FB 'friend' weaning 11 week old!

[Foogirl]

And I don't consider myself to be part of any bandwagon either!

I'd love to have a bandwagon.......do you think it would get good mileage?

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

And I don't consider myself to be part of any bandwagon either!

I'd love to have a bandwagon.......do you think it would get good mileage?

It would probably end up very high mileage from too many people joining it I could do with a new car, though, so...

 

[Foogirl]

And I don't consider myself to be part of any bandwagon either!

I'd love to have a bandwagon.......do you think it would get good mileage?

It would probably end up very high mileage from too many people joining it I could do with a new car, though, so...

I suppose, it would at least be a people carrier. Then there are all the musical instruments.

If I ever design a car, I will call it a bandwagon.

 

[KatelynsMummy]

I weaned at 15/16 weeks because my LO was on over 100oz of hungry baby formula in a 12 hour period, i did research for about 3 weeks continuously so I knew what I was doing.
I chose that decision for my baby and wont be slated for it.
I know the recommendations, but I know alot of people dont do the research before they put a spoon in the babys mouth.

I guess what Im trying to say is, each baby is ready at a different time, but 11 weeks is too early for any baby.
I know the damages weaning can cause, my nephew was weaned at 5 weeks, and has recently had his bowel removed and the bag put on the outside (dont know what its called, cant do medical terms) because of the early weaning.

The dangers are important but unfortunately in this day and age people ignore them and think they are there for the sake of it.

 

[ShanandBoc]

Let people do what they want. They are hardly abusing their children.....i followed the recommendations, i waited till 6 months and am doing BLW, but it wasnt so long ago that the recommended age was 3 - 4 months, and didnt seem to do babies any harm? Each mum knows their babies better than any of us, so who are we to judge their situation??

The one thing i wouldnt advise is cereal in formula. I dont know why any Doctor would tell a patient to do that. Its well known to be a no-no.

 

[emmamc28]

sorry bandwagon may have been the wrong word but hey ho

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[Foogirl]

I guess what Im trying to say is, each baby is ready at a different time, but 11 weeks is too early for any baby.
I know the damages weaning can cause, my nephew was weaned at 5 weeks, and has recently had his bowel removed and the bag put on the outside (dont know what its called, cant do medical terms) because of the early weaning.

The dangers are important but unfortunately in this day and age people ignore them and think they are there for the sake of it.

I very much doubt his parents were told early weaning led to his problem. There is nothing in early weaning that would, on its own, cause a child's bowel to be removed.

At worst, early weaning can cause irritation to the gut which can, in a small number of circumstances lead to allergies. There are also issues around obesity and related heart problems.

There are no "dangers" there are only some fairly low risks statistically. The biggest hazard from early weaning is choking. I really do wish people would read up on the issues before berating people for doing things instead of simply assuming that not sticking to the guidelines is putting their child in grave danger.

 

[emmamc28]

it would be interesting to know how many of those who are on the 'early weaning is bad' band wagon, if told by a medical professional to wean slightly earlier than recomended for whatever reason would do so and if so why and what would your reasons be? just out of interest?


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I believe we have all said that there's a difference if you are advised to start for medical purposes as opposed to just starting for the hell of it. I was advised to start weaning at just after 18 weeks because of slow weight gain and in retrospect I wish I had waited as it made no difference. She did take to it well (had lost her tongue thrust, was sitting up on her own, etc) but had I realized it wouldn't help her gain faster I would have waited until six months as I wanted to do blw.

sorry but i dont really see the differnece personally. if the doctor advises to wean early how does that make it different to weaning early of your own accord. the baby is still the same age, has the same digestive system and is at the same stage of maturity so personally i dont think its different at all. i do agree that 11 weeks is somewhat early to be weaned but who is to say that this woman has not been advised by the doctor to start weaning, noone knows the situation includeing myself




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[Gems89]

My DS was a hungry baby and around 4months we started to give him really milky rice (advised by the HV) and it made him soooo constipated. I felt sooooo guilty I cried for hours!

We tried again at 5 and he was fine, definately wouldn't advise!!!

 

[ashley_gee89]

There are no "dangers" there are only some fairly low risks statistically. The biggest hazard from early weaning is choking. I really do wish people would read up on the issues before berating people for doing things instead of simply assuming that not sticking to the guidelines is putting their child in grave danger.

You are assuming these women didn't read up ?

I, for one, have done lots of research on this and although you pose some good points even you point out "fairly low risks" - Which, why would any parent do anything to put their child at ANY risk, low or high ?

It doesn't make people bad mothers for weaning early, of course it doesn't, but what it does show, when they know all the facts, and still think they know best, is that they're far to stubborn to listen to anyone but themselves, so in that respect, I worry for a lot more than early weaning tbh.

 

[Foogirl]

but what it does show, when they know all the facts, and still think they know best, is that they're far to stubborn to listen to anyone but themselves, so in that respect, I worry for a lot more than early weaning tbh.[/COLOR][/B]

It shows nothing of the sort. It shows they have weighed up the risks versus what works for their own child and their own family now and decided they are happy with that.

You cannot remove risk entirely from a child's life. Extending your argument, you would never let a child crawl or walk because of the risk of picking up bacteria from the floor or falling over. You'd never go out in the car with them or cross the road. Life is full of risks and the only thing we can do is balance them to suit our own circumstances.

 

[J_Odhran]

Foogirl, absolutely not, if someone who weaned early was able to speak in an appropriate manner instead of "concentrate on your own kids" "IDGAF what you say" etc etc, then I would certainly find it interesting to hear their reasons in a quiet and mature way, but once the childishness comes out I lose all interest.. I am not TELLING anyone what to do.

Oh, and just because I shared a story, of someone silly enough to give chocolate to a newborn has nothing linked to the girl who weaned at 11 weeks, I'm sorry I didn't realize a forum wasn't for sharing

As I have said before, various times, I know people are advised by doctors, and also that it's the mums choice what to do with their own baby, also how I was pleased that their baby was happy and healthy, that sure doesn't sound like a one sided opinion to me, seeing as you were quoting things I said, I thought I would quote the bits that you seemed to have missed that show I have looked at both sides of the coin.

I'm not here for arguments (as again said before) but there is no need for the swearing, rudeness and defensiveness, if anyone feels they have been "attacked" by me, you can report the post, I'm not one to hold grudges, and wouldn't avoid any other threads of anyones who hasn't agreed with what I've said. It would just be nice to be able to speak on here for once instead of it going sour.

 

[Marlarky]

I dont swear actually and my F in IDGAF didnt stand for what you think it does, Im not being childish, Im just simply not letting these attacks bother me. You all should just be concenrating on your children instead of worrying about mine so much, I havent been in this thread saying anything lately for the obvious reason of it being pointless. The past is the past and I cant take back weaning early. My son is over 17 weeks now so it doesnt matter anymore. There is no point in arguing because both sides believe what they are doing is right. Thats the joy of life, we are allowed to be iNdiVidUAlS.

 

[J_Odhran]

I'm not calling you childish, but the reaction was slightly.. I can understand how you feel as it's a controversial subject, but as I've said before, as long as you feel you have done right, then nobody else matters.

Just because we are commenting or giving an opinion doesn't mean we aren't concentrating on our children though.. You're right that there is no point in arguing, I thought it would have been more a friendly debate than what it turned into.

It would be very boring if we were all the same, I know I have made the right choices regarding weaning (for me and Odhrán).

 

[ashley_gee89]

but what it does show, when they know all the facts, and still think they know best, is that they're far to stubborn to listen to anyone but themselves, so in that respect, I worry for a lot more than early weaning tbh.[/COLOR][/B]

It shows nothing of the sort. It shows they have weighed up the risks versus what works for their own child and their own family now and decided they are happy with that.

You cannot remove risk entirely from a child's life. Extending your argument, you would never let a child crawl or walk because of the risk of picking up bacteria from the floor or falling over. You'd never go out in the car with them or cross the road. Life is full of risks and the only thing we can do is balance them to suit our own circumstances.

All fair points. However, those are all things a child must learn to do, but early weaning is not something a child must do.

Obviously, in medical circumstances, things are different, and I am not saying the women that have posted in this thread have done these things for the wrong reasons. I was simply pointing out that, there are women who wean their children for the sake of it (for 1, the woman the OP was talking about), without ever considering the impact it would have on their life later on. I think anyone who has the right information, and in the right circumstances, makes the right decision for their child, however flipside, there are women who just want their kids to be far too grown up far too quick & I think the start of this is with early weaning, as it is the only thing, as a parent we can do at such a young age to "speed things up".

I weaned my son at 6 months, and did BLW. He was drinking a hell of a lot of milk before weaning and I did almost cave a few times in almost putting him onto solids, but I knew, he could last out till 6 months as he was only 5 months when his milk intake increased.

My point is, there will be women on this site, that have done exactly what I am against, which is weaning for the hell of it. I'm sure we'd all like to think we're good mum's but in reality sometimes we don't always know best, including me, I think medical research gives guidelines for a reason.

 

[Foogirl]

My point is, there will be women on this site, that have done exactly what I am against, which is weaning for the hell of it. I'm sure we'd all like to think we're good mum's but in reality sometimes we don't always know best, including me, I think medical research gives guidelines for a reason.

People don't wean "for the hell of it". They will always have a reason for doing it. Its's not like they wake up one morning and think " ok we're doing baby rice today". There will always be some kind of thought process there. Whether you agree or not with their reasons, they are THEIR reasons.

We can all spout guidelines and insist they should all be followed, but they are not the only factor at play. For one you have over bearing grandparents insisting now is the time and I know many women have a hard time resisting that. The guidelines themselves are questionable. " is 4 ok or is it 6" and baby food companies saying 'from 4 months". So much doubt, no wonder some choose to ignore them.

I weaned at about 18 weeks as I was breastfeeding and Abby was becoming a really hungry baby, my supply wasn't keeping up and she refused to take bottles, which, even if she had, she couldn't have formula because of intolerance. We tried her with a dairy free one and she would not take it. My HV advised against weaning, but gave no other solution. The GP was the same. "Just feed her more often". Great advice when I wasn't producing enough milk and she was losing weight. These " healthcare professionals" wanted me to wait until she was 6 months corrected age, this would have made her actually 9 month old, and that advice goes against every piece of advice from neo natal specialists. If there is one thing having a preemie taught me, it is that healthcare professionals often aren't the best sources of information.

I went against medical advice, and I weighed up the risks of doing that, a small risk of potential problems later versus a starving, whiny cranky baby now who was driving losing weight and me nuts.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Sadly I think people do sometimes wean for the hell of it, I know people that did, well the reason they gave was that they wanted to see how they reacted to it, which to me is 'for the hell of it'. I take your points though, there are risks in everything and the same piece of info may be interpreted in a lot of different ways. I also think that, in the absence of medical reasons, there are some fundamental points of disagreement about what constitues ready for weaning (even amongst HCPs) which doesn't help anyone decide what is fact and what is not! The NHS' official page about weaning says one thing and half of its employees say the total opposite, very unhelpful.
I so want to enter this profession myself and try and do a better job!

 

[Foogirl]

Sadly I think people do sometimes wean for the hell of it, I know people that did, well the reason they gave was that they wanted to see how they reacted to it, which to me is 'for the hell of it'. I take your points though, there are risks in everything and the same piece of info may be interpreted in a lot of different ways. I also think that, in the absence of medical reasons, there are some fundamental points of disagreement about what constitues ready for weaning (even amongst HCPs) which doesn't help anyone decide what is fact and what is not! The NHS' official page about weaning says one thing and half of its employees say the total opposite, very unhelpful.
I so want to enter this profession myself and try and do a better job!

Yeah, that's really what I was saying. They do have their reason, no matter how spurious they may seem.

 

[KatelynsMummy]

I guess what Im trying to say is, each baby is ready at a different time, but 11 weeks is too early for any baby.
I know the damages weaning can cause, my nephew was weaned at 5 weeks, and has recently had his bowel removed and the bag put on the outside (dont know what its called, cant do medical terms) because of the early weaning.

The dangers are important but unfortunately in this day and age people ignore them and think they are there for the sake of it.

I very much doubt his parents were told early weaning led to his problem. There is nothing in early weaning that would, on its own, cause a child's bowel to be removed.

At worst, early weaning can cause irritation to the gut which can, in a small number of circumstances lead to allergies. There are also issues around obesity and related heart problems.

There are no "dangers" there are only some fairly low risks statistically. The biggest hazard from early weaning is choking. I really do wish people would read up on the issues before berating people for doing things instead of simply assuming that not sticking to the guidelines is putting their child in grave danger.

The doctor did actually say this was the problem. It had caused infection, which spread through his body and caused his bowel to slowly stop working.

 

[kmac625]

it would be interesting to know how many of those who are on the 'early weaning is bad' band wagon, if told by a medical professional to wean slightly earlier than recomended for whatever reason would do so and if so why and what would your reasons be? just out of interest?


https://lb1f.lilypie.com/TikiPic.php/d8pf7gY.jpghttps://lb1f.lilypie.com/d8pfp1.png

I believe we have all said that there's a difference if you are advised to start for medical purposes as opposed to just starting for the hell of it. I was advised to start weaning at just after 18 weeks because of slow weight gain and in retrospect I wish I had waited as it made no difference. She did take to it well (had lost her tongue thrust, was sitting up on her own, etc) but had I realized it wouldn't help her gain faster I would have waited until six months as I wanted to do blw.

sorry but i dont really see the differnece personally. if the doctor advises to wean early how does that make it different to weaning early of your own accord. the baby is still the same age, has the same digestive system and is at the same stage of maturity so personally i dont think its different at all. i do agree that 11 weeks is somewhat early to be weaned but who is to say that this woman has not been advised by the doctor to start weaning, noone knows the situation includeing myself




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First off, I never said I was against early weaning (17 weeks +), I have a problem with EXTRA early weaning. I just said that personally I wish I had waited longer and not weaned at 18 weeks. I don't care if other people wean at four months. In response to why is it any different though (for extra early weaning), a doctor has the medical knowledge to be able to properly weigh the risks/benefits of weaning earlier than 17 weeks whereas as the rest of us don't. At three months when Clara's slow weight gain became very apparent (she dropped from the 90th percentile at birth to the 50th) I was advised to pump several times a day and feed her a top up bottle of ebm to help her gain more for the month to see if that did the trick. It didn't which is why we were told to start weaning her. It didn't make a difference either. It turns out, she is just a tall, thin baby (currently 85th percentile length, 50th for weight) with no fat rolls on her.