Do you follow weaning guidelines in any way? If so why. If not why.

[laughingeyes2013]

I have a 6 month old (adjusted age 4 months 3 weeks) and have been weaning for a month.

Guidelines are to take it slowly and build up gradually.

Because we started early (prem baby where you can start at a different time to full term babies), I am sticking to 2 meals a day and not building up to 3 just yet.

I have family who often feed baby when they're looking after him, resulting in 4 meals a day when that happens!

So I am interested to know whether you are following the guidelines at all or whether it's stuff and nonsense, and what your reasons might be.

Would anyone be concerned about 4 feeds a day at 6 months? Would love to know your reasons either way.

I weaned my twin DDs at 24 weeks - they were 2 weeks prem. I followed Annabel Karmels book and it worked well - except I changed the times of solids vs milk feeds. I did early morning milk feed, then solids mid morning, milk after lunch then solids at tea time, milk at bedtime. The girls then started sleeping better, later in the morning so they had breakfast of cereal and milk, mud morning milk, lunch, mud afternoon milk, tea and then bedtime milk.
The change from 2 solid feeds a day to 3 was pretty quick, they just seemed to want it so I took their lead.
Have a read of this
m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24013437
And maybe also this
www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2013/09/13-baby-led-weaning-myths.html?m=1

Thanks for your info.

I can't click the links as I'm on the phone and so it won't let me cut and paste either

Sorry for typos and vagueness! Am late feeding DS 11wo.
I dont know how to make the links work, maybe have a look on computer if you can.
I think what I'm getting at is that while these decisions seem painful and hard now you have already made the difficult steps into weaning and whether you do 2,3 or even 4 meals a day won't hugely matter. Your DS will eat if he's hungry and won't if he's not. It is more important to give individual foodstuffs though rather than very peculiar combinations and the BBC article apparently exposed how rubbish pre-made baby foods are. I'd be more wary of those issues than quantities. Hope that's helpful. Try not to worry too much.

www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2013/09/13-baby-led-weaning-myths.html?m=1

m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24013437

I'm a few months off weaning and can't remember how we did it with DS, but is the two meals a day thing important? I was intending to just launch DD into sharing my meals (suitable meals if course!) in a relaxed fashion.

I know that makes me sound like a hippy ... And probably unrealistic too! I promise I've successfully weaned before!

Thanks noarmani!

I weaned my ds at about 25w after he helped himself to a slice of toast! He was 5w prem and I was told to wean according to actual age as the guy starts to develop from birth, I started with purée for a few weeks as he was under 6m but then did a mix of blw and purée depending on convenience really!! One of his friends was born at 30w and was also told to wean at 6m actual not corrected.

I just built up the number of meals slowly, so once he was used to having one meal for a bit I'd add another in. I didn't really follow any plan, but I was careful to introduce one food at at time due to ds already having a milk allergy

DC1 - Annabel Karmel at 22 weeks. DC2 - BLW at 23 weeks. BLW is a lot easier so far, TBH.

Both mine could sit unaided at those ages, so could sit very steadily in a high chair, and both had grabbed at/ snatched passing food before I started.

I am a rule-following kind of mum, but 26 weeks was just a bit of a stretch for us I guess.

I followed guidelines with ds1 but with my next two they just joined in mealtimes with us and had a bit of food if they wanted.

How are your family getting 4 meals in?! I would be concerned if it means that baby is having less milk during the day.

Can you remember the gaps between moving up from 1 to 2 and then 3 meals?

Naturalbaby - I think must be feeding him constantly the whole visit!

I know babies aren't supposed to take more than they need but sadly this isn't always the case!

I know babies aren't supposed to take more than they need but sadly this isn't always the case!
I was told I was underfeeding my son because he never got to the point where he refused to eat, so I kept increasing the amounts....in the end it got ridiculous, so one day he had half a chicken breast, half a parsnip, half a carrot, about 3tbsp rice and 3 stalks of broccoli - that was an hour after a full bottle, and an hour later he had his full bedtime bottle. I decided at that point that actually babies who don't know when to stop DO exist, and I started to do what I thought was best rather than what books/HV's were telling me.

Thanks Gretagrape!

For those who haven't experienced babies like ours, we're seen to be somehow making it all up!!!

DS was easy, he ate what he liked and needed and then made it clear that he'd finished, generally he started to play about and make a mess for the sake of it. Dd just kept going, eating slowly but continuously. She would eat herself sick given the opportunity. So I had to limit her portions, she was a tiny little thing as well! She is still inclined to eat herself sick at parties, but otherwise it doesn't really happen any more, she's 7 now.

IIRC, DC1 was on 3 meals at 8 months, with three additional snacks by 11 months. DC2 is 6 months and has just gone from 1 to 2 meals a day.

I'll be honest, I read guidelines as meaning the types of food and age at weaning. Hadn't even considered there might be advice on meals per day and portion sizes

Fwiw, DS got into a solid 3 meals a day at 11mo. We started BLW at 25wo, at 7mo we introduced spoons for things like porridge, yoghurt etc which he loves. Some days he eats a lot, others he doesn't. I judge it based on how much he's eaten, so if it looks like a lot then I don't offer more, but he usually shows he's done before that would be necessary. He doesn't often snack, when he does it's usually when we're out during the day. If it feels like he's getting slimmer, I add some more fats to some meals (eg at the moment he's having nut butter on toast).

So basically... no, we didn't really follow any guidelines! But we did try and follow our baby and be mindful of what he ate and how much. It always surprises me when I see the size of jars/tray meals aimed at his age as he wouldn't eat that much in one sitting, but he is a big lad (topping the centiles) and only drinks an average amount of cow's milk so he seems to be having enough!