Please remind me why i shouldn't wean an almost 5mth old...

[FasterPussyCatGrrrl]

Because i'm getting tempted and i must be strong!

He's a week off 5mths, weighs 18lbs+, almost sitting unaided, chewing items he puts in his mouth, and getting very, very annoyed at us eating in front of him.

i have held a chunk of cucumber for him to gnaw because he's teething at refuses calpol.

i know gluten and dairy are banned, but when he's aggravated i think 'oh a few chunks of finger food won't hurt' (eg veg)

feel free to bombard me with official advice!

my ds is 5months / 3 months as he was a premmie

he was just hungry all the time and on the max amount of milk so my health visitor said i could start weaning him a week ago

hes sleeping longer now, just havin a little food once a day and loves it

id say talk to your health visitor 6 months is a guideline but all the prepared foods are suitable from 4 months anyway... cus i guess some babys are ready earlier...especially if hes interested just keep it simple

I'm not sure about this, but my understanding is that their gag reflex isn't fully developed until 6 months so there is a bigger risk of choking, so might be best to avoid finger food.

Sorry I can't be of more help!

I weaned my son at 20 weeks - very big baby, very mobile (crawling, sitting up straight etc), very interested in food. I didn't start him on some sort of 3 meals a day regime - just offered him a bit of runny baby rice or some puree veg now and then to see how he went. He loved it. If you are going to start offering solids, let your baby lead you. They don't technically need food at this age, so its just about tastes and textures and not overloading their delicate little systems with too much.

(awaits flaming by 6 month-sticklers!)

The prepared foods are "suitable from four months" because the manufacturers can get away with it, not because some babies are ready earlier. Six months is not a guideline, it has been the recommendation for a long while now. Shame that a lot of HVs don't keep up with the recommendations.

It may harm your baby's gut to wean early.
It won't harm his gut to wait for another month.

Milk has more calories than first tastes of food, so starting solids won't lessen his hunger.

He would be interested in whatever you had in your hands at the table; it's not just because it's food that he's annoyed with you when you eat. And he chews his hands because they're there, not because he wants food in his mouth.

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foxythesnowman- i'm going to BLW him the way i did with DS1, so i know he'll be ok with finger food.

just going to have to grit my teeth and get on with it...he's breastfeeding almost constantly, so he def doesn't need more milk.

thanks wigwambam- i needed that. he'll have to keep playing with spoons and lunging at us instead of having food.

The thing is that they are interested in lots of things - the iron, the car etc, but you wouldn't give it to them just because they are interested. They grab because you have things, not because they recognise them as food.

The evidence is that waiting till 6 months is good, and giving solids before that may cause problems.

I have coeliac disease, and was given rusks at 4 months. Maybe without those, I wouldn't have a life of thinking about everything I put in my mouth.

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I weaned DS2 at 4 months because he just refused to accept that his diet was purely bf for any longer. He would kick off big time whenever food arrived at the table. He was desperate to eat so I let him. I'd be very surprised if his gut was damaged as a result.

am still standing strong- no food yet!

i am certain he will be happier and more settled once he's scoffing, but i'm sticking to my guns (just about). 5 weeks to go!

and while he's waiting he's getting very good at holding a spoon and putting it in his mouth (almost better than his 21mth old brother!)

I was determined to wait until 24 weeks, but ended up starting to wean at 20 weeks as ds was very much ready. He had baby rice, banana and apple, in miniscule amounts, and was absolutely fine. I would not advise weaning before 19 weeks though, as I think that is the recommended lower limit. If you can hold out, go for it!