Early weaning - how to offer advice without causing a riot?

[FlabbyTumSquashyBum]

Sorry to post a link to another site again but this has really bothered me. This is my birthboard on another site and some of the babies aren't even 3 months yet. I want to offer advice, mainly because others reading the thread might assume early weaning is ok because everyone else is doing it, but I want to do it in a way that won't cause a weaning war. What do you think is the best approach to take?

I say leave well alone. Everyone is well informed these days about why they shouldn't do it but they still do. Personally I think it's boredom and making purees is something to do - believe me I have been tempted (My DS 18 weeks). People will do what they want at the end of the day although I would definitely say something about chocolate buttons - that's pure crap in an immature digestive system and the mum really should know better (not to mention the chicking hazard).

choking clearly

You need VictorianSqualor for this one...

Well. Depends what you want to tell them.
You can pretty much guarantee that whatever you say they will carry on. I normally just say that I'm not sure if they're aware why the guidelines are what they are and then proceed to tell them. If they say we already know and don't care I'll say that I feel I had to say something incase a new mother reads it and doesn't know the facts.

Ta. I really don't want to cause a war and I'm not branding anyone a bad mother, but as you say the facts need to be said for those who may be reading and looking for advice. Shall tread carefully.

I know we've been here before but... chocolate buttons for a 3 month old?? FFS.

The reasons behind the guidelines will be on my blog asap. I'm trying to write it at the moment but am not in the best frame of mind. Once it's up you can just link to it or copy and paste.

www.wait2wean.blogspot.com

oops

must. not. read. b.c. again.

I thought I recognised the name! It seems that it's ok to advocate early weaning but not to point out the risks. Ho hum.

just why I stopped going to BC - it's just too "hun just do what you think best 4 ur bubba" for me.

Arggh. I felt like I had to post on that one, even though the whole bounty thing already wound me up. I don't want to get started on it though, they really don't want to listen

Oh heck.

I will try to summon the energy...

OMG - that thread has made me feel ill. I can't believe some of their babies are being given rusks pre 6 months and some are being weaned as early as 11 weeks. They have completely ignored the guidelines which say no earlier than 17 weeks just as I said they would in my first post even when faced with an extremely well writen and non judgemental post from Chaimummiaow. Even I feel like I want to post on there now as what some of them are doing is downright dangerous. Those poor babies - I despair.

I don't get how they can just completely ignore these things!? They can't jump on me because I tried to be as non-judgemental as possible (even though I feel like shouting at them) but it just gets ignored. Hopefully the lurkers will see it though!

custard at 4 months?

I just love the way they get all huffity and accuse posters who happen to (politely!) disagree of being rude/aggressive/troublemakers/gatecrashers etc.

They'd not last 5 minutes on MN, some of them - imagine their first AIBU

They don't listen. Their thinking basically comes down to this:

'Guidelines always change anyway (therefore must be made up?), I know loads of people who were weaned early and they're ok (truly?) and I know my baby best'

The facts and REAL RISKS to their babies don't seem to register with them.

Yep... "Cos s/he is soooo advanced, and a big/small baby, and wanted feeding, ooooh, every three hours, and happy mum = happy baby, and they are doing what is best for their babies, and you are not living in the real world, and s/he needed more than milk, and their mum/gran/SIL/window cleaner said so, as did the HV , and don't worry about the BF mafia, and s/he loves it and can't get enough, and anyway it never did [insert irrelevant anecdotal person here] any harm, and you're just a perfect mum come to troublemake and grief us peeps when we know best"

That about what you get when you try to talk sense.

I longed for 3 hourly feeding with my DS even up to around 4/5 months. He went from feeding practically all the time to being bloody awful to get to feed at all in the day (and then fed every hour or so at night). They need one of those babies to learn what frequent feeding really is!

But of course if I'd given him 2 teaspoons of baby rice at 10 weeks, that would surely have fixed it!

Ha, the 'guidelines are forever changing' line. Bolleaux.
I really am going to try and get the reasons typed up today!

why aren;t the forum administrators or moderators not stepping in.. they are deleting and disallowing the correct information from being printed

i doubt they would delete threads berating parents for not using appropriate car seats, or for ignoring the advice to put babies to sleep on their backs

but it is ok to pretend that 4 weeks old need rusks /rice or farking chocolate buttons!

we all need to lobby bounty and other forums surely, so that the matter is taken in hand

[rant]

the real reason is that it's a braggable developmental milestone controlled by the mother, not the child.

you can't make them roll / sit up / crawl earlier
but you can shovel farking custard into them at 13wks and say 'Oh he is on solids'

A baby of 3 months and 2 days being given CHOCOLATE BUTTONS!! God I am so shocked I haven't even changed my name back from this one I've used for something else.

Chocolate buttons?

She must be insane.

Sorry, I'm still reeling from the tickers.
Tbh, I don't think they will listen to reason anyone, will they?

Chocolate buttons???