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Weaning

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

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Original poster

what did you do?...

18 replies

umma · 23/04/2007 13:55

Who waited til 6 months to wean?

And if you didn't what made you decide to start earlier?

My baby is 18 weeks...feel under pressure to start weaning sooner rather than later. HV has already told me that he wont get to 6 months without food, how does she know?!!!

OP posts:

katyjo · 23/04/2007 14:00

Don't feel under pressure, do what you think is right. I started weaning my ds at just under 18 weeks and I wish I had waited a bit longer, everyone kept telling me to start weaning.
How does your hv know? She is supposed to be there to support you, not tell you what to do!
My ds is absoulutely fine, but I worry that he may be asthmatic, and I will never know if waiting to wean would have helped.
Tell your hv where to go, its your baby, you know best.
xxx

hebetalbot · 23/04/2007 14:10

I weaned both of mine at 6 months. Up to that point they were excl. bf. From a health point of view it is best to wait as long as possible because of the development of the babies digestive system. On a more pratical level you can introduce most foods straight away, you spend less time mushing up food and finger foods can be introduced almost straight away. Don't be pressured into weaning sooner if you aren't comfortable with it. Anyway, all babies are diffrent so how would your HV know? What reasons did she give you when she made this statement?

HoratioMcCain · 23/04/2007 14:14

My HV gave me the same crap, and I got a lot of comments from other people but I waited until 6 months and I'm very glad that I did.

I think you need to look at the possibilities here - if you don't wean now and wait until 6mths what is going to happen? Erm, nothing!

If you do wean now then you're going against the guidelines and all the risks relating to that. There are plenty of threads on here re; this so I won't go into specifics.

Personally I'd just tell anyone who's interfering to bugger off

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 23/04/2007 14:14

you have to do what you are comfortable with. my ds was weened at 16 weeks and at the time the guidelines were to ween at 4 months, but even if he'd been born after the guidelines were changed I would have done things the same. He was ready to be weened, he was hungry but not wanting milk and as soon as I gave him baby rice we never looked back.

But every baby is different, and there are also some that say that babies who are given formula are more likely to need to be weened earlier than those who are breastfed because the formula doesn't change like breastmilk does etc. (and my ds was bottlefed). So you have to do what you feel comfortable with.

and perhaps don a hardhat and break into the popcorn as these threads often have a habbit of kicking off.

Gobbledigook · 23/04/2007 14:15

Can't remember.

It was after 6m with ds1 because he wasn't a hungry baby and he showed no interest at all. I think the others were about 6m but I can't really remember.

InTheHouse · 23/04/2007 14:15

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn due to privacy concerns

akaJamiesMum · 23/04/2007 14:18

I used to be a HV ( a couple of years ago now)and I can tell you umma that your HV doesn't know. Current advice is six months (or not less than 17 weeks depending on what advice you read ).

Don't feel under any pressure and go with your feelings about what is right for your baby.

I weaned DS at 17 weeks and he is fine but that was 4 years ago and the advice has officially changed since then.

My sister was apparently weaned at 4 weeks on the advice of the GP (40 years ago) and she is fine too but it's better to wait and you won't do any harm by waiting.

NormaStanleyfletcher · 23/04/2007 14:22

with ds1 at 14 weeks or so - as per the guidelines 18 years ago
DS2 - 16 weeks - as per the guidelines at the time
DD - 25 weeks - pretty much as per guidelines are now

DS1 and DS2 both have heyfever - they prob would have anyway, but if i could goback and lessen the chances of it by waiting then i would...

mrsjohnsimnelcake · 23/04/2007 14:27

weaned both at 6 months, your HV is talking out of her bum....

hannahsaunt · 23/04/2007 14:45

Depends how hungry your baby is. Ds1 was over 16lb at 14 weeks and starving so he was weaned then and eats really well to this day (if ridiculously slowly but that's another story). Ds2 wasn't hungry and weaned at 20 weeks but could have held off until later if I had wanted. Depends how much you like restarting middle of the night breast feeds to keep up with demand.

LittleMissLate · 23/04/2007 14:57

Started at 17 weeks on advice of HV as dd has mild reflux and has been extremely slow to gain weight. She has taken to it extremely well so far (just tried baby rice with expressed milk and pureed fruit and veg). She is a calmer, happier baby, put on 10oz in first fortnight (previously 1 or 2 oz per week max) and bf is going better too so am happy with my decision.

AitchTwoOh · 23/04/2007 15:09

i waited til 6 months, and i found it no bother at all. if the baby is fine, take that as a Big Sign to leave it. if it ain't broke...

kels666 · 23/04/2007 15:14

I weaned at 5.5 mths as ds was losing weight. A couple of weeks of fruit and veggies and then straight onto finger foods, meat, fish, eggs etc at 6 mths. Once he was chowing down the protein his weight stablised

Original poster

umma · 23/04/2007 16:35

thank you for the replies. HV said that to me based on the fact that my baby boy is 'large', not fat but he's long and well built! She just said that he WILL be ready for something soon... but don't worry I will make my own mind up.

As a first time mum I was just interested to see what others did/thought...don't want to start a 'kick off' thread!!

I think I will wait..see how he goes...at the mo he seems happy having his milk....and like many of you say why change?

oh yeah she said that the weaning at 6 months advice was based on research carried out in third world countries (?) so is therefore basically rubish! Ha! Isn't it amazing what you are told!

OP posts:

Original poster

umma · 23/04/2007 16:36

As a first time mum I was just interested to see what others did/thought...don't want to start a 'kick off' thread!!

I think I will wait..see how he goes...at the mo he seems happy having his milk....and like many of you say why change?

oh yeah she said that the weaning at 6 months advice was based on research carried out in third world countries (?) so is therefore basically rubish! Ha! Isn't it amazing what you are told!

OP posts:

Original poster

umma · 23/04/2007 16:37

sorry...!

OP posts:

NormaStanleyfletcher · 23/04/2007 19:47

I think the World Health Organisation provides recomendations for the World, not just developing countries - otherwise they would state that the guidelines are just for the developing countries.

terramum · 23/04/2007 20:38

DS started solids at 29 weeks - I was intending to wait until he was 7 months to be sure that his digestive system was ready and give him time to strengthen his back muscles as he didnt hadnt been sitting unaided for very long....but he really started to look mourneful when we ate, even with a bowl & spoon to play with...not really a proper sign of readiness I know, but as he picked up the carrot sticks & stuck them in his mouth & started chewing straight away when we offerd them & then actually swallowed some on his second meal I know he was propably ready...he didnt really need the solids though & after the first week I didnt offer him anything for a nearly a month & he was totally fine. BM was more than enough for him.

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