Help- very hungry but way to early to wean!

[Paintyourbox]

DD is 17 weeks old, exclusively BF. She has always been on the bigger end of the scale weight and height wise and a very hungry baby.

She refuses a bottle so the chance of popping her on some hungry baby milk is slim. I know we shouldn't wean her until 6 months but she's taking a huge interest in food- trying to grab what's on my plate and can sit up unaided.

Several times I have put large bits of veg in front of her to play with while I make dinner, over the past few days I have been astounded that she has picked them up and tried to put them in her mouth and licked them.

Anyone had an experience like this so early?! Should I try some food for her or just leave her a bit longer? She's started waking up in the night again to feed when she was going 10pm until 6am without.

Of course you are right about the limitations of research niggle. That is why cochrane reviews are so highly respected as they overcome so many of them, notably any inbuilt bias.

The review under discussion that shows no harm in waiting to 6 mths for solids is a cochrane review. Manky mistakenly quoted it as showing harm but she must have read it wrongly. I guess she was biased in some way.

OK, manky, no worries :)

I would not 'make someone feel bad' about weaning at any age, and nothing I have said here does this. I don't think the OP will have

You really, really, need to check your info before you post though - a number of your posts have said things that are just not right - eg the guidelines have changed back to 17 onwards, guidelines have changed 3 times in 5 years.

That's the sort of thing that confuses, worries , and perplexes people.

Sorry, broken sentence....meant to say I don't think the OP will have been made to 'feel bad' by anything I said.

tiktok, seeker, Queen, and Star I felt thats exactly what your posts did (made people feel bad about weaning before 6mths). It probably wasnt your intention but you all came across very angry, judgemental and hypercritical. I asked a weaning question once and Christ knows I wont be asking another. This is one of the worst corners of Mumsnet - you hardly have to open your mouth before people start shoving their views down your throat. I maybe don't always manage it myself, but it is possible to post calmly while still getting your viewpoint over.

Nigglenaggle- I think you must be reading a different thread.

paint that is a brilliant breakthrough. I was told at a weaning session when Dd was tiny to never use cups/beakers with valves in them when they were very little as there were cases of them breaking their jaws trying so hard to suck out the drink...

I do agree that the longer you can wait the better. I think it will be 6 months in December for you, so starting in December (with a full Christmas dinner maybe ) would be plenty of time to prepare for January. Fwiw we had a large baby, just short of 9lbs and ebf until 25 weeks - we did it a week 'early' as we were on holiday and so I had DH to be there for 9 days!

I also think following the views of Annabel Karmel, who sells baby food, as opposed to the official health advice based on actual medical research is not particularly sensible... If you decide to do it for our own reasons and after your own research that is up you....

I can't make anyone feel bad. I can only state that I'm following the guidelines because even with a big hungry baby it is possible to.

If that makes you feel bad for your own decisions that;s not my fault.

I feel bad for nothing Star, I am quite happy with what I've chosen. Its just rude to answer someones request for help with mockery and sarcasm. However this silly whinging is sidelining the OPs thread so I'll keep it short and depart.

I was sarcastic only about being 'astounded' that a baby puts things in his/her mouth. I don't believe the OP WAS astounded.

As I said- you must be reading a different thread.

You certainly not reading my posts, niggle. If you can be bothered, if it bothers you that you have made unfair accusations , re-read what I have said.

I have made no comments at all to the OP, or to anyone thinking of weaning before 6 mths - nothing in any of my posts refers to people's decision to do this. I commented on your use of the Harris research (which you misunderstood as a nutritional comparison of ages at weaning - it is not), and on Manky's statement that there's evidence of harm in waiting to 6 mths, and I explained her example of evidence actually said the opposite.

What, in any of that, would anyone take as 'making them feel bad' or as me feeling 'angry, judgy and hypocritical' (WTF???) to women who wean before 6 mths? If a thread starts quoting research which is misunderstood (as you did, with your mention of Harris) and someone (like me) posts that 'you got that bit wrong' (which I did the first post I made, and factually and politely), why would that sound 'angry, judgy and hypocritical'?

Sheesh.

Aw, thanks, raspberry....I can be rude, sarcastic and snooty though, at times :) Never ever to mothers asking about their own situations though.

And I prob do have an agenda - everyone does, really.

Yeh, I know....irritating, isn't it ? :)