NO HATERS PLEASE for mums who started weaning before 6 months

[soph901]

Hi Ladies,

I have started this thread because I feel when my lo is ready I am going to start weaning him on some small amounts of baby rice which will definantly be before 6 months at this rate. I understand that research has said that babies shouldn't be weaned till 6 months because their digestive tracts aren't developed enough and i'm not saying anything against parents that wait that long but why does baby food say from 4 months plus i have a lo with a very big appetite he takes almost 9oz every feed i'll need more than one bottle a feed soon and hes only 14 weeks old also most of my friends have weaned from 4 months n their kids are happy and healthy i'd love to hear your experiences on this no nasty posts please this is a post for experiences not which is better or worse x

The only reason I'm saying no nasty posts is because some people have been very nasty about weaning before 6 months I feel it is a parents right to choose when they want to wean their child

 

[Becky61]

Hi
Im not wishing to get into a debate.
I started weaning my son at 4.5 months, he was constantly reaching out for my food, and watched me very intently whilst i was eating. I knew the time was right. I started him off on baby rice mixed with breast milk, but this didnt last long, within a fortnight he was on homemade veg and fruit purees.
Your lo will let you know when hes ready for the tastes and textures of food. My son is still letting me know, 3 months later, when hes ready for bigger lumps etc.
Just look for the signs.
All the best
x

 

[LDC]

Hi there,

I gave my lo baby rice at 4.5 months; she got on really well with it, but she didn't sttn or anything like that (just in case that's adding to your reasons wanting to do it).

My lo has done really well with foods. I didn't give her baby rice every day as its not very nutritional, I just wanted to try that first. We moved onto puréed fruit at around 5 months and then onto veggies etc.

By 7 months she was eating three "meals" a day along with her milk (which is her primary food still, if she doesn't want milk then ill offer food) and is doing really well. She had finger food and eats a variety of fruit, veg and meats.

This has given me a lot of confidence in her being at nursery and with my mil when I'm back at work as she's a bottle refuser, we ump her calcium intake through cheese, yogurts etc.

The only thing we've found so far is that she doesn't like courgettes or fish pie! The other thing was that it took her a while to eat lumpy food, although she'd eat finger food (I know this is a way off yet) but it just took some preservation.

My advice would be do what you think is best for your lo, and just offer a little if you choose to feed her soon. That way you monitor allergies etc.

Xx

 

[soph901]

He's sttn since 10 weeks old I am very lucky he just looks at me very intently when i eat he doesnt reach for it yet tho x

 

[aliss]

Not debating, but the reason it says 4 months is because companies have not yet legally been required to update the jar labels in your country. Companies won't eliminate customers (4-6 months) until the government requires it by law. It's about profits, not about safety or current health regulations. Here, it is not legal anymore to advertise jars to infants at that age.

 

[soph901]

Fair enough thanks for the info x

 

[lomelly]

My LO was like yours and took huge feeds from 4 months, and many of them! I held off till just over 5 months because there is no magic switch that flicks on at 6 months to make them ready for it. It was the best choice for my family and he thrived on food. However, he did not like rice cereal and after looking up what's in the stuff I decided not to give him that. I gave him oatmeal instead (mixed with breast milk I had pumped), as it's more nutritious. I started with a few bites at lunch and then a month later he was on three meals a day. Do whatever you think is best for your baby, but I would recommend against rice cereal.

 

[MummyMana]

I wouldn't start with baby rice, not because of the nutritional value or anything but because my OH tried it and reported "it tastes like paper, and has the consistency of a bogey" xD we ditched baby rice after that and started with pear puree at about 4 months. My baby is now happy it solved so many problems (including her constipation despite many people reporting that starting weaning caused constipation) she's now 5 mints and loves pear, apple, mango, carrot, sweet potato, broccoli with cheese (extra mature), porridge, avocado, banana, formage frais... Every baby is different

 

[Zondon]

I weaned well before 6 months (around 4) due to reflux. We never did the baby rice thing; LO started with one fruit puree a day (Ella's pouches for the first few days and then homemade stuff), took to it very quickly and within a couple of weeks we were at 3 meals a day. We did TW at first, but I started giving her a small variety of finger foods a couple of months ago. She can't handle broccoli as a finger food yet (or doesn't like it, it's not clear), but does brilliantly with bits of meat, bread, fruit et cetera.

There's quite a lot of research into why people shouldn't wean before 6 months. There's also some research into why weaning between 4-6 months is good for babies. In the end I gave up trying to make sense of the research and went with the paediatric dietician's advice and my instincts....

Oh! Btw, I was told fruit, veg and pulses were ok from 16 weeks onwards and meat and fish from 20 weeks. I'm not sure if that rule goes for everyone, but there you go!

Best of luck re the weaning when it does start!

Zondon

 

[missk1989]

Im not one for sticking with exact guidelines but i do believe in reading the signs and being interested in your food isnt one of them although being able to put food into his own mouth is. I think you should do what you feel is right but also do a bit of research so you know all the facts. good luck

 

[ChelliBelle]

I feel indecisive at times... my LO(4months) is definitely showing signs that she is close- watches, grabs and regularly does a chewing motion when watching someone eat.

Bloody hard when you get pressure from people saying "try her on this/that/other, then she might sttn" I'm holding off though, would like to get as close to the 6months mark as possible, mainly because I get guilty that I'm doing it early for me and not for her.

 

[Bunnikins]

Hi, I weaned my baby girl from 17 weeks because she was a big, hungry girl, could sit unaided and was showing interest in food. She was also feeding (milk wise) up to every HOUR.

She really enjoyed her first taste of "food" (it was just some baby cereal with banana).. and it passed through her system no problem, so i carried on with a bit of baby cereal every dinner time.

When she reached 6 months she was on 3 meals a day plus snacks and lots of milk and i remember thinking wow there is no way on earth i could have left her until 6 months without any solid foods.. that would have been CRUEL. I spoon fed early on and when she could grip and feed herself I gave her bits of food to feed herself too.

She now LOVES her food, feeds herself with a spoon and has a very decent pallette. I would recommend weaning earlier, IF your baby is ready and i believe only as a mother you can know this (maybe with some advice from a HV/doctor too.. its worth saying my HV agreed with my decision).

 

[flamingpanda]

We weaned early too, although under slightly different circumstances. Our daughter had awful reflux. We'd tried everything and were at the end of our tether. A HV recommended we try some veg purees and boom! As if by magic we had a different baby. She has always loved her food and was on 3 small meals a day by 6 months.

To be honest it was a really tough decision to make, there are so many horrible things you can read online. I just got tired of seeing her guzzle 8oz bottles and then instantly bring them back. It wasn't fair to her, the doctor was no help but thankfully a bit of food made all the difference.

BTW I think our very first spoonful was baby rice, it just tastes like lumpy formula to be honest. You'd be as well trying a simple veg puree. Our little one always loved carrot at that age.

Do what you feel is right for your little one.

 

[Babee_Bugs]

My 1st was a big baby, and he was formula fed.. Within a week he was on the hungrier formula milk... Being my first baby, I didn't have a lot of knowledge.. Until one day my health visitor just said "watch your baby and he will tell you what he wants and needs"... At 16weeks I started him on jars of food, and gradually he started having 3 meals a day with his milk. After a little while I ditched the jars and made him proper food!
He's now nearly 9 years old and wow what a fantastic eater! He will quite happily sit and eat broccoli and fruit till it comes out of his ears!..

My second son was weaned later on about 6months but it was soooo hard for him to accept puréed stuff, as he saw his big brother eating fresh vegetables and fruit, so I gave him finger foods which he liked a lot better... He's 6 years old now and very funny when it comes to food... It still mainly has to be solid, he hates sloppy food...

My thing is, go with the child