Why are all the other NCT mums weaning their babies now??

[SydneyB]

We all have LOs ranging from 4.5 months to 5.5 months but WHY are some of them weaning now when everyone recommends waiting to 6 months?? Is like some crazy competition. Am I missing something here? I mean, I'm in no hurry to have to start the whole faff of preparing food etc when the bosom is so damn convenient and that's all DD needs for now. Of course, I'm excited about seeing how she takes to it but please reassure me that there's no need to start now. HV was asking me when I was going to wean this week as DD is v. tall and a very keen eater. Why was she asking me when she must know that you're supposed to wait until 6 months? Also particularly thinking about one mum with a very small baby - on 0.4th centile - same age as DD who is being weaned - surely his gut can't be ready, can it?

Ooops, just seen that there are lots of VERY argumentative posts on this subject which I should have read before posting mine... Haven't been on the Weaning topic list before and can see its a real hot potato.

ROFL! nice to meet you sydneyb.

Am naive first mum but am I right in thinking that every new stage in LO's development can be cause of massive argument with other mums?

Particularly amused by 'she puts everything in her mouth'. Yes, she does but she doesn't swallow any of it! Apart from the odd cat hair...

Combination of many HVs appear to not believe that a baby can "wait" until 6 months ....and the fact that all the books that state 4-6 months are still around & being sold in shops...hell my red book still said 4 months & DS was born a whole year after the 6 months thing became official DOH reccomendations....until all HVs egt proper up to date training (& not just a piece of paper saying what the new guidelines are ) and all old books/leaflets stating 4-6 months are gone I dont think a lot will change at all

every new stage in LO's development can be cause of massive argument with other mums

I believe that is the most incisive thing I have yet read on mumsnet.

Yes - and they have to stop selling jars of mush labelled "suitable from 4 months", too.

The best thing to do around these competetive mums is act like you don't care. Be breezy and calm about these things. Another 4 months down the line your baby will be eating the same things as their children but you might have been able to miss out all the annoying pureeing satge.

Hehe, couldn't agree with you more - I started a thread complaining about exactly the same thing last week, only I didn't name and shame the NCT (but it was an NCT group!). I've got the oldest baby there, but I think will be the last one standing (or should that be last one spooning).

Someone elsewhere on MN said that it's a pretty uneventful stage at 4-5 months, and so mothers want proof that their children are achieving something, which isn't a bad theory. And I know some people want to wean before they go back to work after 6 months maternity leave. But even so...

Ah, last baby was 12 years ago, back when they told you to start on baby rice at 3 months. How times have changed.

Message withdrawn

Just watched whilst antenatal friend tried to shovel sweet potato and carrot down her 5 month old. NONE of it went down. He pushed every tiny bit out and when we thought that was it he produced some more from his cheeks.. That child doesn't need nor want that stuff yet!

I agree with the thing about all the books still saying 4 months - indeed, if you don't wean at 4 months and you want to follow the theories of some (nod and a wink, you know which one I mean) books, you are left a at a bit of a loss. Its really hard to get info about weaning at 6 months except from places like mumsnet. I found out about Baby led weaning because I was going to post saying "surely weaning a 6 month old is different to weaning a 4 month old" and then I found all the threads.

Re: NCT, to be fair, Baby led weaning is on the front of their magazine this month - you can't blame them if their members don't choose to read it.

Re size of baby, DD is 91st centile, and somehow managed to keep her cheeks chubby till six months on milk alone.

Oh totally, wasn't directed at NCT at all, just happens to be antenatal class I went to. I think some of them are getting it from somewhere else IYKWIM.

Whether it's a coffee group or an antenatal group, chances are they prob aren't members anyway.

IME of NCT, less than 50% of people attending classes take up membership and there were barely any members in the postnatal coffee groups.

So these 'NCT' mums are possibly not even seeing the magazine. They've just happened to find a group of other mums they feel they fit in with.

sorry x-post

When pregnant with my dd I really wanted to fully bf until 6 months and found it really hard as she fed constantly, I ended up weaning at 4 months. Ds is 8 weeks he feeds every 1 - 2 hours but is putting weight on well and a happy content baby (my daughter was not happy until she had food!) I am hoping to go a bit longer than 4 months but will not beat myself up about it if I can't. As far as I was concerned it was not a competition if fact I was a bit jealous of my friend who was happily fully bf when I was wiping carrot off the ceiling.

Both my boys fed/feed constantly and ds1 wasn't weaned until 6 months. He was a big boy and weighed 18 pounds at 15 weeks, ds2 is now 16 weeks and weighed 17lb 4 last week. He is hungry a lot and still feed 3-4 times a night. Even still he isn't ready for weaning and neither was ds1 at the same age. We'll be waiting until he is really ready as we'll be blw so there won't be much doubt as I won't be trying to shovel mush into him. A lot of babies will manage to eat some food when it's spoonfed to them so that's no evidence, imho, that baby wanted food or was ready for it.

Just wanted to add that not only did all my NCT group start weaning early I've seen two of them pinning lo's hands down whilst shovelling sweet potato in