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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

help!! has weaning changed soo much in three years???

12 replies

goodmorningday · 25/06/2007 21:29

my ds2 is 18wks and definately ready to wean. he was 10lbs 8 at birth and is now about 9 kilos and is cooing a lot at our meal times with great interest. we are going to s. france in a few days for 3 wks and thought i would re read my gina ford from when ds1 was weaned. he had no problems with baby rice and then introducing something new each week for a week etc. ive come on mn for comparison and most people seem to be straight on to fruit and vgetables...soft not pureed...help! i'm quite open minded and much more relaxed about baby no2...i will be staying away from gluten though.

anyone else confused?

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 26/06/2007 06:23

I weaned my first child at 16 weeks, and my second at six months. The second was a lot less work. I just waited until he was old enough and offered table scraps.

The fact your son is watching what you eat with great interest doesn't mean he's ready to eat - any more than the fact he watches you read, means he's ready to do that!

lulumama · 26/06/2007 07:30

babies watch everything at this age...they are interested in everything..and learning all the time. watching is not the only sign..being able to sit up , losing the tongue thrust reflex are also indicators. but surely it will be easier on hols if baby still on milk....rather than worrying about purees and giving new foods...at this age..nothing is more nutritious and filling than a milk feed.

also if your baby seems hungrier, then it is possible he is having a growth spurt, in which case more milk is key, as it is more filling than a spoon or two of puree

if you wait until 6 months, you will most likely find it easier, you cannot do any harm by waiting to wean

have a look at www.babyledweaning.com for ideas on weaning at 6 months...

tiktok · 26/06/2007 08:45

goodmorning, I would have thought going on holiday is the very last choice of weaning time

Weaning guidance changed over the world about 10 years ago, and the UK fell into step with this in May 2003.

Babies don't usually need anything but milk until about six months. They don't need to start on baby rice. They don't need purees.

Many mothers find it easier to wait and then to start their baby on non-pureed stuff, which is easier to do with a baby of about six months.

Most people would agree that 18 weeks is too young - waiting at least until you are back from holiday before you think about weaning might be better for you and him.

Original poster
goodmorningday · 26/06/2007 18:43

thanks all for your responses...i was just panicking a bit about being stuck in the french/italian alps with a ravenous baby..and should i pack blender etc. its not just his interest in watching me eatin that had me thinking....he wears 9-12mths clothes and is always hungry...does have water too but that doesnt really satisfy.

OP posts:
daizydoo · 27/06/2007 14:17

I realise that this a contenious issue - weaning before 6 months, but I think you know if your child is ready for weaning or not. I had a 10lb baby who I have just started weaning at 18 weeks. It wasn't a decision I came to lightly and it was made with input from my health visitors, but I really dont think that he would have lasted for another 6 weeks. I would say go with your gut feeling!

jetjets · 27/06/2007 19:15

Message withdrawn

NotQuiteCockney · 27/06/2007 19:28

People often say they don't think their child "would have lasted" to six months. How can they tell? What would have happened if they hadn't started solids?

I'm serious here.

daizydoo · 28/06/2007 11:29

For me the indicators that my DS wouldn?t last till 6 months are:

  • He has changed from this little placid boy into a very upset little man during the day and the only way for him to calm down was to feed
  • He has always fed very frequently 2-3hrs, this changed to 1-2hrs and with a ferocity he hasn?t had before. He was desperate to feed.
  • Fine you say he goes through a growth spurt at 4 months, but this was coupled with minimal weight gain in the past month. Even the HV commented on his lack of it.
  • His sleeping at night was disturbed, going from getting up 1-2 times a night to 3-4 and not settling afterwards.

We?ve only just started the weaning process and already his sleep seems to be better and he?s slightly calmer during the day.

As I say this is my experience, it could be different for other. Also I?d like to reiterate that I did not take this decision lightly.

ruddynorah · 28/06/2007 12:07

daizydoo- yes that happened to my dd too. so i offered more milk and rode it out. it calmed down. then we started weaning at 6 months.

Jojay · 01/07/2007 17:11

The only thing that's changed in the last 3 years is the recommended age to start, ie wait till 6 months.

There are many pro - baby led weaners on this site. This method is growing in popularity, but the currently accepted norm is still baby rice, purees etc, as described in your Gina book.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with BLW, indeed it seems to have a lot of merit, but sometimes this site can make it feel like it is the norm and everyone is doing it. ( as is also the case with reusable nappies, co-sleeping, exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months, which IME are quite rare in the 'real' world).

BLW is not the norm, IME (not criticizing it, just stating a fact), so if you want to carry on with the methods in the Gina book,(purees etc) then by all means do, most people do. Just think about trying to hold off a bit longer - this is where the advice HAS changed.

crunchie · 01/07/2007 17:31

personally Ithink you should stop being influenced by everyonw on here regarding 6 months., FFS it is not the holy grail. 5 years ago you were told if you didn't wean before 6 months you were leaving 'too late'

IMHO who is to say when is right or wrong. I can possibly agree if you have allergies and food issues in your family then waiting could be worthwile, otherwise I didn't find weaning difficult. OK we used some jars, I also used to cook my own. With dd1 I did have to be careful with lumps as she choked and vomited a lot, so we used jars as I couldn't get teh puree as fine and also she refused/vomited so much it was harder work. With dd2 however we started on purees but tbh they were more runny mash IYKWIM. I would cook apples or carrots or sweetpotato or butternut squash and mash with a fork and some cooking liquid. usually i did it inthe microwave and added a few tbsp water and mashed, job done. Froze left overs.

Once chcken and potatoes were added (by about 3 weeks in) I used to make a batch of chicken casserole, and whizz witha stick blender and bung in freezer, it would last a week of meals !!

Aitch · 01/07/2007 19:06

blw is definitely not the norm, i think the reason it sometimes appears like that on here is that MN is a v popular site so if you google blw you come up wiith threads here, then you post question and then it there follows a little BLW community, almost. the funny thing about BLW, mind you, is that it does give you a bit of a get-out clause with the 6 months thing. you can put food in front of them from the day they're born if you feel like it, but they'll only pick it up and eat it when they're ready...

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