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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

Early weaning and the runs! Help!

18 replies

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 20:04

My lo is just 4 months and have been weaning for a week and a half (i know - v early. She was on 9oz bottles, 40oz a day and knocking on 18lb. V hungly lass! Health visitor said ok to start). She loves it. Hve given her pureed apple, pear and baby rice, but carrot puree seems to have given her the runs. I am now worried in case she is not tolerating the change. Shall i just give her baby rice for a while and then re-introduce purees later? Is it 'normal' for the poo to change so much?? Help and advice or experience very gratefully received.

OP posts:

Habbibu · 04/02/2008 20:08

How was she on lots of milk? Mine was flipping enormous and very hungry - bf, so I can't compare exactly. If she's hungry, the milk is going to do a better job than carrot and pear to fill her up - think of what you eat if you are ever trying to lose weight - I suspect pear, carrot and rice might be high up that list! You might try scaling back a bit/lot and see if that settles her stomach - it may be that her tastebuds and sense of adventure have outstripped her gut development. My HV really tried to get me to wean early as dd was big. I was WAY too lazy to do that!

tulip27 · 04/02/2008 20:14

The poo will change as you are introducing real food for the first time but I agree with habbibu perhaps cut down on the high fibre stuff for a while and just go back to a little baby rice, dont rush the other things she has weeks to get to grips with them.

Habbibu · 04/02/2008 20:15

...by a lot I mean you could just go back to milk, if you want...

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 20:15

She is rather enormous - 98th centile - so i didn't think the idea of giving her even more milk was in her best interests, especially as she was born on the 91st centile and jumped up to the 98th over xmas (as did her mother...). She ALWAYS finishes every bottle and seems insatiable when i feed her solids. I thought that if she fed on a nutritious snack rather than hungry baby milk, she would be satisfied without bulking her up.

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Habbibu · 04/02/2008 20:20

I wasn't suggesting hungry baby milk - just more milk - honestly. Mine was 99.6th centile from birth, and stayed that way on milk alone till 6 months. I fully understand that all babies aren't the same, and there is a leap of faith in thinking that milk rather than solid food will be more filling and nutritious, but for babies that's generally the case. Have you tried maybe just adding in another bottle?

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 20:27

I mean she's on hungry baby milk at the mo! as i thought that would fill her up without her gaining even more weight. It doesn't seem to make her any less hungry, in fact i don't really notice a difference at all. I may just give her baby rice for a while as she is on 5 feeds a day. I have tried water and water with a splash of juice but she's not daft. Spits it out as soon as it goes in.

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Habbibu · 04/02/2008 20:30

Hmm - where is she for height, etc? I wish I knew a bit more about ff and weight gain and could help (have only ever fed one child, so am not exactly awash with experience). Anyway, count this as a bump for those with more knowledge.

Nbg · 04/02/2008 20:31

ellens, does she take a full 9oz bottle in one feed?
If so do you think she would take more?

You could make up some smaller bottles to go alongside her 9oz feed.
So for example if she's hungrier in a morning when she wakes up then she could have a bigger feed.
You may find that she'll take a bit more in the morning and just that extra bit will satisfy her for the rest of the day if she's still taking 9oz feeds.

The thing is that milk has more calories than puree's so she'll be fuller from a bottle than eating IYSWIM.

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 20:48

She's 99.6th centile for height (the top one)but she still resembles les dawson on a good day. The thing is, and i don't want to sound awkward, that she possets a lot between feeds which kind of tells me i might be overfeeding her anyway.

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Habbibu · 04/02/2008 20:52

She's young, though - the chubbiness is what makes them so cute. I can't believe dd's legs now she's walking - where did those gorgeous rolls of fat go?! Anyway, she's on a lower centile for weight than height, which rather suggests she's not "overweight". I wonder if Tiktok's around - she's more sussed on charts/weight gain than most...

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 21:10

She is incredibly cute. Have posted some up-to-date pics in my page to give you an idea. she looks so chunky in her passport photo because we had to hold her up, which squashed her cheeks. Then i found out that you can take babies to a studio and have the pic taken lying down! poor thing has to live with it for 5 years.

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Habbibu · 04/02/2008 21:14

She's very lovely! Honestly, dd was, if anything, chubbier at that age. I'm spooked at the taller thinner toddler I now have (15mo). She still weighs a ton, mind...

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 21:28

Thanks, Habbibu. LOL. She IS active, so it could look like she'll burn off her rolls when she starts crawling / walking. Appreciate your comments!

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AitchTwoOh · 04/02/2008 21:34

ellenmelon, she does look like a perfectly lovely and not at all fat child to me... just gorgeous. talk of 'fat' is an adult concern.
you know that hungry baby formula doesn't actually contain more calories than the normal stuff, don't you? the difference is that the proteins are processed differently to make them slower to digest.
personally, i think her insides are telling you that you should wait, give her as much milk as she wants and then start giving her solids at 6 months...

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 21:48

I think that too. Her insides tell me one thing, her mouth another! I've read loads about baby-led weaning, and if she had anything to do with it she'd be on fish and chips. She stares at me when i'm eating but i know i need to slow down with her. I've also heard, from family (!), that fat cells are laid down at this age and they are with you for life. Hmm. Fiction?

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Habbibu · 04/02/2008 21:52

That's pretty much what I meant by "it may be that her tastebuds and sense of adventure have outstripped her gut development" - she's got a good long life to enjoy food ahead of her! Not sure at all about the fat cell thing (?), but it is very important that babies get lots of calories and fat - they've SO much growing and developing. Just plan to get her out and running around when she's older, and don't worry about her healthy chubby cheeks.

AitchTwoOh · 04/02/2008 21:57

tinksmum posted on here that fat cells are laid down in the last while before being born, which is why preemie babes are skinny and tend to remain so. if that's true... you're too late to do anything about it.

Original poster

ellensmelons · 04/02/2008 22:03

That makes sense! I work in a primary school and all the premmies are slim. Ha! Feel loads better!

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