Why are people so keen to wean their babies before six months?

[bluejelly]

I just wondered, don't want to start a row. It's just it comes up all the time, and I know it's been a while since my dd was that age, but I never remember it being something I was keen to get started.

I think that's worrying though - why would you prefer to take advice from people whose only experience is what they've read in books/on the internet/heard on the news, over someone who has a professional qualification?

wannaBe - i've a feeling that the 6m guideline was introduced by the WHO in the early 90's. i'll try to find a link to support that.

i do think a lot of the problem is the unsupportive medical professionals. my hv told me that ds was ready for weaning at 11 weeks ffs! also, i think the actual advice they're given is something like, "Best practice is to wean at 6 months, but any time after 19 weeks is fine." i mean, with guidelines like that, is it any wonder hv's give out conflicting advice??

ud but if I'm correct, the actual guideline is that babies should be exclusively bf until 26 weeks. Have read somewhere, might even have been on here, that some formula fed babies would not be able to get to 26 weeks on formula alone and therefore it would be necessary to wean them earlier. Given that not a huge percentage of the population breastfeed past a couple of months, surely it stands to reason that most babies would then need to be weaned earlier than 6 months.

thank goodness wannabe - have been involved in some other threads today and was starting to think i would be hung drawn and quartered if some of the mners met me in real life for offering my ds some baby rice and banana before 6 months.

reading these responses have reassured me that its not just me who thinks its not possible for the 6 month advice must be applicable to all babies for weaning at exactly the same time.

i too resent the suggestion that i am doing it to compete with others or because i want a full nights sleep. i am doing it because i think its best for my baby.

for one thing, they say in general, babies double their birth weight at approximately 6 months. ds is about 4 oz off doubling his weight at 15 weeks, and he is bf before anyone suggests that i am stuffing him too full of formula.

the problem is that medical professionals are telling parents to ignore the findings of evidence-based scientific research (on which the WHO guidelines are based) in favour of conclusions they have reached from their own limited experience. Any medical professional who thinks the 6 month guideline is wrong or inappropriate should be challenging the NHS and DoH to change it. They should not be paying lip service to their employer's advice and then undermining it at the coal face. IMO that's a very unprofessional way to behave.

JV you are so right about parents not liking seeing people do things differently to them.

A good friend of mine seemd to take my decision not to wean dd until 6 months, and to do my verions of blw as a personal affront, or at least as tacit criticism of her decision to do the puree thing at 4 months with her dc.

My experience is that most parents I know have been gagging [excuse the pun] to get going with weaning asap for the reasons I suggested below. Those who are inclined to wait till later seem to be swimming against the tide round here.

Urbandryad - the WHO may have introduced the 6 mth guideline in the 1990's but it wasn't the guideline in this country until May 2003. I know this because DS2 was born in Sept 2003 and the rules had changed compared to dS1

senorapostrophe - would be interested to hear what you know about the evidence against weaning at 4 months?

I weaned my son at 5 months because of the whole 'fill their stomachs and they will sleep through' thing. What a load of shit that was!

I weaned both my children before 6 months because I felt they were ready. They were v interested in food and trying to grab from our plates etc. It also seemed that breastmilk was not entirely satisfying them.
It certainly wasn't out of competitiveness or boredom, and I certainly don't believe this is the motive for most parents.
Both of my children are fit and healthy and allergy free.
Why are you so bothered about parents weaning before 6 months?

No idea.

It's such a faff.

VVV I like the way you put things

Weaning the traditional way is a faff. Next time I'm definitely going the 'baby led way'. Or as my experienced-mum-of-three best mate says the 'let them eat what they want within reason' way. I shall never puree another butternut squash again, I tell you!

I'm fortunate and glad to have waited with DD to 26 weeks. It turns out she was/is severely allergic to some key foods.

DS just didnt want to. Ended up doing a type of BLW with him at around 7.5 months. Although he only really started to eat solids at around 12 months. Plus he was exclusively b/feed so it was actually quite a relief

Oh yes. I fell into that with DS because he was a natural born spoon refusenik.

He'd throw all food off of his highchair tray too. But, he'd eat titbits off of the floor that he thought he shouldnt have. So I started conveniently locating carrot sticks and chunks of banana and apple around the house.....

I belong to the group of parents who have had children under two sets of weaning guidelines. Certainly with dd1 I thought there was a lot of competition in mummy circles about who was weaning first. I felt right out of it because dd1 wasn't interested at 16 weeks, got more into at about 5 months but didn't have 3 meals a day till around 9 months. HV had spasms when I explained that if she had lunch she didn't want milk in the afternoon - so we were sticking with milk. DD2 - it's a bit of a blur but I think she was always pretty keen from 16 weeks plus. Now with dd3 the competition that I've seen is all about who is 'holding out' longest - and it is equally as irritating as the other sort.

So what have I done - I've looked at my baby, noticed when she can sit and swallow and put stuff in her mouth. I've looked at when she seemed less interested in milk and generally unsettled and I did start with baby rice at teatime at 4 months. Two meals at 5 months approx and 3 at 6. Bit of puree, bit of toast = happy baby & happy mum. (that's not all she eats by the way)

Guidelines are important of course ( I'm not feeding B french fries and peanut butter for example) but no guideline substitutes for enjoying your baby, helping them find new things and moving forwards (or backwards) as you both need to.

I like pureeing squash - don protective clothing first though

conker - can you tell me what your baby's weight doubling has to do with readiness for solids?

NorthernLurker... exactly. I've looked at my baby and I really believe she's not ready for weaning yet BUT I feel a bit daft when she shows interest in the banana I'm eating (same as she shows an interest in the catalogue I'm reading) and I withhold the banana from her as though it were poison, because she's not 26 weeks old, and then I hand over the catalogue knowing full well she's going to gnaw on a corner of it as much as look at the pretty pictures. I have now realised I was being daft and will be removing the hazard tape from all fruit and veg tomorrow. I truly believe if I'd gone to the HVs with that question though I'd have been in for more nonsense about weaning windows and needing to wean a big baby early.

I'm ashamed to say I've never eaten squash...

Conker - why is it you think weaning your baby now (as opposed to just not doing anything except b/feeding) is the best option (if not for sleep/competitive reasons)?

The weight doubling thing is poo poo, btw.

I bought a butternut squash once. I couldn't even cut the bloody thing open let alone puree it!

terramum - one of the justifications for waiting till 6 months (although not the only justification might i add before i get shouted down) is that they will have doubled their birth weight and its one of many things to look out for if you are in doubt about when to wean.

just making the point that the weight difference in babies is so huge, and the different times that they develop other abilities must surely support not assuming that 6 months will be right for all babies.

one reason that i tried him with some food was that he was hungry very often during the day. he was also a lot less cheerful than he had been before.

he was fairly tentative to start with, but the second time he was offered a spoon, he grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth. that day he was happier than he had been fopr about a week before.

I don't eat the squash myself - I just er squash it for B
Talktothebees - good luck - let us know how you and your baby get on beyond the hazard barriers I think you're quite right to make up your own mind and plan accordingly - I'm sure you're right about the advice you would get from hv's. This time round I haven't asked for any advice - because I feel like I can work out what B wants/needs myself and therefore wouldn't listen to the hv anyway But she is my third baby and I think I should have cracked it by now

Um wannbe - did you roast it first? Much easier to cut then.....