Is 20 weeks too early to start weaning?

[LittleLady101]

My daughter Is nearly 20 weeks and she seems really interested in everything me and my partner eat. She watches intently everything that goes into our mouth and I'm wondering if maybe she's ready.

I've upped her milk from 6 to 7 oz because she was just finishing 6 and she's still finishing 7! So maybe she's wanting something more?

This is my first baby and everyone i know the recommended age is 6 months but I've looked on food boxes and stuff and it says 4-6months..?

Any help?

Lots of anti spoon feeding on here. My DS loved being spoon fed, and made very little mess. I weaned him at 5 months. He didn't get interested in finger foods til much later, around 9 months. Babies are all different and so are mums, I enjoyed spoon feeding, and DS enjoyed being spoon fed. It didn't take long, he'd finish a bowl in less than 5 mins, and we both enjoyed it.

I know a lot of mums prefer purée as they're worried about choking etc. it's got to be about what mum and baby feel right with.
I just found the whole notion of spoon feeding so stressful and demanding. I loved that at 7 months we could all go out for lunch and eat at the same time, or all eat dinner together without one of us getting cold food while spoon feeding her etc.
there will be benefits and disadvantages to each. X

Speed of eating and lack of mess won't be as important to lots of other parents.

Why on earth would you give your baby solids when there is evidence it may harm them? Why is it that the SIDS guidelines are followed to the absolute letter, to the point of obsession, but when it comes to weaning, 'they're just guidelines, you know your own baby...'? You're setting your child up for an increased risk of digestive problems in later life if you wean them early. Why would you do this?

I am very pro-guidelines and like to research everything. When DC1 was around that age I read a lot of journal articles on the subject and found that contrary to what I had believed, none I saw had any evidence of harm from weaning before 17 weeks. There was evidence of possible harm caused by weaning before 17 or after 26 weeks. I let mine share my porridge/grab food when they wanted to, around 23 weeks I think it was. If you think about it, it doesn't really make sense that every single baby is suddenly ready for solids at midnight on their half-birthday. In fact, waiting too long to wean may increase the chance of food allergies.

Also I don't know why you say, mariposa, that SIDS guidelines are followed to the letter as that's the opposite of my experience. I don't know anyone in RL who did (except me!) and threads on here about them show the same.

My HV told me to wean my DD at 4 months as she was showing all of the signs that she was ready (she's now nearly 8 months). When I did, a breastfeeding support lady told me I shouldn't have done it until 6 months!!

Between 17-26 weeks is fine.

You know when milk is not enough, 17 weeks for my dc..no allergies no probs.

Ditch the books and do what you feel is right because only you know .

Mine couldn't get enough solids down...anything and everything.
A slightly low birth weight baby with no health issues.

Never once spat out food like most babies do. Purees of fish and veg, avocados and later on toast, oatcakes.

Mine would have been pin thin had they been weaned at 6 months!

Now a very slender ( borderline underweight according to charts , poof!) healthy 10 year old.

Guidelines are there as GUIDELINES not rules.

Why give yourself more work before you have to?

Weaning is exhausting. Admittedly we did BLW so that involved having to sweep and mop the kitchen floor 3 times a bloody day, but even if you do purées you have extra cooking, cleaning etc.

Believe me, just giving milk is 100x easier. Don't be in a rush!

Over 600 children between 4 and 11 months of age at high risk for peanut allergy were randomized to either consume or avoid peanut until age 5 in order to compare the incidence of peanut allergy between the two groups. Children in the peanut consumption arm of the trial ate a peanut-containing snack-food at least three times each week, while children in the peanut avoidance arm did not ingest peanut-containing foods.

Of the children who avoided peanut, 17% developed peanut allergy by the age of 5 years. Remarkably, only 3% of the children who were randomized to eating the peanut snack developed allergy by age 5. Therefore, in high-risk infants, sustained consumption of peanut beginning in the first 11 months of life was highly effective in preventing the development of peanut allergy.

“For decades allergists have been recommending that young infants avoid consuming allergenic foods such as peanut to prevent food allergies,” notes Professor Lack, the lead investigator for the LEAP study. “Our findings suggest that this advice was incorrect and may have contributed to the rise in the peanut and other food allergies.”

This is from the LEAP study-interesting re allergies. Note the children were between 4-11 months.

I was absolutely convinced mine was ready at that age and my pediatrician told me to start her on baby rice. She wasn't at all interested. I tried a few other things and then gave up for a bit because I think it was too early.

She's 10 months now and a perfect size but she's still on spoon feeding purée because she can't grasp feeding herself. I'll keep trying though they are all different I wouldn't worry about it.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with weaning dd early but I wasn't bothered when it didn't work.