Early Weaning Support Thread

[Angel2Fire]

I started Chaise on baby rice at about 11 weeks because of his reflux. After a while his reflux got worse but he was too established on solids by then to take him off! (At about 20 weeks.) Now I just try to keep him on foods which won't irritate the reflux.

I've been having problems since the HV said I should start putting him on lumpy foods. I just can't seem to get the consistency right. So I started using the jars, and now I try to make my own but they're not great!

I was just wondering if anyone here weaned early and went onto the next stage early as well? Or if you had problems with it?

And did anyone start finger foods early? (We only started 2 weeks ago and it took haise a while to get used to them.)

Oh and I like the idea of this thread but you may find it difficult to keep disccusion out of it.

 

[Lisa1302]

An idea when making your own stage 2 (first lumpy stuff) is to blend the veggies completely and then chop the meat very small - some things you can also flake like fish. So its like puree but with some meaty lumps

Also you could try to purée it all and then add pasta shapes.

Then gradually up the amount of lumps, so if you did potato, carrot and chicken you could just mash the carrot but keep the spuds blended.

Broccoli & carrots are good lumpy ones to add, as they are easy to mash without going to far and also easy for them to chew/squash.

 

[Angel2Fire]

Thanks Lisa, my HV told me to just mash it with a fork, not blend, but its wayyy too lumpy that way. Today I made banana, chicken and pasta. I blended the chicken and pasta then just mashed the banana.

I found it really weird because I had a big argument with my HV about weaning Chaise early, then when he turned 6 months she just turned round and said "right, just give him what you eat now."

I haven't, because I didn't feel it was right for him. Some might disagree, but I know my baby and I want to introduce new things slowly. (There's a lot of allergies in my family so I'm a bit scared.)

Has anyone else been told the same as me? I just found it so weird... how does turning 6 months mean he's ready for stuff he wasn't 2 weeks ago. Bizzare!

 

[mrsholmes]

I think scott eats cos he has too rather than 'enjoys' is food lol

LisA Im making my own hopefully do some blw and some purees, when does the lumps start?

 

[polo_princess]

I too blended my foods in the same way as Lisa did to get them a little lumpier, veggies and meat seperate. I found doing it with a fork left massive lumps in them

I didnt move onto the different stage jars any earlier though i still kept to her normal age reccomendation, so it ended up that we just stayed on stage 1 for a little longer, but towards the end of stage one i made them inbetweeny if that makes sense its early!!

 

[HannahGraceee]

Hiya - i Weaned ava at just over 3 months bcos she is the greadiest girl in the whole world and still is

She was draining 8-9oz every 2-3 hours!

 

[jadesh101]

I am thinking about starting my baby just after xmas so dead on 4 months because milk is no longer satisfying her what would you recommend I tried first I am totally confused.com

 

[Cinderella]

Thanks for the thread Polo_Princess!

So yeah, if anyone read the other thread we're being pushed to wean by the GP and HV as Max's weight gain has gradually decreased to the point where last week he didn't gain anything. He's gone from having about 35oz+ milk a day to now where we can barely get 18oz into him. He shows his hungry signals, I give him the milk and after the first gulp he screams and refuses any more. It can take almost an hour to get 3oz into him and he's screaming and wriggling throughout. Once he has finished drinking he then spends the next two hours between feeds throwing it all back up, a lot of it is still projectile too so the poor boy is constantly wrapped in a big towel to minimise mess! He's on Gaviscon, 2 sachets per feed. He's also on ranitidine but neither of these things seem to help at all. It is getting steadily worse and the GP says he's running out of ideas and that it would probably be a good idea to start weaning but I really am at a loss to see how this would work. We tried baby rice in the milk, but obviously this did nothing as he won't take the milk and when we'd get a few oz's in him he still threw it all up!

Can we just go onto things like mashed carrots, porridge etc? And how will it help his reflux if we're still using his milk in them? If he does go onto a mainly solid diet like the jars, will he still be getting the nutrients he needs if he's not getting the milk? I'm really open to any advice about the best things to feed him to help settle his reflux? I'm hoping to hold out until New Years when he'll be 4 months but at the rate he's going now, i'll have to do it sooner as he seems constantly starving and has started point blank refusing the bottle now and he hasn't put any weight on during his 12 week growth spurt. Any advice welcome!

 

[Aidedhoney]

I am weaing Alex just now, we did as long as poss on baby rice and have just started puree x

 

[Lisa1302]

Thanks for the thread Polo_Princess!

So yeah, if anyone read the other thread we're being pushed to wean by the GP and HV as Max's weight gain has gradually decreased to the point where last week he didn't gain anything. He's gone from having about 35oz+ milk a day to now where we can barely get 18oz into him. He shows his hungry signals, I give him the milk and after the first gulp he screams and refuses any more. It can take almost an hour to get 3oz into him and he's screaming and wriggling throughout. Once he has finished drinking he then spends the next two hours between feeds throwing it all back up, a lot of it is still projectile too so the poor boy is constantly wrapped in a big towel to minimise mess! He's on Gaviscon, 2 sachets per feed. He's also on ranitidine but neither of these things seem to help at all. It is getting steadily worse and the GP says he's running out of ideas and that it would probably be a good idea to start weaning but I really am at a loss to see how this would work. We tried baby rice in the milk, but obviously this did nothing as he won't take the milk and when we'd get a few oz's in him he still threw it all up!

Can we just go onto things like mashed carrots, porridge etc? And how will it help his reflux if we're still using his milk in them? If he does go onto a mainly solid diet like the jars, will he still be getting the nutrients he needs if he's not getting the milk? I'm really open to any advice about the best things to feed him to help settle his reflux? I'm hoping to hold out until New Years when he'll be 4 months but at the rate he's going now, i'll have to do it sooner as he seems constantly starving and has started point blank refusing the bottle now and he hasn't put any weight on during his 12 week growth spurt. Any advice welcome!

Porridge is great because a small serving (as per box) gives 1/3 of the majority of things they need in day, plus it can be made with formula!!! So by the time they have also had their minimum 18oz of formula in the day then they are close to getting all what they require (sorry BF mums I don't know what the equivalent booby milk per day is?)

Carrots are a nice one to start with as they are quite sweet.
Sweet potato is another good one.

I would start on veggies - only cos they may get a sweet tooth and decide they only want fruit (Izzy would given half a chance I tell ya)

A really good pudding is the Muller Little Stars (better than Petite Filous) - one tiny pot of that is equal in goodness to 3oz of formula!

Sorry I have no experience of reflux, so no idea how food would affect him.

 

[babyboo29]

I am so glad that there is this thread, I have just started to wean my DD she is 4 months and a week old. There is so much debate on this and others have been telling me to look at BLW but it was not was I was looking for. I tried mashed banana today and she seems to prefer it much more to baby rice.

 

[Jkelmum]

i weaned early due to weight loss refusing milk and slow gaining ....started with baby rice and purees until 5 and half months we moved more onto blw ...i feed her breakfast and she feeds herself lunch and tea then i give her a pudding with her tea she onloy as 3 bottles a day and only takes 2~3oz

 

[Lisa1302]

I think scott eats cos he has too rather than 'enjoys' is food lol

LisA Im making my own hopefully do some blw and some purees, when does the lumps start?

I stuck to puree until she was 6 mth, and then slowly started to make things lumpier...some do gag and spit a bit at first, personally I wouldn't have kept on trying if she did that (some do though)

Banana is a good one to start on lumps too, cos you can mash it with a fork and leave some soft lumps in there...but if they don't like them you can quickly make it more mashed up!

Now Izzy will eat something like salmon and broccoli, both done with a fork, with a cheese and tomato sauce.
I do still give her some things that are possibly too puréed - I need to rethink when I next cook...!

One thing I did for her that she loves, which is great for before they need lumps (one I need to adapt with lumps now!) is creamy chicken and mushroom soup - I just make it with more chicken and mushroom and less of the liquids, so its like a thick soup...I like that too so its good cos you can make a huge load up and freeze in big pots for your own lunch too! You can do small croutons in it too for some soft lumps!

With lunch today I am trying her with some avocado pieces, which she hasn't had for a while..so I might end up wearing it lol

 

[polo_princess]

Cinderella the general jist of it helping reflux is by having something "thicker" in their stomachs rather than just milk on its own helps the milk from coming back up, milk will tend to slosh around in their tummy but solids wont so much

Lisa the chicken soup is a great idea, i might try that for Brooke, but now that she's bigger i think it could get a little messy

 

[Cinderella]

See, this is what worries me about early weaning though, he's on easy digest milk with Gaviscon in it so it's already pretty thick, especially when we added the baby rice. So giving him purees which are effectively the same consistency doesn't make much sense to me.

I guess mashed steamed veggies would be a better consistancy if I didn't add too much milk, they'd be 'drier' so less sloshing. I know right now he's not ready for spoon feeding so i'll definitely have to wait a few more weeks but I don't know how long he can continue without gaining weight!

And thanks for the advice Lisa! Much appreciated! I'll start looking into some baby porridges and little stars yoghurts, see how he takes to those!

 

[Aidedhoney]

The chicken soup sounds yummy

 

[polo_princess]

Cinderella, Brooke was on regualr SMA with the Gaviscon and tbh it didnt really make any difference to to thickness of the milk so the rice/porridge worked for us in her having something thicker in her stomach.

I dont know if there is much more that you can do if Max is already having his milk feeds of the same consistency, i would hold off the veggies for as long as you can though as they will take up the room that the milk usually does iykwim?

 

[Jkelmum]

This thread would make a good sticky ...Lily started on purees but when i put her on the jars (she as one a day) she went straight to 7m as they are thicker and she seems to like it thicker ....our day in the early days was

7am milk
8:30 puree
11am milk
2 purree
3:30 milk
5puree
7milk bed

now ...
7am milk 4oz max
8am toast or porrige
11am milk offered but 90% she doesnt take 1oz
1pm lunch ...sandwich some chopped cucumber or carrot stix yoghurt
2:30 milk 4oz max
5 tea whatever we have just leave her to it not blended or mashed ..she loves brocoli and carrots yorkshire puddings ...then i feed her a jar of 7m pudding
7milk 4oz max then bed

so in general she will only take 12oz a day but her breakfast can have 3oz in also when she as mash potato i add it there and she as yoghurts daily ..


also i find she eats any solids offered to her ..its getting to drink thats the problem

her weight is 15lb10oz and she is on the 9th centile

 

[Cinderella]

Ok well, I'm thinking I might have to bite the bullet earlier than I had planned, at least as far as porridge goes as he's refused 2 bottles so far today and since 6am he's had no more than 4 oz in total. He will drink 4-5oz during the night, so he'll have a feed at 11pm, 3am and 6am which can total 15oz... but during the day is a nightmare. He does genuinely seem in pain when he is drinking so i'm certain it's the reflux, but I am worried he's going to start associating drinking milk with pain and that's why he's now refusing bottles.
I was thinking of trying to feed him during his naps so that he takes the milk but then i'm not too sure this is too healthy either as he won't ever be awake when he feeds!

I could scream this is so frustrating! The GP recommended baby rice as a first step, but after reading most people on here don't like it i'm not too sure I want to go there, so figure the porridges are better. We can play about with the consistancy then and find one that'll stay down.

With regards to jars, is the only difference between the 4m and 7m ones the thickness? I really think the way he is at the moment the thicker the better.

Sorry... I know it's a lot of questions, I really am just very concerned and confused about the whole early weaning process!

 

[Aidedhoney]

Quick question ladies, Alex is doing really wel on his puree, takes some at every offering. Today he hasnt taken as much as normal. Am i right in thinking he could just be having an off day and that i should continue to offer as normal?