is my baby ready? but it's so early..

[FromAtoZ]

My DD is 7 weeks old and my Mil thinks she is ready to be weaned

She drinks 8 ounces of milk every 3 hours and once or twice a day crys for more.

She can support her own head but can't sit up on her own.

What should I do?

If she's hungry, she's hungry for more milk. Maybe a growth spurt. Far too early for food, don't be pressurised into it. NHS guidelines are 6months.

Just give her more milk . Try not to feed to a schedule-it's an old fashioned way of thinking about feeding. It's better to feed when they ask for it by crying and putting their fists in their mouths (basically most of the time at that age!).

It is far, far too early for your daughter to be having any kind of solid food. Think about it again around 6 months and politely tell your MIl that you've thought about it, and done your research, and your daughter isn't ready.

Thanks. I thought it was early. DD1 was 5 months old when she weaned. So I want to wait till atleast then.

At seven weeks, her gut simply isn't developed enough to process solid foods. Weaning too early has been linked to health issues in later life. Please don't wean before four months without proper medical advice, and its best to wait until around 6 months if you can.

If she's hungry, then she needs more milk. It's perfectly normal. Most babies have a growth spurt around 6-8 weeks.

Yes, way way way too early. Just keep going with milk whenever she is hungry. Don't withhold milk either, if she's hungry feed her. Not every baby needs exactly the same amount. If you're bottle feeding and she still sucks and wants more after she's finished the bottle, up the milk at the next feed. Earliest weaning at 5-6 months, but only when baby is ready and still with plenty of milk.

Readiness for solids is nothing to do with hunger really. It is to do with their gut being mature enough to digest solids and even when you start giving solids, your baby will rely on milk for the bulk of calories and nutrients until they are 12 months. You will know your baby is ready when they can sit up, have lost the tongue thrust reflex and can pick up food, put it in their mouths, chew and swallow it. This happens around 26 weeks but watch your own baby and follow their cues.

You should NOT wean before 17 weeks at the earliest.

The following are NOT signs of a baby needing to wean:

Drooling
Taking more milk
Watching you eat
Chewing fists
Waking up more at night

If people try and use arbitrary signs to convince you that YOUR baby needs weaning, have confidence in your knowledge of your own baby. If in doubt, ask a professional and don't let yourself feel pressured.

I agree with others. If your baby is hungry, milk is where you'll find calories which can be digested at this age.

Thank you all I knew it was too early I'll just up her bottles to 9 ounces and just keep her on that till she is old enough.

7 weeks? It is waaaaay to early.

Sounds like the normal growth spurt / feeding senna at that age?

Senna?? surge ffs

As PP say it's 6 months or 24-28 weeks (ie give or take no more than a fortnight) in NHS guidance.
Even in older advice it's 4 months!

7 weeks is way to early. Breast or formula only - if they're hungry give more of those.

Speak to your health visitor as 9oz is an awfully big bottle for such a young baby. However, you cannot give solids to a 7 week old.

My 8 week old is the same. Feeding every 2-3 hours he can consume between 6-8 fl oz. I just feed as and when he wants it as I aways did with my other children and started weaning around 12 weeks with baby rice. The odd spoonful. Hope that helps

Please dont start weaning at 12 weeks as shell advises.

Have you tried Hungry Baby milk? My DS was much the same as your DD at that age, he just never seemed full so we switched to the hungry milk & he was much happier & didn't drink quite so much.

Thank you all.
ems she has wysoy so there isn't a hungry baby option

in the last 24 hours she drank 71 ounces.
I've phoned my health visitor but she is useless at getting back to me (same one I've had since having dd1) I'm at the doctors on Friday for Dd2's 8 week check I'll mention it then.

71 ounces! wow!
Could you ask at a pharmacy for advice. That is alot of milk for a 7 week old.

It wasn't my advice to wean at 12 weeks, just that's what I did personally. And for information purposes, my other children are in their 20s and not one of them have suffered with allergies/food intolerance or behavioural problems etc, that again is my personal story. Weaning is about the babies needs and people should not be pressured otherwise by research that can be contradicted by more research, make no wonder mums seem to be clueless nowadays.

glitter I know it's a lot but she wants it so I give it to her she was very big born I don't know if that makes a difference, she was 12lbs 6ounces. I got her weighed a week ago(when she was 6 weeks old) and she was 14lbs 9 ounces. She just wants to feed all the time.

I would not give a baby 71 ounces. There is something not quite right going on, maybe see your gp?

Wow good weight mind
DD was a tiny 4pound 8 but guzzled a good 32 ounces a day. Have you heard back off your hv? Or failing that could you ring the hospital midwifery team? Something seems to not be right. Is she keeping all that milk down her neck?

She is big though, at 14lbs. So she will of course need more food than a 7 week old who only weighs 9/10lbs.

I would speak to your GP.

Are you sure she's hungry? Does she have reflux and finds the milk soothing? Or is she teething and likes the bottle in her mouth?

No still nothing from the health visitor. It takes her all of 5 - 10 mins to drink anything up to 10 ounces a feed. I've felt her gums and it doesn't feel like there is any teeth coming down.

My Dd1 wasn't like this that's why I have no idea what to do she was only 9lbs 2 born and was only drinking 9 ounces every 4 when I weaned at 4 months.

My health visitor is useless she was when I had Dd1 (whose now 4) can I change her or am I stuck with her. She never picks up the phone and I leave message after message and it can be days (and weeks in the past) before she gets back to me.

Can you make a GP appointment instead? I agree with PP - 7 weeks is far, far too early to wean. However 71ozs of milk in 24 hours does not sound normal.