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?

So does anyone want to tell me why it was 4 months 5 years ago & now it's 6 months? What is known now that wasn't known then? Again, apologies for my ignorance

gawd vvv, your obsession with accuracy is ruining this thread for me.

HunieBuniesBack, I'm talking about present and future babies.

And no, I haven't had a baby that cried every 20-30 minutes due to hunger, but if I did, I'd not think that a bit of baby rice was the answer, I'm afraid. Really.

It is just more widely known now, fancypants.

Hatrick....

DD went straight into 0-3 months, and then was in 3-6 months at 8 weeks.

fancy, basically the WHO collates all the weaning research and puts it together as guidelines. new research, new guidelines. have a look at the thread 'weaning research' in the weaning topic.

Personally I think many people have a real problem understanding the concept of cause and effect, unless the effect is immediate.

Well, maybe because...

They're working from a book which is a few years old.

It's not their first child so they've not been invited to baby group and so on, don't have a bunch of antenatal buddies to exchange advice with.

They think it's "about time".

Baby has doubled its birth weight (can't see that one myself).

Baby's waking up etc, etc.

They have to control the baby!!!

They will not be told what to do by health professionals.

They've been led to believe that it's not terribly important to wait (that's the sort of tone I get from the clinic, although they say roughly the right thing).

I weaned my first 3 years ago at 23 weeks. I felt pressured. I wish I'd had the condfidence to tell all those people (who were the antenatal gang) to bugger off. I used a holiday as an excuse (to them) to put it off until then.

FP, it wasn't 4m five years ago - the WHO has been saying 6m for a lot longer. But the Government had to sort out paid maternity leave before they could tell women not to wean before 6m. Not that making it 6m paid meant much, since statutory mat pay isn't much and women often take time off before the baby's born, but now it's 9m paid, maybe more women will wean later [vain hope]

On OP:
I only just figured out recently that most people really "can't wait" for their child to hit the next stage, to be seen as growing and developing. They literally can't resist chivvying the process along.

Years ago friend was weaning her 4m old (guidelines were then already 6m) and she said "You're always wanting them to get to the next stage, aren't you?" She really thought I would just understand.
I didn't(!)
Now I think it's really sad, we shouldn't be so compulsive about pushing them to grow up.

dd2 is huge. wearing 9-12 months clothes at 7 months, but was only 7lbs 3oz at birth - our smallest baby. not sure what she weighs now as haven't had her weighed since she was very little. should i?

Weaning research thread

I would what I did then, I introduced food at 15 weeks after having blackouts due to lack of sleep.

Flack - you're right, you're right, you're right!!!

(3 times even!)

LOL hunie. that's hysterical.

I don't think food would help as it has less calories than milk, probably coincidence. My ds wakes 4-5 times a night still and feeds constantly all day but he's fine on milk.

not the blackouts, obv.

He's 12 weeks. Doesn't go back to sleep after feeds either, like to stay awake for hours in the middle of the night.

I fed and weaned my two in exactly the same manner, and, they both had utterly different sleep patterns. [anecdotal]

hnker it was more than tiredness. I physically coldnt carry on. I was dizzy and coldnt see straight, and everything was black and white. 100% breastfeeding was jst not an option. To say nothing of the effect on my older children.

If yo managed it, then thats great. Im obviosly a child abuser.(yes, I was aware of the who gidlines)

oh jodie I loveeeeeeeeeeee you...everyone else keeps telling me how their dec/jan/feb babies are sleeping through were DD2 like both my others wakes 4/5times for bits of milk..was thinking it was me..lol

i feel women are becoming obsessed with babies, weaning age,bf etc. once the children get to 2 they couldn't give a stuff

twinklemegan is right I think - people do have difficulty with cause and effect. and statistics. and science, generally.
and you know what, LOADS of us know about sleep deprivation. let's not get into knackereder-than-thou

well, they do if they're wearing a bag to shit in, sea...

[yawns]

why you lot still up?