My reply to a query from Organix...

[colditz]

()

Hi there *,

Thank you for your mail concerning the recommended age for weaning by
the WHO.

We do adhere to their guidelines and whilst they have said from 6
months
they have also confirmed to us that it could happen any time between 4
to 6 months so we are still allowed to say this on our foods. If you
look at competitor products like Heinz, Hipp and Cow and Gate they are
doing the same.

The reasons they have directed us to do this is because many babies are
ready to wean before 6 months of age and parents are frustrated that
they have to wait until 6 months of age to feed their hungry babies.

The coin is two-sided. We will always follow guidelines and
legislation
and have always done so. We have had it confirmed that we are able to
say in our literature that Health Professionals recommend that weaning
shouldn't take place before 6 months so if you want to start the
process
sooner than this you need to consult a Health Professional.

We are following guidelines and we have had confirmation that we can
say
this on our packaging. When and if that situation changes of course we
will change it according to what we are told and guided to do by the
government and health professionals.

We are always very open and honest within our communications and will
always adhere to rules and regulations concerning babyfoods and
otherwise.

I am sorry that you feel disappointed but I do hope this has helped
answer some of your concerns.

Kind Regards
Marie Van Hagen
Brand/Customer Service Manager

What do you all think? I think Hunker will be interested in this reply, as she is known to get rabid on the subject

I see, Tiktok.
My baby at her peak once fed for 8 hours in a day (And she wasn't comfort-sucking! This was after she had started to have solids, though, so it was not a factor in weaning decisions). Mind you, she was sleeping through the night so I suppose I could have got more milk into her by waking her up in the night, but was not keen to do this. :)
She always used to get really cross when I offered her milk and she didn't want it - always used to imagine she was saying 'I ask you for [whatever] and you insult me by offering me milk!'
I can quite see that initially the solids won't help with the calorie intake, but there must come a point when they will, though, so surely if you've started weaning sooner, this point will be reached sooner?

When the baby is old enough to take larger quantities of solids and metabolise them efficiently and quickly, which is a question of age/gut maturity, then yes, the solids add to the calories the baby gets from the milk.

Early solids tend to replace milk - it's all in the research backed up with what we know about an infant's metabolism.

Later solids tend to be in addition to milk....and yes, add to the baby's overall intake.

Letting the baby set the pace is important, so the baby gets the balance right.

"Even one extra short feed in 24 hours will give the baby several hundred more calories in a week - far more than a daily couple of spoons of pureed fruit or veg, and also quite a lot more than baby rice."

But what if they are still feeding, on demand, all round the clock - and are still not settling?? I know DS1 was getting enough milk - his continuous growth and weight gain showed me that - but he was still really hungry and miserable.

We started at 4 months (skipped the baby rice - could't - and still can't - see the point in that stuff lol) and intended to introduce 'meals' gradually. We wolfed down the first feeds - the entire lot, but we were determined to keep him on one meal a day for a few weeks. After 3 days he started screaming hysterically when we sat down to eat at other mealtimes and he wasn't getting any - so eventually gave in and gave him some at dinner time too - this was rapidly increased to him eating at all 3 mealtimes - plus still having milk on demand pretty much all day (and night).

Although he didn't sleep through for more that 1 1/2hrs at a time until he was 6 months old (CC) he became a much happier baby and didn't cry even half as much as before (and from birth he'd been a very 'screamy' baby).

I was talking about babies with faltering growth, QoQ - not really applicable to your baby, who was gaining well.

I'd need to know more about how he was behaving, what sort of responses he got to his unsettld behaviour, other possible causes of him being miserable...can't really comment, sorry, except to say that 'individualisation' would probably include giving a 4 mth baby solids if he seemed miserable without them!

ok fair enough.

There was no real 'reason' for him being unsettled - he was just a greedy little boy (nothing much changed then - now 5 and still eats for England LOL). He always got picked up (if he wasn't already) and we went through all the 'normal' things to try for a crying baby - usually concluding with a BF and then if still unsettled it would be coat and jackets on and a long walk with him in the pram to get him to sleep.

Looking back I'm not quite sure how I coped in those early months he was such hard work - DS2 was a doddle in comparison LOL.