Hints and tips for weaning (merged)

alleycat`

It is really up to you and if your little one is taking an interest in food.

We found that our DS (90+ percentile at birth and off the chart for height/weight up to 18 months) had to be started onto solids at about 15 to 16 weeks as my wife just could not produce enough milk to keep up with him and get any sleep.

He didn't really get into baby rice but liked the 4 months "baby cereal".
He also liked mashed fruit and went loony over egg custard.

To be fair our doctor and health visitor were quite supportive of this as they are aware that every child is different.

My mum thought we were mad waiting that long to feed him any "solids".
I guess times change

Offer it to the little one and if they want to try it they will.


Obviously this is our experience and no doubt other people will agree/disagree.

LilacPixie

Another question, sorry are you sure her refulx is managed well, reason I ask is the coolness of formula is supposed to cool the burn from reflux so maybe she is drinking lots to calm the burn more than hunger kwim?

strawberrypud

LilacPixie wrote: »

Another question, sorry are you sure her refulx is managed well, reason I ask is the coolness of formula is supposed to cool the burn from reflux so maybe she is drinking lots to calm the burn more than hunger kwim?

She doesn't cry or arch her back when she is sick and that is a huge difference from before.

ymcas

Isn't there a hideous growth spurt at around 16 weeks, maybe this is early? If so then this will pass, but may last for 3 or even 4 weeks!

pigpen

There is a growth spurt at 3 months.. which may be part of the problem. I'd be trying the hungrier baby milk before trying solids TBH.. babies do not NEED solids for hunger management until a year old really.. in other parts of the world they wouldn't even consider giving solids until a year had passed.

I'd give it a week or 2 on the hungry baby milk and reassess.. if she is still being a milk monster try solids then. personally I hate feeding slop so put it off as long as possible.

sarahevie

I've just been speaking to my neighbour and her 10 week old daughter is on 8oz bottles and she is considering early weaning but our hv has recommended waiting until 17 weeks something in the stomach and digestion (sorry not very medical).

My neighbour and I both had girls within 2 weeks of each other mine is exclusively breast fed but is my second child.

With my first child I exclusively breast fed for the first six months, getting up every two hours day and night and my child was never settled. I was fobbed off saying she would settle, breast is best, I was desperate for somebody to say try formula but nobody every did - I was made to feel so guilty that I persevered with breast feeding. In the end I'm glad I did, she did get better after 4 months as over time your supply does increase in line with the child.

Now I'm on my second child I am convinced that my first child was being starved, she didn't gain weight particularly well. At birth she was on the 50th centile but for the first year of her life was on the 9th and 25th. She only started sleeping through at 8 months once weaning was established.

This is the complete opposite of my second child also breast fed but I have so much more milk this time round - what I would say, and personally I'm only working this out second time round is, you know your own child - don't listen to the 'professionals' try different options. If breast feeding, bottle feeding, weaning works for you go for it!

Spendless

Since your HV has told you it's ok, I would go ahead. She is the one that knows you and your baby. People on the internet don't.;) It seems early because you have had a baby at a time when you are told not to wean until 6 months. If you'd had a baby 10 years ago when you were told to wean at 4 months (like me) or 20 years ago when you were told to wean at 3 months it wouldn't seem early.

Gillby1

Hi Strawberrypud,

One thing i've noticed about health visitors is that advice often changes from one to the next! My breastfed baby is 20 weeks old, and is constantly hungry and crying for more milk. At 17 weeks one HV told me to delay weaning by topping up his milk with formula, and another told me to introduce solids rather than using formula. I've done a lot of research on the internet, and it does seem that the longer you can delay solids for, the better for the baby's health and digestion as they grow up. Every baby is different, but many babies tummies are 'leaky' until around 17 weeks, which means that the lining of their gut is underdeveloped. Maybe you could try and hold off until then?

As suggested, have you tried hungry baby milk? It worked wonders for my sister's baby, who now sleeps for longer periods at night.

I have just started my little boy on solids, on tiny amounts of baby rice and pur!ed pear and carrot. I don't think it will make much difference to his sleep etc... until he's ready to take larger amounts and more variety. Baby milk (Breast or formula) is more energy and nutrition dense that first baby foods.

Gillby1

LilacPixie

strawberrypud wrote: »

She doesn't cry or arch her back when she is sick and that is a huge difference from before.

Mine was similar after the gaviscon but there was still residual burn which was why she wanted to feed alot. A shift of formula as well as the medication made a massive difference until 20ish weeks when we shifted formula again to the hungry baby stuff. Thats why I asked

tiamai_d

If it doesn't feel right to you, then it's not right for your baby.

Can she have hungry baby milk with the reflux? If so, try her on that first.

They do go through a growth spurt about now and solid food won't help.

My first and second were weaned early (16 weeks) under instruction from their paed (both early babies), and I found it hard with DS1. Given what I know now, DS1 just wasn't ready. DS2 coped better, but if I were to do it over again I wouldn't have given them solids so early. DD was about 21/22 weeks when she just helped herself to my cottage pie. Weaning her was far easier because I let her go at her own pace and trusted my own instincts more. She went onto hungry baby milk at about 18 weeks with no problems at all.