# Farley's Rusks - When?



## SJR

When can I give my son Farley's Rusks? We were thinking about crushing a quarter of the biscuit into his milk from 3 months but will it be safe?


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## aimee-lou

Personally I wouldn't put anything 'solid' into a bottle. I don't even give water in bottles anymore, just his milk. There's a risk of choking, not to mention a risk that they wont want to drink formula without the rusk in it as it's so sweet. 

I assume that your LO is eating you out of house and home at the moment due to his 3 month growth spurt - I would just up the feeds rather than giving solids. 2 reasons, before 17 weeks it's really not recommended (I'm not going to star the whole early weaning arguments) and also, rusks contain gluten which isn't recommended before 6 months (not to mention a shed load of sugar!!).


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## kayleigh&bump

its not really recommended, but i think if you are gunna do anything like that, your better off feeding him from a spoon rather than adding it to his bottle as it increases the risk of choking x


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## Lu28

aimee-lou said:


> Personally I wouldn't put anything 'solid' into a bottle. I don't even give water in bottles anymore, just his milk. There's a risk of choking, not to mention a risk that they wont want to drink formula without the rusk in it as it's so sweet.
> 
> I assume that your LO is eating you out of house and home at the moment due to his 3 month growth spurt - I would just up the feeds rather than giving solids. 2 reasons, before 17 weeks it's really not recommended (I'm not going to star the whole early weaning arguments) and also, rusks contain gluten which isn't recommended before 6 months (not to mention a shed load of sugar!!).

Agree 100% :thumbup: IF you feel LO really does need some solids (and I'd always check with your GP first) there are far healthier things you can give than Rusks, eg baby rice or fruit and veg purees.


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## dani_tinks

Jacob's started to have a quarter of a rusk for breakfast (mixed with his formula in a bowl), he loves it and i spoon feed it to him.


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## lorna84

Lu28 said:


> aimee-lou said:
> 
> 
> Personally I wouldn't put anything 'solid' into a bottle. I don't even give water in bottles anymore, just his milk. There's a risk of choking, not to mention a risk that they wont want to drink formula without the rusk in it as it's so sweet.
> 
> I assume that your LO is eating you out of house and home at the moment due to his 3 month growth spurt - I would just up the feeds rather than giving solids. 2 reasons, before 17 weeks it's really not recommended (I'm not going to star the whole early weaning arguments) and also, rusks contain gluten which isn't recommended before 6 months (not to mention a shed load of sugar!!).
> 
> Agree 100% :thumbup: IF you feel LO really does need some solids (and I'd always check with your GP first) there are far healthier things you can give than Rusks, eg baby rice or fruit and veg purees.Click to expand...

I agree :thumbup:


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## helent1983

Have to agree with the others. I personally would never give rusks! xx


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## vixy

Ive been looking into this as Austin seems to never be full for long but after looking i would not be happy giving him rusks, if you look at the ingedients they have sugar and gluten etc. I would go for baby rice, you can get sugar/ gluten free. Organix do what look like a really good baby rice. Although we havent used any yet, trying to hold out. We have started to try him on hungrier baby milk in the evening and i breast feed the rest of the time. xx


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## FemmeEnceinte

Never? They're so unhealthy... like little cakes for babies. Also, in bottles poses a risk in terms of choking. I won't even start on early weaning as my thoughts on that never go down well.


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## dani_tinks

Oh what an awful Mother I must be :ignore:


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## AP

dani_tinks said:


> Oh what an awful Mother I must be :ignore:

:thumbup: me too

Better still, i give alex a whole one once in a blue moon


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## vixy

Dani we all do things differently, I think people are to quick to critisize but i say you should parent how you want to regardless of what other people think. Your avatar piccy is lovely btw xxx


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## MissRhead

I would try and hold off Hun, it's not recomended before 17 weeks, try adding an extra ounce to his milk feeds if you think he's still hungry? I think if you look in the weaning section you could read up on some threads in their? Also I bought some rusks from the baby event at asda, thought I'd stock up and omg! They taste like candy floss lol. And btw I'm not having a dig at anyone who gives them I just didn't expect them to be so sugary lol x


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## Kota

can i ask why you're thinking of doing it? 
there is a very big growth spurt at 3 & 4 months of age where its completly normal for your baby to increase his milk intake and get a bit fussier. he is growing both in size and in development and giving rusks isn't needed to get through this. 

not only are they packed full of sugar and not exactly nutritious they won't help your baby if its a development spurt that he's going through, 

IF you choose to do it, please speak to your dr first and explore other options, there are good reasons why weaning is not recommended before 17wks at the earliest, preferably 6 months and crushing it up and putting it in a bottle poses a serious choking hazard.


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## Rachel_C

I don't think it would be safe to crush anything into a bottle. The teats just aren't designed for solids (though some are designed to accommodate thicker milks but it's not the same thing) and it could make your baby choke. 

We don't give rusks either because of the sugar content. My OH started asking me when we could give them to LO and he was really upset when I said never - turns out that HE really likes them and wants them for him! 

I would speak to your doctor before early weaning tbh. They will be able to give you advice about the pros and cons, and advise you on how to do it safely and healthily if you do choose to :thumbup:


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## Sam9kids

I wouldnt advise putting anything solid into the milk hun.

Try giving more milk maybe

My first few had rusks, but the last 4 (obviously not jenson lol) didnt have them


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## Lu28

dani_tinks and sb22, nobody has criticised your parenting, no-one has picked on you. The OP has asked a question and is getting reasonable replies to it from both perspectives. How about we don't turn this into that type of thread.


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## JennTheMomma

You really shouldn't put anything but formula or breastmilk in bottles, that is what they are for. Solids should only be fed by spoon, or with them using their hands. At 3 months a baby will go through a growth spurt and will want more bottles, it's normal, and 3 month olds typically are not ready for solids yet, their stomachs and intestines can't handle it yet. If you do think you need to do solids talk to your Pediatrician first and start with baby cereal mixed with formula or breastmilk and feed it by spoon.


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## SJR

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I had a feeling that it was too early to be giving my son any kind of food, but was considering it because of advice I was given by somebody else, who said giving part of a rusk in milk may make my son more content and less likely to wake up so many times at night. He gets up around 3 times during the night. She gave her son rusks very early on in his milk.


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## Mum2b_Claire

SJR said:


> Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I had a feeling that it was too early to be giving my son any kind of food, but was considering it because of advice I was given by somebody else, *who said giving part of a rusk in milk may make my son more content and less likely to wake up so many times at night. *He gets up around 3 times during the night. She gave her son rusks very early on in his milk.

That really isn't the case btw. 
I don't need to add anything to this thread apart from that as others have said all that I would say.


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## Lu28

Someone else I'm sure will be able to advise you better about this but I think hungry baby milk has a small bit of baby rice in it, that might be worth a try if you haven't already :flower:


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## Kota

its a very very old school of thought, which unfortunately gets passed down and recommended to mothers of today even though all the new evidence suggests that not only is it unlikely to work, but that it can actually do more harm then good. 
Some babies sleep through from an early age, some don't. some do and then hit the 3/4month growth spurt, regress to waking a couple of times a night and take months to go back to sleeping through again. 
Ask in the weaning section, there are plenty of mothers in there that will tell you that weaning and giving solids didn't change sleeping patterns at all. Some just take longer to not need as many night feeds, its really only after 6months that its 'medically' recognised that they don't 'need' night feeds so at 2months old I wouldn't be to concerned, your baby is just doing normal baby things.


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## dani_tinks

I started my LO on a bit of rusk and formula in the mornings because it does satisfy him more. He's been on hungry baby (8ozs of the stuff!) he guzzles his milk and still isn't full after it and he's been like this for weeks. Hes a much happy content baby now and he sleeps better (12hrs!) I know we all parent differently so I appologise for getting snappy :flower:

I dont however put it in his bottle, as I said before, he's spoonfed it


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## AP

Lu28 said:


> dani_tinks and sb22, nobody has criticised your parenting, no-one has picked on you. The OP has asked a question and is getting reasonable replies to it from both perspectives. How about we don't turn this into that type of thread.

Didnt mean to, I'm not like that. I just think people are very quick to criticize and leave other members thinking they have been doing something so terribly wrong.


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## dani_tinks

sb22 said:


> Lu28 said:
> 
> 
> dani_tinks and sb22, nobody has criticised your parenting, no-one has picked on you. The OP has asked a question and is getting reasonable replies to it from both perspectives. How about we don't turn this into that type of thread.
> 
> Didnt mean to, I'm not like that. I just think people are very quick to criticize and leave other members thinking they have been doing something so terribly wrong.Click to expand...

Agreed:)


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## AP

Personally, I was worried about the sugar content in the Farleys Rusks. They do have reduced sugar versions. I tried the organix ones but they break far easier and cause LO to choke it up. Then after discussing it with some prem mums, its not like my LO is going to get overweight!! 

However I wouldnt crush it into a bottle. I give a whole one to LO who sucks on it, and its helped her learn hand and eye co-ordination too.


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## Mum2b_Claire

Lu28 said:


> Someone else I'm sure will be able to advise you better about this but I think hungry baby milk has a small bit of baby rice in it, that might be worth a try if you haven't already :flower:

No it doesn't contain baby rice or any solid. (That's goodnight milk)

Hungry milk just has slightly more cow's milk protein in it (casein) which takes longer to digest...


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## Lu28

Thanks Claire! :blush:


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## ellie27

I would try LO on some rice/porridge - spoonful not in bottle. And then onto veg/fruit purrees.

Rusks - I would never, ever give to my LO - think its like giving them biscuits - full of sugar/salt etc - even the reduced ones. Maybe I wouldnt mind LO having one when they are say 8/9months, but not at the start.:flower:


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## aimee-lou

Earl has rusks every now and again but I held off until 6 months (ish) because of the gluten content. He has a good diet so I treat them a bit like I do with chocolate for myself. A little bit every now and again but it's not regular and it's certainly not a large portion (he only gets half to suck on....occasionally I'll thicken his fruit puree with half of one as he's gone off baby rice). 

I think with everything in moderation, making sure that the emphasis is on a good balanced diet. I speak as a person that grew up on diets as my Mum refused to cook twice and as a 9 year old I spent 2 weeks on the cabbage soup diet.....that's enough to put anyone off veg lol. 

But anyway, back on topic.....yes they have far far too much sugar (I checked and a digestive is better! lol) but as a treat, I dont mind him having them. But, I stand by my original post...not before the recommended weaning/foodstuff ages IMO.


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## imace

My LO has fruit/veg puree and but I did once put a bit of rusk in baby rice to make it less blahhh and LO loved it. I do think they have far too much salt and sugar in though, but everyone's different. 

I know plenty of people who give their LOs rusks and don't bash an eyelid at their contents. :)

But I wouldn't put anything in the bottle.


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## Oushka

B has had about half a rusk in the last week - I dont have anything against them - in moderation, BUT I dont thinks its advisable to give them at such a young age and certainly not in a bottle.

Echo others re: speaking to GP/HV and trying other milks/baby rice from a spoon.

But I think we all go thru this stage at 3-4 months, baby is having a mega growth spurt (mentally and physically) and it usually just takes time, patience and loads of loving to get thru it - not necessarily solids - or, if solids are the answer then the correct ones for age/safety.


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## special_kala

River has never had a rusk as i feel the sugar content is ridiculous for a baby (29% and 20% in the "low" sugar ones)

I dont think its true that babies sleep through better when given food and even if it were i would still give milk as if they are waking up hungry then they need the milk


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## MummyKaya

No rusks here either :wacko:


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## babyblog

Babies can have anything (other than honey and swordfish) at 6 months -i think? So i would class rusks in with this


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## OmarsMum

I bought a box of baby biscuits (4+ mnths) I gave Omar one but he didnt knw what to do with it, so I ended up eating the box, & it's yummy :D


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## helent1983

babyblog said:


> Babies can have anything (other than honey and swordfish) at 6 months -i think? So i would class rusks in with this

Well yes but you have to still watch the salt and sugar intake! Like you wouldn't give your baby a lolly for example!

x


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## babyblog

helent1983 said:


> babyblog said:
> 
> 
> Babies can have anything (other than honey and swordfish) at 6 months -i think? So i would class rusks in with this
> 
> Well yes but you have to still watch the salt and sugar intake! Like you wouldn't give your baby a lolly for example!
> 
> xClick to expand...

Yeah course, but some mums are happy to give their babies sugary stuff at times!


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## funny_face

Oushka said:


> it usually just takes time, patience and loads of loving to get thru it .

Thanks for this Oushka! I thought this was a lovely way to put it. We're in the middle of this now, the night waking and general higher maintenance during the day :haha: has definitely been noticed, but I don't worry about it necessarily - its just another phase, a time consuming one - but why else am I here other than to fulfil her needs? 

:hugs: to everyone with LOs going through growth spurts!


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