Weaning before 6 months. anyone?

My baby is 15 weeks today. She was weighed and there is a slight drop in her weight. my health visitor thinks i should start weaning her in about two weeks since she is very hungry!

has anyone else started before 6 months?

katy

Weaning

Yep, we weaned Emily at approx 4.5 months as she was not the weight she should have been, she was never a big drinker but the lines in her chart kept dipping each time..... this was on the advice of our HV - all going okay, Emily is maintaining a steady weight, she will never be big but she is following her line okay ....

If you health visitor thinks your little one should be weaned then it should be okay - be prepared to get messy

Natalie & Emily (7 months) x

Hey

Yas is now 18 weeks and i started weaning her a week ago, doctor said it would be fine and shes been doing great, i weaned my first born at 4 months too and she was fine. Regarding allergies, in my opinion weaning them earlier just makes them more apparant earlier... if you wait till after 6 months then you will only find out later. I ve had no problem with weaning. I wouoldnt wean before 17 weeks without consulting you HV or Gp first, but after 17 weeks its down to personal choice and how hungry your baby is. That what i think anyway.... hope that was of some help!!!

Sorry

but feel compelled to reply to this because of what you say about allergies. Giving solid foods to a baby before he or she can cope with them, can increase the risk of infection and allergies, ie if they are given to a baby who is ready to digest them then it won't trigger their bodies to produce histamines to fight them..............and vice versa. Of course there are babies who will have allergies regardless of when they are weaned but waiting to wean will reduce the risk and is especially important for anyone with a family history of allergies.
Please don't take this message as a personal attack, it is not my intention, I would just hate anyone to be mislead by what you said!
Love Tracey

Well

I have waited til 6 months with all of mine as the guidelines have ALWAYS said that with regards to allergies such as asthma and eczema it is much better to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months. I emphasize the always because i am tired of hearing people say the 6 month rule is a new thing! The new (ish) findings are that babies become able to digest food somewhere between 4 and 6 months BUT because noone knows which babies develop the ability first they have said it is better for everyone to wait for 6 months just in case....... early weaning has been linked to obesity, allergies and heart problems. That is not to say that every child who is weaned early will have problems and obviously some mums have to follow different advice to meet the specific needs of their child.

If you do wean early then i would suggest avoiding common allergens and just begin with baby rice mixed with baby's normal milk.

There are other options to early weaning though, increasing milk intake for example, or moving to hungry baby formula, a breastfeeding mum can change her diet to ensure rich milk.....

Hope you get on ok with whatever you decide to do!

Love Tracey

I have to say

i totally agree with tracey...

i would also urge everyone to look into baby led weaning - it's amazing and fun! and oh so much easier all around!!

i don't want to get into an arguement about weaning - but i will say we waited until all of the signs were displayed by siri.
- watching us eat and copying the chewing
- able to sit up unsupported
- total head and neck control
- chewing everything in sight
- reaching for our food
and because we have done baby led weaning it was easy to be sure she was ready and to see her development

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning
that's a good summary

ok i should be packing!

hugs
elizabeth & siri (8.5 months and eating what we eat! )
xxxx

This 6 month rule is complete nonsense!

I weaned my son (who was 9lb4 at birth lol!) at just about 3.5 months as he was so hungry and started waking more at night.
this "World health Org" guideline recommending nothing but milk til 6 months is al fine in theory but not all babies are the same are they!!
Go with what works fo ryou and put down all the text books!
If bubs is hungry give him proper food!
I had my son 7 years ago and I think back then the "recommendation" was 4 months, its since changed to 6, so you cant take nay of it that seruiously as they change thier minds so often on what they think is best !!!! this time round I will do the same again if my boy gets hungry and needs more than just milk.

The 6 month 'rule'

is not a rule, it is a guideline. This topic has popped up a lot in the past and there have been many many arguments about it.

My son was 9lbs 9oz at birth!! And an extrememly hungry baby. I unfortunately could not exclusively breast feed as I didnt produce properly from the beginning so had to suplement with formula. He was put on hungry baby. At 11 weeks suddenly he wanted to feed every one and a half hours. Some said wean him, I chose not too. I, instead, increased his formula feeds and this resolved his hungry issues until 4 months. At 4 months he was taking 4 bottles of 240ml per day plus the breast.

At 4 months I got all excited - weaning time! For the first week, everything went fine but thereafter his weight dropped. Fortunately, he has always had an extra few pounds. HV advised that I STOP the solids and just give him milk until 5.5 months. Then introduce solids again starting at one a day for a week, then two for a week until he was up to three meals a day and then snacks so by the time 7 months comes he will be in a feeding routine that is not too soon and not too late.

Worked like a dream!! My son eats anything and particularly loves sweetcorn, peas and broccoli. He eats like a trooper and I have had no problems with him dropping weight since.

I agree that every baby is different that is why the guidelines say BETWEEN 4 & 6 months. Nothing is an exact science that is why they are called guidelines. I agree with Tracey, try the alternatives first. It all boils down to a babies ability to digest and I think that people tend to forget this. I agree with Claire in terms of go with what works for you BUT do the research on digestion first and maybe try uping the amount of milk (if you are formula feeding.) This really worked for us.

Good luck

Hey

Hey

Megan has been on baby rice since she was 11 weeks and 3 days, absolutely loves it, the hv said i can start trying her on other stuff now as its been 3 weeks and she has started putting on weight, so have started her on baby rice or porridge in the mornings and a fruit puree in the evenings, she is coping really well with it so will keep adding stuff every 2 weeks and get her into a routine

Nat and Megan xxx