Weening and other food thingys

[Josephine_Beth]

I started Joseph off on food at 15 weeks, it is now one week since he has started foods.

First I thought I would try him on pureed fruits, he seems to pull a face but slowly took a liking to it. Then I tried baby rice, he adores it, 1 meal a day is baby rice now. It's amazing because he'll now only drink 3 bottles of milk ( 300mls), 1 bottle of water and baby rice, that's him full. But I do manage to give him 2 bottles of water a day now.

However, I think the baby rice is causing a bit of wind. You see, Joseph has a nasty cry for about 2 mins, then you can feel him straining and he then lets out a MASSIVE fart, giggles after it! Anyway else had this problem?

I didn't feed him food, only milk today, thought I would give him a break.

And I know, the nappies are only going to get worse!!! Is it me, I can't stand the smell of his poo, smells like doggy poop now....ewwwwwwwww and the colour is like a browny/green with little lumps, ewk!

 

[kimmumof2]

i have found that some foods tend to make her more windy and some also make her nappies smell worse, espec banana for both. she is 5 months now and i started weaning at 14 weeks and i still aint used to the smell lol. my Lo has 5 bottles of milk still as well as breakfast, dinner and tea and also i botle of juice/water.

xxxx

 

[Kylie1007]

Maybe I'll keep breastfeeding Finn till he's old enough to change himself if the nappies are that gross

 

[lisa&alex]

i thought government guidelines were that babys start eatting at 6 months now? even when charl was a baby it was 20 weeks..

just curious to know why you started food at 15 weeks? how much milk was he on before?

 

[newmum]

.

 

[xrachx]

I started Glenn at 14/15 weeks, my eldest son was even younger than that, he was about 10 weeks, all babies are different, i dont take any notice of what people say after all they are only guidelines.

 

[Josephine_Beth]

i thought government guidelines were that babys start eatting at 6 months now? even when charl was a baby it was 20 weeks..

just curious to know why you started food at 15 weeks? how much milk was he on before?

Because milk wasn't fulfilling him, it seems. In one week, he went from having 4 -5 bottles (280 - 300ml's a time) to 7 - 12 bottles of the same size, it just didn't seem to fill him up. So we tried him on pureed fruit (apple, pear and raspberry), gave him about 4 baby spoons and him seemed happy, then onto baby rice. Now he'll only have 3 possibly 4 bottles of milk and some water. He seems happy on that for now.

Mind you, my mum said she started feeding me and my brother at 10 weeks.

I suppose it depends on your baby, huh? Joseph is rather big for his age, in length, not fat. You see, he's in 6 - 9 month's clothing and he is only coming up to 4 months old

 

[Krystal]

aww bless him.. he's so cute.

My nana made my mam start me on solids from 6 weeks no wonder i love my food now.

Forget guidelines anyway. My health visitor said to start weaning once LO is showing the signs like Joseph was. I have only just started but thats cos he seemed happy on his milk

 

[lisa&alex]

i think when there are major signs you must try to add something extra to the diet.. perhaps stick to baby rice though? for the 1st few weeks atleast as introducing to many ranges of food right off might affect his bowels..eg wind etc..

 

[Josephine_Beth]

Going to stick with baby rice, it settles on his tummy alot better than the pureed fruits. But he's taken a shining to flavoured water..............it's cute.

 

[kimmumof2]

i have started at 14 weeks with both mine, the guidelines change from yr to yr so its impossible to keep up and i always tell the hv that at the end of the day im her mum and i know when she is ready. some babies develop faster than others, kayla has took to weaning really quickly just like my eldest. she is now 21 weeks and is having 3 meals a day and is on hungrier milk too.

xxxxx

 

[Josephine_Beth]

I swear when I told my old HV/doctor what I had tried, they looked at me like I was a bad mother!!!!!

I know it's guide lines but how are we to judge/know when the packets etc say 4 months and the doctors say 6 months!!

I suppose the best advice is from mothers and from yourself, huh?

 

[lisa&alex]

personally i will listen to a doctor and health visitor as they have trained for years in medical science if it was ok for babys bowels to digest food before 6 months then the advise would be to start weening before 6 months..

my ideas behind weaning and why not to before 4 months at the earliest would be that most babys start dropping their milk intake and perhaps baby rice doesnt have enough nutrients and calories that a 4 month baby needs.. and then i would go on to say that anything other than baby rice might be a little hard for an immature bowel that has never had anything but milk to digest.

you know these babies are our own and we will do what we think is best..but there are guidelines in place for a reason.. but its your baby so its up to you to choose.

edit to say that i just realised that if you try weaning at 15 weeks that is 11 weeks before recomended 26 weeks if edward goes the same way in getting hungry i think i would try hungry baby milk 1st.

 

[Josephine_Beth]

Ahhh but it's not long since they but a restriction to 6 months old...............if that's the case and we were all fed before 4 months, I don't see any harm in that.

It's mainly written down due to food allergies and such, their bowls are perfectly ok, as long as you feed slowly and not too much.


Joseph is doing well and he isn't having any problems, so I am all for feeding a baby before 6 months. If anything, just bottle feeding for that long, could, intently, make a baby lazy.............my view, any how.

 

[paradysso]

If anything, just bottle feeding for that long, could, intently, make a baby lazy.............my view, any how.

WTF.... how???? i dont intend on giving my baby any solids before 6 months. so your saying im going to have a lazy baby

 

[newmum]

.

 

[lisa&alex]

hahhhahahahahahahah!! sorry but thats awesome! lol

 

[valentine]

I am a fan of later weaning too due to known health benefits. I'm going to copy out the info given to me by my HV at a weaning workshop.

When to wean?

All babies are individuals but recognitions of your baby's oral and digestive development and the close interlink with their physical development will help you to decide when to wean.

Reasons to delay your baby's weaning until at least 4 months/17 weeks but preferably longer to 6 months:

• Gut still maturing therefore there is almost no pancreatic acitivy - only 10% of adult ability to digest starch (i.e. baby rice and similar). The gut is also reliant on breast milk lipases (or formula equivalent) to digest fat effectively)
  
  Not capable of feeding self, therefore feeding is mother led (baby given food rather and being ready to participate in feeding).
  
  Can fulfil all fluid and nutrient need via breast or formula milk
  
  Early weaning will NOT make your baby sleep overnight.

At 6 months:-

• Baby has more or less the ability to digest and absorb a range of food nutrients
  
  Baby is beginnning to sit up unsupported
  
  Baby takes objects to mouth accurately
  
  Baby is beginning to bite and chew
  
  Baby is ready to begin to feed self sold foods (baby led feeding)

Advantages to later weaning:-

• Allows a baby's gut to mature before weaning helps lessen the cahnces of developing allergies
  
  Baby is able to efficiently absorb nutrients
  
  There is no need to sterilise clean food utensils
  
  There is no need to puree food (or buy expensive jars) - food can be mashed finely
  
  There is a far wider range of foods that can be used and introduced more quickly
  
  Baby can do much of the feeding for himself
  
  Baby can join in family meals aiding familiarisation of food and social development

Obviously we all do what works for us and what suits our babies, but I think that the proven and researched health benefits for later weaning are what encouraged me to wait (that, and I didn't have a particularly hungry baby).
Valentine Xxx

 

[KJ]

think this thread is getting a little too heated!

Ash is still exclusively breastfed and I think we'll make it to 6 months before starting solids, but that's him.

I have friends whose babies were just extremely hungry and for whom, milk just wasn't enough. So they started weaning earlier.

I don't condemn anyone for when they start weaning, as long as there were definite signs from the baby and it seemed the only option.

I do think that if you start weaning earlier, you should start on very pureed stuff with not many lumps and not much in quantity either.

I know guidelines say 6 months and that's what I'm aiming for, but then Ash is completely happy on breast milk, so I don't have the dilemma.

My mum and dad keep trying to get me to give him solids earlier because that's what they did when I was a baby. But as long as he's happy I'll stick to my guns.

If he suddenly started being really unsatisfied on milk, I'd consider adding some baby rice or something.

K.xxx

 

[Josephine_Beth]

Hear Hear KJ!

I just think the world has got too 'errrr don't do that, you can get cancer from breathing in wet rain' these days, it's very true!

At the end of the day I have sort advice from professionals, mothers, nannys etc and I feel that feeding Joseph now, is the time. He is perfectly happy, when he's not trying to take your arm off, whilst directing food in He adores baby rice.

I just started him on that Heinz baby juice, pear, it is suiting him well, too.