12 week old now waking 2x a night again after settled period.... time to hit the baby rice?

[shrinkingsagpuss]

She was doing so well, waking once, and settling back to bed. Now she's up twice a night, and unsettled, she's looking for more food during day too..... seems a bit early to me, though her brother was on the rice at 14 weeks.

I do see what you mean - "offial" advice does change. But it changes as new stuff is discovered. For example it was discovered that sleeping on their stomachs was dangerous for babies, the advice was changed, and lots of babies survived that may not have. It was discovered that the advice to feed 5 minutes a side was wrong, the advice was changed, and the number of women who "didn't have enough milk" fell dramatically.

I don't think anyone would have much sympathy for someone who "followed her instincts" and put their baby to sleep on his front or smoked in his bedroom "because I now my baby better than the experts do"

The advice on weaning is backed up by scientific studies. For all I know, it may be proved wrong one day, BUT in the meantime, it can't possibly do any harm to feed a baby the food designed for it for as long as possible. I find it difficult to understand why people are more prepared to follow the advice of non-specialists when all the experts in the subject agree that if possible, 6 months on milk alone is the best possible start for a baby.

I'm sure your baby is thriving and well and beautiful, but is it possible that you were lucky? There are people out there who smoke 60 a day and live to 101 - but that doesn't prove that smking is good for you!

shrinking, I suspect I am one of the people you suggest is posting in a way that does not give a 'balanced' view

I don't know what you want when you post about a 12 week old speculating on giving rice....is the 'balanced' view 'it doesn't really matter as you know your baby better and in any case I did this and my kids are fine'? Or is it 'balanced' to say 'the guidance is a fashion, and things have changed so often, your instincts are as good as anything'?

Seems to me you think it is 'unbalanced' to say 'the guidance is based in up to date research about nutrition and longer term health outcomes and is not a fashion, but evidence-based. Giving solids before the recommended age has been shown to have a health impact, and babies do not need them until around 6 mths or so.'

There is no evidence - in fact, the opposite, in the studies that have been done - that early solids or indeed formula supplementation - makes a difference to babies' sleep and settling patterns.

Is it really 'unbalanced' to say these things??

No one has been personally critical of you or anyone else, or accused you of anything...I admitted to irritation with conkertree because her information was poorly-sourced, that's all.

If you want people to agree with you all the time, then don't post to a discussion forum....seems simple to me

The funnything is - I don't disagree that 12 weeks is too early - I wanted an opinion - and I sure as hell got it!!

In terms of my DS, I did what I thought was right - and he is fine, I followed advice I was given about being very careful what foods I did give him.

I wouldn't barge in and give DD baby rice so young without asking other people's advice - and some of the advice that came back was that she was too young.. BUT when anyone (Conkertree as an example) mentionned an alternate view, they were shouted down very loudly.

I can't believe that eveyone who has ever fed their baby solids quite early has had bowel, or allergy problems - it is more than luck that DS is fine. His metabolism and gut were clearly mature enough to cope. In the same way babies developing skills differently there HAS to be room for the belief that their guts can develop at a different rate too.

Both my LO's were quite late being born - I would tentatively suggest that perhaps they are ahead of themselves in physical development as a result being large, late babies. There is room for the opposite view of course, but people have to be allowed to express it

It seems that b/f and weaning issues are immediate targets for "right and wrong" - but I haven't seen anyone on this site critise someone for having an elective cesearean for example - or for their choices in pain relief, when research clearly shows the benefits for mother and baby of more "natural" birth. This is because of the trauma assocaited with feeling like you did the "wrong" thing when in labour.

Many women have posted about their guilt about ff - and although they get supported there always seems to be this undercurrent of whispered "well you could if you really tried".

Anyway that is MY opinion, and I'm sure it will be pointed out that I'm in the minority - but it doesn't make it any less valid.

Shrinking, no one suggests that 'everyone' whose baby started early solids has these problems - that would be ridiculous.

Of course people can have different views on the timing of solids, but my views are based on the extensive literature and research on the health impact of early solids, the fact there is no evidence that babies need to have early solids, and the studies showing they make no difference to sleep and settling.

My views have nothing to do with my individual personal experience, nothing to do with any ideology, or instinct, or what my father told me......it's an informed view, if you like.

I think there is almost certainly a range of 'readiness' but 6 mths is a useful age around which to build guidance, knowing, as we do, that 4 mths is probably too soon for most babies, and that 8 mths is probably not soon enough.

Being born 'late' is unlikely to have any impact on gut development - of course you can have a view, tentative or not, that it does, but it's going to remain a 'view' unless you can point to studies that show any different. Even studies that show babies born 'late' develop faster would be a start - but are there any?

Basically, I am saying that people can think, and do, what they like. They can believe the moon is made of green cheese, and they're entitled to that view. But other people on a talk board will come along and talk about that, and bring in evidence to back up their view. Doing so is not 'unbalanced'.

on the whole, i am a big believer in being guided by a combination of the baby and your own instincts. but until we as mothers can see inside our baby's gut, and see if it is mature enough for solids, i am prepared to follow the evidence based researc and err on the side of caution. not every baby who is weaned early will have gut problems..