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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

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:
roxy12 · 11/01/2010 20:00

thanks aitch we have both had our moments but this is what i was trying to get too. that people understand why i was givng this information!

roxy12 · 11/01/2010 20:02

thanks for your support ferncottage!

ShowOfHands · 11/01/2010 20:03

It is a World Health Organisation, it's based on all babies' health. It's about gut maturation, not the country you live in.

And when your 5yr old was born, the guidelines were 6 months. The guidelines changed in 2003. That's a fact. And it's unlikely that they'll be shortened any time in the near future, knowing what we know about gut development.

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 20:03

lol, ferncottage. have you answered my question on the other thread yet?

(btw the WHO is more likely to put the weaning age up, from what i understand. and weaning at three months can cause kidney damage in a baby, even the stupidest HV isn't going to advise weaning under 17 weeks).

Lulumama · 11/01/2010 20:04

roxy, i think many many many parents would have done what you did and given their baby rusks. they are touted as a good first food. but they're not if 4 HVS tell you something, why would you think to doubt it ?

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 20:05

roxy, i've not had any moments, really i haven't. i understood from the minute you said that you'd asked your hvs that you'd been let down by the people who are supposed to support you when you have a child. join the club on that one, though.

roxy12 · 11/01/2010 20:07

the 4 health visitors i have spoken to are more than stupid then!

basically shouldnt even be a health visitor

or more to the point how did they qualify as a health visitor!

roxy12 · 11/01/2010 20:11

lulu i wouldnt doubt it!

if they arent a good food then this is really disgusting!

heinz should really be told by many people how wrong they are for selling this product, if you think they are that bad, maybe we should all write to heinz!

roxy12 · 11/01/2010 20:12

what about heinz porridge?

is that ok?

my baby has been having that since 4 months!

Lulumama · 11/01/2010 20:13

been there and done that, roxy, re writing to baby food manafacturers

one sent me a hamper of goodies in response

Ferncottage · 11/01/2010 20:34

When my daughter was born we were advised 4 months and I really should know that - do you have a child of that age?
as for kidney damage if weaned at 3 months don't talk bollocks - millions of children were weaned at that age pre 1996 and there is no kidney health crisis in this country

ShowOfHands · 11/01/2010 20:39

Does it really matter how old my child is? The guidelines changed in 2003. I can quite believe that a hv gave out duff information, but that doesn't change the date the guidelines were officially changed.

Ferncottage, there's no need to be deliberately inflammatory or to use such language. You may not like the facts and you may not find them relevant to you. This does not change them.

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 20:51

actually, i have damaged kidneys, and ibs and high bp. i was weaned at a fortnight. and if you speak to any doctor working in the NHS i think they'd be quite happy to tell you that we currently have a massively unhealthy population and a huge crisis on our hands, so i hardly think that keeping babies healthy from the off is somethign to scoff at.

the reason that kidneys can be damaged in babies under 17 weeks is down to the likelihood of dehydration and the potential for increased salt in the diet.

Ferncottage · 11/01/2010 20:55

ah, Aitch,I see the reason for your crusading zeal

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 20:56

while the reason for your snidey posts remains unclear...

anyhoo, someone else asking for you on the OAA thread, you really should go answer that question, wouldn't do to post and run, would it?

roxy12 · 11/01/2010 20:56

when did u start to wean your child ferncottage?

what did you start her on?

i am so confused now!

seeker · 11/01/2010 21:15

My dd is 13. When she was a baby I did some research and even then the WHO was recommending 6 months as the optimum weaning age. HV and others may have not been up to speed, but the guidance was certainly there, even though it was by no means as categoric as it was when I weaned my son (also at 6 months) in 2001.

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 21:28

roxy, don't sweat it, you weaned on advice of medics, it's standard practice to wean a refluxy baby early and you'd have to balance the mortal pain they're in against potential damage. that's a different equation entirely and quite worth it if my pal's absolutely tortured refluxy baby is anything to go by.

sure, rusks aren't the best thing to start off with, gluten and sugar not optimum really so not good advice to post to someone else still able to avoid them, but it's done now and like you say he's fine. it's like those petit filous, marketed as great for kids etc but really when you look at the ingredients just expensive, sugary treats. delicious, but nutritionally-speaking pretty empty cals.

Original poster
gorge2003 · 11/01/2010 23:00

well after this thread i will NOT be weaning my dd...will just up her milk, wont put her on hungry baby milk either!

OP posts:
AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 23:12

and then to further complicate matters, when the time comes... will you use purees, mash or finger food (blw)?

Original poster
gorge2003 · 11/01/2010 23:18

finger food, and puree's, my ds (nearly 4) was happy on them. used the hipp organic jars with him and pureed up veg for him and gave him tomatoes and cucumber etc to feed himself...i feel another bout of something coming on!

OP posts:
AitchTwoOhOneOh · 11/01/2010 23:33

lol. and the MESS is just another good reason to keep them on milk.

Original poster
gorge2003 · 11/01/2010 23:37

agreed! but seriously am gonna hold off on the weaning! apparently according to my mum weaning was advised at 6 weeks back in '87...not sure how true this is but OMG! glad i didnt cave in and start weaning her...and i have never given rusks to ds and he is nearly 4! far too sugary for my liking!

OP posts:
Clary · 12/01/2010 00:00

ferncottage my DS2 is 6.5 and when he was born the guidelines were wean from age 6mo.

I remember because I have 2 older children and the advice had changed.

Of course lots of HVs and other mums were still saying 4mo because that was what they had done with older children. But there was lots of publicity about it at the time. Certianly before yr 5yo was born.

seeker · 12/01/2010 08:49

Ad the guidelines about weaning age don't "keep changing". They are just getting steadily older as we learn more about the development of a baby's gut.