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Weaning

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

Original poster

Do you know anyone in real life who has held off weaning until 6 months?

161 replies

pgwithnumber3 · 01/10/2008 07:19

I don't. Are the guidelines a load of twaddle then?

I waited until 6 months and I put that mainly down to information received from Mumsnet but not one of my friends have done the same. All their DC were on 3 meals a day by 5/6 months.

OP posts:
Original poster
pgwithnumber3 · 01/10/2008 19:07

Some babies are not so bothered about food (DD2) and some are (DD1). I most certainly wouldn't worry about weaning my 5.5 month old child if they were ready. 2 weeks is hardly going to make a difference, surely?

OP posts:
BroccoliSpears · 01/10/2008 20:06

Well I was about to start a thread about this very thing.

Right now I feel like the only wally in the world waiting to 6 months.

Original poster
pgwithnumber3 · 01/10/2008 20:10

Brocolli, how old is your DC?

OP posts:
ilovemyflipflops · 01/10/2008 20:28

I started weaning my dd a week before she was 6 months, i was aiming for the 6 months but suddenly i felt she was ready those few days before. I fully intend to wait until 6 months (or as near as poss)with my ds too. Ahhh this is refreshing reading others wait till 6 months, on bounty i was beginning to feel like a freak not feeding my small baby a 3 course meal already...

TheRealMrsOsborne · 01/10/2008 20:32

Me with both boys, fully breastfed until then

AnarchyAunt · 01/10/2008 20:34

Oh yes well bounty... VS and I got banned (!) from there today for suggesting that it was a bad idea to feed 12 week old babies rusks.

Apparently they 'need a good home cooked dinner like anyone else'

ilovemyflipflops · 01/10/2008 20:42

I followed the link to here that your stalker put on bounty glad i did because i have eventually found some likeminded people on a forum, yay skips around the forum in delight but of course i am having to hide my identity for fear of the 'early forcefeeders weaners club' members lynching me over there

ohdearwhatamess · 01/10/2008 20:44

I waited until 6 months with ds2. Most people I know haven't, for sure.

At exactly 6 months he grabbed a sandwich off ds1's plate and started chewing on it. Seemed as good a time as any to start weaning.

Flibbertyjibbet · 01/10/2008 20:46

Yes, me with my two and most of the mums I met with babies when I had babies.
sil and bilsgf are firmly in the 3 meals a day from 14 weeks and mil accused me of starving my children by only giving them 'drinks'.

Agree that the mothers I know who waited till 6m were mostly breastfeeders and agree with AnarchyAunt about the educated bit.

AnarchyAunt · 01/10/2008 20:47

Oh you are a convert! Well it was not all for nothing then

There is a lot of support on MN for holding out til six months, also for BLW and natural term BF.

AnarchyAunt · 01/10/2008 20:48

ohdear - DD at 23 weeks grabbed a gherkin and had a chomp on it before crying 'cos it was all vinegary!

stretchmarkqueen · 01/10/2008 21:08

ilovemyflipflops, are you really oof of that site! If so, welcome!!

stretchmarkqueen · 01/10/2008 21:09

Oops! Have had wine!! meant off

phdlife · 01/10/2008 21:09

I did.

simply wasn't an issue for us.

ilovemyflipflops · 01/10/2008 21:11

Ohhhh yes you have a convert on your hands, i've come over to the darkside, or is bounty the darkside... oh my sleep deprived state from carrying on breastfeeding my baby through his growth spurt has meant my brains gone all fuzzy, damn my common sense. Can't remember who it was but i have to thank that kind girl who put up the link to expose you on MN ha ha i ran all the way here as fast as my little legs could carry me! i have to admit i'm still in total shock that so many mums wean so early i couldn't believe what i was reading..

lucysnowe · 01/10/2008 21:12

I was going to start a topic like this! I know loads of mums who've started really early and have felt really odd giving my great big chompy gummy DD a bottle in comparison. Have felt guilty as well going a bit ott about the benefits of waiting too. No one knows about BLW, they all looked very at the very suggestion. And I live in a top posh area, mostly. Mumsnet really isn't real life!

ilovemyflipflops · 01/10/2008 21:14

yes stretchmarkqueen i am oof that site, although i actually use another site mainly but i like to lurk on bounty mostly

cafebistro · 01/10/2008 21:16

I started weaning with DS at 4 months as I thought that was what I was supposed to do. I waited with DD until 6 months and she's not really interested to be honest. She's 7 months now and can take or leave solids and much prefers the breast.

stretchmarkqueen · 01/10/2008 21:32

In that case....Hi!

Although I am very nosey and would like to know which one you are, I am not going to ask you to reveal!!

WantThisWantThat · 01/10/2008 22:05

I did (well about 5 days short), but DD only started eating at about 7 months. Met a lovely HV at breastfeeding group who suggested BLW, but to be honest it didn't really pick up her interest and even now she has very little appetite at nearly 3 y.o. I 'd be quite happy to leave it to even later if and when I have another DC. Most people I know started well before the 6 months and more like the 4. Don't think it was ever emphasised to stick to the 6 months because of health reasons, it seems that people start because their LO has started waking up during the night and they assume they are hungry. Spoke to my neighbour about this who come froma farming background and they stressed the importance to me of not weaning livestock early, and after all, we are animals.

WantThisWantThat · 01/10/2008 22:05

I did (well about 5 days short), but DD only started eating at about 7 months. Met a lovely HV at breastfeeding group who suggested BLW, but to be honest it didn't really pick up her interest and even now she has very little appetite at nearly 3 y.o. I 'd be quite happy to leave it to even later if and when I have another DC. Most people I know started well before the 6 months and more like the 4. Don't think it was ever emphasised to stick to the 6 months because of health reasons, it seems that people start because their LO has started waking up during the night and they assume they are hungry. Spoke to my neighbour about this who come froma farming background and they stressed the importance to me of not weaning livestock early, and after all, we are animals.

BroccoliSpears · 01/10/2008 22:07

PGw#3 he's 23 weeks old. I have no intention of weaning him early, but I seem to be having an awful lot of awkward conversations with various friends at the moment where they compulsively justify why they've weaned early (don't know why, I never comment) and all their reasons could be applied to ds. He's bigger. older, has more teeth, wakes more in the night etc, but that's what babies do and I'm waiting for 26 weeks.

I do feel oddly like a bit of a teacher's pet though.

CarGirl · 01/10/2008 22:07

My eldest (born 1997) was weaned at 3 months as per the guidelines then! My youngest 3 born 2002,03 & 05 were all weaned from 6 months.

MegBusset · 01/10/2008 22:09

No, pretty much all my mum friends IRL started early -- one at 10 weeks but most around 4 months. Because "they were interested in food" and "they were always hungry".

CarGirl · 01/10/2008 22:09

I just wanted to add my youngest 3 were all big birth weight 9 & 10 lbers and they all slept 7pm-7am from a young age which just goes to show that even 98th centile babes can be very contented on bf or ff until 6 months.

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