16 weeks and weaning

[MisterOnion]

Is 16 weeks too young to start giving my baby banana/baby rice? He's very big, already on 6 ounces of hungry baby milk every 2-3 hours (but always searching) so just wondered when it's appropriate to start weaning, despite what HV/GP says?

@wintertravel1980
Please read peer reviewed journals not a mom blog before you damage your babies gut lining and cause food allergies. Please repair your child’s gut from the damage you did with bone broth and probiotics

Mine are 24 and 21.

DS was a greedy feeder, drinking 11oz at one feed by 10/11 weeks. The GP recommended I start weaning at 12 weeks.

DD at 11 weeks and fully bf fed so much I couldn't keep up, every two hours for 10 days and I lost 8lb in those 10 days. Followed GPs advice.

Both dc have cast iron stomachs and no allergies. They weaned on fruit and veg puree and then organic jars and finger food. Both good and adventurous eaters. Both fit, strong and v clever.

Oh and I'll follow the advice of a qualified doctor who is also a mother over an hv any day.

@Aunaturalmama

I have quoted the scienceofmom's blog because it provides a reader-friendly summary of the current research, including results of "peer reviewed studies" and randomised controlled trials. There is absolutely zero evidence that weaning at 17 weeks "damages gut lining". Based on advice from ESPGHAN (European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition):

In all infants, in consideration of their nutritional needs, developmental abilities, and reported associations between the timing of introduction of complementary feeding and later health, which are discussed later, the introduction of complementary foods should not be before 17 weeks but should not be delayed beyond 26 weeks.

Also:

The Committee considers that gastrointestinal and renal functions are sufficiently mature by around 4 months of age to enable term infants to process some complementary foods, and that there is a range of ages at which infants attain the necessary motor skills to cope safely with complementary feedings.

www.espghan.org/fileadmin/user_upload/guidelines_pdf/con_28.pdf

As for the risk of allergies, all studies seem to indicate that early weaning appears to reduce it. Scienceofmom's blog contains numerous links to underlying research (and yes, of course, the studies are peer reviewed and RCT based).