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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

Help me hold out until 6 months!

26 replies

footstep · 22/02/2006 21:16

hello

my dd is 5 months old & exclusively breastfed. I'm starting to feel under pressure to introduce solids.

my h/v spouted the (sadly) usual stuff about how 6 months is recommended for babies in developing countries -here we need to introduce solids earlier or it stunts their speach development etc - i'm happy to ignore her!
dd is the oldest in our post natal nct group, but looks likely to be the last to wean. all the talk is of what fruit/veg combinations the babies are enjoying.
all my collegues say 'you can't make her wait until 6 months! she'll be starving'
my mil is dying to give her a some yucky baby rice or custard(sigh).

all this i'm happy to resist, but dd seems desperate to start eating. we were sat next to a little boy (10 or 11 year old) on the train earlier in the week, when she made a lunge for his sandwich! she was staring at him intently for the whole time he was eating, and kept trying to grab it off him. in the end he said 'would she like a piece of cheese?'

she can sit without support for a few mins at a time - but that doesn't mean her gut's ready, does it??

please help me resist...

thanks!

footstep

OP posts:

Racers · 22/02/2006 21:25

hi footstep
go back 3 months and i was in your shoes, pleading for encouragement! DD was a really good sitter, looked longingly at food, was grouchy/hungry etc (though night feeds had not increased or anything).
You are less likely to regret waiting than if you start before you feel 100% about it. I only held out another 2 weeks and slightly regret not waiting for the full 6m but I can't change that now. Take it week by week and ignore what everyone says about starving her. As if she'd prefer custard to breast milk!?!

WigWamBam · 22/02/2006 21:26

Sitting without support is not an indication of being ready to wean. Neither is reaching out for food ... she would probably have reached out just the same for anything that the other child happened to be holding. Baby rice is revolting stuff, I wouldn't bother with it at all if I were you!

HVs are notorious for churning out the same advice they have been for zillions of years, without bothering to keep their information up to date. Your MIL probably weaned your dh at two months or something like that, which is why she's keen to start feeding your dd. You have the satisfaction of knowing that, while your colleagues and your NCT friends are all champing at the bit competing over who will be first to get the next stage out of the way (because that's all they're doing), you are doing the right thing for your dd by waiting.

Stick to your guns ... another month is not long to wait in the scheme of things.

Racers · 22/02/2006 21:30

Gosh, it's especially brilliant if you can hold out while exclusively bf. I'd introduced formula at 17wks and mix fed from then, so maybe 2wks won't have made much difference.

Also, I was convinced that she would wolf food down, but she wasn't bothered. Mind you, she never took to baby rice or purees and only started to become interested when offered finger food and lumpy bits, from 6m. Your might be different, but if he isn't too bothered, you might find yourself kicking yourself. As I said, take it week by week and reassess how you feel.

Tipex · 22/02/2006 21:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tipex · 22/02/2006 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Racers · 22/02/2006 21:36

Agreed, the speech thing is shocking. Does she think that they do not need to speak in developing countries then?

Ignorant woman.

Racers · 22/02/2006 21:38

Sorry, but the detail of which aisle you were in made me laugh a bit! Shame it wasn't in the detergents section!

NotQuiteCockney · 22/02/2006 21:39

Huh? Do people in developping countries not need help with speech?

Sitting up unassisted for a few minutes isn't really long enough. Yes, ok, she's grabbing for food. Does she grab for books? If so, does that mean she's ready to learn to read?

I weaned DS1 at 16 weeks. I weaned DS2 at nearly 6 months (a few days before). And after all his grabbing and fussing? He wasn't interested until nearly 7 months. And finally, he wasn't interested in purees at all, and just went straight to finger food. Which is the best way to do it anyway. No pots of food to carry about. No pureeing. No feeding the baby. You just put food in front of him and leave him to it. He started using a spoon reasonably well at a year. Now, at 16 months, he goes mad for homemade soup, pasta, whatever. And he's been on our food from the beginning. Never had a jar or packet.

(Seriously, there is a speech problem/food thing - if a child only has purees, it can cause problems with speech development, as they're not moving food around the mouth with their tongue. I think you need to have them on real food by 18 months or something.)

picnikel · 22/02/2006 21:39

I weaned dd at just over months becuase my antenatal group were all weaning & I wanted her on solids before I went back to work. BIG MISTAKE! She wasn't interested and got horrible diarrhoea so I rapidly backtracked. I should have listened to my instincts (and MN).

Am also at your HV and the stunted speech comment, what rubbish! It sounds like the sort of mad old wives tale little old ladies tell you (akin to "ooh, don't let your baby stand like that, they'll get bandy legs"...) rather than information from a trained health professional!

picnikel · 22/02/2006 21:40

Oops, weaned at just over 5 months, meant to say.

RedZuleika · 22/02/2006 21:57

My DD is nearly five months too and exclusively breastfed. I'd develop selective deafness if I were you.

I'm planning to hang on until 6 months. She's started grabbing at food, but I don't, at the moment, think it's because she wants to eat it. She managed to get a carrot I was holding into her mouth earlier today, while I was looking the other way. I think it was just curiosity. She did the same with a physalis at the weekend - but while fruit might be something to start with, that wasn't actually on my list.

Luckily, I haven't got family pressure (my MIL is nice and I don't have much contact with my parents at the moment).

And - most importantly - I'm too lazy to puree...

Original poster

footstep · 22/02/2006 22:07

Thanks everybody - I knew I'd get some good support here!

I know you're right - you've really helped strengthen my resolve

I'm paraphrasing what the h/v said, but that was definately her implication . I was just thinking today that I should have challenged her a bit more forcefully and/or I should write to someone about it. Don't want to make an enemy of her though - but that's a bit pathetic of me, isn't it? Will be brave and write a letter.

thanks again

footstep

OP posts:

PiccadillyCircus · 22/02/2006 22:16

My DD is also 5 months (born 20th September) and I too am really aiming for 6 months. I also have a DD who keeps lunging for everything she sees (judging by her nappy today I think that she did eat a bit of newspaper earlier on )

And she grabs books too - don't really think she is ready to read just yet .

RedZuleika · 23/02/2006 09:35

Mine grabs at the dog.

He's not scared yet. (There be good eating on one o' them...)

fastasleep · 23/02/2006 09:38

It sucks doesn't it! Mine's not even 5 months but she starts drooling madly at dinner time while watching everyone else intently, then she either crams her fingers in her mouth or she moans for a cuddle and tries to steal my fork!

You must stay firm, even if it's just so that you can stay feeling self righteous later

I gave DS banana breastmilk milkshakes from 4 months, because he was very underweight and had kidney problems, he needed his weight upping ASAP for an operation, and I still feel a bit guilty! Curse of motherhood.

fastasleep · 23/02/2006 09:40

Also we have a 2 year old in the house who says 'Soophia hungry mumm' and then stuffs whatever he's having in her mouth! Argh! And she loves it too! The amount of times that I've fished banana out of there whilst she's been trying to chomp it ...

I usually catch him in time though!

teacups · 23/02/2006 12:07

Hold firm! I exclusively BF until 6 1/2 months as I wanted to have the ease of BF when we were on holiday, rather than farting around trying to work out the italian for baby rice etc. DD took to solids really well, off baby rice and onto more interesting things in a couple of weeks, well worth the weight.

teacups · 23/02/2006 12:07

or even the wait

Tatties · 23/02/2006 12:38

Footstep, NQC is so right. But I think you know this already.
I started weaning ds at 5mths, total waste of time, purees are not necessary, and a PITA, especially when they are not interested.
My reasons for starting at that age: external pressure, ds was (and still is a terrible sleeper), I was told by HV that weaning needed to be established by 6mths (!), and I didn't have enough confidence in myself to believe what deep down I knew - that ds was absolutely fine on breastmilk, until way past 6mths as it turned out. Out of some bizarre desperateness to do the right thing, I started him on solids because I thought that if there was a chance he did need more than breast milk, then I had to give it to him.
Anyway ds never really took to being spoon fed, so at around 6-7mths we took the baby-led approach. Honestly, finger foods are so much easier, they actually teach your child how to eat, and it is real food! Although it appears he is not actually eating very much - it doesn't matter. I think this way they eat what they want and if you still bf on demand you can be sure they are still getting what they need. DS is now 10 1/2mths and his weight has always been right on target, so if that is any indication, we must be doing something right!
Sorry if I have gone on a bit I think you get the picture! Hang on in there, I wish I had, and you'll be glad you did

sazhig · 23/02/2006 13:30

Footstep - I would report your HV - she is very out of date & is obviously not taking any notice of the guidelines she should be working under. This link gives the guidelines for health professionals on weaning. Would be very interested to see her reaction to that document

Maybe worth printing off a copy of this is show to anyone who asks why you haven't started solids yet.

LLL do a really good leaflet on solids now "Starting Solid food: Introducing your baby to family meals" & it summerising things very well for people who may have no idea about the current guidelines. Its £1 & can be bought from one of their branches or direct from their books department : 0845 456 1866.

This link might also give you some info about solids:
kellymom: Why delay solids

CorrieDale · 23/02/2006 13:51

Another excellent reason: delay the whiffy nappies for another couple of months.

Incidentally, DS was grabbing at food before 6 months, which was when we started him on finger foods. Although he ate from the very first meal, he's still not a big eater at 8 months. Mind you, he's much better at eating real food than his little mates, some of whom are baulking at even the titchiest lump.

novadandypowder · 26/02/2006 20:53

Can I highjack this thread for my own purposes?

I'm very interested in holding out until 6 months (DD is currently 4.5 months), and have tracked down the yahoo group link, but..

If they do start waking in the night through hunger before they are 6 months, do you just start giving milk again to keep them going? Will this then get them out of their previous good sleeping habits? DD has just started going through 7-7 after dropping her 2 night feeds last week, and I'm not looking forward to going back to that again.

mower · 26/02/2006 20:55

I have just weaned my 5 month ds, as he started waking through the night more and was before this a really good sleeper. Weaned him last weeks and last night was the first night it made a difference.

maretta · 26/02/2006 21:06

I'm in the same situation, I have a 5mo ds2, still exclusively breastfeeding. I'm determined to hold out until 6 months because ds1 has reasonably bad excema and ds2 has started to get a little bit in the cracks of his knees.
I've decided that in the future I will never regret waiting until 6 months but if I give in now I'll be blaming myself for ever more if he has bad skin.
Good luck - it;s only another month

nulnulcat · 26/02/2006 21:58

weaned dd at 16 weeks but had advice from hospital, she had chronic reflux was not gaining wait and seemed hungry all the time as was not keeping feeds down pureed fruit and veg and gave her gluten free rusks and carried on breast feeding and she was happy by 6 months was on a varied diet and is now 2 and will eat more than her 10 year old cousin i dont feel guilty about it at all i did what i thought was best for her

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