Any reason not to wait until 12 months to wean?

[sealionan]

There's lots of advice about not weaning before 6 months, but I haven't really found much about whether/why you should start then. DS is 6 months and formula fed, he seems happy with it and it's convenient for us - is there anything wrong with carrying on with just formula until 12 months, so long as it seems to be working for everyone?

Erm. I suppose it probably wouldn't kill a child. But no, I wouldn't.

I would be concerned that waiting til 12 months might mean they are reluctant to eat food and it could be a struggle then.

Also they will benefit from more variety in terms of texture and vitamins: minerals etc.

Very few nutrients in formula. You need to base it on long term benefits, not just what is convenient for now.

Why? And tbh I think he’d get too hungry. And I agree I think you might start to struggle to introduce foods.

Why would you want to? I don't get it. Just for your convenience?! Why stop at 12 months then? Just feed them liquids forever!

No. Formula doesn't provide the nutrients an older baby needs. Which is why they naturally start to eat solids around then. Only formula to 1 is a bad idea but some babies are shit eaters and manage I guess. But you really don't want a 1 yr old who is already nutritionally deficient rejecting food because it wasn't introduced when they were more flexible to it.

They start to need more iron in their diet than milk can provide. There's also windows for them to learn to chew and swallow without gagging/choking.

Not sure how true it is but I was told it's more dangerous for them to learn how to deal with solids if left later as gag reflex is weaker. Was told this in the context of blw so could be bollocks

I always heard Food before 1 is fun. I would see anything wrong with not decreasing formula but definitely show,offer,share food the gap between 6 months and 1 is big with lots of changes.

They need to learn to chew and develop speech muscles. Certain foods e.g. gluten should be introduced before 7 months. A bad idea to delay until 12 months

There absolutely is advice on the importance of weaning, e.g. www.bliss.org.uk/parents/about-your-baby/feeding/weaning-your-premature-baby/why-is-weaning-important. It's not just about the food itself (though that matters) but also about them learning the skills it takes to eat food - chewing, hand-eye coordination, etc. It would probably always be more convenient to just drink a load of milk and take a multivitamin than to prepare meals but I'm guessing that's not how you feed yourself and that there's good reason for that?!

He will have snatched some food off your plate long before you reach one.

Surely you need to do what is best for baby development not what is just convenient for you. Will you avoid potty training as well as nappies are more convenient

The NHS says there is evidence that delaying introducing peanuts and eggs beyond 6-12 months can increase the chance of allergies.

Even the briefest of Googling brings up info to say that babies need solid food after 6 months as their growth and development requires more than milk can supply.
Babies have reserves of minerals eg iron from when they were in utero that drop off after 6 months so they need iron rich solid foods.

A baby can get all the nutrients they need from formula, but it needs to be the follow on milk for the iron.

I know this because DD really struggled with weaning, and we sought medical advice. However I was trying to wean her!

Weaning will always be messy and inconvenient. I haven't looked at medical reasons for not delaying beyond 6 months; they may well exist.

They don't just develop the skills of eating overnight, and by 12 months they should be getting most of their nutrition from food. You need to give them the time to develop that skill set.

Also, the older they are, the more resistant they are to new flavours and choosy about food- my 16 month old has started refusing certain things already. If you don't introduce them early, they're more likely to say no

It might seem easier to stick to milk, but give weaning a try- it was amazing how much joy I got from introducing new tastes and textures, and seeing amazing reactions to it ☺️

In terms of food babies need sources of iron and some other key nutrients after 6 months as the stores they are born with deplete and they don’t get them from BM/formula. Weaning onto food is about much more than just food it’s developmental in terms of developing the jaw muscles, coordination of chewing of swallowing etc. You also want to ensure babies develop appetite regulation and enjoy a range of textures and tastes and this is usually achieved between 6-12 months. There is also research suggesting late introduction to allergens can increase likelihood of food allergies. Weaning can be messy and hard work but it’s also lots of fun!

I believe there is an optimum window to introduce different food tastes and textures. Babies weaned late often turn into fussy/picky eaters. They can also have less well developed mouth and throat muscles which slows down the ability to talk and chew.
Just as moving/crawling/walking strengthen muscles and bones; eating strengthens the musculature of the face.
It really is important to start introducing food when your baby is ready. Once they start trying to grab your food or chewing on things, then they really need the experience of food as the next natural step in their growth.
As a teacher of small children I once had a child start preschool who was still on bottles with just a small amount of finger food in his diet. He was not exposed to flavours and so would not try anything the other children ate. His head eye coordination was very poor and his speech was vertically non-existent. His was an extreme case maybe but it makes the point. Eating at the right time is important for baby development.

I loved weaning my kids. Watching them enjoy the different tastes and textures. Blending food for them etc. Mine are now fantastic eaters.

Breast feed until 12 months yes, although baby will want more. Carry on feeding your baby tinned powder until 12 months instead of fresh food??? Why would you do that? Convenience?

Hand-eye coordination. (Sorry typos)

Also most babies can use a spoon by aged one with all the practice they get waving it around trying to find their mouth from 6 months (while parent pops food in with another spoon) ... then there are the children who can’t use it when they start school 🤦‍♀️

Check out baby led weaning - best used in conjunction with a bit of spoon work with things like yoghurt, baby porridge etc too.

@Sherberr

Breast feed until 12 months yes, although baby will want more. Carry on feeding your baby tinned powder until 12 months instead of fresh food??? Why would you do that? Convenience?

Exactly.

Chewing and swallowing strengthens the tongue which helps clarity of speech.

Many reasons
1: they need more nutrients for development
2: helps with speech development, hand eye coordination and cognitive skills
3: research has shown that delaying introduction/exposure of allergens (especially peanuts) is linked to higher risk of a serious allergy when older

Yes food before 1 is just for fun but it should be offered and even small amounts helps a baby.