advocates it.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 24/04/2012 19:51

Labs agree that it can be very hard to ignore what your HV is saying, she's the one person from the NHS you have contact with and the one you should trust afterall.

Unfortunately though she's wrong on this one and isn't givng you information that is the same as the NHS guidelines.

Giving baby rice at 4 months is old fashioned and unnecessary. Like others have said, he's drinking his milk and sleeping all night, why change things when you don't have to?

From experience baby rice and purees have less calories than formula so you baby may start waking for night feeds as he will have filled his tummy up with low calorie foods during the day and become more hungry at night. He may also start to wake more as his digestive system has not matured fully yet. There are plenty of threads on here from Mums who have started weaning early and their baby's are waking with wind and crying.

As for him looking like he wants to try something, he's 4 months old I assume he watches most things you do like eating, washing up, putting your make up on?

If you've read all the NHS information and still want to try baby rice have a read of this before you give it to your DS, it might make you think again .

Somersaults · 25/04/2012 20:41

I can highly recommend a book called Weaning Made Easy by Rana Somebody. It looks at all the guidance for what age to wean in detail and then lays out the pros and cons of traditional spoon feeding and BLW to help you decide what will work best for your baby and you.

MadameChinLegs · 25/04/2012 20:46

I have an 18 week old, so am thinking along the same lines as you, OP. I havent started to wean yet, but I may start within the next month. I really do not want to give her baby rice as it just seems dull, bland and pointless.

We dont add salt to stuff, and Im hoping I can simply mush up anything we cook from scratch for her to have a taste. Milk will be her main source of food until at least 6 months, so anything she gets off us in addition to that will be purely for 'the experience'. Baby rice to me just doesnt seem like much of an exciting experience

We did put a breadstick in her hand yesterday and she just sat with it there in her hand, looking at it. Was rather amusing.

Bewler · 25/04/2012 20:52

Another advocate of BLW here! I think with your first DC weaning is exciting and its tempting to do it as soon as possible but if you can hold off then you may be amazed at how eager your man is to feed himself and share the sorts of foods you eat. My DD was BLW - not an entirely smooth process and I did feed her a bit (rather than being a purist BLW and letting her do all her own feeding) but not doing purees was so liberating! She's a great eater now except when she refuses to pick up a spoon and just sits there with her mouth open like an expectant baby bird and will eat pretty much anything which I hope is down to her having tried so many adult foods from an early age

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