Weaning Early

[kandyfloss]

Who here went AGAINST the age recommendations and weaned before 6 or even 4 months ?

Ive been researching the dangers of weaning before 6 months and it seems people get a lot of stick for it. Is it really that bad, surely the Parents are doing what they think is best.

My parents/grandparents seem to think I could start Samuel on rusks, as they all started at like 6 weeks. I understand research has found out more/better info but is it really that bad ? Theres no allergies/ilness etc in my family so surely it did nothing wrong to them ?

Im not thinking of weaning him just yet, just wanted opinions xx

 

[lozzy21]

I weaned slightly before 6 months but wouldent have weaned before 5. As some one with IBS who was weaned at 12 weeks (as were the guidelines then) yes i think it could have an affect. Alot of the reaserch showed people who were weaned earler have a higher rate of getting IBS and how many people admit they have problems with their poo?

 

[Farie]

I see no point in ignoring well researched medical advice unless there is a really good reason - qand in 99% of cases that's medical to.
Simply to go on 'that's what used to be done' is silly IMHO, they used to believe in giving babies brandy for teething!
Dont get me wrong, I know quite a few babies weaned before 6 months for reflux and the like, but before 4 months no, that's just irresponsible, unless it's under the guidance of a specialist and done for extreme reasons such as failure to thrive.

 

[lauren10]

4 months for us

 

[iHeartbaby#1]

My doctor gave me the go ahead to start my LO on baby rice at 4 months and i tried it for a few days. I really didn't feel he was ready and tbh it made me nervous.

I started again now and he's doing very well!

I agree with Farie. I would strongly suggest waiting until at least 4 months since babies may not be ready to digest solids before then..

 

[tristansmum]

i wouldn't wean before 17 weeks as this the the recommended very first stage. We did at 19 weeks. I had planned to wait but my son was so ready- attempting to feed himself off our plate and getting so upset if people ate infront of him. He took to it like he'd been eating all his life- by 6 months he was eating soft food (not mashed or anything) and now at 7 months he eats what we do. I think go on your baby. There are lots of people who disagree with weaning before 6 months but many countries still advise 4 months.... you are not a bad parent for starting then. i would say wait a little bit and then when you thnk he is ready (whether thats 17 weeks or 6 months) give it a go. if he's not interested just stop and try again in a few weeks. ALL babies are different

 

[ke29]

I wouldnt wean before 17 weeks without medical advice. Families are very good at telling you what they did and how well their off spring turned out but the WHO set the guidelines and they have spent millions in researching it.

 

[Bluebell321]

My LO is 18 weeks. She's really started looking at us eating and sucks her fists a lot. She only takes 6oz at each feed and STTN so I guess she's not ready to start weaning yet, but she does seem to be miserable the whole time and I wondered whether weaning would help.

 

[Lianne1986]

i am going to wait to wean Jaiden as long as i can, ie 6months.

if he is ready just before then then of course i'll start.

With tyler i was a young mum and i was pressured by family to wean him, i just went along with it, he was weaned far too early. and at 8 months he ended up in hospital with a blockage in his bowel, he had to have emergency surgery to remove part of his bowel, none of the drs said this was the cause but im so scared and convinced this was the problem. he almsot died becausethe hospital left him for 3 days becus they couldnt find what was wrong with him

guidelines are there for a reason.

but its eac to there own & i dont judge

 

[dottymouse]

i weaned my other 2 early, my 1st was weaned on baby rice at 10weeks, and my 2nd was weaned at 10 half weeks. they are both perfectly healthy, not over weight or anything, my nan weaned her 2nd at 6weeks.

 

[bigbetty]

I had a good chat with my hv and we decided together that Fran was ready to start weaning at 4 months for a few reasons, mainly her waking in the night for extra feeds and her rapid weight gain since birth. In fact she brought the subject up before I could mention it.

We started off giving her baby rice for breakfast and that evening for her last bottle before bed she finished it all and took 4oz out of another one. This continued for 3 days so we started giving her a little rice and carrot at tea time as well.

She is doing so well and I'm confident we have made the right decision.

I wouldn't have weaned her early without taking advice from my hv though - I'm lucky that she is so lovely and very supportive.

 

[c.m.c]

I was intending on waiting to 6 months but my Hv told me to go ahead today she is almost 23 weeks

i would never do anything against medical advise- honeslty the CRAZY advice i got from family is so old fashioned and probably not good for a baby-

we all know early weaning MAY cause problems but we also know that theres no harm in waiting! you cant beat milk- just keep giving LO milk even to 17 weeks- their wee bodies are not developed yet to cope with heavy digestion and to be honest- rusks have zero nutrients- they just fill and fatten a baby up

 

[bigbetty]

I was intending on waiting to 6 months but my Hv told me to go ahead today she is almost 23 weeks

i would never do anything against medical advise- honeslty the CRAZY advice i got from family is so old fashioned and probably not good for a baby-

we all know early weaning MAY cause problems but we also know that theres no harm in waiting! you cant beat milk- just keep giving LO milk even to 17 weeks- their wee bodies are not developed yet to cope with heavy digestion and to be honest- rusks have zero nutrients- they just fill and fatten a baby up

Agreed! And although they say 4m+ on the box it's not recommended to give them before 6m because they contain gluten.

 

[Dizzymum]

I am just starting to wean Jessica this week. She will be having a few spoons of puree a day until 6months, when I will up it to twice a day. I hope to have her on 3 meals a day by 8 months.

She is loving the new tastes. The HV also told me to let her suck fruits that I eat, and she loves that too.

Every mum knows their own baby imo.

 

[elephant29]

i am going to wait to wean Jaiden as long as i can, ie 6months.

if he is ready just before then then of course i'll start.

With tyler i was a young mum and i was pressured by family to wean him, i just went along with it, he was weaned far too early. and at 8 months he ended up in hospital with a blockage in his bowel, he had to have emergency surgery to remove part of his bowel, none of the drs said this was the cause but im so scared and convinced this was the problem. he almsot died becausethe hospital left him for 3 days becus they couldnt find what was wrong with him

guidelines are there for a reason.

but its eac to there own & i dont judge

Sorry to hear about your LO and hope he's ok now?

You cant blame yourself, you only done what you thought was right but you tell an important story and it's definitely a warning and something to be aware of.

xxx

 

[elephant29]

i weaned my other 2 early, my 1st was weaned on baby rice at 10weeks, and my 2nd was weaned at 10 half weeks. they are both perfectly healthy, not over weight or anything, my nan weaned her 2nd at 6weeks.

Hey hun. I'm not picking at your comment and I'm really glad your 2 LO's are doing well.

I'm just curious, did you wean based on medical advice or advice from family? It's just that 10 weeks, to me, seems really early and I wondered if there was a reason for you choosing to do it?

I totally appreciate you saying nothing is wrong and your kiddies are healthy but I was under the impression that the reason for the guidelines being 6 months were that the affects early weaning can have on ADULTS is quite bad so until they are gorwn we dont really know what damage has been done if any.

Again I'm not having a go but just curious.

xxx

 

[Lianne1986]

he still has trouble with his bowel, he has diarrhoea (sp?) a lot! and bad stomach cramps tht go with it, i think he could have IBS but the drs wont/cant diagnose him yet as he is only 6.

but yes its defiantly something to be aware of

 

[aliss]

You can also drive around for years without a seatbelt and it will "do you no harm" ~ so, therefore, it is safe to drive without a seatbelt. I'm sure the majority of people can drive around without a seatbelt and not get into an accident.

The point being, large-scale sample studies should not be disregarded because of the anecdotal evidence of a few or even a majority.

Yes, I offered him small amounts of puree at around 16 weeks as a way of coping with painful acid reflux. However, I cannot say that it will not cause harm down the road, only that it was my only way of helping him keep his milk down when he was young (reflux medications are not easily prescribed in my country) and yes, the risk for him incurring IBS or other problems later on is higher than a baby not offered those purees.

 

[dottymouse]

i weaned my other 2 early, my 1st was weaned on baby rice at 10weeks, and my 2nd was weaned at 10 half weeks. they are both perfectly healthy, not over weight or anything, my nan weaned her 2nd at 6weeks.

Hey hun. I'm not picking at your comment and I'm really glad your 2 LO's are doing well.

I'm just curious, did you wean based on medical advice or advice from family? It's just that 10 weeks, to me, seems really early and I wondered if there was a reason for you choosing to do it?

I totally appreciate you saying nothing is wrong and your kiddies are healthy but I was under the impression that the reason for the guidelines being 6 months were that the affects early weaning can have on ADULTS is quite bad so until they are gorwn we dont really know what damage has been done if any.

Again I'm not having a go but just curious.

xxx

yes i did speak to the HV, and with my 1st i was told to try a bit of food early as he was soo hungry and having feeds every hour, taking 6+oz, it was only a small amount of baby rice each morning and before bed, i didnt over load him with loads of different foods.
my 2nd i was advised to start early as she had very poor weight gain, and was in hospital at 4weeks old with bronchilitus (sp?) and wasnt back up to birth weight untill 8weeks, (8lb 4oz) again this was only very small amounts of baby rice morning and before bed, she was also on high callorie milk from 4weeks, she saw a dietition every month untill she was 2yrs old, she is still under weight for her age (under the 25th centile line) but is healthy and docs are happy with how she is doing, she doesnt look under weight or anything.

im hoping this time i will be able to wait untill 4months before i start introducing food to this one.

 

[elephant29]

i weaned my other 2 early, my 1st was weaned on baby rice at 10weeks, and my 2nd was weaned at 10 half weeks. they are both perfectly healthy, not over weight or anything, my nan weaned her 2nd at 6weeks.

Hey hun. I'm not picking at your comment and I'm really glad your 2 LO's are doing well.

I'm just curious, did you wean based on medical advice or advice from family? It's just that 10 weeks, to me, seems really early and I wondered if there was a reason for you choosing to do it?

I totally appreciate you saying nothing is wrong and your kiddies are healthy but I was under the impression that the reason for the guidelines being 6 months were that the affects early weaning can have on ADULTS is quite bad so until they are gorwn we dont really know what damage has been done if any.

Again I'm not having a go but just curious.

xxx

yes i did speak to the HV, and with my 1st i was told to try a bit of food early as he was soo hungry and having feeds every hour, taking 6+oz, it was only a small amount of baby rice each morning and before bed, i didnt over load him with loads of different foods.
my 2nd i was advised to start early as she had very poor weight gain, and was in hospital at 4weeks old with bronchilitus (sp?) and wasnt back up to birth weight untill 8weeks, (8lb 4oz) again this was only very small amounts of baby rice morning and before bed, she was also on high callorie milk from 4weeks, she saw a dietition every month untill she was 2yrs old, she is still under weight for her age (under the 25th centile line) but is healthy and docs are happy with how she is doing, she doesnt look under weight or anything.

im hoping this time i will be able to wait untill 4months before i start introducing food to this one.

Thanks for replying hun.

That makes it a lot clearer! I know it's none of my business so thanks for that. I was just thinking 10 weeks seemed really early but as you've said it was on medical advice. I think this is the important part. You were advised by medical professionals to do it. Some people are just weaning early because they feel like it which can be quite dangerous.

xxx