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Weaning

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

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Original poster

Struggling to wean baby, help?

18 replies

user1497020183 · 25/07/2017 17:12

My little boy is 6 months old, and I'm really struggling to get into the swing of weaning. I've given him porridge, cow & gate puréed and the odd rusk, along with letting him try mashed versions of what we've had (sweet potatoe etc) on occasion. But food just doesn't seem to satisfy him for long and he's wanting a bottle half an hour after? And sometimes he's so hungry or upset and just wants a bottle. He's settled on his bottles and I don't feel that he's hungry or craving food much.
I struggle to think of what to feed me and DH lol so weaning is a nightmare for me I am clueless.
Help?

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 25/07/2017 17:14

His milk intake won't drop for a while. Early weaning is about new tastes and textures not to fill them up. Are you offering a small cup of water alongside the food?

ShowOfHands · 25/07/2017 17:14

When you first start weaning, it's about learning a new skill and exploring textures and taste. As such, they shouldn't be hungry when you start. Try timing food so he has had milk first. Perhaps half an hour later? Food isn't about satisfying hunger at first.

We just gave what we were eating tbh.

ImAFurchester · 25/07/2017 17:15

He's only 6 months, give it a bit of time! My DS really wasn't remotely interested in food til about 10 months. I still offered him food of course, but he didn't eat much of it.

ShowOfHands · 25/07/2017 17:16

And yes, he won't drop feeds for a while. Milk needs to be the main source of calories for quite a while longer.

Original poster

user1497020183 · 25/07/2017 17:20

Thanks everyone. My MIL was saying how I should be giving him 3 meals a day and only a couple of bottles and it panicked me a bit and made me feel like I'm lazy for still giving his the same amount of bottles! So it's basically just giving him little bits here and there at first rather than getting him into a meal routine? And also, I formula feed and what is the follow on milk about? Am I best staying on first milk? x

OP posts:

Original poster

user1497020183 · 25/07/2017 17:21

I haven't given him water with the food, do you think I should? Boiled cool water?

OP posts:

ImAFurchester · 25/07/2017 17:22

Yes, he should have water with meals. But no need to boil it, tap water is fine at 6 months.

Don't waste your money on follow on milk, it's a marketing gimmick. The first milk is fine - that's all my DS had until we weaned him onto cows' milk at a year.

ImAFurchester · 25/07/2017 17:23

PS your MIL is talking bollocks. Milk is the main source of a baby's nutrition until they are a year old. Direct her to the NHS website which says as much.

Original poster

user1497020183 · 25/07/2017 17:30

Thank you very much, this has made me feel a lot better and I will stop stressing as much that I'm doing something wrong! I'll carry on as we were to start with by giving him bits here and there along with his milk, and I'll try him with some water - he's only ever had water once! I didn't know you could stop with the boiling water at 6 months either x

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 25/07/2017 17:50

You only need to boil the water for making formula. Tap water is fine as a drink from 6 months. When starting weaning milk should stay the same with food added as extra. Milk will drop as solids increase so no need to rush as he's only supposed to be at the start of weaning just now

lazycrazyhazy · 25/07/2017 18:21

Your MIL is just out of date.

I am 61 and a grandparent. When we had babies we were told to start solids at 3 months so by 6 they were indeed on 3 meals a day. When I was a baby in the 1950s I think we were given cereal in our bottles even younger. Only time will tell what is fashion and what is good!

My DGC are on the 'when they're ready after 6 months' weaning so I have embraced that. I do feel it's hard for breast feeding mums as I'd have found it difficult to produce enough milk for 6 months milk only but my DDs did it.

Original poster

user1497020183 · 25/07/2017 18:41

Thank you everyone, this has made me feel better. Thank you lazycrazyhazy, this makes sense to me now! I was wondering why she was sending me suggestions for meal plans and asking what we had given him for tea every night and turning her nose up when we say he's just had bottles tonight.
I'll go with what I instinctively thought and just slowly increase food as we get used to it.
Also.. which is best and why? BLW, spoon or a mix of both? We have been spoon and DH hates the thought of baby led with him being so young. It's all a minefield! x

OP posts:

lazycrazyhazy · 25/07/2017 18:53

Some things which have amazed me and my friends have been that babies must sleep with you until 6 months (on their backs! We were told they'd choke on their backs!) and be exclusively milk fed until 6 months. Dummies are good, potty training is much deferred etc etc. Every second baby has tongue tie which I had never encountered though may have explained some things; surely it's being over diagnosed now? I had 5 babies in the 1980s and had never heard of it.

Some will be research based (like sleeping on backs has reduced cot death) some will be just fashion I think, time will tell!

RatsAreBack · 25/07/2017 19:12

surely it's being over diagnosed now

It definitely isn't.

Redken24 · 25/07/2017 19:17

Hiya I'm a ftm as well and weaning is supposed to be fun. So don't listen to your Mil and just follow your instinct! My lo is nine mnths now and we do blw purely because she stopped taking a spoon of me and enjoys using her hands. She still drinks 5 - 7Oz bottles a day and has three meals a day. I try not to worry about some things just yet - milk is all yhe calories the now so I'm taking it as it comes. Good luck

dementedpixie · 25/07/2017 19:21

Even when doing traditional weaning you would introduce some finger foods from 6 months. I did a mix with both of mine

AssassinatedBeauty · 28/07/2017 23:39

@lazycrazyhazy you don't need to produce large volumes of breastmilk for a baby at 6 months because it's not like formula feeding. A formula fed baby needs increasing amounts of milk as they get older. A breastfed baby on the other hand takes the same amount of milk all the time, from about 1 month old onwards, the volume doesn't increase.

mollyfolk · 29/07/2017 00:10

I found at first that both of mine ate teeny, tiny amounts until 9/10 months. Even if you don't do blw - finger food is advised. Also jars and punches are handy to use every now and again but not recommended as regular food. This is because they are heated to extremely high temperatures to preserve them and that heat affects the nutrients in the food. It's just as easy to open an avocado or a banana and mash it in an emergency. Also, Freezing mush in ice cube trays means you can defrost small portions quickly.

I always just picked the bits of food that they were ok to eat out of what we were eating. The NHS website has all of the answers to your questions- I found it a great help. www.nhs.uk/start4life/first-foods

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