A thought on introducing solids...

[Button#]

I'm with you op, I just don't understand this whole allergy argument. As children it is almost guaranteed that we were all weaned at 4 months (or even earlier!) and my guess is that very few of us have allergies. Some people will have and some won't, I know I am disregarding several studies and am sure someone can post a helpful link as to prove me wrong but... I don't think giving a pureed carrot or two is going to be detrimental to my lo.
And as for why the rush? Because he was hungry...

I have allergies, as does my OH (hayfever, milk intollerances), my mum has eczema and asthma, my uncle has hayfever and IBS.

I do too, so does my brother and my mum and my BIL, MIL and FIL all have IBS

 

[wemustntpanic]

I'm with you op, I just don't understand this whole allergy argument. As children it is almost guaranteed that we were all weaned at 4 months (or even earlier!) and my guess is that very few of us have allergies. Some people will have and some won't, I know I am disregarding several studies and am sure someone can post a helpful link as to prove me wrong but... I don't think giving a pureed carrot or two is going to be detrimental to my lo.
And as for why the rush? Because he was hungry...

I have allergies, as does my OH (hayfever, milk intollerances), my mum has eczema and asthma, my uncle has hayfever and IBS.

I'm not having a dig minties, I generally respect and agree with most of what you say but it would sound to me like your family is just more likely to have allergies (I appreciate your not related to your oh). No one in my family has allergies. My oh and his sister have asthma. We were both weaned at the same age. I think genetics have more to answer for than food.

 

[SaraEmily]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

 

[laodicean]

Yeah... I think something like 1 in 4 people have allergies... not my personal definition of "very few".

The OP was annoyed that her HV had kicked off at her weaning before 6 months because (and I paraphrase because I'm too lazy to find the quote) "rates of allergies have gone up because people are being weaned too soon." Yet Minties has shown that even 30yrs ago, people were waiting till 5-6mths before weaning.

So the fact that 1 in 4 people are allergic to something despite 30+ yrs of optimum weaning, if taken at face value, could be seen as being a bit concerning, no? I'm not saying correlation = causation, I'm just saying that the OP is not committing some form of crime against human rights by saying "I don't think the guidelines are right for me and mine."

COI declaration: I was exclusively breastfed for 6mths before weaning. I have no allergies. My OH was weaned early (baby rice in bottle, etc), has had anaphylaxis to crustaceans and has IBS. My LO has a rare form of allergy to dairy, soy and bananas that is life-threatening and was discovered within 4 weeks of being born. I think allergies are multifactorial and complex, and to put them down to when a person was weaned is simplistic in the extreme.

 

[HoneyBee144]

I did say in my post that the guidelines are just a guide.....

I don't think questioning the guidelines is undermining anyone, I agree it is good to question things but by being respectful about it and having a discussion not writing it all off as lies. I don't agree with every guideline out there and don't follow them all, at the end of the day a mother should do what is best for her child but that doesn't mean the guidelines are wrong. They are just a guide.

 

[wemustntpanic]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

you try drinking the milk and then try the carrot...

Also, even his doctor said he weaned his children early because these hv's had a bee in their bonnet. His words.

There are arguments for both sides. The who guidelines cover the underdeveloped world as well where sterilization is an issue and the longer the wait the less chance of infection. I'm sure you've read this before.

I made a decision, its worked for us.

 

[SaraEmily]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

you try drinking the milk and then try the carrot...

Also, even his doctor said he weaned his children early because these hv's had a bee in their bonnet. His words.

There are arguments for both sides. The who guidelines cover the underdeveloped world as well where sterilization is an issue and the longer the wait the less chance of infection. I'm sure you've read this before.

I made a decision, its worked for us.

A 4 month old won't feel the need for "proper" food like an adult would. If it's got more calories, it's filling them up just fine/better than a puree could. A liquid diet doesn't bother a small baby, that's how they do best.

And if your doctor thinks so little of medical guidelines then I'd personally not trust that doctor.

 

[jd83]

I did say in my post that the guidelines are just a guide.....

I don't think questioning the guidelines is undermining anyone, I agree it is good to question things but by being respectful about it and having a discussion not writing it all off as lies. I don't agree with every guideline out there and don't follow them all, at the end of the day a mother should do what is best for her child but that doesn't mean the guidelines are wrong. They are just a guide.

This. It's the way OP approached it that bothered me so much. The LIES, all LIES thing. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't make it lies.

We ALL have guidelines we have chosen to ignore, but that doesn't make everyone as extreme in their approach to ignoring them. They aren't laws, you don't have to follow every single one. You can choose how to parent your child how you think best. But to flat out call years of research that went into making the guidelines LIES is just rediculous. If I find a guideline doesn't suit me and my kids, its not because I think its a flat out lie. It's just not best for us. That simple.

Just seemed kind of overdramatic to me I guess.

 

[special_kala]

Why do people keep saying that the guidelines constantly change. The last guideline change was in 2001......12 years ago.

 

[laodicean]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

you try drinking the milk and then try the carrot...

I agree; calorie intake is not related to feeling satiated. There's a reason dieters are told to eat more fibrous foods and vegetables and to cut down on the high calorie, non-satiating foods.

As long as a baby is getting all the milk they need on top of pureed vegetables, then perceiving that your baby is hungry can be seen as a valid reason to start solids.

 

[SaraEmily]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

you try drinking the milk and then try the carrot...

I agree; calorie intake is not related to feeling satiated. There's a reason dieters are told to eat more fibrous foods and vegetables and to cut down on the high calorie, non-satiating foods.

As long as a baby is getting all the milk they need on top of pureed vegetables, then perceiving that your baby is hungry can be seen as a valid reason to start solids.

OR you could just give them as much milk as they want until they're satisfied because it's the best food for their tiny underdeveloped gut.

 

[laodicean]

Just seemed kind of overdramatic to me I guess.

I agree with what you're saying but I suspect the OP was just taking dramatic licence rather than accusing a bunch of researchers of deliberately putting out false research in order to make her life difficult.

Remember, this is the internet. Take it seriously at your own peril!

 

[special_kala]

Whats the point in giving baby rice anyway? Why not wait until they can have proper food.

 

[laodicean]

OR you could just give them as much milk as they want until they're satisfied because it's the best food for their tiny underdeveloped gut.

But then you're potentially overfeeding them. If a 5 month old is guzzling 9oz bottles every three hours (and that's not hyperbole, I have seen posters with that problem) and are way over their calorific requirements, then a trial of solids to see if the baby is happier is not unreasonable.

Their "tiny" "underdeveloped" gut is not necessarily as tiny and underdeveloped as you might think. There isn't some magic switch that goes off at 6 months *ping* saying THIS BABY CAN NOW EAT FOOD.

 

[SaraEmily]

OR you could just give them as much milk as they want until they're satisfied because it's the best food for their tiny underdeveloped gut.

But then you're potentially overfeeding them. If a 5 month old is guzzling 9oz bottles every three hours (and that's not hyperbole, I have seen posters with that problem) and are way over their calorific requirements, then a trial of solids to see if the baby is happier is not unreasonable.

Their "tiny" "underdeveloped" gut is not necessarily as tiny and underdeveloped as you might think. There isn't some magic switch that goes off at 6 months *ping* saying THIS BABY CAN NOW EAT FOOD.

A 4 month old is pretty much guaranteed to have an open gut, and since you can't really be sure of when it closes, we're advised to play it safe and wait til 6 months.

And I wouldn't worry about overfeeding a baby by nursing/giving formula on demand. If they're so extremely hungry like most early weaning babies supposedly are, then they obviously need to feed often, and milk is best in that case. If they're full they'll stop.

 

[SaraEmily]

Before 6 months, breastmilk/formula is nutritionally superior, better for their digestive system, and SO much easier. So I honestly don't understand why this is such a debated topic. It just doesn't make any sense.

 

[laodicean]

A 4 month old is pretty much guaranteed to have an open gut, and since you can't really be sure of when it closes, we're advised to play it safe and wait til 6 months.

"Pretty much guaranteed"? Well, that's okay then, as long as it's pretty much guaranteed we should all just do what we're told without ever questioning anything.

Playing it safe just in case is fine, but just because someone choses not to in this instance doesn't automatically follow that they're child-abusers who are ruining the life and health of their child.

And as I've previously said, current research is currently questioning why rates of allergies are increasing despite later weaning. 6mths is a guideline, not set in stone. I will not be surprised if people are going to be witch hunted on parenting forums in 10yrs time because they haven't started weaning yet, such is tendency for guidelines to change direction every few decades.

If they're full they'll stop.

Really? You clearly don't have my baby boy then, who, given that he was EBF, would quite happily nurse till he vomited it all up each and every time. I had to limit him to one boob per feed for quite a long time because otherwise it'd all come straight back all over the both of us, leaving him even hungrier and me completely out of milk and unable to feed him.

 

[staralfur]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

you try drinking the milk and then try the carrot...

Also, even his doctor said he weaned his children early because these hv's had a bee in their bonnet. His words.

There are arguments for both sides. The who guidelines cover the underdeveloped world as well where sterilization is an issue and the longer the wait the less chance of infection. I'm sure you've read this before.

I made a decision, its worked for us.

Can you really compare an adult drinking milk and not feeling as satisfied as after eating a carrot, to a baby drinking milk that is optimized for their development versus a purée mush that they may or may not be able to digest properly? I'm not sure that's an apt comparison.

 

[staralfur]

Yeah... I think something like 1 in 4 people have allergies... not my personal definition of "very few".

The OP was annoyed that her HV had kicked off at her weaning before 6 months because (and I paraphrase because I'm too lazy to find the quote) "rates of allergies have gone up because people are being weaned too soon." Yet Minties has shown that even 30yrs ago, people were waiting till 5-6mths before weaning.

So the fact that 1 in 4 people are allergic to something despite 30+ yrs of optimum weaning, if taken at face value, could be seen as being a bit concerning, no? I'm not saying correlation = causation, I'm just saying that the OP is not committing some form of crime against human rights by saying "I don't think the guidelines are right for me and mine."

COI declaration: I was exclusively breastfed for 6mths before weaning. I have no allergies. My OH was weaned early (baby rice in bottle, etc), has had anaphylaxis to crustaceans and has IBS. My LO has a rare form of allergy to dairy, soy and bananas that is life-threatening and was discovered within 4 weeks of being born. I think allergies are multifactorial and complex, and to put them down to when a person was weaned is simplistic in the extreme.

I've honestly not done enough research specifically on allergies and age of weaning to comment on the potential correlation. My comment was more specifically aimed at the very incorrect assumption that allergies are a rarity. I won't get into how much that has to do with weaning age because I'm not terribly familiar with the research linking those two things.

 

[wemustntpanic]

I never understood the "he was hungry" argument for starting solids early. Did it never occur to these people to just give more milk? Especially when you consider the calorie content, breastmilk/formula has way more.

A 4 oz bottle of formula has 80 calories, whereas a 4 oz jar of Earth's Best brand carrot puree has 40. That's only half the calories, so why do people think it's more filling?

you try drinking the milk and then try the carrot...

Also, even his doctor said he weaned his children early because these hv's had a bee in their bonnet. His words.

There are arguments for both sides. The who guidelines cover the underdeveloped world as well where sterilization is an issue and the longer the wait the less chance of infection. I'm sure you've read this before.

I made a decision, its worked for us.

Can you really compare an adult drinking milk and not feeling as satisfied as after eating a carrot, to a baby drinking milk that is optimized for their development versus a purée mush that they may or may not be able to digest properly? I'm not sure that's an apt comparison.

I admit I was being facetious but my point remains the same. He is more satisfied after solids even if the calories don't compare. He still has all the milk he needs but as a pp said, the solid satiates his hunger in a way that 10 bottles would just make him sick.