Is everyone against traditional weaning?

[special_kala]

If thats the case, please hold your breath when you post near me

(that is as close to blowing at you i could get)

 

[special_kala]

Daisy that's how I feel, like I'm harming my baby, I am in the UK and yes was told 6 months, then after talkin to my hv was told tgat the advice is currently under review and is most likely to be lowered. I've researched this and my son seems to like food without any problems, choosing to eat rather than being forced but I feel pressured now into stopping as I don't want to give him any problems. Kinda gone ot now.

If you feel your son is ready then start weaning, which is what people said to you in the original thread. There wasnt any need for this one at all

 

[polo_princess]

If i remember rightly from previous threads, the recommended weaning age in the US and Canada goes back and forth between 4 and 6 months quite often, seems they cant make up their mind, it also seems to vary from state to state i think.

 

[billybump]

My point with this thread was that blw is being promoted and pushed everywhere I may have been misleading in my start for this thread but that was my intention to see why blw was so heavily promoted on here as well as on other sites and often comes across as been superior. Sorry.

 

[special_kala]

How is it promoted more then TW?

 

[special_kala]

If your refering to the fact that there is a BLW support thread then that would be because it isnt the norm and to my knowledge there is one book out that really covers BLW

 

[polo_princess]

Ive never really seen "promotion" for any particular "type" of weaning, it was just weaning in general.

We're all walking a different path to end up and the same place, which is to have our children eating, i dont see it as one vs the other

 

[Lu28]

My point with this thread was that blw is being promoted and pushed everywhere I may have been misleading in my start for this thread but that was my intention to see why blw was so heavily promoted on here as well as on other sites and often comes across as been superior. Sorry.

Where is it that you've seen BLW being 'promoted and pushed everywhere'?? We do BLW and I can honestly say that I'm the only person in real life I know who does it, all my family and friends think I'm mad and why can't I just spoon feed her, I get indulgent looks from HVs. I haven't felt at all supported doing BLW except for one small sticky on the weaning section of BnB

 

[DottyLottie]

When I had my eldest two the advice was to wean at 4 months, with my third it was 6. I followed guidelines both times, spoon fed the first two, and blw with the third.
Try not to be upset by others opinions or suggestions, only you can decide what is best for your baby, parenting is a really personal thing, and I am sure that everyone just wants to help by telling you what they think is best, am sure no one intended to upset or offend you.

I don't think there is anything wrong with spoon feeding btw or early weaning, as I said both my eldest two were weaned at 4 months and spoon fed, and they eat really well and no problems, and I knew loads of mums back then who weaned earlier. I will do BLW with my 4th, but mainly because I just found it so much easier giving baby what the rest of the family were eating, truthfully, I am a bit lazy
Honestly though, I think it has encouraged my LO to be a bit more independant, but this isn't always a good thing with toddlers! lol

 

[DottyLottie]

My point with this thread was that blw is being promoted and pushed everywhere I may have been misleading in my start for this thread but that was my intention to see why blw was so heavily promoted on here as well as on other sites and often comes across as been superior. Sorry.

Where is it that you've seen BLW being 'promoted and pushed everywhere'?? We do BLW and I can honestly say that I'm the only person in real life I know who does it, all my family and friends think I'm mad and why can't I just spoon feed her, I get indulgent looks from HVs. I haven't felt at all supported doing BLW except for one small sticky on the weaning section of BnB

Have to add, I agree with this too mind. I don't know anyone else who has used or even tried BLW, though a lot of people on these forums talk about it, it still isn't very common in real terms. My LO's nursery were astounded when she first started and they saw her shovelling cereal into her mouth like a pro at 16 months!

I think those that have tried it are just chatty advocates, with the odd one bordering crazy evangelism, I admit, I have been guilty of this at times

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

What I don't understand is why people have to create conflict between parenting choices

First it was breast V bottle. Why the baby is being fed, they are healthy, they are growing etc whichever way you feed them

And now it is BLW V TW

Why? In both cases the child is getting what they need

And I TW with a bit of BLW. I have not seem others looked down on for TW and I havnt seen any promotinal aspects on the forum.Yes there is a BLW weaning thread but it is because it's a new apporach and mums are going to have so many questions whereas TW has been around for donkeys (no I am not saying TW mummies don't have questions because I did)

But if there isn't a TW thread and it bothers you that much make one.

There is already to much conflict over parenting choices . Why can't we just say how we feel but not judge. Why can we not just support each other on this forum whatever choices me make. Isn't that the whole idea. Yes debate certain things but don't create conflict where there is no need.

Guidlines change and vary. I weaned Aidan at around 5 months due to HV advice, Some wait till 6 months. The closer you can get to 6 months the better. Also the reason why guidlines change so much is because research and science progresses. In years to come it may go back to 4 months but that is because new reserach may be published etc. A parents we use guidelines to guide us. But as a mother we use our instincts aswell. Just do what you feel right. And as long as you feel you are doing what is best for your child then you there is no need to feel you have to justify yourself

Sorry for the ramble

Now put the handbags away
xx

 

[gemsio]

i have just started my lo on baby rice and she has just turned four months. She loves it she just has one or two bowls a day but its just getting her use to feeding from a spoon she chops it down. I have read you can do it too early but also too late, so you cant win do it when baby is ready i say!

 

[cleckner04]

I'm in the US and I've always heard 6 months. But I did have a doctor saying I could earlier. I have read so many parenting books and read up on it all beforehand. The breastfeeding book I have says to wait until 6 months as well. I waited, but that's my own personal choice. I don't think anyone doing it differently is a 'bad' thing. It's just different. And I chose BLWing because I'm an overweight adult and it says it can help with better eating choices and portion control when they aren't being spoon fed. Whether it's true or not, who knows. But I want to give her the healthiest start possible.

 

[indy and lara]

We are BLW and waited until 6 months. The 6 month guideline is not there to promote BLW although most LOs would struggle to have the basic motor skills to manage BLW before then.

The current research has shown that this is the best time to start solids. These guidelines, along with most in life, tend to be fluid and I am sure that they will change again at some point. I chose to BLW because the theory behind it made sense to me. I chose to wait until 6 months for many reasons. We went through some pretty exhausting days at around 4 and a half months when Em was BF 8+ times a day and it was very tempting to start solids at that point. However, it did pass after a few days and it was clearly just a growth spurt.

The biggest reason I chose to wait however, is that I am interested in possible links between early weaning (pre 4 months ) and bowel problems. My Mum died of bowel cancer and it runs in our family. I am classed as higher risk and I have pretty bad IBS. So while many people have been early weaned and have no gut probems, we are a high risk family and I do not intend to increase the risks for Em if I can help it.

I would love to live somewhere that BLW was pushed then I may not get stared at or have quite so many strangers feel the need to question my parenting!!!!

 

[mommyof3co]

I'm in the US and for awhile it was 4-6mo, then it went to 6mo and now it seems the AAP has gone back to 4-6mo. I still stick by waiting until 6mo if you can. There are drs here that recommend it still. Dr Sears, a very popular and famous pediatrician is one of them. There are articles on his site explaining why it's important to wait until then if possible, it's not like the day they turn 6mo something changes but it's the changes that happen leading up to that that most babies have had happen by the time they are 6mo. There is no way of telling what is going on in each child's body so waiting until then is making it to the "safe zone".

But like someone else said the WHO recommends only breastmilk until 6mo...which applies to everyone, not just the US or UK.

But before being on here I had never heard of BLW, but plan to do it with our next baby.

I have never really seen a divide in which way you feed, well not people pushing for one thing. But have seen it with when you start, but I don't think it's because they want to be right or put you down but that they want to educate you of the risks so you can make an informed decision. I started my first son early because I really had no clue and a lof of people don't. I think the people here just care about your babies and don't want them to be one of those that have the bad side effects of starting solids early...because there are effects.

 

[aurora]

Personally, I hope to BLW... but I'm not an advocate for either!

My brother was 6 weeks premature, and weighed 5lbs... he was starving at just over 3 months and my mom started him on pablum. He had a very healthy childhood, no problems at all. He is not a 6'5 strapping 23 year old man.

Point being...just do what feels right for your child. You're his mother and you probably know best.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

To the OP - I replied to the thread I think you're referring to.

I cannot see how I was promoting BLW - I didn't even mention it.

Please, if I am one of the people you are digging at when making this (highly unnecessary) thread, could you please do me the courtesy of PMing to explain what it was that I said that upset you, because I am pretty confused.

When someone has genuinely tried to answer a question that you posed, I feel it is very rude not to contact them directly if you are unhappy with what they have said.

 

[TattiesMum]

My eldest 2 were both traditionally weaned at 4 months as was the age recommendation then. They are both healthy happy boys with great appetites. My daughter is born of the era where its now recommended to wean at 6 months (which i find bizarre as babies havent changed in the last few years have they?? lol). I read somewhere that they moved the age because people always start early so if its up at 6 months it gives room for a bit of leeway rather than people weaning at 2 or 3 months. .

This makes perfect sense to me. When mine were born the advice was 4 months and a lot of my children's peer group were started at 3 or even earlier.

What is funny is that I didn't start any of mine until nearer 6 months (they were all small babies and I didn't feel they were ready) ... and I came in for loads of grief from other mums and HVs for starting 'so late'

 

[Kit]

I think one of the problems that creates division between different parenting choices is that we have a bit of a habit these days of creating fancy names for things that have been around for years. I would imagine that many, many years ago, babies just began to eat from their parents' food when they were ready - I have said before that can't imagine that they pureed food a thousand years ago! Now we label it "baby led weaning". Same with using slings - it has been done for hundreds, if not thousands of years - now we call it "baby wearing". I think giving something a name makes it more of a separate practice if you know what I mean. It is a lot easier to say "why is there a divide between BLW and TW" than to say "Hmm I wonder why there is a divide between letting your baby reach for food and feed himself when he is ready and pureeing veg up and spoon feeding him"!
All babies learn to feed themselves at some point - it is just a question of when you allow them to start that process, and if you are weaning before they are ready and able to do that, then spoon feeding is the only realistic way of getting food into them.
We weaned at 5 1/4 months and as I have said many times, he clearly wasn't ready. As soon as he showed real interest in food, over a month later, he wanted to feed himself, although not always successfully. So we used TW in the early days, and now we do a mix of BLW and TW. To be honest, as far as I am concerned, it is just weaning. Most babies of his age that I know eat in this way - a mix of finger foods and spoon-fed meals.
There are enough real, long-standing divisions in parenting, divisions that this forum tries very hard to erase, without going looking for a new one.
As regards the 6 month-4 month discussion, the guidelines are based upon our most up-to-date research and we have a right to be armed with that information in order to make our own educated and informed decisions. The guidelines aren't there to make people feel bad - unfortunately if you wean at 4 months you are just going to have to be confident in your informed decision - the guidelines aren't going to go away!

 

[Blah11]

My point with this thread was that blw is being promoted and pushed everywhere I may have been misleading in my start for this thread but that was my intention to see why blw was so heavily promoted on here as well as on other sites and often comes across as been superior. Sorry.

Sorry I disagree with you there too. The weaning section is always supportive of most types of weaning (unless its seriously young, i remember someone posting a pic of a 2 month old eating carrot puree ).