17 week old - too young to wean???

[emwad]

My 17 wk DS has started waking up in the night (usually between 4-5am) for a feed, he has slept through for 5 wks. He has been feeding 4 times per day, and finishes 8oz quite easily. He weighes nearly 18lb (only 7 lb 12oz at birth).
My HV told me not to start weaning for at least 2-3 weeks but I've given him baby rice today and he munched loads as well as his usual 4x 8oz feeds, but now I feel awful incase I'm starting it too early.
What would you do?

Hercules - surely it's not so much that no baby is ready as that we have no way of knowing which baby is?
According to the thing I read about the open gut (I think it was Kellymom) they usually close between 4 and 6 months, but without knowing it's just safer to assume not.

I am afraid both my ds's were weaned earlier than six months. If they are hungry boys like mine I could not possibly have fed them up with milk. They were just sick. Have you tried the hungrier baby milk you can get - might be a compromise. (Both my boys are now fine 5yrs and 2.5 years) The advise for my first was weaning at four months. Neither have allergies - touch wood!

My DD is nearly 7 months and her main diet is milk, and will continue to be for a while yet. Babies don't need solids, they need milk. Sorry, I truly believe in parenting is a personal thing but why take the risk?

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jetjets, new mum here too but I avoid HV completely with regards to feeding.
I waited till 6 months and am BLW and DD is loving it, get's all excited
no blending, no mush just normal food and a relaxed atmosphere....it's bliss

Another thing at 4-5 months is that I think the nature of sleep changes - they are a bit more aware of what is going on around them, they have different things to process during the day, they are more likely to wake up during light sleep?

Anyway, DS was weaned at 4-5 months 3 years ago and started waking more at around 4-5 months. DD is 5 months old and isn't on solids and has also started to be a bit less reliable in her sleep paterns. I reckon food isn't a huge factor.

I agree MP

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not a shame at all - I just don't trust a HV who goes against WHO guidelines.
I honestly think parenting is personal but I truly believe why take the risk with the potential dangers of early weaning.
Plus, hardly anyone who has weaned early, hasn't gone through the 'refusing to eat lumps phase'
Hope I'm not coming across as curt, I just feel that many of us first time mums are ill informed by HV's that haven't updated their advice in 15 years.

I think the bottles are the size they are because a baby's stomach won't hold more than 8 oz. You therefore can't increase the amount of he feeds beyond that. Someone else suggested a dreamfeed. Would definitely agree. I didn't think they were meant to miss a feed at 10 ish until they were successfully weaned. If that doesn't have an effect I'd switch to hungrier baby formula. Then I'd consider weaning as the last option.
FWIW I started weaning ds1 at 17.5 weeks after doing all this 3 1/2 years ago - but the advice then was between 4 and 6 months. As far as I know he's fine. With ds2 (just turned 15 weeks) I'll definitely try to hold out to the 6 months mark though.

Although I see what you are saying Gibbon, I do think as a mother you should listen to the guidelines and then make your own judgement.

If weaning at 4 months was so dangerous, society would be a walking disaster - we'd all be suffering from food allergies and skin problems as when I was a child guidelines were 4 months (in some cases 3 months) but the majority of people my age that I know appear to be just fine.

Guidelines are just that, a guide, not law and after reading all literature and carefully considering the pros and cons I believe that early weaning is not the work of Satan.

I don't think early weaning is the work of Satan either but it is a mite riskier than weaning at 6 months; the evidence seems fairly clear on that.

I weaned dd at 4 months having read a fair bit; since then I've read way more and will be weaning ds at 6

I'm not going to lose any sleep over dd, but would not do it that way again.

Of course wilkie, your LO, your choice. I know what you are saying, I myself was weaned very early and am healthy and fit (well sort of fit )
I just believe with a passion that weaning, doesn't have to be the stress filled event it can become. By waiting till 6 months, you can skip blending and introducing food bit by bit and your baby can just have whatever you are having (within reason ) no 'going through the lumps' stage. No 'introducing finger foods' stage. Just a relaxed attitude to food, with no pressure.
But then I am lazy and BLW was the perfect solution

I wouldn't wean early. They do studies for a reason and there is lots of evidence to suggest that early weaning is bad. Plenty of people weaned early DO have allergies, it's just pot luck and not a chance I'd take with my lo's health. There is no reason not to wait, can't see why people are so impatient and eager to get their baby started on food.

I agree jodie....why want them to grow up so fast?

I am currently writing a thesis and am interested in weaning techniques

Please could someone send me a link about the gut problems for babies weaned under 6 months.

I can't find annything relating to it anywhere. I have found 1 article that recommends gluten free before 6 months. HAve also found others that discounts the previous theories on allergy increases.

I'm very interested to where this came from as WHO and UNICEF don't mention it either, they just say it doesn't harm to wean after 6 months , it doesn't say it does harm to wean early.

Also a link about the food is fun before one, as again, I can't find where the research is. All I can find is a baby needs a varied diet from 6 months as breastmilk may not be high enough in iron and some nutrients

IMO the recommendations are to keep babies breastfed for longer (good thing). Does anyone have statistics of last few years, comparing babies weaned at 6 months to those weaned earlier?

We have been having this 'chat'on our postnatel thread and personally I agree with Wilkie I weaned dd1 at 16ish weeks because I thought it was right to do for her as she started to wake again at night and she wouldnt take anymore milk. Will also wean dd2 when I feel it is the right time.

It is each to their own but thats my personal experience

dont forget his greggs sausage roll and msdonalds

Yes we can all do what we like but it's also easy to wait a couple more months to be safe, sigh.

I also weaned dd early 5 years ago on the advice by my hv and she has asthma, hayfever and now also we think a milk/lactose intolerance. Ds1 on the other hand has none of these allergies. Also a lot of people aren't affected until they're adults and get ibs and similar problems.

Bigbird - I don't think there is any definitive research or information on many of the things you mentioned. Like you I tried searching for an article that would explain why exactly it is harmful to wean earlier than 6 months. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the answers I found, and I felt that it was mostly tied up with the WHO exclusive breastfeeding recommendation. That's all very well, but since I was formula feeding by then I wasn't clear how that fitted in to the equation.

The kellymom website "Starting solids" section has lots of different articles, but I can't vouch for their reliability. Again it is all focussed on breastfeeding. I'm not sure where the food is fun before they're one comes from.

Having said all that, I still believe in waiting to wean until 6 months, barring medical reasons, because it's better to be safe than sorry.

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It is an individuals choice how they wean their LO's...wait, don't wait...it's up to you and has bugger all to do with anyone else. I take it seriously, and If I can lessen the chances of DD having any future problems I will....my choice. If you think the current guidelines aren't serious, that is your choice.

Ditto what hunker said.