Weaning early (under 4 months)

[NoSpringChick]

I started lo on baby rice last week (16 weeks) because I felt she needed it as her height has gone from 25% to 75% and her weight was dropping from 75% and she had had some poor weight gains.

Anyway happy to say she gained 10oz this week and the clinic said they were going to suggest I wean her anyway as she's having bottle troubles.
So my instincts were right

Anyhoo,, she's loving her food - we've gone from baby rice though to vegetables and fruits and porridge and rice (baby jars) but I am not sure how much I am meant to give.
Do you do it the same as milk and feed till they dont want anymore? Cos with vegetables I have to make the desician to say ''all gone'' but with fruit she makes the desician.

Most days she has one feed, some days 2, and I have found she generally does want a bottle afterwards so it is giving her an appetite which is great, cos she was losing it.

Also this past week she has been a much happier baby and has been having 2 naps during the day She was getting grouchy before and wouldnt sleep at all once up.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I really don't agree with weaning this early (and neither do most experts these days) but I would say, if you really must wean this early, I would only give very tiny amounts of baby rice.
With a six month old or older baby I would say it should always be their decision when to stop eating.

 

[Kimboowee]

I weaned early on advise from HV aswell, bit earlier then 16 weeks.

To begin with I gave his usual milk then topped him up with puree. You need to make sure she's still getting enough milk and not over eating, im sure she'll let you know if she was!

Now Josh at 20 weeks still has 32oz a day (normal amount for 5 mons) plus 3 tsp porride for breakfast, half a jar at lunch and half a jar at dinner. Im gonna keep him like that til 6 months then start to cut down the milk and up the food til its as the levels advised.

 

[NoSpringChick]

Thanks for your replies guys.

Firstly Claire, it IS on advice from the clinic. One of the resons I kept stum about it on here was because you are made to feel like you are doing something wrong because some members dont agree with it and cant but help themselves to tell you so.
Sorry, but your reply was exactly what I was hoping to avoid, hence explaining why I am weaning early - I shouldnt have had to explain my reasons why but i did, and you just ignored my reasons
Please stop being the weaning police. it makes people uncomfortable who want to talk about things openly.

Hi Kimbowee, she's on 40oz average over 8-9 bottles and hasnt changed her amount. If anything she is wanting her milk a bit more this past week, it does seem to be doing her wonders!
I dont think I will ever give her a full jar yet, but for example we had vegetable tube and she could have had the lot, but I make that into 3 meals!! She much prefers veg to fruits. (even when it looks like meconium!!!)

 

[june09]

I've also had to wean Mia early, and have just started. She's just coming up for 17 weeks now. I was advised by my HV, GP and on friday a dietician yet like you said nospringchick I feel like some people try to make you feel wrong for doing so. I made a post the other day and was waiting for all the you shouldn't wean that early stuff, but at the end of the day if we've been advised to and we know our own babies and simply every baby is different so what works for some doesn't work for others. So I think it's unfair for people to try make it as if it's wrong to do so. It's your choice, and when you've been advised to do that anyway then it sounds to me like you have made the right one, plus it sounds like its helping so thats good. It's helping Mia too, well i cant tell with her weight yet as we've only just started but giving her baby rice has certainly made her take her milk far better than she ever has.

As for how much to give, I was advised by the dietician on friday to just start with small amounts and still try to make it so they take the same amount of milk and then just gradually build up the amount you give and he said if it's too much the baby will soon let you know, but basically the advise was to just give little amounts and slowly just up it whenever you feel they are ready and introduce different things as and when you think they are ready for it. He just said as long as she doesn't drop her amount of milk yet then give her as much as she wants to take as you do with milk. Unless it became an amount where you thought its absolutely loads and definitely too much which by the sounds of it your lo is having a nice amount anyway! But I'm with you it's definitely given Mia more of an appetite even for her milk since shes started, just hoping it stays that way as she really does need to gain some weight. Hope it continues to work for you!

 

[NoSpringChick]

Thanks june09
I was basically told to just do what I am doing as long as its gluten free (which I have been doing) - she seemed to think I knew what I was doing we had a laugh cos I said I was going to keep it all secret! thats forum influences for you

I hope you'll feel as chuffed as i did when your lo next gets weighed! She was having really poor gains, 3oz here, 5 oz there and last week was 10 ounces - i felt so proud!! And she hasnt turned her nose up at anything yet. It is much less stressful than struggling with bottles and poor gains - as oppossed to still struggling with bottles but knowing she's putting the right amount of weight on, and it doesnt matter so much when i can only get her to 37 ounces - i can forgive her those 3 ounces now and not spend all night worrying.

I read the baby rice coats the stomach so makes a bottle easier if they have reflux, now thinking about it mine hasnt had any real wind problems since we started - she would lie there lifting her legs up forcing them out before.
I cant really say anything bad except that her clothes now end up manky! We went to the jars quite quickly as baby rice just wasnt as appealing to her as vegetables are.

I like the tubes you get they keep for 48 hours, so I do 2 evening meals and 1 mid morning over 3 days.

I hope mia continues to enjoy her food good luck with it

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Nospringchick, I wasn't going to reply to your post but only did so cos no one else did! I don't think you can expect to post on a controversial topic and expect no one to say anything you maybe don't want to hear. But I've offended I apologise.

 

[polo_princess]

We weaned Brooke early in an aid to ease her reflux and with the baby porridge/rice i only gave set amounts, eg enough porridge to be made up with half an ounce of milk and once its gone its gone iykwim? Then i just gradually upped it over course.

The food should still be used to compliment the milk even when weaning early so its best if you try to avoid letting them tell you when on the food front in the early stages because they could scoff tons of food then not want any milk iykwim?

Sorry if that didnt make much sense, its early

 

[alice&bump]

i weaned katie at 11 weeks, just onto baby rice til she was 16 weeks. we gave her a full milk feed, then a couple of spoons of baby rice. you should always give a full milk feed first, cos as holly said, at this age milk should be the main part of their diet and any food is just to supplement it!

 

[NoSpringChick]

Nospringchick, I wasn't going to reply to your post but only did so cos no one else did! I don't think you can expect to post on a controversial topic and expect no one to say anything you maybe don't want to hear. But I've offended I apologise.

I accept your apology but get over yourself please!
controversial subject?
No one else replied?
I Don't want to hear?

I've come accross this attitude only once before on a weight loss forum , preaching to others the rights and wrongs at every available chance.

I KNEW you would reply negatively when I posted this - the explanation was for you Claire. You make me feel uncomfortable discussing this subject, hence why I kept it quiet for a week.
I dont think i'm the only one either.

 

[NoSpringChick]

Polo you made sense haha!

Alice and bump, thanks for your reply
What I am tending to do is is doing food 2 hours after a feed, then if she wants a bottle afterwards its by then around 3 hours ish - if she doesnt want one I've still got an extra hour to get a bottle down her.

Anyone else use Ellas tubes?
SHe didnt like the banana and apple one , either did i it was super sweet and bitter, but the green ones she absolutely LOVES! I thought it smelled like wet hessian bags and looked like babies first poo though

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

At the time that I posted, no one else had replied. And yes, early weaning is a controversial topic is it not? I DID NOT state that early weaning is wrong, merely that I don't agree with it. (I don't mean those mums who have been advised to wean early by a doctor.) I didn't ignore your explanation, I just don't understand it.

 

[louise1302]

i think the explanation was pretty clear...lo wasnt gainng weight on milk alone, doctor advised weaning, baby gained more weight the next week after weaning

i too weaned early DUE TO MEDICAL REASONS and archie came on leaps and bounds, he also loved the ella pouches when he had purees

hope your lo continues to gain well and i will agree with the other ladies. its best to give the full milk feed then satisfy them with the solids after

 

[NoSpringChick]

theres nothing for you to understand though, whats it got to do with you when I choose to wean?
keep your opinions to yourself - I wasnt asking for them.

No, it shoudlnt be controversial - if it is so controversial here then i will leave because when it is to keep my baby happy, fit and well and on target then I will want to ask for others opinions from time to time without having to defend myself.

I cant do that if your type answers keep popping up - it puts people off, cant you see that?

You have read a book - it's your first baby - as far as I know youre not a health visitor or a doctor. You have never met my baby. So based on that.... mind your own business.

I could say youre wrong in feeding your newborn baby every 2hours becasue you thought she needed it, consequently youve ended up with a very large baby who didnt start off that way - but whats that got to do with me? Nothing!

My baby started off large and I plan to keep it that way - and by giving her some purree it's working, and she's gorgeous and happy

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I think the above is just nasty, nospringchick. I was not nasty. You stated you explained and I ignored it, I stated that I didn't ignore, just didn't understand. I never asked you to explain, as you are correct, it is none of my business. However, you posted on a public forum and I gave my opinion. I expect to receive different opinions when I post about things I do, I wouldn't bother posting otherwise.

 

[NoSpringChick]

Read your first post on here.
(which I expected you to write)

I really don't agree with weaning this early (and neither do most experts these days) but I would say, if you really must wean this early, I would only give very tiny amounts of baby rice.
With a six month old or older baby I would say it should always be their decision when to stop eating.

The question was how much should i feed her of baby jars.

You gave a lecture.

You do it on all the weaning threads.

stop it.

 

[AppleBlossom]

First of all, calm down girls! No need to bicker, this is a thread asking for advice. If you aren;t posting with advice then just don't post, simple as

Anyway, I weaned Grace at just before 4 months on advice of HV as she was a very greedy baby and milk wasn't enough. I only gave her a couple if spoons of baby rice a day, didn't give her jars until a bit later on. If you are going to give her jars I would advise that you only give a small amount because milk is still the main, most important thing in their diet and at such a young age their tummies aren't big enough to take on jars and milk and often one will be substituted.So you decide when she has enough wheras with milk she can decide iykwim? Hope that helps

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

That hardly constitutes a lecture to me. But hey. We'll agree to differ.

 

[NoSpringChick]

Anyway claire,. thanks for turning my thread for advice into a controversial subject.
It's only MY babies health I'm discussing.

I'll google for advice on this from now on.
Thansk for the replys anyway folks, much appreciated.

 

[Jkelmum]

Basically I was advised from 14 wks to wean but waited it out until 18 wks as the world health whoever they are state under 17 wks is dangerous ...go yes i went against my hv but i dont care i did what i believe was best for my baby as i am sure u are doing ...on to the question ....I would only be offering babyrice until the recomened weaning age ...weaning is a slow process that your baby should get used to each indevidual taste seperatly imo her tummy wont be ready for jars ....why not try mixing fruit puree with babyrice and a little milk ...i would say a teaspoon of each but only you know your baby