Weaning 4 month old

[04hollie]

So I've started to wean my 4 month old.
She is a big baby & a hungry baby, currently on 8 ounce!
Sometimes she's cries for more food as this could only be the reason, she is clean, fed & comfortable. She will suck the bottle but spit out the milk hence why I started weaning.

I am a first time mum, I have started to give her porridge with a bit of purée mixed in in the morning & also evening bottle around tea time as this is when she seems most hungry.
So far she seems pretty satisfied and has taken to the purées very well. She doesn't cry for more and is very happy in herself. She is a machine, no spitting out & no upset stomach or green nappies.

Any other mums weaned early & if so how has it affected your child later on down the line ?

Referring back to my "guidance is based on risks versus benefits" comment earlier... One of the big benefits of "introducing solids" (thanks Namechanges) at 6 months is because of a babies developed digestive system. So even if there is evidence talking about the chances of allergies being lower, whoever has decided on 6 months will have weighed up these two factors. And all the other factors too. It's not all about allergies. As PP said, gastro problems are linked to so many things, including mental health issues.

He even tries to grab my food I'm eating
So I listened to him and gave him what he wants
He opens his mouth as soon as he sees the spoon

People talk a lot about what babies ‘want’ but you’re the adult and have to judge like an adult what they need. That’s what being a parent it surely? My DS used to enjoy chewing on board books - he seemed to really like it and probably could have eaten the whole book page but I didn’t let him…

@HistoricMoment

Great, I’m glad you picked this link as I speak German so I can have a good read through

It actually says this : Beikost nicht vor Beginn des fünften und nicht später als zu Beginn des 7. Lebensmonats einzuführen.

That means not before the 5th month and not after the 7th.

Which in all honesty to me equates the same as ‘around 6 months’ which you often hear in the UK.

As opposed to what you just said when you were referencing the article:
“This is the advice in Germany. It explicitly says that the National Breastfeeding Committee does not follow the advice given by the WHO. Instead, the advice is that weaning can be begun from 4 months onwards and no later than 6 months.”

Please don’t take liberties with foreign language articles to back up your points, I think that’s not being very fair.

It also doesn’t explicitly say they don’t follow WHO advice - it just says they don’t recommend following it schematically, meaning, as with many things in Germany, they follow a common sense approach. What they basically say is don’t follow the advice blindly if it negates the needs of the individual, obviously there may be cases where babies need to be weaned earlier. But from their approach it seems obvious that WHO advice would suit most people.

OP when my youngest got to 8 x 8oz bottles and constantly cried for more I weaned him. He was on 3 meals a day by 12 weeks and went from a miserable little soul to constant smiles.

Mums have weaned their babies for thousands of years according to their hunger.

@Rosesareyellow
I did not take liberties with a foreign language, what I wrote is a summary of the text you pasted. Der 5. Monat is the beginning of the 5th month of life, ie 4 months +. Der 7. Monat is 6 months +. I wouldn't say 4 months and a week old is around 6 months?
And "around 6 months" is not standard UK advice. Just try writing on MN that you are planning to wean your 5.5 month old. The replies will make it very clear that parents here are told to start after 6 months, not a day before.

Sorry, didn't answer your question. Both of my now adult children are perfectly fine, no allergies and no GI problems.

Would be very interested to know if the numbers of GI problems are decreasing in the population over time as the advice on weaning is getting later. I suspect the opposite.

@HistoricMoment UK advise IS around 6 months. Mums groups might get a bit twitchy and say 6 month bang on the day of 26 weeks but ultimately the nhs advice is around 6 months. Please see below

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/babys-first-solid-foods/

You are asking an impossible question OP.
People can tell you when they introduced solids and they can tell you what their children's current state of health is, but that doesn't mean that the 2 are directly linked. There are so many different factors involved. Individual stories are meaningless. I could tell you that I was weaned early and have IBS, multiple allergies and asthma, but my sister was weaned at the same age and has none of the above. Which of those stories do you decide is "right"? I suspect that you have already decided you are doing the right thing so want examples that confirm your bias. So OK, obviously my story proves that early weaning is fine, as my sister is ok. It will be something else that caused my health issues. Which it might be. Or might not be. Nobody knows. It's probably multifactorial. But either way, a sample of 2 is completely meaningless.
To draw any meaningful conclusions you'd have to get a huge number of replies, correct for confounding variables, use the right statistical method to analyse your results......or hang on....I think that might have already been done, you know, by actual trained epidemiologists? You could just follow expert advice?
Population statistics do what they say on the tin - tell you about populations. They don't tell you anything about outcomes for individuals, and nor were they ever intended to. Anecdotes about babies weaned at 6 weeks and growing up to be Olympic athletes or whatever don't disprove the population stats, they just tell you about that individual.
If the guidelines ever do revert to 4 months or change to something else then I will encourage parents to follow that advice even though it is not what I did myself, because it will be based on the best currently available scientific evidence, and that changes as people do more work. Things move on. None of us would be happy if our doctors offered us treatments from 30 years ago on the basis that they had a few patients who had those drugs and were fine would we, not if there had been more recent developments? So why do we want to follow 20+ year old weaning advice?
Incidentally my children are old enough that I had one who was born at the end of the 4-6 month era and 2 just after the 6 months advice came in. I have been hearing continuously, almost since it came in in 2003, that the advice would be changing back to 4 months "soon" but it doesn't seem to have happened yet. When the experts are convinced, so will I be.

@ShowOfHands

Canada seems to recommend 6 months still from the resources I have. When did the change to 5 months happen?

Tash, nobody will convince you otherwise. I remember you from a few other threads and I know that you don't take kindly to genuine concern about the choices you've made or those which have been made for you. I think if you don't believe we have brains, your GP and local health teams should be relied upon instead.

Canadian Paediatric Society: caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/pregnancy-and-babies/feeding_your_baby_in_the_first_year

They promote 6 months as standard but 4 months if allergies run in the family. Our GP, paediatrician and a friend who is a paediatric nutritionist at Sick Kids Hospital all sit in the “4-5 months for most kids” camp, and told me that’s where most of their peers are leaning, so that’s what I did with my younger two kids.

My DS is 19 and guidance then was to wean at 4 months, I started when he was nearer 5 months as he still had the tongue thrust reflex at 4 months. He’s absolutely fine health wise. DD is 15 and because guidance had changed I waited until 6 months to wean her. She is not fine health wise and has allergies and reflux. I think there is a lot more going on and it’s a lot more complex than weaning age!

I've a friend in Canada who has a 4 month old so this is what she's considering ATM. Her doctor says wait for the signs and expect them between 5 and 6 months. Sounds like the advice is the same as here tbh ie around 6 months, no earlier than 17wks and if in doubt, speak to somebody. They also point out the signs quite clearly too which is what happens here. Children with allergies or in families with significant allergies should be taking advice anyway.

@tashx

5 babies in doesn’t mean you’re an expert.

Please don’t give your 12 week old food

@Picklerickflag

I weaned both of mine at 4 months under medical advice and after thoroughly researching the issue myself.

The often quoted WHO guidance actually says that giving your DC anything other than breast milk before six months increases the risk of allergies etc. This includes formula. So formula feeding is as harmful for your baby as weaning early. And yes I formula fed both my children who were both had Cows milk protein allergy which is why we had to wean them. So formula did more harm than weaning.

My advice is do your research and obtain medical advice. Then make an informed decision.

Hi there My daughter is 4 mo soon, also has CMPA Can I ask what foods worked for you and your children who had the allergy when you first starting weaning? Thankyou

Fashions and medical advice change. Once upon a time babies were weaned at 3 months and grew up healthy and strong.

@mdh2020

Fashions and medical advice change. Once upon a time babies were weaned at 3 months and grew up healthy and strong.

That’s survivors bias though isn’t it. Glad it all worked out for you BUT if you put your babies to sleep on their tummies because that was the advice at the time, doesn’t make it safe based on the info we have now. This is similar,

I think you are an idiot

Read more widely

Oh gosh oP that last comment was not aimed at you’re it was aimed at another poster. Some of the responses here are ignorant and stupid. You’re doing nothing wrong. The guidance in the US has recently changes with the weaning age lowered to 4-6 months because it’s believed that late weaning is causing food allergies. I’m weaning my 4mo now. You’re fine!

@04hollie just wanted to write a note to you to say... do not listen to any one of these negative comments. I am actually disgusted that people love to judge others and put them down. I guarantee every single mum on this chat has done things wrong or tried things that didn't work out for their baby. You know your baby best and if you think she is happy that's the main thing! You're doing an amazing job. No one can guide or tell you what's best for your baby. There's no bloody book and every single one of us is faking it till we make it!

Sorry just had to add this cause the comments you are receiving is a pile of useless judgemental rubbish.

Ps. I was weaned at 3.5 months, so was my partner and his 6 siblings - all of us have 0 health issues. My son is 4 months and has had the odd mouth full of purée. If they're alive and happy you've done your job. You know best! Don't feed the sad people on here xoxox

GP and health visitor both advised for it aswell

Op probably good to listen to the advise of your health visitor and gp

I weaned both mine according to the guidelines at the time, I had a hungry baby, well she was taking 8oz of milk at a time where other babies where taking 4 oz, so I was lead to believe she was hungrier than other babies. To be fair she could down a bottle in 5 minutes flat, her younger sibling wasn't the same and never took as much milk or drank so quickly.

But the thing is neither of them are actually qualified to advise early weaning. The only medical professional who is is a paediatric dietitian not even a general paediatrician so no, OP shouldn’t blindly listen to a HV and GP who aren’t following the NICE guidelines, if they think early introduction of solids is needed they need to refer to a paediatric dietitian. This is from the infant feeding lead at the trust I delivered at after early weaning with baby rice of al things was recommended by a paediatrician for my eldest who, at 4 months was waking once in the night. That was the basis for that introduction of solids advice.

It’s awful parents are given outdated and lazy advice by HCPs who are meant to be following up to date and evidence based practice, parents and babies deserve better.

evidence based practice. out of curiosity, where is the evidence
All I can find on early weaning is that it may cause different conditions - where is the evidence of what harm it does cause

It’s literally on the nhs website, the nhs takes their guidance from the WHO, guidelines for introducing solids are there also. HCPs in the UK must take follow nhs guidance. UNICEF and AAP also recommend introducing solids at around 6 months. Now don’t get me wrong for some babies that will be 5.5 months maybe even 5 and for some it will be 6 months. A magic switch of readiness isn’t flipped bang on their 6
month birthday. But at 4 months your baby can’t sit up, and they are at an increased risk of choking.

this is an article that references some of the potential damage that can be caused by solids introduced too early:

it says ‘Some studies suggest that introducing solid foods too early may lead to increased risk of chronic disease such as islet autoimmunity (the pre-clinical condition leading to type 1 diabetes), obesity, adult-onset celiac disease, and eczema; and introduction too late may increase feeding difficulties [5–8]. In addition, early introduction to solid foods may lead to poor nutrition outcomes such as low iron stores by displacing energy rich and highly bioavailable iron in breastmilk, and increasing the risk of diarrheal disease [9, 10].’

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195680/

now don’t get me wrong there are some unique circumstances where introducing solids early is medically necessary, children with complex allergies for instance but that’s why it needs to be under the care of a paediatric dietitian to ensure they are getting the right nutrients given their circumstances.

i just don’t get why some parents want to start their kids on solids so young, their nappies are way worse and it doesnt Help them sleep… what’s the point (unless you absolutely need to).

Introducing solid foods after the recommended 6 months of age is also not optimal because it may cause deficiencies of zinc, protein, iron, and vitamins B and D that in turn suppress growth, and cause feeding problems

there is a need to identify more effective health education messaging to parents about the importance of the 4–6 month window for introduction of solid foods.

the article you’ve linked to is stating it’s important to introduce food at 4-6 months, whereas you says it’s 6 months - yet this is clearly not optimal for health according to you linked study and leaving introducing solid as until 6 months can cause growth and feeding problems

When I had my kids (they are teens now) there was none of this six months thing. My babies were big and I started weaning at around four and a half to five months. My second breastfed for a year, it wasn't that I wanted her to stop, and most of their calories still came from milk but they were happy to try food. I think after bananas I moved on to putees that were based around sweet potato. I made all my first's meals but second one had jars.
There were no ill effects - I'm not sure what they would be? If your baby takes the food, is growing and is happy on it what's the issue?

God the hysteria. I warned dc 2 at 4 month (on to lots of high allergy foods) on advice of multiple doctors in light of the LEAP and EAT study results. Very good research that earlier weaning decreases allergy significantly, and we have an absolute allergy epidemic in the west. Look at the increase over last 20 yrs. Allergy kills incase anyone forgot that. Incidentally dc2 hasn’t shown any allergy yet, unlike dc1. The WHO advice is world wide, and doesn’t necessarily apply to every baby everywhere. They recommend exclusive breastfeeding (not many baby’s in the U.K. are are they? They also recommend feeding until 2 years alongside solids) In places where there is poor sanitation exclusive breastfeeding literally saves lives. In places with access to sterilisation equipment and proper storage of formula where babies are mostly ff by 6 months anyway weaning at 4 months makes not a blind bit of difference but may actually have a benefit.