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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

HV advise on weaning...what does everyone think?

72 replies

hollyboosmum · 14/04/2008 21:47

My dd is coming up to 5 months old and is relly interested in food and is feeding every 2 hours on Milk and taking a lot. SHe has started to wake in the night and i felt she needed something more.
I spoke to the health visitor about this and got the following answer. She stated under no circumstances that weaning should begin before 4 months but after that you are ok to start on simple foods. She also said that the research that has been done (which made them move the guidelines to 6 months) was based on children in third world countries and that it is better for them to have milk for 6 months but not always the case for western babies. She also thought it was a lot to ask of a 6 month old baby to go through wening very quickly...is soft stuff to lumpy in the space of weeks whereas before when you started them at 4 months they got adjusted to the food better and this resulted in less faddy eaters as the children get older..... just wondered what peoples thoughts on this were?

OP posts:

Mum1369 · 14/04/2008 22:38

Perhaps we are being too simplistic then, all babies are different after all. The WHO need to make 'standards to follow'and I understand that.
My babies were breastfed for a varying length of time. They were weaned at 4 mnths because I felt that they were ready for,and needed it. It seemed to satisy them, they enjoyed the experience (so did I !) - flavours. textures - lovely ! They are both amazingly happy contented children. Sleep & slept through from 2 mnths.I think this is just luck - not planning ! I don't believe you are going to do your children any damage by weaning before 6mnths, I also don't think breastfeeding for as long as possible will do any damage. I do think people can be very judgemental basedonwhat THEY do.

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2008 22:39

well, that's exactly why you take the personal out of it and go with the research, isn't it? your post is riddled with contradictions, tbh.

EffiePerine · 14/04/2008 22:41

do youmena exclusively bfing for as long as possible? no reason to stop once you start solids

Mum1369 · 14/04/2008 22:48

That is my point.
Children are not all the same. They do not all have the same needs.
And of course, there is no reason to stop BF if you start solids, exclusively or not. You wouldn't stop giving formula would you.

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2008 22:49

yes but in terms of gut maturity you're just guessing before 6 months, that's the point.

berolina · 14/04/2008 22:51

ds2 is a week shy of 7 months and only really 'ready' over the last week or so. Definitive proof came last week when we were out, having chips - no salt or vinegar! - and he chomped happily on several.

You don't have to rush weaning if you start later, no more than you have to if you start earlier. What an odd notion! And at 6 months there's no need for the puree faff

Mum1369 · 14/04/2008 22:54

I do understand that point.But when I started weaning DS1, WHO were saying 4mnths. That was based on current research ...and it does change pretty often. Which is why I am saying go with your instinct, taking into account the current research ( ie ; it was ok at 4, then 6...)- if you try weaning your little one at 4 mnth, .then monitor them - if their gut is immature or they are not ready for solids then this will be fairly self evident. If you are really unsure - then don't do it.

berolina · 14/04/2008 22:56

My understanding is that it might (but also, I suppose, might not) cause harm to wean before 6 months, whereas it will not cause harm to wait until after 6 months. That, plus the faff of (non-BL) weaning, seems to me to provide excellent reasons to wait.

Gingerbear · 14/04/2008 22:56

The first foods you give a baby have less calories and fat than milk - fruit and veg purees.
OK, fine, introduce them at 5 months, but make sure that mik is the bulk of the diet for a good while longer.

I started DS on fruit and veg at 5 months, but this also coincided with a growth spurt, and what he really needed was more milk - I also had 2 hourly breastfeeds after previously having a 'sleep through the nighter'. Once he got to 6-7 months, he decided to BLW - pinching chips off my plate!

Mum1369 · 14/04/2008 22:57

Sorry = that post was in response to Aitch

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2008 22:59

i don't think that's true at all, how can you tell whether their gut remains open to facilitate bfing and is therefore letting in allergens? you really can't.

the WHO doesn't conduct its own research, it puts together loads of studies and forms a guideline, so tbh they don't change them very often at all. i think the WHO have been advising 6 months since about 2001. the UK govt, however, didn't change their advice until they introduced 6 months mat leave.

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:00

cazzy - i am holding out too till 6 months. I cant bve doing with all that puree stuff, did all that with ds1, was pushed by hv to wean him, at 20 weeks was told he should be on 3 meals a day etc etc. He isnt a faddy eater, but i dont belive that is because he was weaned from 4 months (I also bf for 12 months).

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:02

berolina we need a lazy mums part of mumsnet for us to congregate. I briefly got excited looking at boots catalouge with all their bright coulered ice cube trays, mashers etc.. then i came to senses and managed to ignore the marketing gimmick and want to play 'baby dolls' with the feeding . Much easier to grab a banana, rice cakes etc for a day out that mushy stuff.

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2008 23:03

can i be queen? the idea of devoting sunday evenings to creating purees... yikes.

harpomarx · 14/04/2008 23:03

ok, am i right in saying taht current WHO guidelines recommend bfing till 2 years. Are all blw advocates following that guideline too?

I don't disagree with blw in any way, I am just pointing out that some guidelines are much more popular than others it seems.

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:07

arpomax - actually i want to breastfeed for as long as possible. Hopefully will be tandem feeding too What better way to end the day?

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2008 23:08

are the two things related, harpo? any more than with any other type of weaning? i don't think so.

but yes, absolutely, anyone who can and wants to bf for 2 years has my sincere admiration. i never managed to bf exlusively for any length of time. and it always strikes me as a pointless argument to say 'ah well, you don't stick to this guideline so you can't stick to any others'. that's really silly, imo.

you can stick to them all or pick and choose, in fact if you read what i wrote further down i say that if a child of mine can self-feed before 6 months i'd let them do it.

but don't come on saying that you can tell instinctively whether your child's gut is sufficiently mature to eat solids, because you can't.

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:08

Aitch - i would love to let you be queen but do you 'deserve' it? I mean how lazy are you? lol

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2008 23:09

Profoundly so. in fact i'm off to bed Right Now.

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:09

oo i hear my little one snuffling upstairs, going to have to go soon i think.

Mum1369 · 14/04/2008 23:10

Gosh, has no-one heard..Ella's kitchen...HIP organic - OMG JARS ??!!!
Ducks and heads for bed...

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:10

night aitch

harpomarx · 14/04/2008 23:14

aitch, not saying in any way that you have to stick to all guidelines....

just feeling that all us poor souls who weaned only a few years ago before blw became so well known are being portrayed as blithering idiots who have (possibly) damaged our kids!

am discussing in a most open-minded and friendly way i hope, but comments like 'blw is not new!' irritate me a bit, only because i think I'm pretty well informed but have only heard of this recently!

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:17

harpo - i dont think that is the case at all. Or at least i hope it is not. I waened ds1 aged 8 at around 4 months onto purees etc. THat was what i was told at the time and also what the guidelines were too.

Now that research shows a better way in my opinion and the guidelines have also been changed due to the research I am following those with ds2.

I dont feel like an idiot for how i weaned ds1 but am grateful that there is research constantly being done in all areas of health care to enable us to give the best care to the optimum of our ability and knowledge.

MamaMaiasaura · 14/04/2008 23:19

right - off to bed as ds2 definately rooting around up there. Also i dont follow 'all' guidelines as i co-sleep, but i dont drink, smoke, sleep particularly deeply, use duvet etc

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