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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Is he ready do you think?

74 replies

DetentionGrrrl · 25/10/2006 07:28

I posted a while ago about my son (now 18wks) as he was taking alot of interest in my eating and trying to pull himself from his chair etc. For the last few days he's been trying to put things in his mouth, and also has been insatiable with b/feeding- has fed almost constantly for 3 days and nights (am amazed i don't look like a prune!) Does it sound like he's ready to try food? I can't cope with this constant demand for milk!

OP posts:
lockets · 25/10/2006 09:48

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katyjo · 25/10/2006 10:03

You have hit on a bit of an emotive issue here DetentionGrrrl! As you can probably tell! I would have a look at the archives on weaning there are some links to really interesting articles.
At the end of the day you have to do what is right for you and your baby, and you will never know if that was absolutely the right thing to do, if you follow the guidelines it may give you more peace of mind, but maybe not! Good luck on making your decision, I really doubt that at 18 weeks it will make much difference, don't beat yourself up about it! XX

Original poster
DetentionGrrrl · 25/10/2006 10:03

Well thanks for all your replies!

I agree that it's foolish to ignore medical experts advice, but i think it's equally foolish to blindly follow their advice if you think something is going wrong. I'm going to give him a bit longer before i try anything. On the plus side, he needs much less entertaining with all this booby going on, and i've lost another lb this week despite eating like a piggy!

And someone mentioned cake...i feel some baking coming on!

OP posts:
Original poster
DetentionGrrrl · 25/10/2006 10:20

Franny: Good link, thanks. He seems to meet most of the criteria for being ready, so i won't freak out if i try him on food in couple of wks

OP posts:
fluffyanimal · 25/10/2006 10:47

Harpsichord, I take your point about the development of the gut being internal so how do you know... but equally how do you know that it isn't mature enough? Babies all develop at different rates. That is the whole thrust of my argument. If your baby is giving you cues that he is ready for solid food, then that should count for as much as the govt advice on the average age for gut maturity.

hunkermunker · 25/10/2006 10:50

What cues? Does he say "ooh, mum, my gut's matured overnight!"

harpsichordcarrion · 25/10/2006 11:00

hmmm, well I don't know that there is any evidence that guts develop at very different rates? it's not like crawling or something, like a learned skill.
and if you are not sure, if you can't tell, then why would you risk it? I mean, the baby can't possibly know whether its gut is developed fully, can it??
I honestly don't get it.

fluffyanimal · 25/10/2006 11:11

Scenario: 5 m o baby is v fretful, not settling after milk feeds, wants more and more, grabs food off your plate and tries to shove it in its mouth. What do you do? Make the poor b*gger wait until it is 6 months?

Over the last few days I have read threads on here about mums who have been advised that their baby needs to be weaned before 6 months, and threads about mums worried that even after 6 months their baby isn't interested in solids. Proof positive that all babies are different.

Or, an analogy. When did you start your periods? Probably we all started at a range of ages. Our internal organs matured at different rates. Just like babies, who may all differ in developmental stages.

madmarchscare · 25/10/2006 11:13

I fear all this 'instinct' business actually comes from grandparents and friends who weaned when the advice was 3 months.

OK, so every baby is not going to start weaning at 6 months on the dot but the advice has been given for a reason, non?

fluffyanimal · 25/10/2006 11:16

Yes and yes. The advice has been given for a reason, and every baby is not going to wean at 6 months.

madmarchscare · 25/10/2006 11:19

ahem, but I do mean it should be there abouts.

harpsichordcarrion · 25/10/2006 11:28

milk will always be more filling than - say - a courgette or anything else advised to giev to a five month old. so I would give him more milk.
and yes I would make sure a baby's gut was ready before I gave him food rather than risk the poor bugger getting serious problems due to allergies.
like my dh.
weaned too early, now has severe excema. as does his sister who - surprise surprise - was also weaned early.

docket · 25/10/2006 11:41

This is an interesting thread, my DD is 18 weeks and has also started feeding loads more (in the night mainly, grrr!). My first thought was 'is she wanting food' but I remember the same happening with my ds and it did settle down again. I weaned him at 23 weeks and will be aiming for as near to 6 months as possible with DD. The endless feeding is tough though, you have my sympathy!

Waswondering · 25/10/2006 16:09

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AlfredAitchcock · 25/10/2006 19:32

not to be too cheeky, waswondering, but isn't it fortunate that she appeared to be ready at a time that was so convenient for you and your holiday..?

i'm not having a go, but i just don't buy the 'instincts' argument for myself - perhaps everyone else's maternal instincts are much, much stronger than mine?

and with regards to the period thing... you wouldn't, i take it, start insisting your dds use tampons just because she had all the other signs of puberty? so you wait for the external sign of menstruation... unfortunately there is no such clear external sign with weaning so that's why i stuck to the guidelines. that's my opinion at any rate, given that it's not my gut i'd rather be safe than sorry.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 25/10/2006 19:54

Don't get the rush, personally. Why rush to start them on solids? What benefit does it have? None as far as I can see. Milk is far more calorific than anything you can give them in pureed/slush form.

So, why?

The guidelines are assessed on an average - that average being babies whos guts mature earlier adn those who's mature later, they arrived at an average 26 weeks. How can you possibly know how soon your baby's gut has matured? Why would you want to experiment with it anyway? It's your babies wellbeing that you are experimenting with. Again - what is so important about weaning "earlier" that overrides the decision to err on the side of caution? Am truly interested.

disemboweledbint · 25/10/2006 20:14

good one aitch

littlepiggie · 25/10/2006 21:56

I thought the gut was ready between 4and 6 months and there iron levels start to drop at 6 months. Just so happens this is also the age they are able to eat feed themselves.

I was convinced ds needed weaning at about 14 weeks, had the whole world and his dog telling me to wean him, i started when he could sit up, reach out to food, pick it up, put it in his mouth and eat it. (24 weeks when he first did it) He is now 27 weeks and eats at the table with us and feeds himself.

It is a lot harder work when you have to think about what they are going to eat, make to most of it, get dh to get out some DVDs, a few books, and loads of snaks and chocs.

Mumptious · 25/10/2006 22:18

My angel is 25wks tomorrow, he is a big boy who has only ever been BF, always slept and just stopped doing so. We've started him on baby rice mixed with BM, any ideas when I can hope he will start sleeping again? Any suggestion for a better time of day to feed him to increase thechances of him sleeping?

Waswondering · 25/10/2006 23:32

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VeniVidiVickiQV · 25/10/2006 23:35

Mumptious - feeding baby rice wont help him sleep. A study was undertaken to observe this and found that weaning made no difference at all to assisting with sleep.

Baby Rice has less calories in it than milk so if you wish to fill him up more you simply need to give him more milk.

moondog · 25/10/2006 23:36

lmao at this thread and usual razor sharp comments from local sages.

Waswondering · 25/10/2006 23:38

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moondog · 25/10/2006 23:40

Thymely comment.
Some girls are baying for blood it seems...

hunkermunker · 25/10/2006 23:43

You're making some kind of point, I'm sure, which I've failed to notice...