Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

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

is dd ready for weaning?

129 replies

gorge2003 · 10/01/2010 10:55

my 18 week old dd seems ready for weaning, she is drinking 9oz of aptamil (number 1) every 3-4 hours, she is chewing everything she canmanage to get to her mouth, chewing her tongue, she has started waking in the night to feed when she has previoously slept through til now, and whenever we eat she starts screaming...what do i do put her on hungry baby aptamil or introduce some baby rice?

OP posts:
rainbowinthesky · 10/01/2010 10:59

I believe this is a usual age for growth spurt which often gets mistaken for needing to be weaned. Just up the milk. I can't remember all the signs for weaning but I think some are sitting up unaided, lost tongue reflex etc. Watching you eat with interest and putting things in mouth including own hands are not signs.

MrsBadger · 10/01/2010 10:59

good list of signs of readiness here

this is prime growth-spurt time, so she may genuinely need more milk. Have you tried smaller feeds more often?

Original poster
gorge2003 · 10/01/2010 11:04

badger she wont take feeds unless she is starving which is 3-4 hourly, shall i put her on aptamil number 2 cos obv she cant have anymore than 9oz a feed, would be a pain with two bottles! have tried feeding her more often but she wont!

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 10/01/2010 11:09

hmm - the thing about hungry baby milk (eg aptamil 2) is that it doesn't actually have any more calories in than 'first' milk, it's just harder to digest.
so if she is growth-spurting and hungry it won't give her any more fuel, iyswim.

(NB why can't she have more than 9oz? have never used formula myself so can't work this out - obv bf babies get as much as they like because no-one is measuring)

bronze · 10/01/2010 11:13

Of course she can have more if thats what she needs. They're only guidelines

Original poster
gorge2003 · 10/01/2010 13:05

Was just saying that cos bottles only have capacity for 9oz so if she wanted more after that it would be a matter of making another bottle, wish I was still bf-ing then this would be easier cos as u said she would be getting what she wants

OP posts:
roxy12 · 10/01/2010 20:22

Hi
I have a son who is 6 months old and he was having farley's rusks at 3 months old. he was doing great on the rusks so i started giving him porridge and he loved it.

then i would give him breakfast in the morning and then a youghurt in the afternoon.
He was so much happier.
i left it about 2 weeks and started him on dinners, i blended up veg, but he didnt take to it so i tried him with a jar and he loved it.
he now has porridge in the morning, then a heinz can and pudding in the afternoon. then he will have a jar at night followed by a pudding.
he is so much happier and is loving his food!
he only has a bottle first thing in the morning about 6am and then a bottle before he goes to bed!

Go with your own instinct. you no your baby better than anyone!
if she is hungry start her on a farleys rusk in the mornings. give her about a quater of a biscuit mixed with a bit of warm milk and then give the rest of the bottle after. just so she gets the taste of it.
if baby is really enjoying it then leave it a week and start giving half a rusk and carry on like that.

It is trial and error! but go for it. it wont harm!

good luck

Lulumama · 10/01/2010 20:25

hungry baby milk and more milk more frequently

and rusks from 3 months contravene all guidance from teh NHS and DoH re weaning

there is no instinct that allows you to see if your baby;s gut is mature enough for food

purely in terms of volume, milk is more filling than a rusk or rice and is the safest and most nutritous thing you can give a baby

Lulumama · 10/01/2010 20:26

2 bottles a day for a 6 month old is not enough, they should have a lot more milk than that. milk is the main source of nutrition for the first year

roxy12 · 10/01/2010 20:50

ok well to be honest. i have done it and i know plenty of people that have done it my way and there baby's have been fine.

it is down to the mother how they deal with there baby's and this was my way and my son, goes to the toilet fine and is a very happy baby now he is on food.

if the baby is happier on food then that is fine.

from 6 months onward you should be starting to wean your baby if you havent already!
they do say to start weaning at 6 months old but i gave my baby it early as he was very hungry and there is no problems with him.

on the food it does say from 4 months. so if there was any harm in it then why do they make these foods?

teaandcakeplease · 10/01/2010 20:55

I know this is slightly off topic but have you tried a Teetha sachet or Bonjela teething gel when agitated? If not due a feed?

Both my children teethed really early and had their first 2 teeth by 4 months. You never know, with the hands in mouth etc and chewing, maybe it's teeth bothering her and causing waking in the night too?

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 10/01/2010 20:58

roxy are you for real?

seeker · 10/01/2010 20:58

She is probably also very interested in the steering wheel of the car, but that doesn't mean she's ready for driving lessons. Give her more milk. Then, when she's 6 months old, or very nearly there start introducing solid food. That's the way to give her the best possible start in life, whatever anyone else says.

roxy12 · 10/01/2010 21:00

ok. there is no need to get rude to me.
i am just explaining what i do!

i have parents that have had 4 kids. my partners mum has had 4 kids.

so dont tell me that i am wrong in what i am doing, i have a very large family that have lots of baby's!

some poeple really are rude!

roxy12 · 10/01/2010 21:04

when i gave my baby rusks at 3 months, i had spoke to 4 health visitors about him and they did say that it is ok to start him on rusks and go from there!

that is 4 health visitors!

LadyintheRadiator · 10/01/2010 21:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

roxy12 · 10/01/2010 21:06

rusks mashed with his own milk!

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 10/01/2010 21:18

four idiot health visitors i can easily believe.

roxy12 · 10/01/2010 21:20

so are you telling me that i am lying or that the health visiors are wrong?

Longtalljosie · 10/01/2010 21:30

We're telling you the health visitors were wrong. How long ago was this?

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 10/01/2010 21:30

oh no, i'm sure they told you that. or you asked them and heard what you wanted to hear, whichever is the least.
apart from that... [rusk]

teaandcakeplease · 10/01/2010 21:31

I know I'm getting myself in the firing line here but maybe we shouldn't hi-jack Gorge's thread with all of this?

She just needs people's advice.

Everybody is different, give Roxy a break ladies And Roxy don't rise to the bait.

I think I'll disappear off MN before I start getting hassled now

Longtalljosie · 10/01/2010 21:36

Gorge - my DD was a tongue-chewer at 18 weeks and a thumb sucker. Now she's more adept at getting her thumb into her mouth first go, the tongue-chewing has stopped. It's a comfort thing, I think.

OP - Avent do a "magnum" bottle which is larger than 9 fl oz. But tbh if she isn't asking for more milk in the day you're probably fine - my DD (20 weeks I think, am losing count!) had a bit of a growth spurt until recently and as teaandcake says teeth are an issue too.

roxy12 · 10/01/2010 21:37

thanks teaandcakeplease!

4 health visitors did tell me this.

longtalljosie.....this was about 3 and a half months ago!

i dont need to listen to people being rude to me. i really was only putting my side across.

shock

Plonker · 10/01/2010 21:49

I would say not.

It's a classic growth spurt time - more milk is most probably the answer, and as others have said, your dd could very likely be teething which could explain lots of the chewing