Baby Rice and Rusks!

[KatieB]

You're not clueless, you seem very clued up to me from your posts! x

 

[EllaAndLyla]

You're not clueless, you seem very clued up to me from your posts! x

Aww thank you!!

 

[patch2006uk]

my mum and MIL saying 3-4 months is okay, The packets of rice and rusks saying from 4-6 months onwards and HV's saying 6 months +. So which one is it ?

Your mum and MIL say 3-4 months because that is what the guidelines used to be. The packets of food say 4-6 months because when the guidelines were changed, the government didn't compel food manufactures to alter the advice on their packaging. The HV's are giving you the most up to date advice

I waited until my oldest was just over six months, and intend on doing the same this time x

Exactly what I was going to say!

Watching you eat isn't a sign a baby is ready for weaning, and nor is waking in the night. True signs are sitting up with little or no support, good hand eye coordination and quickly and accurately putting things in her mouth, and loss of the tongue thrust reflex - these signs usually appear around 5.5-6.5 months, and they show LO's systems are ready for solids

Guidelines for reflux babies and preemies are different.

Oh, and baby rice is really horrible stuff, with questionable nutritional value. Try mashed fruit (banana or pear) or veg first, much nicer!

 

[Natsku]

baby rice is likely to make the constipation worse. Its best to wait til 6 months but if you wean before that try fruit and veg instead (prunes for the constipation might be good) but avoid things like baby rice and rusks, maybe porridges too until the constipation gets better.

 

[emme]

my lo was the same however after speaking to the hv i've decided to wait till 6 months xx

 

[kerrie24]

Unless your baby is very hungry and unsatisfied(and youve tried hungry baby milk)baby is best staying away from foods as milk has more calories and nutrients and sometimes giving food too early can affect their feeding.Also they are too young to digest it at 3-4 months.Showing an interest in you eating isnt really a sign of being ready and one teaspoon of baby rice really doesnt have any value or taste so I would just wait.
If you wait till 6 months your baby can join you at mealtimes and eat what you eat,its much more exciting for them then.

 

[tina3747]

You can read a million and one reports or research papers and there's never going to be a definate answer on weaning age. DOH advises 6 months, also that there's less chance of developing allergies if waiting. WHO is now backtracking saying they advise 6 months only to under developed countries due to lack of nutrition and 4 -6 months is now the guideline. One reasearch contradicts the next!
I think common sense needs to be used, worldwide developed countries have always been from 4 months if your BABY is ready. There's a load of signs to look for that is a natural progression. If traditional weaning around 4 months a slow transition is needed.

 

[patch2006uk]

You can read a million and one reports or research papers and there's never going to be a definate answer on weaning age. DOH advises 6 months, also that there's less chance of developing allergies if waiting. WHO is now backtracking saying they advise 6 months only to under developed countries due to lack of nutrition and 4 -6 months is now the guideline. One reasearch contradicts the next!
I think common sense needs to be used, worldwide developed countries have always been from 4 months if your BABY is ready. There's a load of signs to look for that is a natural progression. If traditional weaning around 4 months a slow transition is needed.

I'm pretty sure the WHO guidelines aren't changing. The guidelines were all up for review earlier this year, and they didn't change.

 

[EllaAndLyla]

After all this good advice I think I will wait until closer to 6 months and then start introducing things slowly. She can very nearly sit unaided bless her, she tries so so hard! I just need to swerve OH's opinion on it all, he wanted to start her as early as 3 months because of what his mum had said to him. I came into motherhood thinking it was 3 months too! but soon noticed that people said they weren't weaning until 6 months!! OH doesn't come to many of our babies appointments so doesn't really know whats going half the time. He is really excited to start and wants to asap and I think his excitement has brushed off on me making me a bit confused.
We had a HV appointment today for Lyla to get weighed. She was 12lbs 15oz and is 16 weeks tomorrow and they actually said we should book a GP appointment so we can get referred to a dietrisionist (sp? lol) because she is on soya milk due to a possible allergy. They said that way they can follow what we are doing step by step and advise us on what is best for her Thank you everyone!!!! xx

 

[tina3747]

You can read a million and one reports or research papers and there's never going to be a definate answer on weaning age. DOH advises 6 months, also that there's less chance of developing allergies if waiting. WHO is now backtracking saying they advise 6 months only to under developed countries due to lack of nutrition and 4 -6 months is now the guideline. One reasearch contradicts the next!
I think common sense needs to be used, worldwide developed countries have always been from 4 months if your BABY is ready. There's a load of signs to look for that is a natural progression. If traditional weaning around 4 months a slow transition is needed.

I'm pretty sure the WHO guidelines aren't changing. The guidelines were all up for review earlier this year, and they didn't change.

The 6 month guidelines are being geared towards underdeveloped countries. You can draw your own confusions from it, at the end of the day everyone will do what they want to do! Alot of people will take advise from thier own mums who most likely will say rusk in bottle, wean at 10 weeks ect ect!
My 12 yr old was 15 weeks, I did a mixture of pre bought and majority made my own. He's still a fab eater now, always veg over fast food 10 times out of 10. That worked for us first time round just as anyone doing blw will repeat again if it worked well with thier first child. Research changes by the year and who's to say in 10 yrs time people won't recoil in horror at the suggestion that they did blw!!! It's bonkers with all the info, every reeasrch contradicts the next. Even the new one suggesting bf babies need weaning early because of lack of vital nutrients?!?! It's all mental, you need to do what suits you and your baby along with a whole load of common sense!
I was weaned at 6 weeks eeeeeeek!!!!

 

[patch2006uk]

I don't agree that they keep changing the age - it's pretty clearly gone up and stabilised at 6 months for the past 10 years.

 

[T-Bex]

The reason why the packets say 4-6 months, is that whilst the advice from the health bodies has changed, the legislation left over from when weaning was advised at 4 months hasn't. So, basically (and slightly cynically) it's advised to start at 6 months, but the companies that make weaning products put on their packets from 4 months, because it means they'll make more profit, and if you look on the back, it will usually say "Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until 6 months unless stated by health care professional."

Hope that helps!

 

[special_kala]

They have changed it once on 10 years! and before that it was still 3/4 months. I'm 23 and the guidelines have changed once since I was born, not exactly yearly is it.

 

[Divinebeauty]

If I had any advice to give...

I would say wait as long as you can - I weaned my LO at 5 months -ish because of reflux, and now the little monkey refuses her milk until she is sooooo sleepy that she fancy's a nice warm bottle of milk.

Also since starting solids- her constipation is just hell... really.... way worst than on milk, she will eat fruit but it doesn't make her go, and she definitely is not keen on prunes, although I try to sneak some into her favorite squash LOL...