Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

I know what I should do but what would you do?

18 replies

sleeplessinsomerset · 18/04/2008 11:30

My nearly 5 month old is showing all the signs as "maybe ready to wean". For 3 weeks now I have been upping the feeds -she has 7 breast feeds and a 7oz formula feed in her 12 hour waking period (have expressed these feeds to check supply good and is at least 6 oz each time) plus a breast feed and an 8oz bottle feed overnight. I have been expressing between feeds to boost supply and have extra for the evening and STILL she is crying at the end of feeds, shoving her hand in her mouth and not settling. I have read here that early introduction of solids causes coeliac disease and allergies but cannot for the life of me work out how rice -that contains no gluten, no dairy, no eggs -(and as far as I can tell no taste )could cause an allergy. I have no intention of stopping breast feeding but don't know what else to do to try to keep my baby happy so am seriously considering giving some rice as an extra feed just to try and fill my LO up. What would you guys do next? (am fully aware of WHO guidelines so please don't just refer me to them -I would be absolutely over the moon to be able to wait til 6 months but I can't bear hearing her scream after every feed) Thanks

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 18/04/2008 11:33

if you want to wean her I would sit her in a highchair and offer her steamed carrot sticks.

if you want to satisfy her hunger I would offer more milk

tbh it sounds more like her teeth are moving than anything else - have you tried calpol / bonjela / ashton&parsons to see if it help sher settle?

Original poster
sleeplessinsomerset · 18/04/2008 11:43

She's about to wake up for a feed now so I will try some calpol and see what happens. Will try anything! -she is such a happy little girl between feeds.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 18/04/2008 11:47

but if she is happy between feeds then surely she is full?

Ineedacleaner · 18/04/2008 11:51

The rice will not fill her up anymore than she already is.
I actually quite like the way msrbadger put it.
If she is happy in between feeds then she very probably is full it is more likely to be wind or her teeth than still being hungry is she is settling.

ImightbeLulumama · 18/04/2008 11:52

agree with MrsB

a hungry baby is not happy between feeds.

Original poster
sleeplessinsomerset · 18/04/2008 11:54

happy between feeds. screaming and shouting 15 mins or so into feed, during gap between breast and getting EBM from fridge/making up formula and for about 15-20 mins after a feed-until about an hour later when she is due another feed. Now you make me put it like that maybe she's not such a happy little girl!

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 18/04/2008 12:00

do you offer both sides every feed? then the first one again?

ten10 · 18/04/2008 12:02

Wean her
ignore governmental / HV advice and wean her
If you think she is ready then she is ready

I started weaning my son at 4.5 months because he was desperate for food.
Made up a small amount of baby rice and he wolfed it down so i had to make more immediately, which he also wolfed down.

Made him so much more content and he started sleeping through the night.

ten10 · 18/04/2008 12:04

Oh yes -

and as for your allergy worries
my generation were all weaned well before six months and we don't all have dreadful allergies.

ImightbeLulumama · 18/04/2008 12:06

ten10, there is plenty of other information that disproves that, proper research rather than anecdotes.
the 'it never did me any harm argument' does not hold water for me
search the archives for threads about this by Tiktok , welliemum and terramum for compelling reasons why weaning early is not always such a great thing/

ten10 · 18/04/2008 12:14

Research and statistics can be used to prove or disprove anything,
You just have to be asking the right questions

Give it another year or so and some 'wise' scientist somewhere will change the whole advice again.

peanut advice ring any bells

gagarin · 18/04/2008 12:16

wean when ready...now sounds absolutley fine!

ImightbeLulumama · 18/04/2008 12:24

research etc aside, i don;t get the hurry to wean.. babies need milk and lots of it. they have their whole lives to eat food. it takes tehm 9 months to develop in utero, so it seems a big leap to have them ready to eat and digest food 4 months later. IMO.

better ways to tell if a baby is physiaclly ready are the ability to sit unaided, or at least sit in a highchair without keeling over, loss of the tongue thrust reflex, actually being able to pick up a piece of food , get it to their mouth , chew and swallow. a mother;s insitncts cannot see inside the baby's gut to see if it is ready to deal with food

LookattheLottie · 18/04/2008 12:32

I think a lot of the time your child tells you when they're ready. I started giving dd some baby rice every day at about 5 months. It wasn't a lot, just a spoon or two. It was just to get her used to the spoon if anything. Then when she was about 6.5 months I knew she needed more. The milk just didn't cut it anymore. So I weaned her, but at 11 months, she is still getting 3 9oz bottles a day, as well as her solid food.

Never underestimate just how important the milk supply is. If you think your child is needing more then perhaps start adding some baby rice to her milk bottles? If that isn't working, try feeding her some baby rice and porridge. But don't cut out any of her milk.

Tbh, it sounds like it could be teething as well.

MrsBadger · 18/04/2008 12:34

DO NOT add baby rice to bottles

this is way against every guideline these days cause it's a choking hazard

if you give it give it on a spoon

LookattheLottie · 18/04/2008 12:37

Agree with what Imightbelulumama is saying. The milk is so important, people seem far too ready to wean when babies are still so young.

My HV said to me the other day '3 bottles still? You'll need to stop that, you need to start cutting that down! And get her off the bottle by 1.......' She went on and on. I just smiled politley, because to me, what she was suggesting was total pish! My dd is growing and she needs milk!

artydeb · 18/04/2008 13:12

I think your instinct tells you to start giving her a little something - you're right - baby rice is highly unlikely to cause any allergies - it's only rice - just look at the list of things that are in formula! I'm sure that if your little girl is getting 8 feeds a day and is still unsettled she could do with something else - that's a lot of milk to be going into a tiny tum! I agree baby's need breast milk most but a little rice made up with bm is not going to harm her and will give a little bulk that will take longer to digest.

Original poster
sleeplessinsomerset · 18/04/2008 13:23

artydeb-completely agree with the volume thing! It does seem so much (too much??? Aargh!! I wish babies had fuel gauges)

Have just fed dd now and given some calpol so we shall see how we go -I would be so delighted if it was teeth and not that she was hungry. MrsBadger -normally I just do 2 sides but will def try going back onto the first before reaching for the formula

As I said I have read and taken on board all the guidelines but the trouble with guidelines is they don't offer any practical advice on how to meet them so thanks to you all for your suggestions.

Taking on board what you have all said I think I will perservere for a bit longer and consider some rice if calpol and 3 sided feeding don't help. Fingers crossed!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread