18 weeks and showing readiness

[Discopanda]

DD2 is 18 and a half weeks and keeps trying to eat food, watches us eat, mimics chewing, has good hand to eye co-ordination, can hold herself up well, has more than doubled her birth weight. She's currently EBF and feeds every two hours during the day but sleeps through the night. Do I follow guidelines and try to hold out another 8 weeks or should I try a bit of puree along with a milk feed? DD1 started weaning at 17 weeks as she was so big, my HV at the time agreed it was the right time for her and suggested two meals a day due to her size but I eased her in with 1 to start with.

If hold out for another 8 weeks. There's no hurry.

None of those are readiness signs though. Other than the sitting up/holding head.

How big they are/how much they weigh, watching you, mimicking chewing etc are all just normal 18wo behaviours and/or not relevant to being ready for solids. Weaning is about gut maturation and not size/hunger. The scales tell you nothing at all.

I'd wait tbh. When they're sitting up, no tongue thrust, picking up food, putting it in their mouths, chewing it and swallowing, they're ready. This will happen around 26 weeks.

I certainly can't see any 'need' for you to wean at all. Enjoy a few more faff free weeks.

Sounds like a normal 18 week old to me. As you know the advice us to wait till six months. But each to their own.

She's 16lbs, was 7.7 when she was born. She tried to eat my garlic pizza bread when we went out for lunch today but didn't try to swipe my salad at all!

Yea but she's also try and chew your car keys given half the chance. Babies just like putting things in their mouth it's not a sign they're ready to wean. You should wait for 6m but you know that already.

Why are you wanting to rush?

Do you fear your breastfeed isn't enough for her?

She's clearly doing well on breast milk, she hasn't ever had formula top-ups and plenty of dirty and wet nappies but it's every two hours! Not just quick feeds, at least once a day she'll have an hour long feed.

Some babies like to feed often. My dd fed 2 hourly until she was 9 months. Just the way she was made. She was also 23lbs at 23 weeks so 16lbs sounds titchy in comparison! She was also 7lbs when born. She started solids at 27 weeks.

Their hands and mouths are their two most sensitive parts so they pick up everything and mouth it. It's exploration.

She's clearly doing well on breast milk, she hasn't ever had formula top-ups and plenty of dirty and wet nappies but it's every two hours! Not just quick feeds, at least once a day she'll have an hour long feed.

OK. So do you want to 'solve this' in some way?

She clearly likes little and often during the day and frequent daytime feeds often results in fewer night wakes - exactly as you have found.

Are you suggesting you would prefer wider spaced daytime feeds to the expense of nighttimes? This is the way many babies feed. Frequent through the daytime is good, not bad. It is what gives you a baby who sleeps well at night.

If you still want to 'solve' this then formula would be a healthier way to 'top up', rather than food products your baby cannot digest and which hold fewer calories than milk.

Milk is what your baby wants. So if you don't like the frequent daytime breastfeeds then the next best option would be to replace every other feed with formula. I don't really see much benefit in this. But it is better than non-milk (long) before baby is ready.

My baby who fed 2 hourly during the day, also fed 2 hourly at night.

A baby who sleeps all night is something I never experienced.

DS fed two hourly during the day and was a brilliant nighttime sleeper.

Until we weaned him. Then his sleep went to pot for a year.

I wouldn't wean yet based on those signs alone. Try your best to wait as best you can for her gut to mature more.

Oh and the frequent feeding is just something your baby likes to do. Mine was formula fed and small 25th percentile baby would drink 4/5oz every 2ish hours till about 9months and now at 1 is still having 3 or 4milk feeds a day (formula) on top of 3 balanced meals a day, he's still a 25th percentile baby. HV told me, must just like to eat and is busy, don't drop any feeds.

I'll also add he does NOT sleep . Even at 1 he is still having a night feed occasionally

It isn't detrimental to your baby to hold out until 6 months! Even if they are ready for solids all they NEED is milk. Hold out as long as you can would be my advice as it's messy and most food gets chucked on the floor at first so save the expense and the mess for as long as you can!