Evidence for the link between early weaning and allergies?

[Lampi]

Although my 5 month old DD is thriving on a diet of breast milk only, just about all my family and friends with older children think I'm mad not to have started weaning her already. The main reason for their 'concern' is that she's not sleeping from 7pm until 7am (I think 11.30pm until 6.30am most nights is pretty good!) They think that weaning her now will fill her up more and get her to sleep through the night. I understand that there is evidence of a link between weaning before 6 months and allergies. As my DH suffers from asthma and an allergy to cats and feathers, and I have eczema, we are keen to avoid our DD suffering from allergies too so if weaning at 6 months is a way to do this, then I'd like to give it a go. So my question is this - does anyone actually know what research was carried out to prove the link between early weaning and allergies? It would be really good to have your views before my mother arrives for the weekend

I'm afraid I have no research (although if you have a look in archives you should find plenty - victoriansqualor knows her stuff here) but I would say to you this.

Whay do you not gently tell your mother that this is your baby and you will wean her when you choose?

The pressure for early weaning is generational a lot of the time but a simple but polite "butt out" could do the trick?

Good point wasa. I'll have it out with her this weekend if the topic comes up more than 10 times and she doesn't take my hints. I do wonder though if there really is strong evidence for this - I'll have a look in the archives for previous discussions. Perhaps I was weaned too early and that's why I have eczema?!

Don't know about the research, but I would just say that the current NHS Department of Health guidance is 6 months so that is what you will be doing.

I have eczema too and was weaned in the early 70's when people seemed to do it from birth.

I think the allergies concern is food ones rather than skin althouh could be wrong. The gist is that weaning before the gut is properly sealed and thus able to digest food properly can do permanent damage and thus raises the likelihood of food allergies, intolerances and alll that stuff that only seems to have got really big in our generation.

The gut seals anytime between around 4 and 6 months hence the advice to wait until 6 months to be sure.

I actually started to wean my ds at about 5 and a bit months because I didn't know any of this and now regret it. I hope I didn't do any damage and can also confirm that the TINY amounts of milk mixed banana made absolutely sod all difference to his sleep!

A health advisor told me to leave weaning until 6 months but then backtracked saying that it's better to wean slowly at 5 and a bit months, introducing different food slowly, rather than rushing to introduce it all at 6 months when they need things like iron in their diet. So if you follow her advice, it sounds like you weaned your DS at just the right time

Weaning made bugger all difference to my Ds's sleep.

It's only 4 weeks till you can start weaning. Why would you take a chance on your LO's future health?

Just ignor eyour family!!

This has been discussed before, and basically there isn't that much evidence that weaning after 17 weeks but before 6 months makes that much difference in terms of allergies.

The issue is more in terms of an increased risk of infections.