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?

[wonders whether anyone ever, ever actually reads my posts]

LFM, you have an excellent reason for weaning early. You weighed up the risks of not weaning with the potential risks of doing so and found, on balance, the risk of NOT weaning outweighed the risks of doing so. I'd have probably done the same in your shoes. How incredibly frightening for you - I hope you don't have to go through anything like that again with your LO.

I'm talking about people who wean perfectly healthy babies of 12w for no reason other than "they can". And they DO exist and DO post on MN. Or perhaps I'm just totally evil and only exist to upset people [ponders]

I am calming now and apologise for my outburst. I would hope all parents do what's right by thier babies.

IGW I am impressed you type so well when uder the influence and thankyou for your thoughts and stories of Tarquin - largely accountable for cooling me from boiling point

Troble is Hunker - if you saw me in RL and I had no chance to put my story accross what woud say of me and would I read a post about myself as

"Mother abusing baby by feeding petie filous on park bench??"

LowFatMilkshake - I DO understand where you're coming from, I really do. I always felt a similar way when I was seen bottlefeeding DS. I knew I had tried everything within my power not to have to do it, but I often felt people were thinking I just couldn't be bothered. And boy do I get riled when people post things like "oh, well of course I went through x, y and z and I'm still breastfeeding my 10 year old - anyone can do it if they try hard enough" (I'm exaggerating, but you get the point).

But Hunker is right that there are people who wean at 12 weeks and earlier for no good reason at all. Honeestly, those are the people she's talking about. I don't know how we can stop ourselves from believing people might be judging us, because lets face it they might be. I guess what matters at the end of the day is that you know you made an INFORMED choice with your DS's wellbeing at heart.

LFM, we are all judged by people in RL who don't know the full story.

And if it was a Petit Filous, yeah, I'd probably judge you

I very rarely post personal sightings of people I judge though. I'd never get anything done if I did

Seriously - you're doing the very best you can in circumstances I hadn't considered when I wrote the OP. Thank you for making me consider them and I am sorry if I upset you.

Thing is LFM, when you hear stories like yours on MN, when you do see tiny babies apparently being weaned 'early', it does make you wonder whether in fact, there really is a very valid reason for it.

MN has stopped me from jumping to conclusions about strangers and their offspring.

I think Hunker, and certainly myself, only ever have been referring to those who apparently dismiss guidelines and advice because they want to hurry to the next stage, and say they dont care about guidelines.

christ vvv sorry.

i'll send you some of my own essays on attachment if you like...allan schore is the man to google.

OH yes please! As I said, this stuff fascinates me. Always keen to learn more.

Twinkle - have gone through both BF and Weaning thing as my posts mentioned so I can empathise with you.

It's just the judgement thing that gets up my nose. However I am calm now and as long as I have made my point I will bow out f the arguement!

FWIW I do still try and include formula with all DS food either as accompanying or mixed in!

I weaned Heniritta at 7 hours because she came out of the womb asking for gravadlax and organic asparagus. She was so advanced. doncha know

{an examplae of conversation at Walrus's baby clinic}

I often ask other people in RL to consider they may not have the full story when they're being judgey about someone too.

Thanks VVV and Hunker - sorry for being a dragon to start with

BTW before I get pulled up on it and thought I would own up just to play fair ...... Before DS had his crisis I did actualy write in a post saying along the lines of..

I followed guidelines for DD wen she was a baby and weaned at 16 weeks and she's alright - why should'nt I do the same for DS just because there is new research

VVV:

here is little quote from the first link that came up under his name from google -

Number Three. I have moved Bowlby ?s focus back from six to birth and actually prenatally. The brain growth spurt is from the last trimester of pregnancy through the second year. I?m now beginning to tie together how these extremely early events give us an idea about what kinds of social and emotional experiences are needed at what points. The idea of ?developmental stages? has been superceded by the more precise concept of critical periods or sensitive periods. These are times of intensified growth ? ie. incresed synaptic production ? and differentiation. In these critical periods of brain growth the infant needs certain types of social and emotional experiences. The attachment relationship provides the ground and the modulation for various high energy states. At these points the caregivers receptivity to the infant?s cues are crucial. (Assessing infant development from the paediatric point of view now means assessing not just the infant per se but the nature of the infants relationship with the mother. The quality of their communication will be seen as being as critical to the infant?s growth as other factors)

he is the absolute dogs proverbials.

love the man.

that should read back from six months to birth.

sophable - have you seen my intelligent debate thread? It was seeing your name on active posts that inspired me.

LFM, don't worry - it's an emotive subject - on both "sides" - so I totally understand.

I only tend to get arsey when someone pounces for no good reason - you had a very good one

senora!!!!!! heeeeellllooooo! off to look!

xxx

Kami I hope you blardy well gave em what for and put them in thier place!!

MN has also opened my eyes to judging!
I judged a LB my DD plays with. I was pulled up on it here on MN when I posted about what I considered to be bad behaviour. Since then I encourage DD to play with him rather than try to stop it.

MN - making the world a more considerate place to be!

Isn't breastfeeding meant to make you more chilled out, girls?

No, Londonmamma, it's the nipple pain y'know.... brings out the axe-murderer in even the quietest people...

oh Walrus...your posts just made me chuckle!

Just a thought re: the serious side of the original post. Some people don't go to health visitors for advice. Or read parenting manuels. Or know the up to date advice from the WHO. They listen to their mothers or do what everyone in their circle does.