Is he ready for weaning?

[Juicyg]

My little guy will be 16 weeks old on Sunday, 4 months old on the 21st of this month.

I am not suggesting weaning until he hits 4 months but I'm wondering if he is giving me signs that he will be ready at that point.

I was literally eating my lunch just now and as usual for the past couple of weeks he was really staring at the food.
But this time he didn't just stare, when I ate he moved his mouth like he was eating it lol!
Is that a sign he wants food?

He is always chewing his hands or whatever he can get but I think he does that for comfort more than anything.

He has never slept through the night but has started to become fussy around 4-5am.

Would like people's thoughts as I have no idea...

 

[Rachel_C]

None of those are signs that you should wean or even that weaning age is approaching. If LO started making sucking noises after seeing somebody smoke a cigarette, you wouldn't say he was ready to be given a pack of cigarettes . Food is just the same. Kids will always imitate what they see around them, whether that's bringing their fingers to their mouths and making chewing motions, looking after a doll, saying a bad word they heard. It's just copying and says nothing about the development of their digestive systems.

Once LO can pick up a piece of banana, bring it to his own mouth, put it in his mouth, chew or gum it and then swallow it, all without your help or encouragement, THEN he is ready for solids. He should also be able to sit unaided or mostly unaided. Nothing else - copying, waking in the night, watching you eat, chewing fingers, seeming extra hungry - means anything

 

[Juicyg]

Thanks for that,I've got no idea it's all new to me. I do find it quite amusing him imitating me eat, he does it with a big grin on his face

 

[sillysapling]

You can wean before your baby grabs food if you want to go with traditional weaning rather than baby-led. You have to be much more careful with traditional weaning, though.
I've also heard of children grabbing food and putting it in their mouth before their parents felt they were ready to wean because kids just grab things and put them in their mouth- it wasn't a matter of eating any more than putting a teething toy in their mouth is.

Here are indications a baby is ready for solids:

-Loss of tongue-thrust reflex - This allows baby to drink and swallow liquids with ease; with the tongue-thrust reflex still present, baby may simply drink in liquid purees or push the food back out. According to Dr. Jim Sears, in the first four months the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back. Between four and six months this reflex gradually diminishes, and that glob of cereal actually may have a chance of making it from the tongue to the tummy!

-Ability to let you know she is full from a "meal" with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. This is important so that baby is able to self-regulate the amount of food being eaten. This helps stop baby from accidentally overeating as parents may continue to feed baby thinking that she is still hungry.

-Ability to sit up and hold head up unassisted

-Interest in your food (I tend to disagree with this one as when a baby reaches the age of 4-6 months, he is interested in putting everything in his mouth.)

-Doubling of birth weight

-Frequently waking in the middle of the night when a solid sleeping pattern had been established. This may not be the best indicator that your baby is ready for solids. Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age, 6-7 months of age and also 9-10 months of age. Your baby may also be waking due to an illness or teething.
https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/readyforsolids.htm#.UnsVLOIQPtg

Keep in mind that there is a 4 month growth spurt that may cause your baby to be hungrier and less able to sleep through the night. Teething also might be part of the problem (I think some people list teething as a sign of readiness).

Your baby really needs to be able to sit up straight and tell you he's full.

There also IS value in waiting until your baby starts grabbing and eating on their own. That's called Baby Led Weaning- but I'd be careful starting it too soon as well (which just really means putting food within grabbing range of your baby). If your baby isn't ready, he probably won't choke or swallow anything he shouldn't, but it'll likely result in a mess.

The bananas is really just a suggestion- I don't know if this is true for all babies, but my LO really only goes for food we're eating. We don't like banana, so we offer banana and the kid just goes "What is this? You aren't eating it, so it can't be food". Then I eat a sandwich and LO grabs my wrist and tries to put it in his mouth.