starting premmies on solids!

[anna1986]

my LO was born at 35 weeks and is now 10 weeks old - i know its far to early yet but i just wanna be prepared!
When did everyone start there babys on solids? my LO takes up to 4ozs of milk every 4hrs at the moment!
do i wait til shes 4 months old like in 6 weeks or do i wait til she would have been 4 months if she was born on her due date??

 

[EmSmith1980]

We were told to wean from Anya's actual age. With her being so prem it was slightly different. So 5-6months actual but not before 12 weeks corrected for us.

If you look on the bliss website it has lots of info.

https://www.bliss.org.uk/page.asp?section=584&sectionTitle=Weaning+your+premature+baby

Hth. xx

 

[lozzy21]

Unless your advised to wean early they recomend weaning at 6 months actual. I think especialy with a preemie its better to wait as long as possible since they tend to loose their tounge thrust reflex later.
It might be worth ringing you HV to see if they offer weaning courses in your area, i went to one and it was great. They tell you what the signes are for weaning, how to start, what to give, what a healthy diet is ect.

We started at 23 weeks and she was very ready for it.

 

[Agiboma]

I waited till Michael was 6 months corrected

 

[sherryberry79]

We were advised by Millie's consultant paed to wait until 6 months corrected, but I know the Bliss guidelines recommend weaning earlier. The medical profession seem unable to agree about when the best time to wean a term baby is, and they keep changing there guidelines every few years so they certainly can't agree on when to wean a premmie!
I think maybe the best thing to do is read as much as possible, and get as much professional opinion as possible and then do what feels best for you. Good luck!

 

[mumjaney]

Hi
It is very confusing isn't it. My little boy has been home from hospital a week and has been on solids for three weeks. But this week he just doesn't want them and i want to leave him and just give him milk but the midwife is insistent that he be weened. I'd rather do what i felt was right but feel as if i am being judged. The consultants and midwife say that as he was 25 weeks born and is now nearly six months his gut has had milk for six months so should be treated as a six month baby born on their due date. But its confusing as he cant sit up or hold a spoon which are two of the main criteria for weening!

He doesn't have much he started in the hospital on a couple of spoons of baby rice and nutra prem milk for two weeks and since he's been home i've been giving him a very small cup (about 2oz in the cup) of ellas kitchen stage 1 meals mixed with one tea spoon of baby rice. I guess i'm just gonna take it real slow and go by him and what he wants.

 

[25weeker]

I have a 25 weeker as well and like yourself weaned following the guidelines but was uncomfortable with it as she didn't meet any of the criteria. Bliss says between 5&7 months so I waited until nearly 7 months.

I was fairly relaxed with the weaning until 6 months corrected whereas if I was going somewhere then I just didn't give her solids while out which meant some days she didn't have 3 meals she may have only had breakfast.

If you want to try a day on milk then I think you should. You know your lo best and food at the minute is only to get them used to different textures and tastes so don't think a wee break will do any harm.

Good luck xx

 

[Marleysgirl]

Our Paediatrician wanted us to wait until at least 6m actual, maybe even 6m corrected. Our Health Visitor (who had read the BLISS guidelines) was happy to go along with us starting earlier.

In the end, we did start around 6m corrected ... and we are still going. Andrew is managing most Stage 2 meals, and even coped with a Stage 3 meal at the weekend. But it's been very slow going (over a year now) and he still will not handle food himself.

 

[mummy3]

Unless there's a medical reason I would leave it as long as possible. My 2 35 weekers I started to wean when they were 7 months (so 6 corrected) and wouldn't have started earlier. My 33 weeker we were advised to wean at 10 weeks for reflux and I regret that now. My youngest is a 32 weeker and will start her at 8 months (6 corrected)

 

[roxie78]

My preemie is 6 months actual and I've been trying to wean her but I don't think she has lost her tongue reflex yet as she pushes most of the food back out again with her tongue!

 

[Snugggs]

I think it was the opposite for us compared to most of you. We had to introduce rice early as the nutriprem wasn't feeding him sufficiently. He was sooooo tiny and his little belly couldn't hold the amount of milk his body and appetite actually wanted. We made his rice up with the nutriprem for brekkie and started this when he was around 2 1/2 months old (actual). He weighed around 4.5lb at this point
He was so much happier with something substantial in his belly

I know by us doing this is probably not the norm, but i just wanted to share with you

He was born at 30 weeks and 2lb btw. He was discharged from hospital after 1 month at 3.5lb

 

[QueenieMurphy]

My LO is exclusively BF and I just thought I'd wean at 6 months corrected but at our last consultant appointment we were told to start at 4 months corrected(she was 6.5 months actual). I'm still not totally convinced I've done the right thing but LO absolutely loves the food, always wants more so it seems like the right time, I've just kept it to pureed fruit and veg at moment with baby rice and all mixed with my milk and just started a few teaspoons of porridge for breakfast(gluten free). As someone else said - if we're out she might just have milk feeds that day, I'm just getting her used to tastes and textures and she has no problem with tongue thrust, hardly anything comes out and she doesn't mind spoon on her mouth. Once I get to 6 months corrected I'll start 'proper' weaning.

I've just found the advice for weaning preemies really confusing and worrying tbh, I'm not sure anyone knows what is right really.

 

[katy1310]

We have a 27 weeker and we were advised to start between 5-7 months actual age. We started very very slowly at 6 months actual, but it really was slow, and very runny purees. We were the same as 25 weeker, in that until Sophie was 6 months corrected, we didn't bother taking solids out if we were going out for the day etc, so sometimes she only had breakfast and milk for the rest of the day. After she reached 6 months corrected we stepped it up a lot, and started trying much harder. She's now nearly 15 months (almost one year corrected) and is coping well with all sorts of things.

xxx

 

[Srrme]

Elias is 4 months corrected, and just began eating banana and apple baby food (only a few times a week though). He can sit up supported, is interested in what I'm eating, and doesn't thrust any of the food out, so what the heck. I'm not planning on weaning him though, and will breastfeed for as long as he wants.

 

[Alimum]

I did adjusted age (she was 6 weeks early), but I think she may have been ready earlier - grabbing food, etc. I did give her a few spoons fulls a day though for a few weeks before to balance out the differnce. She got a taste, but hopefully with out over loading her body.

 

[ASBO_ALI]

our little man was born at 31 + 5 weeks. He was feeding EVERY HOUR round the clock by 4 months old so we made a choice to try some seriously mushed up rusks in baby formula and this helped him sleep for at least 2 hours at a time... so we actually started him on 'solids' at 2 months old (corrected). xx

 

[112110]

My doctors told us to wait until 6 months to give baby food. Main thing is their head strength, so they don't choke.

 

[twins_daddy]

Our two are 6m actual and we've just started Ethan with a few spoons of baby rice a day. Aimee is still very small so we're a bit reluctant to start her yet though she has great head control and is almost sitting up by herself. Agreed with what's been said though, lots of confusing advice!

 

[PrincessPea]

We went with Bliss guidelines of 5-7 months actual. Come 5 months actual my LO wasnt satisfied with milk alone, even after her 'dinner' then 'supper' feed she wasnt settling as well as she had been (and I ruled out everything else). She had regularly fed every 3 hours but bottles were starting to only satisfy her for less than this despite the fact she was taking all the milk her wee tummy could hold. It was a hard decision as developmentally she wasnt far enough on to show some of the 'signs' of being ready to wean so I had to go with the fact she was hungry!

I started very slowly with plain baby rice and made it a runnier consistency than it said on the box so it was just like a thicker milk fed with a spoon. Then I just followed what it appeared my LO was happy with. She is now 9 months actual and is a fantastic wee eater. Despite only being just short of 12lbs she eats loads. Dont get me wrong we have sometimes had to take a wee step backwards to go two forward but in the main we are getting there. We are hovering around stage 2 and she is coping better just having everything pretty thick and taking wee lumps of meat etc separately and chewing on them. She will eat home made lentil soup with lumpy veg and ham in etc. In fact just this week she has started grabbing the spoon and opening her mouth and trying to shove it in (with my assistance!), we just need to work on aim now!!! lol. She takes porridge and fruit for breakfast, a two course lunch and a two course dinner along with milk at waking, lunch, mid afternoon, dinner and supper. We have had to take solids out with us for quite a while now and if we didnt we would either be subject to major hungry tantrums or feeding her milk every couple of hours (i think the last time we missed a solids meal and only gave milk she lasted an hour and a half before she was starving again!) Goodness help us when she gets big!!! lol.

You know your baby the best, go with what feels right for you and your baby. x

 

[roxie78]

Poppy is now 6 months corrected (7 months actual) but still doesn't seem bothered about solids. She doesnt pull a face or turn away - she just won't open her mouth! Then when I can get some in, most of it comes out again! I'll keep trying!