Weaning - what age????

[bonym]

I was under the impression that the WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the 1st 6 months. I have been speaking to my health visitor today who says that is incorrect. She says that you should not wean before 4 months but you MUST wean by 6 months (as at that age breastmilk is no longer nutritionally adequate). DD1 was weaned at 16 weeks (as per the guidelines at that time), but I wasn't planning to start dd2 until she was 6 months. She is not showing any interest in our food, although she has recently woken for a feed a couple of nights (whereas she was sleeping through previously).

Any thoughts please?

They dont have to be fully weaned by 6 months, that is when you are ideally supposed to start weaning so your hv is talking rubbish. The iron stores start to run down at around 6 months but that doesnt mean they switch off suddenly. If your lo is happy on just milk then I would stick with it until your lo is ready.
This is from babycentre

This is from FSA

Kellymom says you can breastfeed exclusively for even longer than 6 months without causing your lo to become iron deficient: kellymom and another kellymom

happy reading!!

Your HV is talking total tosh - it's an occupational hazard for most of them it seems

Mine told me that too. DS only took solids properly last week (he's just 7 months) and she stressed me out totally telling me he'd starve. You do what you think is best for your baby.

u must have at least started to wean by 6 months thats what she was trying to say i think

But why? They eat tiny amounts of not-particularly-nutritious (certainly not very iron-rich) food at that age - why would you have to start weaning by then?

stacijic - yes - started by 6months is what I meant! There is so much conflicting information it's hard to know what is the right thing to do sometimes!

Absolutely no need to have started by six months either. Some babies eat next to nothing for the first year and are totally fine.

It's a myth to say that if babies don't try food before six months, they'll never eat solids. Think about how ludicrous that sounds!

What it does mean is it is far easier to introduce food as you can give a much wider range of things. Makes it easier and more fun all round!

my ds is nearly 6 mths & i've recently tried him with a dash of food (bits of rice, fruit etc) - with limited success (ie one day he's happily eaten a spoon or two, the next won't go near it).

so it may be longer than the rec. 6 mths here i think to get anywhere (he's bf & seems happy with just milk atm). i am slightly worried, thinking that he'll get to 6 mths & still not be interested in food, tho i'm also telling myself that he'll eat when he's ready. saying that, i only know one baby amongst my circle of babygroup friends that's lasted til 6 mths...all the others weaned at 4-5 mths. they're all so very different.

But did they choose food, or did their mums choose for them, Roosmum? So often, mothers can't wait to start spooning food into babies who are still at a very pliable age - because of dire warnings about depleting vitamins, future refusal of all food if you leave it, etc.

Not suggesting that children can go and cook a meal for themselves, but if you leave it till they can grab bits of food, a huge proportion of children would be "able" to wait longer. Whether their mums would or not is another matter!

HM - certainly one little girl had food at 4 mths as her mum felt she was desperate for it...?
& suddenly much happier when having solids in addition to her bf. i'm pleased that ds has been happily milking away for the last (nearly) 6 mths, i just wonder whether now he should take a little food. i know he will eventually & when he's ready, i guess i'm just suprised that he's not interested yet (he's also a v. big baby, abt 20-21lbs by now, i expected him to get hungrier that he has!).

Message withdrawn

your health visitor is an idiot

well you asked if there were any thoughts and that's mine

ignore her .. she's wrong .. don't start weaning before 6 months

"Your HV is talking total tosh - it's an occupational hazard for most of them it seems"

i think thats a bit unfair HM !!

I'm with HM on this.

One of our local HVs told a mum to give solids at 12 weeks, as her baby was crankly. I know there are some lovely HVs, but there seem to be many more batty ones.

i agree re: the guidelines - i just think it is unfair to label most or the majority HV's as talking complete tosh or batty.

If she is not showing any signs and her weight gain is still steady then I would wait until 6 months. If she starts showing signs or has a dip in her weight you can start gradually now.

One of my HV's who is also a BFC would agree with HM

As she said to me, "when I hear some of the things some of them say I wonder what on earth I don't hear"

I think you're right - my HV doesn't know what she's talking about. She gave me a book (Annabel Karmel's Guide to Weaning) and even in there it clearly states that exclusive b/f is recommended for the 1st 6months. Tbh I will continue to exclusively b/f as long as possible as it is less hard work, and had fully intended to leave it until 6mths - it's just that she usually has such good advice that she put doubts in my mind this morning!

Should say - thanks everyone for confirming what I already suspected!

might add - i started weaning my ds at 11 weeks(as the advice then was 12 pounds or twelve weeks!!almost 20 years ago) but my dd didnt start weaning till 7 months cos it was too much like hard work.

not sure if there are any speech therapists on MN - i was under the impression they didnt like weaning delayed too long - something to do with speech development, would be interesting to hear their point of view.