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Weaning

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

Original poster

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)?

799 replies

hunkermunker · 07/04/2007 22:50

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?

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 08/04/2007 21:53

isn't that interesting...? and even if you did buy fresh every day, most veg has been refrigerated prior to getting the shop anyway. fascinating.

Original poster
hunkermunker · 08/04/2007 21:54

Deegward, smoking causes cancer - that much is true - but not everyone who smokes will get cancer.

OP posts:
Original poster
hunkermunker · 08/04/2007 21:55

Hello, Nally

I've been having dinner with the Queen. [delusions of grandeur]

OP posts:
3easterbunniesandnomore · 08/04/2007 21:55

hunker...you not out cold then after running against brick walls, etc...

nallyschocolateorange · 08/04/2007 22:00

well, i think i may have misunderstood the whole thread now and am feeling disturbed and worried that i have potentially ruined my 3 dc's health..

3 easter - you were pointing out the damaging properties of formula. i thought the thread was about introducing ACTUAL food into a baby's diet and the harm that it can cause to the gut of a baby under 6 months. i did not know, and definitely did not ever imagine that formula could be as bad as other food. in fact, hadn't even given it a thought. i have bf and ff and felt desperately guilt-ridden when deciding to stop bf, but made the decision nevertheless, for personal reasons.
does this mean that i have done wrong. i feel really unhappy now

didn't wean onto normal food until 6 months though

3easterbunniesandnomore · 08/04/2007 22:03

nally, you didn't make the wrong decision, because you will have had your reasons for doing it?
It's sad that people are not being more informed by what Formula actually is, etc...but then, I suppsoe that would be called scaremongering!
I only brought it up because someone asked what is wrong with Formula...!
We don't live in a perfect world, and can only do what we can...like I said, I gave FF wiht es and ms, and to the naked eye, no they are no differnet to ys, who never had a drop of it....!
But in the end, a human Baby is meant to be fed by human milk, not the milk of another species, etc...!

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 08/04/2007 22:07

nally - please don't feel bad.

One of the reasons why weaning threads go so horribly awry is because of guilt. Two of my three were weaned at 16 weeks - because that's what was recommended at the time. I did the best for them with the info available to me. I haven't ruined my children's health and neither have you.

CAM · 08/04/2007 22:10

I said about 24 hours ago that this thread is the same as a bf v ff thread

ie. completely pointless

Heathcliffscathy · 08/04/2007 22:14

I have to say that I consider what people feed their children near irrelevant compared to how they treat them emotionally.

macdonalds everyday from four months is less damaging imo then being told you are a disappointment every day of your young life.

It's extreme but I believe it.

I think the focus on on food on mumsnet is misguided for that reason.

roseylea · 08/04/2007 22:18

Hear hear Sophable.

"All you need is love.........da da da dad dah!"

AitchTwoOh · 08/04/2007 22:19

such a shame that no-one paid the slightest bit of attention to you, cam, and instead went on to have a very interesting discussion without you.
nally, there's a sliding scale of 'perfect'ness, we do the best we can with the information and the capabilities that we have. i mix-fed and then FF. it was a bummer, but i was doing the best i could. to go back to the OP, some people disregard the guidelines in favour of 'following their instincts' or whatever. hunker (and i, and others) just don't get that, is all.

CAM · 08/04/2007 22:19

"Altogether Now..."

FrannyandZooey · 08/04/2007 22:20

Sophable that post was such a disappointment to me

I really expected much better from you

[huge big winking emoticon]

CAM · 08/04/2007 22:22

"had an interesting discussion without you"
psml

nallyschocolateorange · 08/04/2007 22:23

thing is now i have the info about formula, what do i do with it? dd2 is ff. she is 7 months old. i can't change that to bf now. but next time she has a feed i am going to be thinking about all the bad stuff she is getting. what do i do?

WelshBoris · 08/04/2007 22:25

I don't think Cam and zookeeper care about weaning, breastfeeding or the water crisis in Sudan.

They are just glad to take the chance to have digs at QV and Hunker. Sly ones at first, then full on body blows.

Getting personal girls, time to stop sucking those bitter lemons. If you took the time to get to know Hunker and QV you may be suprised and actually like them.

Try it, like trident chewing gum. They could be your mastication for the nation

AitchTwoOh · 08/04/2007 22:25

sorry nally, what's the new info about formula that you have?

CAM · 08/04/2007 22:26

It so the other way round Welshboris
psml

AitchTwoOh · 08/04/2007 22:27

pmsl at psml

3easterbunniesandnomore · 08/04/2007 22:27

nally...so, would you prefer to be oblivous to anything, just so you don't need to feel guilt? Bit of a head-in-samd-thing going on then!
I must admit, that is something I don't get...I rather know and learn new stuff and yes, sometimes it does mean that I find out that I have done the wrong thing in the past, but well...I still rather know for the future, iykwim...!

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 08/04/2007 22:28

nally - she's not getting bad stuff. She's getting the best you are currently able to give.

WelshBoris · 08/04/2007 22:29

QV and Hunker follow you round the board throwing personal insults at you?

Show me proof.

CAM · 08/04/2007 22:29

funny how this thread turned out though

AitchTwoOh · 08/04/2007 22:30

exactly saggars. i sometimes gulp a bit at the fact that dd drank so much formula, nally, but then i see her running around and she looks okay to me. if she gets IBS or something when she's older i'll probably thing 'oh shite, i wish i could've BF exclusively' but tbh there really won't be anything i can do other than suck it up and do my best with all the other stuff.

Heathcliffscathy · 08/04/2007 22:32

thank god for the wink franny.

the first two lines made me feel about 2 feet tall. and angry. and underneath that really upset that someone I like could feel that about what I expressed.

which kind of goes to the heart of my point.

I'm not saying that food isn't important, it is. but there are far far more important things, sometimes subtler (although sometimes not subtle at all) and they don't get discussed that much.

I used the disappointing thing because I used to say that to ds, until when I burst into tears whilst driving once after a horrendous and frustrating day and he piped up from the back 'mummy stop whinging, I'm really disappointed in you'.

needless to say I have reviewed the way I parent and the things I say to ds since then massively. sod what I put in his mouth, it's what I put in his heart that is so much more important.