Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Weaning

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

Flip

Original poster

Early weaning advised as dropping centiles, she isn't interested though, what do you think?

11 replies

Janus · 22/10/2008 11:41

Every blooming week I go to the HV they ask me if I have started weaning (daughter is 5 months and 1 week), this started at 4 months. I have told at least 3 of them that I'm holding off until recommended age of 6 months as she has mild excema.
However, last week I had her weighed again and she has dropped on the centiles, she was nearly at the 91st, then dropped to 75th and now just a fraction above 50th centile. She is exclusively bf. The HV that week (new one again) told me to consider starting weaning, just very gently.
So, for past week we have tried baby rice, sweet potato, pear, apple and courgette. All met with a slightly disgusted face and not much eating!
What should I do? Am considering just stopping again and trying in about 2 weeks and see if she likes it more then. BUT would suddenly stopping be a bad idea? It's only a little bit she's taking but would she miss this? I don't really care what the HV's think but am worried about confusing my dd.
Thanks!

OP posts:

cmotdibbler · 22/10/2008 11:44

Just stop - it won't do her any harm, she's obv just not ready. Weaning v unlikely to push her back up the centiles as veg has less calories than bm anyway.

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 22/10/2008 11:51

I think growth charts are designed with bottle fed babies in mind, who take larger amonts (too large?) and are a load of crap. How did babies survive before scales and charts and health visitors were invented

I don't think nature could have got it that wrong.

If she's not that interested in feeding then I'd follow your instincts and leave it for a bit. The 50th centile is hardly malnorished

benandgerry · 22/10/2008 11:56

Weight sounds normal to me, big babies often "catch down" and drop to a lower centile in the first 6 months. Crap advice to give food. Why the wekly weighing? Guidelines for weighing healthy babies are to weigh at birth, 10 days, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months then not until around 1 yr.

Original poster

Janus · 22/10/2008 12:39

Thanks everyone, I'm gonna give it a few weeks and try again, really don't want to put her off the whole eating thing.
Ben, I have to go weekly or fortnightly as she has a large head that they are monitoring, waiting for paediatric appointment to rule out fluid on the brain but I'm sure she just has a large head. Therefore, I have to face the HV each week prattle on about weaning but need to keep going for now.

OP posts:

Peachy · 22/10/2008 12:43

We easrly weaned last month on advice of Paed, for growthr eaosns (waiting for follow up next month) at 5 months. Some points:

a) 50th percentile wouldn't worry me- Bas was n the 0.4th ad still clearly thriving

b) If the HV is really concerned she shouldr efer you to a PAed; request this. If she says no then let the worries go; if she says yes thena sk what they advise- I refused point blank until we saw a Paed and am gad we did

c) trust your instinct. Is she active? thriving? if so and you don't feel worried htren- well 6 months isn't far off anyay is it? As longa s you keep an eye between now and then what's the problem with waiting?

stretchmarkSCREAM · 22/10/2008 13:19

Hi, I wouldn't worry!

My dd2 was bf, then at 4 months dropped from 75th percentile to 2nd percentile in a couple of weeks, HV 'encouraged' me to wean so I did, and guess what...she remained on the 2nd percentile until she turned 2 then raced back up again!! Dd1 was similar, but she now is very skinny, unlike dd2!!

Lots of hv know sweet FA. If a baby is hungry and losing weight, you should give more milk!!

HTH

pudding25 · 23/10/2008 12:40

I am mix feeding and got advised to wean at 4mths by hv as dd was dropping percentiles (born on 50th, now on about 20th). She is happy, healthy, active etc etc. I ignored the hv/ i thought she was talking crap and then came on here for more reasurance.

What pissed me off about the hv was that dd isnt a hungry baby (a bit better now she is bigger) and we were hard pushed to get her to feed much at all (when she had a bottle at 4mths, she wasnt taking more than 150 ml max).

DD is 24 wks now and going to start in 2 wks. been giving her some sucks on some veg and a bit of mushed apple to try.

wastingmyeducation · 23/10/2008 14:20

Janus, is DD on the Breast from Birth chart in her red book? If not ask for one, as this shows BF babies generally gain faster for the first few months and then slow down, as compared to the usual charts which are for all babies, AFAIK.
HV told me I could wean at 20weeks as DS was a slow-gainer up to 8 weeks and only on the 9th centile since. I ignored her and posted angrily on here!

RaspberryBlower · 23/10/2008 19:31

Hi Janus - this is off topic but I just wanted to tell you that my mum was told that my younger brother might have fluid on the brain when he was a baby, but she knew it was just the 'family head' as none of us can get hats to fit us. It's all the brains in there!

Neenztwinz · 24/10/2008 21:30

My DTs gained very little from about 16 weeks, as long a your LO is gaining not losing weight do not worry.

pureeandpearls · 26/10/2008 22:18

Buy a baby weighing scale on eBay and you never need to see HV again. It's what I did after she told me my daughter 'didn't have colic, she just had a temper' and that 'she was not gaining enough weight BF'.

I have not been to clinic for over two months yet noone has called to check on me....

Flip