Is my 23 wk old baby ready to start weaning (want to do BLW)?

[lovepigeon]

I'm sorry I'm sure there are posts like this all the time but I just found out I am the only one (friends with babies about the same age) who has not started weaning yet. My DD is 23 weeks old and still exclusively breastfed. I had been planning on waiting another 2 or 3 weeks until she is 6 months old but now I'm worried that I'm depriving her of food.

I am confused about the guidelines as she can sit up really well on my knee but if on the ground she will fall forward onto her head after a few seconds. I tried her sitting in a high chair and she sat up straight really well - no slumping. Does the fact that she topples forwards onto her head mean that she cannot sit unaided and therefore is not ready to be weaned?

Otherwise in the last week she has started chewing on her toys/our fingers a lot more and staring as us when we eat. Also last few days she has suddenly upped her milk intake a lot - taking both breasts at each feed and feeding more frequently. She weighs 8kg (91st centile) after starting out on 9th centile.

Should I offer her some fruit? On a selfish note I was hoping to hold out on the weaning for another week as we are about to move house.

By all means hold off if you prefer. Your DD is getting all of her nutrients from you, and won't 'suffer' from not having food at this age. Milk is more calorific than what little food she will eat so boobs help more with growth spurts than weaning.

I started BLW at the age your DD is now and at 7mo she is only really now starting to consume enough to warrant a drop in milk intake, the first few weeks are exploration and curiosity for them really.

The mess is immense, and I feel like DD is constantly either eating or being cleaned after eating however I let her start when she started grabbing food off my plate. at a pub lunch this afternoon she tried to help herself to her uncles plate of food, he was NOT best pleased.

In your shoes, i'd just leave her be. Whenever is most convenient for you, then start. If you have a Bumbo seat, I have found that briliant for food - sits nicely in it and it is wipe clean. I also picked up a waterproof table cloth from the Pound shop which I put underneath and wipe clean after each meal.

Good luck! Oh, and if you are on Facebook, theres a Mumsnetter on there who has a Baby Led Weaning page if you wanted to 'like' it as she has some good tips and photos and videos.

Totally agree with Gnocchi, if it suits you then hold off by all means, in fact there is some research to suggest that delaying starting solids is very beneficial, here. So please don't succumb to peer pressure over weaning.

As for increasing her milk intake, this is normal and is no indication that she is ready for weaning, just that she wants more milk. From 6 to 12 months milk should be her main source of nutrition so the advice is to offer a bf an hour before offering her solids. Once she is one you can offer the milk after the solids.

Watching you isn't an indication that she is hungry either. I'm assuming she watches you putting on your make up and loading the washing machine, but she probably isn't ready for either of those yet either .

The NHS guidelines say that the baby should be sitting up unaided, I've always taken this to mean that the don't topple over when you remove your hands.

It is entirely up to you though. My DD was weaned at 23 weeks when she took a sandwich and ate it. Have a read of the link above and then decide for yourself .

I've just finished the Gill Rapley book about BLW and she is pretty full-on about the need to hold off till 6 months. What your child is doing on the outside eg behaviour around food, weight etc is apparently no indication of their gut being sufficiently mature, which occurs round about 6 months. Anyway, that sounds like holding off suits you better in any case- very useful.
On a lighter note, FGS don't compare your baby to your friends' babies, I can assure you that that way lies madness.

personally if you want to do BLW I would wait a little longer - as I think its ideal that they can sit on their own for at least a little time - my DS2 started around 23 weeks - but he could sit unaided and started crying when he didn't have any food
but really no rush at all

Agree with pp, no need to wean you ARE NOT depriving her of food if you are ebf on demand. My bubs was weaned at 6 months 1 week. Until we actually gave him food he showed no interest in ours. When you do start weaning they may eat very little as it is all about learning. A friend has her BLW baby only at 10 months looking like food was really being DIGESTED as opposed to swallowed which she was doing a lot of!
If milk intake going up they need it not food as calorific value of milk is higher than a small meal which is all they will get with traditional or BLW weaning.
Do not feel pressured by other people, I expect most of them aren't BF anymore either!
Good Luck BLW is amazing, baby enjoys, learns, is part of the family, what could be better.