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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

Does hungry 4 month old need solids?

45 replies

chankins · 17/09/2007 18:52

Not too sure about all this waiting til 6 months - I know they say its best now. (That advice wasn't round with my first two so they were both on solids at 4 months)4 month ds is so hungry, was sleeping through night from 7 weeks, then started waking at 15. Still bf but has 2 bottles formula, one before bed, which did help him sleep through again. But now is back waking every 2 hours or so, really hungry. Stares at our food dribbling and tries to grab it! Is v big and strong for age, in 6-9 month clothes already and everyone says he seems older than 4 months. Not sure what to do as he genuinely seems so hungry but hv all say wait wait. Other kids have eczema so also want to avoid that if poss. Any advice ?

OP posts:

beansprout · 17/09/2007 18:53

They have a growth spurt at this time which is often confused with wanting food but it will pass.

KaySamuels · 17/09/2007 18:56

My ds was the same at 4 months, went to a bottle every two hours, I knew he was ready for food and started weaning him - didn't ask my HV as I knew she would just spout goverment protocal!

He took to it brilliantly and I was so relieved! you know your child far better than any one else go with your instincts.

MaryBleedinPoppins · 17/09/2007 18:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

chankins · 17/09/2007 19:00

My instincts say he wants food ! But i keep waiting, wondering if the hunger will calm down. Its hard to know whats best, as theres all this info now about their systems not being able to cope with it too early, but saying that everyone I know has weaned at 4 months (before the new advice came in I must add!) and all the kids seem fine. Its just my older two have suffered so much from eczema despite me breast feedingg. But it does run in my family so maybe they'd get it whatever i did!

OP posts:

ItsGrimUpNorth · 17/09/2007 19:01

They say babies don't start produce the necessary digestive enzymes for processing foods until six months at the very earliest. It's not really a good idea to wean earlier than that.

bubblagirl · 17/09/2007 19:07

i gave my ds rusks at this age as advised by hv as its mixed with there milk this seemed to satisfy his urge

clumsymum · 17/09/2007 19:11

My VERY healthy ds (now 8 years) started weaning at 4 months.
He was a good birthweight, breastfed for the first few weeks, then bottlefed moving on to formula for hungry babies at 3 1/2 months, but never full. I decided to start gentle weaning, and never looked back.

Now he is very active, well built, but not in the least bit overweight.

Not all babies are the same, and I'm sure many do very well on nothing but milk until 6 months. But not all. Go with your instincts (and your prior experience). I think hard and fast rules are a ridiculous concept with babies who haven't read them!!

gegs73 · 17/09/2007 19:11

I personally would give him some baby rice but that is my opinion and does not go along with WHO advice etc. I would be very careful about introducing anything else before 6 months with your history of eczema. I will probably be shot down for telling you this but thats my opinion. Guidelines change all the time.

oops · 17/09/2007 19:21

Message withdrawn

mawbroon · 17/09/2007 19:31

First foods like baby rice or pureed fruit/veg have less calories than milk.

If it were my choice to make, I would wait and give more milk.

gegs73 · 17/09/2007 19:37

mawbroon, completely agree with what you are saying. Only if your baby is really hungry and is already drinking 8/9 oz in one go every 3 hours more milk may not be an option. Baby rice would be in addition to this.

bobsmum · 17/09/2007 19:37

Both mine went through a weird phase at 4 months - all unsettled and grumpy, but it passed after 2/3 weeks and they were happy on milk until 6 months (5.5 with ds due to peer pressure - I caved unnecessarily).

Don't go by the staring and the grabbing - that's a developmental stage, not hunger. If you put a can of deodorant on your plate, your ds would make a grab for it

Waiting might not avoid the excema if it's inyour genes, but it may strengthen your ds' defences to keep him on milk until he's more capable of coping with other foods.

Am reassured your HVs are all saying to wait - that's impressive that they're all up on the latest research

Go by his physical development too. Can he sit up unaided yet? That's a good indicator too I think.

ThomasTankEngine · 17/09/2007 19:39

Well put oops.

DS3 had a growth spurt at 16 wks for a week then back to normal. still just bf at 21 weeks and very happy.

BroccoliSpears · 17/09/2007 19:39

Agree with Mawbroon. Have never understood why people with hungry babies try and fill them up with less calorific things than milk.

Reesie · 17/09/2007 19:56

I agree with bobsmum, my lo was exactly the same - started having lots of night wakings at 4 months - everybody said he was hungry. I did a bit of research about weaning and the inability of baby's gut to absorb food fully prior to baby's tell tale signs of sitting up unaided - being able to put food into mouth etc. I did have a go giving her some pureed food at 17 weeks but it just seemed like such hard work to try and stuff tiny amounts of food in.... Her tongue thrust reflex also kept pushing food out - not a good sign... I felt unhappy doing this so stopped after a couple of tries.

Lo and behold about 2 weeks later she settled again and was happy on milk as before - i just think they go through a growth spurt. My lo is also a big baby - at 9 months she's now wearing 12 - 18 month clothes.

I'm really glad I waited - starting weaning so early is quite a new thing that has only happened over the last couple of generations. The research about waiting is overwhelmed with reasons to wait until 6 months.

bobsmum · 17/09/2007 20:00

Reesie - my ds was a big baby at 4 months too - 18 1/2 lbs, but he was hard on my poor back that's for sure!

Original poster

chankins · 17/09/2007 20:48

I didnt know that 4 mnth weaning is a relatively new thing - so a few generations back they were weaning much later ? Thanks for all the advice. I think I had already decided to wait as long as poss, and get as close to6 months as poss - mainly cos of the problems we've had with eczema. Actually he isn't far off sitting unaided, which is really scary. Also didn't realise that had any significance! I'll sit tight and see if this is a growth spurt thing. As for how ofte he feeds, h has always fed at least every 2 hours in the day, and has never gone longer than that ! At one stage wa bf every hour, sometimes more. O also didn't know baby rice has less calories than milk, so would be pointless then really ? Mmm, very interesting.

OP posts:

lulumama · 17/09/2007 20:51

a couple of spoons of baby rice cannot possibly contain more calories than a big milk feed, the volume itself is less satisfying. if you wean at 6 months you can go straight to finger food and avoid pureeing www.babyledweaning.com there is a useful forum on there too

naturopath · 16/10/2007 22:23

Can I restart this thread?

Paediatrician has told us to wean DS at 4 months (ie next week). I wanted to wait until 6 months. Paed said he still advises 4 months as WHO Guidelines are aimed mostly at developing countries, but I'm still unsure. (btw, DS has reflux)

Meanwhile, DS has started waking up every hour screaming and hungry, but seems to settle within a few minutes after a quick feed.

He has also been generally unsettled over the last couple of days, and making strange noises/faces (drooling a lot, like blowing raspberries at us)....

SO:
(a) is he teething?
(b) is it a growth spurt?
(c) should I wean at 4 or 6 months, or compromise at 5?

Would appreciate your collective wisdom!

naturopath · 16/10/2007 22:26

forgot to say, DS is totally breastfed at the moment, and won't take a bottle.

Can't tolerate cow's milk proteins so has a non-milk, non-soya formula, which is horrible and he has never taken.

Habbibu · 16/10/2007 22:35

I would ask your paediatrician why it is that the NHS advises 6 months, then. dept of health official guidance states: Until six months, your baby has needed only breastmilk
or infant formula milk. From about six months your baby
has developed so that he or she is able to eat solid foods.
Your baby now needs more than milk alone can provide.

Habbibu · 16/10/2007 22:36

Also - could be teeth, could be trying out new tricks, could well be growth spurt. Up the milk and see how he gets on. Are you seeing a paediatrician for any particular reason?

spookthief · 16/10/2007 22:42

That's a little bit worrying naturopath. If he'd actually read the research he'd know that wasn't true (the only developing countries thing). Would make me wonder how much effort he's putting in to keeping up to date with infant nutrition .

Would make me wonder what else he's not bothering to keep up to date with tbh. I have met his ilk in other fields.

naturopath · 16/10/2007 23:13

exactly. Really not sure what to do. Seeing him for the reflux and have generally been happy with his advice (medications, formula etc.) but feel very nervous about weaning so early (although of course 4 months were the guidelines a few years ago). Don't want to mess around with his digestive system or give him any allergies. Has excema as it is, and the problem with milk..

JacOLantanne · 16/10/2007 23:19

Isn't 4 months a classic growth spurt time? Haven't read the other replies but I don't see that replacing milk with pureed vegetable/fruit can possibly make a baby less hungry. Surely there are far more calories in milk?

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