Advice needed on early weaning

[Jacks]

Hi there my little one is 16 weeks old today and i'm under lots of pressure to start weaning her from my OH and in laws, they keep telling me she's a big girl she needs to start weaning.

Yes she is a big girl, she weighed 14lbs 3ozs at her last weigh in and that was 3 weeks ago, she was 9lbs 10ozs when born and is breastfed.

She is showing signs that she is ready for weaning, like grabbing at everything and putting it in her mouth, she is getting hungrier much quicker and she no longer sleeps through the night, now wakes every 2-3 hours for milk.

We have tried giving her 1 bottle of formula milk a day as a top up but she doesn't always take it as she likes to feed from me, but I have noticed that lately I cannot keep up with her demand for milk, sometimes she just can't get anything outta me.

I do have some baby rice and hubby is adamant that she now needs this to satisfy her hunger, ideally I want to wait until I have seen the health visitor on tuesday to see what she advises, but with my milk seemily not meeting her demand, I don't know what to do!

 

[AP]

I'm not sure what to advise, but dont do it because you feel pressured to do it.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Her weight doesn't mean she needs to be weaned - my baby was over 21lb before she ate solids and is fine!

Waking in the night is not a sign of needing to be weaned either - it sounds like you're going through the massive 4 month growth spurt, which will pass. You might want to ask in the BF section too, ladies there have surely had similar issues.

 

[RFBump]

Do what you feel best!

I started my daughter on a tiny spoon of baby rice before her breakfast feed (she is formula fed) as i felt she was ready at 13 weeks as i could no longer fill her and everything was going in her mouth...9oz every 2 hours was a difficult time!

I have in the last couple of days started her on a tiny amount of tea before her tea bottle just to try and sustain her till after her bath! Bath time has turned into a screamin fit from it being a really enjoyable time!

dont be pressured, every baby is different! x

 

[Connah'sMommy]

Dont feel like you have to do it hun! dont let people push you into it!
Maybe speak to your HV?xx

 

[Lu28]

Hon this sounds exactly like the mammoth 4 month growth spurt. My LO had slept through for ages and suddenly was awake feeding every 3 hours again. It was tiring but it calmed down after a week or so.

Putting things into her mouth is a developmental phase, again it doesn't mean she needs solids. As long as she's satisfied by bfing more often, gaining weight, wet and dirty nappies etc then she's fine. Alot of people mistake the 4 month growth spurt with LO needing to be weaned but maybe stick it out for another couple of weeks and see if things calm down.

You will know what's right for your LO, please try not to be pressured into anything

 

[Jacks]

Thanks for the replies ladies, I was thinking it was her 4 month growth spurt and I've mentioned this to my hubby and inlaws but they still want me to try her on baby rice.

She did take a bottle yesterday afternoon to top her up, she had 4ozs and that seemed to help loads, was nearly 2 hours before she wanted feeding again! At the mo i'm lucky if she can go an hour during the day, unless she is sleeping off course, she is napping quite a bit too, which again makes me think growth spurt, but i'm fighting a losing battle with hubby!

All i get is she's a big girl she needs more food, she is in 6-9 month clothes and is just over 16 weeks.

Maiya did sleep for 5 hours last night when put to bed and she hasn't done that for well over a week, but then she woke up at around 2.30am for a quick feed, then 3.30am for a proper feed, put her to bed again and she was awake within 30 mins for more! Ended up putting her in bed with me where she slept till about 10am but she was feeding on and off in her sleep, she has never seemed this hungry before, does this sound like growth spurt or just a hungry baby???

 

[purple_socks]

I would agree that it sounds like growth spurt...sleeping lots and suddenly being hungry all the time!

i dont think u should wean just because other people want u to...do what u feel is best for ur LO and not ur OH and in laws. Weaning before ur LO is really ready can b very bad 4 them so def don't let people bully u into it.

Things like babies watching u eat and putting things in their mouth r normal developmental phases which don't mean they r ready for weaning at all. tis a common misconception-
signs of being ready r:
being able to controll his/her head
being able to sit up unaided/with very minimal support
loss of the tounge thrust reflex (this an important one)
having the hand-eye co-ordination to get food into their own mouth

I would def say post in the BF section and ask how other BF mums managed with the 4 month growth spurt

HTH hun

 

[sleeping bubs]

My lo is small for his age, 11lb 7oz at 20weeks, suggested by my hv to start him on baby rice cos is weight is tailing off and he is below the 0.4th centile anyway!! He only takes a max of 5oz bottles every 3hrs in the mornings he has around 3oz first think, so thinking of giving him some rice today on his 4th bottle of the day, he has 5 bottles a day. Tried to encouage him to drink more formula but with no luck so hopefully he will like solids, which might help put his weight up as he is so active he just burns it off and he is on nurtiprem

 

[britt1986]

I don't want to start a debate, so don't take this the wrong way. Here in the US, I don't think weaning is such a big deal. It is very common here to start babies on cereal around 4 months and maybe a few fruit solids. I actually started my LO on a small amount of cereal in his bottles at night time and one in the morning at 13 weeks. Not a whole lot, but enough to satify him. He likes it and it has cause him no harm in anyway. His Pediatrician is the one that actually told me to start him on cereal at 4 months old. He said a lot of people start their babies sooner, but he said he doesn't like it, but doesn't condone it. Again, I am not trying to start a debate, but what does it hurt to give babies under 6 months of age a little cereal?

 

[ellismum]

Also, a few spoonfuls of Baby Rice is not going instantly work like magic and have LO going for 12 hours solid! I BF Ellis and agree, 4 month spurt is a killer but once through it she will settle again.

 

[first alien]

hi, i'm going through the same thing although not the pressure from OH or in laws. Finley is a big boy 17lb 13 oz at just under 15 weeks. i have just today begun him on baby rice. i gave him a very small amount mixed with breastmilk ( a baby spoon if rice with an oz of milk!) he took it very well. although he's not sitting on his own yet he was opening his mouth for the spoon and if he hadn't then i wouldn't of forced it.

how does your LO react to a spoon? i tried Finley last week with just milk on the spoon! its very difficult with lots of contradicting advice and being told how it will affect them if you do it too early. you will know yourself if your LO is ready. if you do try her with rice and she's thrusting her tongue or spits it out she's not ready so leave it a couple of weeks.

good luck

 

[mommyof3co]

I don't want to start a debate, so don't take this the wrong way. Here in the US, I don't think weaning is such a big deal. It is very common here to start babies on cereal around 4 months and maybe a few fruit solids. I actually started my LO on a small amount of cereal in his bottles at night time and one in the morning at 13 weeks. Not a whole lot, but enough to satify him. He likes it and it has cause him no harm in anyway. His Pediatrician is the one that actually told me to start him on cereal at 4 months old. He said a lot of people start their babies sooner, but he said he doesn't like it, but doesn't condone it. Again, I am not trying to start a debate, but what does it hurt to give babies under 6 months of age a little cereal?

Here (I'm in the US too) many pediatricians are not up to date on the recommendations and many still recommend cereal in bottles which is actually very dangerous and shouldn't be done. I really wouldn't recommend to people to do it because while it may have caused no harm to your baby, which of course is great, it can be dangerous. Not at all trying to debate but to answer your question, Here are some things that can happen from giving babies cereal and other solids before 6mo (which is considered the "safe zone" to start, even though some babies might be ready before then, we can't tell what their insides are like (maturity level) just by looking at them so they say to wait until 6mo just to be on the safe side)

https://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

To the OP....it really sounds like a 4mo growth spurt, I would really stick with nursing on demand and see how she's doing in a week or 2. Don't feel pressured to wean her, she has the rest of her life to eat solid food and try new things

 

[Jacks]

hi, i'm going through the same thing although not the pressure from OH or in laws. Finley is a big boy 17lb 13 oz at just under 15 weeks. i have just today begun him on baby rice. i gave him a very small amount mixed with breastmilk ( a baby spoon if rice with an oz of milk!) he took it very well. although he's not sitting on his own yet he was opening his mouth for the spoon and if he hadn't then i wouldn't of forced it.

how does your LO react to a spoon? i tried Finley last week with just milk on the spoon! its very difficult with lots of contradicting advice and being told how it will affect them if you do it too early. you will know yourself if your LO is ready. if you do try her with rice and she's thrusting her tongue or spits it out she's not ready so leave it a couple of weeks.

good luck

Hiya my LO is very interested in food, she watches us eat all the time and tries to grab at it, I put a spoon near her mouth to see how she would react and it went straight in!

I tried her with a small amount of rice this morning and she ate a little, then she went on the boob and guzzled so much it hurt!

My in laws came round today and I caught my MIL just in time as she was about to put chocolate in her mouth! Even after I said no, she still tried, only after I said no several times and even my hubby said no she finally put the chocolate away from Maiya's mouth! I was not happy! And to top it all of poor bubba was knackered and they wouldn't let her sleep, in the end I had to take her into my room and let her lay on my bed, poor thing zonked out and as been sleeping for the past 3 hours!

 

[first alien]

oh jacks that sounds bad if your in laws are trying to give her chocolate. that is not a good thing to give to a baby and they should listen to you the first time you said no. she is your child not theirs.
i've now started to give finley tea time food. it was easier than lunch as i wasn't always at home. he is enjoying it but his hasn't changed his sleeping pattern. just gives me longer in the evening between feeds! he goes on the boob after aswell and guzzles like he's had nothing!!! funny boy.
i really hope things settle for you soon. i'm soo tired with fin not sleeping and i go back to work in 2 weeks!!!

 

[NuttyJester]

I got the same thing from LOs G'parents... I told them that their thinking (he's big, he needs food from 3 months) is "out-dated and old fashioned and that a baby's internals aren't mature enough until 4-6 months, so I'm waiting until I know he can handle it for definite, at 6 months. He doesn't need food, I produce just the right amount of milk for him, he in fact determines the supply himself and my milk ducts are like tear ducts, no-one ever worries that if they cry too much one day they won't have enough tears for the next do they? If LO wants more, there'll be more there within a couple of hours."

That shut them up. And they know if they ever try and give him chocolate etc. there's a pay-off, they won't see him for a while! One good visit leads to another, one visit where they upset me and they're not welcome 'til I've calmed down!!