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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

To wean early?

24 replies

lady725516 · 31/03/2022 18:20

Just that really......

Anyone weaned their babies before 6 months? I'm aware it's advised to wait until they are six months old but my son who is 5 months old is sitting up unaided and opening and closing his mouth whilst watching me eat 😂 he's like a hawk watching me!

Not sure if I should try him on some baby porridge and see how he goes or just wait another month?

Thanks

OP posts:

DancingBarefootOnIce · 31/03/2022 18:22

My baby was 2 weeks late and is big for his age so I did wean early but only by a few weeks. He was doing all the signs that he was ready. The health visitor even mentioned it would be fine.

I think it’s fine as long as not too early.

Original poster

lady725516 · 31/03/2022 18:26

@DancingBarefootOnIce

My baby was 2 weeks late and is big for his age so I did wean early but only by a few weeks. He was doing all the signs that he was ready. The health visitor even mentioned it would be fine.

I think it’s fine as long as not too early.

Thank you!

OP posts:

HiKelsey · 31/03/2022 18:29

I had to wean my daughter early because of reflux but were told not to bother with baby rice and to do puree veg and fruit. We started with sweet potato on its own first but I had to look out for allergic reactions so have to do one ingredient at a time :)

OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 31/03/2022 18:33

The signs of readiness are sitting unaided as your child is doing and also the ability to pick food up and bring it to his mouth and chew it and not shove it back out with his tongue.

That tends to come together around 6 months, a little earlier for some babies and a little later for others.

Your baby might be ready, but equally they will also just be finding you fascinating. They probably also watch you chop veggies but that doesn't mean they are ready for big knives!

converseandjeans · 31/03/2022 18:40

I did at 4 months just porridge & baby rice. Just milk didn't seem to fill them up. I know it's frowned on - but years ago they used to wean at 12 weeks.

DockOTheBay · 31/03/2022 18:58

My baby at 5.5 months was sitting on a picnic rug, grabbed a sandwich off my plate, took a bite and swallowed it. I figured she was ready to wean then so we started a bit early.

DockOTheBay · 31/03/2022 19:00

@converseandjeans

I did at 4 months just porridge & baby rice. Just milk didn't seem to fill them up. I know it's frowned on - but years ago they used to wean at 12 weeks.

"They did it years ago" is a bit of a silly argument though. Years ago they used to give babies whiskey to help them sleep, encouraged front sleeping, didn't have car seats.... now we know better.

Camandmitch · 31/03/2022 19:15

I waited until 6 months with my first. She just wasn't into food until she was around 9 months and baby led weaning wasn't her thing at all. She liked being spoon fed.

With my second I started the day she turned 5 months as she had all the signs she was ready (at 4 months she screamed my friend's house down because I wouldn't let her eat my slice of pizza ). She had pureed carrots I think for her first meal but after that baby led weaning was her jam.

Nat6999 · 31/03/2022 19:17

I weaned ds at 4.5 months because milk just didn't fill him, he was still waking for at least 2 feeds during the night even though I gave him a bottle at 11.00pm. Within a week he was sleeping 10.00pm - 6.00am. I started with porridge & baby rice, then introduced veg like carrots & broccoli mashed up with potato. Within 6 weeks he was eating breakfast, lunch, tea & supper, his weight started following the percentile properly instead of only just managing to get just beneath the line, he was sitting up properly unaided & he started crawling, he also looked more sturdy instead of looking smaller than babies of the same age.

AmbushedByCake · 31/03/2022 19:19

@DockOTheBay

My baby at 5.5 months was sitting on a picnic rug, grabbed a sandwich off my plate, took a bite and swallowed it. I figured she was ready to wean then so we started a bit early.

DD was a bit younger than 6 months when she swiped toast off my plate and started gleefully eating it so I figured that she knew best

LoganberryJam · 31/03/2022 19:25

I think that's fine OP, there's good research to suggest that any time between four months and six months doesn't make much difference (in western countries).

SickAndTiredAgain · 31/03/2022 19:30

I wouldn’t give baby porridge, I think it often has more sugar and salt than just plain porridge oats.

Fernsinthegarden · 31/03/2022 19:31

DD2 was about 5 months (7mo now) when we started, she could do all the things she needed to be doing first and showed so much interest. I used to put a dab of stuff we were eating on her lips here and there and then started on puréed bits quite quickly. She’s fully baby led weaning now and eats whatever we’re having. I’m a big fan of jars and pouches for convenience but she does seem so much happier when she’s shovelling in handfuls by herself 😂 good luck, I love doing weaning, so much fun experimenting with stuff and I’d say it’s improved our diet as I’m making more than I did before!

Fernsinthegarden · 31/03/2022 19:33

Meant to add, I tried baby porridge once and she had absolutely no interest, spat it out and glared at me until I gave her something more interesting! Some babies prefer stronger tastes, DD1 always preferred blander stuff and still does now at 4, DD2 has eaten stuff with more spice in it that DD1 will tolerate!

HighInTheHills · 31/03/2022 19:56

The problem with feeding too much puréed fruit/vegetables/baby porridge is that it has very little calories for the amount of space it takes up in their little stomachs. Milk is much more calorific for the same volume. It would be best to make sure she's had her fill of milk before you offer her fruit etc.

The reason for the six month guidelines are also to do with the age at when the wall of the gut is 'sealed' and prevention of allergies/intolerances later on in life/adulthood. There are some interesting and eye opening peer reviewed studies out should you choose to read further on it.

She also needs her tongue thrust reflex to have gone as before this point she will instinctively push things out of her mouth so as to reduce the chance of choking.

savedbyanalien · 31/03/2022 20:16

Did mine at 5-5.5m, just starting with purée for lunch.

ukborn · 31/03/2022 21:05

Yes both mine started on food around five months. Both were early (37 and 38 weeks) and both around 10lbs at birth. I think banana was the first food. Sweet potato made the basis of my sons foods when I made all his meals myself, but of course the first few weeks they are just trying and tasting, it's not their main source of calories. Six months may be a guideline, but you know your baby best.

Original poster

lady725516 · 31/03/2022 21:38

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my post.

Will do some more research and see how we get on over the next few weeks

OP posts:

Mossstitch · 31/03/2022 22:40

I'm old so guidelines were 3-4 months but all my boys started at 10 weeks because they were constantly hungry. I mixed breast milk with baby rice and fruit puree and by 12 weeks they were on three meals a day🤷 I've got photos of my first sat gnawing on a mcvities ginger nut at 4 months that he swiped off my husband😂 there is no way he would have waited til 6 months, I don't know how you all do it, mine were all food obsessed! I realise that science changes but mine have all grown up with no problems.

converseandjeans · 03/04/2022 01:12

dockofthebay

"They did it years ago" is a bit of a silly argument though. Years ago they used to give babies whiskey to help them sleep, encouraged front sleeping, didn't have car seats.... now we know better.

I guess the point I was making was that fashion changes & guidelines change.

I don't know it's best for babies to be constantly hungry tbh. They then don't sleep & someone (usually Mum) has to get up several times a night to feed a hungry baby. I don't think waking up every few hours is good for anyone.

I don't think a small spoon of baby rice can be compared with whiskey tbh!

Sleeping on the front is probably less dangerous than falling asleep with a baby on the sofa because you're so tired.

I don't think all babies are the same. Some need more food.

CatherinedeBourgh · 03/04/2022 01:31

Ds1 was weaned early on the paed’s advice. At 4 months old I gave him a banana to play with in his car seat (he bloody hated the car seat and the paed was far away) and he ate the entire thing. I panicked and called the paed who laughed and said ‘if he does it by himself it’s all good’

Ds2 would spit out anything you put in his mouth till he was 8 months old.

FartnissEverbeans · 04/04/2022 21:11

I’m in the process of weaning ‘early’. My eldest has food allergies and research now suggests that weaning as late as 6 months could be the cause of the rise in food allergies. It’s a horrible thing and causes him (and us) a lot of anxiety. I’m therefore doing everything I can to avoid this in my youngest.

Not only that, but my 4mo can sit up in his high chair and absolutely loves food! He gets so excited and cries when I take the food away. He gets about a tsp twice a day and I’ve started him on the foods that are the most likely allergens - so far we’ve done wheat, peanut butter (puréed with milk) and we’re about to start egg. He’s had some other tastes of mainly veg and some fruit too. It’s going way better than I expected - he wants much more than I feel comfortable giving him.

Mossstitch · 04/04/2022 22:22

@FartnissEverbeans that's really interesting, I'm old and NHS and I always say at work to the young ones, who think everything is new, that everything goes full circle! When you've been there as long as I have you see fashions/ideas come and go and what was tried 10-15 years before is suddenly the 'new idea' only those that have the idea weren't around the first time🤦 my personal feeling is that everything should be led by your child, they are all different but will let you know when it is the right time for them to do anything...... If you take notice of them and not the 'book'!

FartnissEverbeans · 05/04/2022 21:32

@Mossstitch Agreed! I think new mums are presented with so much information these days that it’s almost paralysing. You don’t know who to trust. Combined with the concept of ‘total motherhood’, which suggests that mothers must work to eliminate all risk, no matter how small (or even hypothetical) you’ve got a recipe for very poor mental health and general unhappiness.

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