It's not rocket science - "it may cause harm to wean early, it does no harm to leave it till 6m" - WHY do people still want to shovel baby rice in at 12 weeks (or earlier)?

[hunkermunker]

I have come up with some ideas as to why people wean early:

they have competitive baby syndrome and are annoyed someone else's baby rolled first, so they want to get theirs onto steak and chips via baby rice and one fruit or veg a week for months

Well, an idea. Any more?

Not sure really.

I know that when my ds was born nearly 10 yrs ago we were told to wean at 16 weeks.
My mum weaned me with rice in the bottle at about 10 weeks I think.

judge judge judge - why are mums so hard on other mums?

Babies are "boring" at that age... first smile gone, no rolling for a while, so summat to do?

because sometimes those mums make stoopid decisions that may affect teh ongoing health of their children, zookeeper.

calm down! with me it was due to the recommended guidelines, with both sons.

in answer to the OP, i think a lot of the advice that parents get from health professionals is misleading.

sea, i'm pretty sure hunker is talking only about present cases. you weaned according to the guidelines, so that's it really. in future we may all be tutting when our daughters are telling us that teh guideline on solids is 12 months, but i hope that we will have the sense not to undermine them.

Read the thread title - it's "why do people still want to shovel baby rice in at 12 weeks" not "why was it done in the past"

I know why it was done in the past.

And Zookeeper, I'm as supportive as a giant supportive thing, but I can't condone abuse and I think that weaning that early IS abusive.

agree with the someting to do theroy and the it will amek them sleep longer theroy
becuase when you are so bastrad tired that you can't think striaght, feeding small babies who can't hold their own heads up wallpaper paste really does seem like a good idea

I think that the differing advice from health professional to health professional gives people the impression that guidelines change frequently, when in fact they dont.

It just happens that A LOT of health professionals are misinformed or hold out-of-date advice to varying degrees.

ROFL Aitch - spooky cross-post! You know me so well!

and a giant support thing is a strut
and why are you here when i am jsut off to bed

btw cake was good - see other thread

When I had DS [and didnt really use the net] I asked my Hv when to wean[ds was 11wks] and she asked what he was doing and said he sounded like he was ready so I did it then.
With DD1 and now DD2 I knew more and had more people to ask so knew what DS had been doing was basic baby stuff not a sign of being ready to wean. I also think there is so mucxh mixed advice when 'professionals' give opposing times to the WHO and also that jars etc say 4mths and remember on some juices in boots it said 4wks. All very confusing to first time mums who then have it confirmed by their parents/grandparents that they were weaned at xxx age and didnt do any harm etc. I do think however it has also added to some of the problems I have with getting DS to eat as DD1 I waited until she was 6mths and let her lead the way more and she eats better.

It was never a case of being competitve for me as all I wanted was a little baby to do what was best for him, f anything he grew up too quickly for me.

Perhaps the wallpaper paste is to hold their heads up Mrs JS?

do you reckon it will just all solidify in their throats and then provide support structure for the head, as it were?

agreed, vvv. and the amount of people who are still being told that the WHO produces guidelines for the third world...

my friend who is a paediatrician told me that

I'm not talking about in the past.

I'm not.

I'm talking about now. About people who are WELL AWARE of the 6m guidelines, even the reasons behind them - and then they make the considered judgement that their baby is ready for solid food because he's heavy or looking at them eat or somesuch nonsense.

no hnker
that was not so in my case
I was reeling, dizzy, knackered and 20/24 hors feeding a v hngry baby while neglecting my eldest 2...with hindsight, I shold have jst added a bottle, as I did for my next baby.

contrary to what some people say, breastfeeding does take it out of yo sometimes.

Have to agree with Hunker here. No reason to wean early when you know that it even could cause problems. What's the harm in waiting such a short time (relatively) when weaning early can cause problems later in life. I wouldn't want to cause my dc's to have any problems and I'm in no rush to wean so I will be waiting until at least 6 months.

One of my friends weaned early for that very reason - "something to do". It was Christmas, having a lot of major crises, so gave her ds some solids to "lift the mood".

Otherwise, people wean because they believe thir LOs need it, they seem hungry, etc, etc. And I think lots of HVs are still spouting the 4-6 months stuff that they were taught and "it never did anyone any harm" etc, etc.

MIL likes to say how weaning dh at 6 weeks "never did any harm" despite the fact that he has Crohn's disease and has spent months in hospital. What can you say?

not the wallpaper paste thing- the WHO thing...
i do need to go to bed now, am a little bit tired and emotional

Agree, and then people telling you you should, or telling you if you did your baby might sleep better (to which you sit listening in your slackjawed sleep deprived stupor) and seeing all teh cute weaning pots in the JoJo Mamam Bebe catalogue and wondering if it's time to buy them, and HVs having a "weaning session" as part of their postnatal group (i.e. when babies are about 8 weeks) so it puts it into you head, and telling you about teh fact that they won't develop the right muscles for speech if they aren;t eating whole baguettes by the time they are 7 months, and all of that stuff.

Hunkermunker - I was told 'six months' by the HV and then went to a post natal group with another HV and was told 17 weeks.

I think the advice given is confusing and unhelpful. Lots of HV say 'don't do it' but won't say why IME and that's the problem. If they said: your baby's gut is not fully formed until four months at least and you will cause your baby pain and possible harm if you give food before this time' then maybe more mums would take note.

Grumpy thread title though - do you need some chocolate?