How early to wean? - Baby

Catherine Burls

11/04/2007 at 09:11

Hi

My daughter is 13wks and I know that the regulations state 26wks for weaning. My friends and family have weaned at 16wks before and I understand that there are risks in weaning too early, but my girl just finishes her bottle in super quick time and when shes in her highchair in the kitchen, when we eat she just has such an interest in what we are doing. shes was a big baby at birth and is 15lb npw at 13wks any advice on when to start and on what, would be great! Thanks
Cath & Maisie
xx

Maddie T

11/04/2007 at 11:23

Cath,
Tara is the same so looking forward to any advice. My mum suggested that i wait until at least 4 months and then just go with baby rice and very basic stuff like pureed carrot, apple etc. I weaned Ryan at 4 months and had no problems, he was also a big baby. I started him on baby rice - teaspoon at lunchtime for a week, gave him 1/2 his feed first, then the rice and then the remainder of the rice. I did that for a week and then the following week each day would add something in i.e apple, pear, carrot etc. The only thing he didn't like was banana, but he likes them now.
Maddie xx

Louise Warren (Ayling)

11/04/2007 at 12:47

Hi Cath and Maddie, when i had my other 2 children (Lucie is 5 and Kayleigh 3 1/2) i was advised to wean at 12 weeks it's only since i had Kayleigh that they changed it to 26 weeks. I think a mother knows best and you should wean when you feel your baby is ready. Kayleigh was a very hungry baby and was ready for weaning at 11 weeks but i made her wait to 12. there is no way on earth she could have waited till 6 months!
My partner thinks it was changed so that we spend more money on baby milk. Both my girls were weaned at 12 weeks and both a healthy happy children who eat a varity of fruit and veg. I will wean Kyrie at 12 weeks as well if she shows signs of being ready.

Louise xx

Louise Warren (Ayling)

11/04/2007 at 12:49

p.s farleys rusks are a good first food as they don't have too many ingrediants and is made up with your babies milk. Also you can add fruit to them for a bit of varity and it tastes nicer than baby rice!

Louise xx

harry and georges mummy

11/04/2007 at 21:35

Cath

harry was 9lb at birth and was was asimilar weight as yours at that age. harry would absolutly monster his bottles and he was so hungry the health visitor told us to put him on stage 2 milk at 8 weeks. harry used to cry at us when we ate and i tried the one spoon of baby rice at 16 weeks and i wish i had given him it earlier, he ate it and went mad for more, now he is 25 weeks and eats 3 meals a day.

some babies are just hungry and a mother knows this more than anyone. if you feel that your babys ready than try a half rusk mixed with his milk, i think the key is make it gradual, and the health visitor says the first tastes should be bland ones
but harry coped absoultley fine with pureed fruit as one of his first foods. i wouldnt inflict baby rice on anyone, it tastes naff lol

Catherine Burls

12/04/2007 at 14:06

Hi

Thanks for your advice so far. Maisie is still eyeing up my food! so shes 14wks next week and I think I'll try her on a spoon of
fruit puree. I have gone a bit mad buying weaning stuff today from Boots! spoons, baby hand blender, bendy ice cube tray thing for freezing home cooked food etc I know..so unnessesary! stupid question but do I need to sterilse the utensils that I wean her with..spoons and tubs?

thanks everyone

Cath and Maisie xx

sarah jane

12/04/2007 at 15:26

Hi all,
I started weaning at 16 weeks. Yes, Catherine you should sterilise everything until 6 months according to advice... I always sterilise his bottles, but there has been the odd occasion when i've just washed his spoon and bowl in very hot soapy water as I'd forgotton to sterilise it earlier. He's five months now, but I still think it's better to be safe than sorry.
Sarah x

harry and georges mummy

12/04/2007 at 22:56

god i feel terrible now!!! i havent always sterilised harrys spoons and tubs i have just really carefully washed them...

Catherine Burls

13/04/2007 at 09:00

oooh don't feel bad! Harry seems perfectley healthy from what you wrote!

I changed the teats from 2 holes to 3 yesterday! now the bottles gone even quicker! definetly going to try some pureed carrot or sweet potatoe next wk!
Cath & Maisie
xx

sarah jane

14/04/2007 at 08:53

I wouldn't worry Kathy and now you've posted that I might stop bothering... it's just what I've read. And it's pretty stupid because he has a dummy that falls on the floor a million times a day which I'm sure is far more of a health risk!

Good weaning ideas - pureed apple is Krishan's favourite but his tastes are now expanding and he'll try most things.

Parsnip & apple
Red lentils, carrot & courgette
Butternut squash & apple
Pear
Banana (mashable and transportable- don't leave home without one, LOL)
Avocado

I make stuff in batches and freeze in ice cube trays.

For first tastes I'd reccommend baby rice, but Krishan soon got bored of it! It gets them used to eating off a spoon though.

I was really anti jars etc., but if you check the ingredients some of them are literally just veg and water. I get the cow & gate ones. Organix do a great range of pure fruit purees too and it's nice because you get to introduce slightly more exotic stuff and blends that I probably wouldn't make myself. Also good is Organix baby cereal - a nice easy breakfast.

Good luck with it Cath, and come back here if you need some help along the way. It's not been easy, but Krishan is now eating 3 times a day and gradually increasing the amount and even trying finger foods. He'll still have the odd day where he only wants milk though - you just have to be patient sometimes and i have to remind myself that he still gets everything he needs from my milk so it's no big deal.

Sarah x

Catherine Burls

14/04/2007 at 10:10

Thanks Sarah. I think the patience thing is important to remember as I have been quite blessed with Maisie shes a great sleeper and drinker and I am automatically setting myself up for her to be a good eater! when maybe she won't take to it!
My sister uses alot of the Organix products and swears by them. I'll keep you all posted!

Thanks
Cath & Maisie
xx

Jackie Simpson

23/04/2007 at 17:53

Hi there my daughter is 11 weeks old and she is already on stage 2 milk and that is still not making her happy so i have started to give her a 1/4 of a rusk with her milk and just slowly build her up as she is only 11 weeks old.
She is also teething already she is very fast in growing for her age and i can't seem to keep up with her as she doing everything before her time
Do you thing im doing the right thing with her feeding?

sarah jane

24/04/2007 at 10:55

My advice is just to trust your instincts Jackie. Introduce things very slowly (offer the same thing for a few days) just to make sure she doesn't react to them and remember that you are not advised to give anything with gluten (found in wheat) or anything containing cows milk (like yoghurt, cheese) until they're 6 months. Maybe try a bit of baby rice? You can then gradually introduce some fruit and veg purees.

My grandma always tells me how she fed my uncle on mashed banana when he was only a couple of weeks old. They were travelling back from Burma to England by ship and couldn't get formula. She wasn't breastfeeding because her supply wasn't very good and it wasn't really the done thing. Anyway, he lived of mashed banana for about a week and it didn't do him any harm!!

Jackie Simpson

24/04/2007 at 15:02

Thanks for getting back to me. when you said to try her with a bit of baby rice can i do that now? at her age as this is my first child. Im sorry to be sounding that im repeating what i say or ask i just want do best for my child as u understand.

Thanks again
sarah jane

Catherine Burls

24/04/2007 at 16:50

Hi all
Maisie had a few spoons of pureed carrot with a bit of her formula mixed in. Shes 15 weeks on Thursday and I couldn't put it off any more. she was wanting to eat so much between 12pm and 6pm. She wore more carrot than she ate! but she seemed ok taking it. I'll let you know how it goes! I agree with Sarah, go with what you think is best! as my HV would freak if she knew! but I know my daughter well only after 15weeks! I'll stick with the carrot till the wkd then try something else. I have bought the plastic bendy trays from Boots so I have friozen some portions ready for the rest of the week.
Talk soon
Cath & Maisie
xx

sarah jane

24/04/2007 at 17:59

Hi again Jackie,

The advice from the world health organisation is not to wean until 6 months. When I was born the advice was 3 months (12 weeks).

I think the current advice is based on the fact that nutritionally speaking babies do not need anything other than milk until they are 6 months and also their digestive system is not fully developed until then. However, as all the mums on this thread have found, 6 months is a long time when you've got an increasingly hungry baby!

Baby rice is a very, very simple food and has one ingredient - rice. The farleys rusks will have more ingredients than this, so if she's happy with the rusks she'll be fine with the rice.

The rice is like a powder and you just mix it in with her milk and make it as thick or runny as you like. It doesn't really taste of anything, so it's a good first food and then you can add a bit of fruit or veg puree to gradually introduce her to more tastes.

Because she's so little I'd try and stick with the rusk or rice for another week and then maybe add in a bit of fruit. Give the same food for 2 or 3 days to check for allergies, before introducing a new one.

There's another post futher up this thread where I've suggested other recipes and recommended some jars too.

Let me know if you've got any more questions :-)

Oh, one other thing, I wouldn't decrease her milk yet - only give her as much solids as she wants on top of her usual milk intake.
Sarah x

Maddie T

24/04/2007 at 21:50

Jackie,

My daughter is only 13 weeks old and she has been having Organix baby rice and rusk for the last week as she is a big baby, she is also on Soya milk as she has an intolerance to dairy, and there is no second stage milk for this. The HV told me to increase her milk but she kept being sick and she didn't want extra milk, but she was really hungry and biting her fists. I only give it at lunchtime and alternate each day between rice and rusk, she loves both, although she wants more and i think would take fruit and veg, i am going to hold off them until she is 16 weeks. I agree that we should go with our mothers instincts whilst taking those of the HV into consideration - after all the HV are not living with our babies 24/7!!
Love Maddie N Tara xx

Emma Usher

01/07/2007 at 21:00

Hi

It has been really interesting reading these posts. My son is now 15 weeks old and seems to be becoming less content with his milk. He sleeps 12 hours a night (which is great) but then has seven oz of formula milk every three hours through the day. I have been thinking about starting weaning but putting it off because of the scaremongering by HV's and the like about kidney and digestive problems. However, think I will start with some baby rice or rusks over the next few days. Will let you know we get on and if he becomes a bit more content during the day.

Take Care
E.

p2baby

01/07/2007 at 21:29

Hi. Hope you don't mind me joining in?
I have two boys and they were so hungry that at 4 weeks they would clear 7oz bottles and by 6 weeks my eldest was on 13oz bottles! I decided to introduce a tiny bit of baby rice via a spoon to him atthis point and he loved it. By 13 weeks he was on dinners followed by puds! He is 8 now and he is great. Still eats alot but has no health problems at all!
My second was abit older when he went onto solids and again i started him of on baby rice. I think he was about 4 months before he was on proper solids like potatoe, carrot etc. Just make sure anything you do give them is very bland and that they are really readu for it. feeding too early can cause intolerances as the digestive system is so immature but done correctly it will be fine.
I think babies let you know when they are ready. I think once they are downing 8oz+ of the stronger milk and still hungry is the time to move onto plain baby rice!
Hope this helps. At the end of the day there is no real right or wrong and anyone who has children will tell you they are all different.
Good luck P xx

Ellen Ross

03/07/2007 at 12:49

Hi, I am so glad i came across this forum.
I try to breastfeed my 12 week old boy during the day and he has a bottle at night before bed then dleeps 9 hours. Recently i have had to give more bottles in the day as he is never satisfied (i use stage 1 formula).
He was 14lb 5 @ 10 weeks the last time i got him weighed so i expect he is around 15lb now and he takes a full 8 oz+ of formula when he has it. I have to breastfeed every 1hr - 2hr on top. I was wondering if i should use the stage 2 formula now to complement the breastfeeds? Would this be correct do you think? Is stage 1 and breast not satisfying him now?I am glad other mums are weaning early as i was praying for week 16 so could introduce baby rice! Andrew is so interested in our food, and has been such a big baby from birth.
thanks in advance
x x