Did anyone wean before 4 months?

[thymes2]

Hello! This is my first post.
My baby is 14 weeks old and mainly breastfed. Because she seems to struggle to get full I give her at least one bottle of formula per day (usually at night time so she'll sleep for a longer time. She seems very interested in our meals and I'm thinking of weaning her early. I'd like to hear about peoples experiences of weaning before the recommended 6 months and any advice.

In the 1920s and 30s advice was to wait until nearer a year to give solids.

Hercules, you write the posts I want to on this subject

Yes, the government are considering hiring me as a one woman campaigner for this

Yeh, apparently so, I do understand that baby rice isn't going to fill her up, however introducing it now is just to initiate the solid foods process, eventually the more food she eats the fuller and more satisfied she'll be. I was advised to either give formula top ups or start to introduce solids. I do feed whenever DD3 is hungry, it does seem as though sometimes she's not finished and yet there's no milk left. I am at home with my 3DDs on my own most of the time as DH works 200m away - so is away most of every week, BF more often than every hr is very difficult when I am full carer for the children, however DH has just been given 2wks off work due to chicken pox . So tomorrow I shall be in bed with my baby girl on the breast all day to encourage supply!

I have no quarms about giving solids at this age having read the WHO report, I know I'm not harming my child. I just don't want the hassle and I love BF. So I shall see how things go.

I know some HV get carried away being the authority on children and ignoring Gov advice. Since having our children DH and I have lived in 3 different areas and dealt with many HVs. My own mum died when I was 19 and I felt after having DD1 that I would have the HVs to rely on for comprehensive and accurate advice. I learned early on that they are only human too and that although I should listen to the health professionals, I have also the ability to research these subjects and make my own objective decisions based on fact, not my "mummy knows best" instinct. This is why I read the WHO report myself. Both my DH and myself suffer with asthma and exzema, I would do nothing to intentionally increase the risk of my DDs suffering too. I believe ignorance is no excuse, especially in this day and age when information really is at our fingertips. I now know that I won't be putting DD3 at this kind of risk if I give solids at this age, I just don't want to (lazy mummy) .

just reading gina ford book - considering routine for ds next week. she states 4 months in her book. the who guidelines aren't getting through. i gave ds a dummy which seemed to affect milk supply. now bottle fed

LM... giving a dummy wouldn't affect milk supply

Great stuff Micha you talk a lot of sense. Why dont we all do a bit more 'mother knows best'. I believe I do know whats best for my children and if that means over-riding the current trend for 'weaning' or 'sleeping' then I will...IF I belive its in the best interests of my baby/child.

Message withdrawn

So if mother "knows best", what about all of those mothers who smoke over their babies, give them Coke in their bottles, and send them to school having had a Mars bar for breakfast? Unfortunately, mother doesn't always know best - and mother certainly can't tell when her baby's gut is mature enough for solid food.

HMo2, yep. WWB, exactly!

starlover it's the only thing i could think of. if he wasn't sucking at the breast then i guessed that caused it. maybe not.

I haven't seen really any new argumentation, but I'll follow the thread and catch up with you guys in a few days. Weekend is holy for me, belongs exclusively to my loved ones.

Regarding rudeness: Maybe that's because I ain't british - innit? Where I come from people are damn blunt.

Cheers

Micha, lots of us are not British.

I've heard dummies can cause problems with supply, particularly in the early days.

Hercules, one of our local (infamous!) hvs told a mum I know to give solids, when her son was 12 weeks old! The baby was a bit unsettled, which she thought was because he had a cold. When she pointed out that he had a cold, he suggested coming back in a week, so they could review.

Thank goodness she was a second-time mum, and from Italy, where waiting until 6 months is normal.

That's the difference. HEre, it's not normal so people think it's abnormal.

I know. I think early weaning is weird. Pureeing, spooning, ack. Making funny noises, and opening your mouth so a far-too-small child will open its. Gah.

DS2 is currently on a fruit binge. Melons, peaches, cherries, blueberries, everything. And when he's had enough, he makes a lovely sweeping gesture with his arm, knocking any bits off the tray.

Why would there be any new 'argumentation' (loving that word, btw) micha? I think those whose opinions differ from yours have made their points, firmly and eloquently, several times over. In contrast, all I'm reading from you are veiled - and not-so-veiled - insults.

Message withdrawn

It's quite possible to be blunt without being rude, though.

Just a thought.

a mum I know bragged about giving her son baby rice at 4 weeks!!! And then ten mins later complained cause he is unsettled...

Shameless thread theft here - but I have a post under the media section about weaning... I'm collating funny anecdotes for a piece I'm writing and would appreciate my lovely fellow mumsnetters' help! If you could take a look I'd be really grateful xx

My DS is now 20 weeks old, I breastfed him up to 15 weeks old then put him onto formula (sma gold),at 17 weeks I introduced baby rice for breakfast. At 18 weeks he had breakfast and dinner (mashed potato and carrot). 19 weeks the HV said I could put him on sma white milk.
So now DS has 2 meals and 5 bottles of between 6-8 ozs a day.

Does this make me a bad mum? Am I giving him too much?

My friend gives her 7 week old DS up to 5ozs of white milk nearly every hour with baby rice in his bedtime bottle , then wonders why he's always throwing up! I personally think its wrong.

Message withdrawn

Message withdrawn