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Weaning

At what age did you start weaning your LO?

56 replies

Marne · 16/06/2006 10:14

I know they say not too wean till 6 months but at what age did you wean and if you weaned early has it caused any health problems in your child?

DD2 is only 14 weeks and people (my mum) are already telling me to wean her and how it never did us any harm etc, etc..

So just a poll to see who weaned early and who held off to 6 months?

OP posts:
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nothercules · 16/06/2006 10:17

6 monts. sorry no aitc.

some problems tat can be caused by early weaning dont appear until adult ood.

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sazhig · 16/06/2006 10:18

DS (now 23 months) had his first solids at 29 weeks

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compo · 16/06/2006 10:20

ds was about 4 months and a half. Never had any problems

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Marne · 16/06/2006 10:21

Ok, so was anybody on here weaned early and have health problems caused by early weaning?

My mum said i was weaned at 3 months, i have no health problems that i know of.

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PiccadillyCircus · 16/06/2006 10:21

DS about 4.5 months. DD about 5.5 months.

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nailpolish · 16/06/2006 10:21

6 months both times

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FairyMum · 16/06/2006 10:22

I weaned 2 at 4 months and 1 at 6 months.

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poppy101 · 16/06/2006 10:43

Officially it is 6 months, but I started weaning at 16 weeks but my lo was late arriving and needed something more than milk. My old HV at the time said as long as I took the stages slowly then it was fine.

Also I did take my time intro. new foods when baby was ready, only began on a baby rice and milk for ages.

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archiesmummy · 16/06/2006 17:46

im starting in 3 weeks time when ds is 26 weeks. why go against advise if its not necessary???

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biglips · 16/06/2006 17:48

5 months for the VERY hungry madam! Smile

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intergalacticwalrus · 16/06/2006 17:54

DS was 9 months before he ate anything, but we started to offer stuff at 6 months. I don't really thing it's absolutely neccessary to give them anything else before 5.5/6 months. FWIW, it's less pissing about then too, as they can eat pretty much anything.

Ignore your mum, and wean when you feel is best. You know your baby better then anyone.

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Medulla · 16/06/2006 17:57

I weaned DD at 4 months as recommended at the time but held off until 6 months for my DS. HV asked me the other day if I had another one when would I wean and I said definately before 6 months. IMO too late - it took ages for DS to get the hang of it. If I have another one I will probably start thinking about it around the 5 month mark.

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mcmudda · 16/06/2006 18:17

5.5 months for ds under pressure from HV /friends etc - he was huge, but very content and could have just had more milk feeds instead.
6 months for dd - teeny tiny and also quite happy to wait, but had a few more feeds than usual from 4-6 mths during spurts.

Was really happy to have waited - firstly because I knew her guts were mature enough to handle solids ie no constipation/reactions. No spitting out of food because the tongue thrust reflex had gone.

She could sit in highchairs when we were out because they could sit unaided. And for dd, who was that bit later, we skipped puree-ing and went straight on to mashed foods and finger foods. No baby rice required either - bleurgh.

It's not just a current trend to wait until 6 months; it's based on scientific research and advice from the World Health Organisation.

My dn was weaned at 9 weeks and is forever suffering from respiratory problems and seems to have a constant stream of sick bugs (been hospitalised at least 3/4 times). SIL was advised to wean by GP to "cure" colic Shock. Anecdotal evidence I know, but he's the only baby I know weaned that early. Even at 4 months I think there's a big difference in maturation with a 6 month old.

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TheBlonde · 16/06/2006 19:02

I weaned DS at 6 mths
I was weaned at 12 weeks and I doubt it did me any good at all

If I was to wean DS again I would probably leave it later as he wasn't sitting unaided and it was annoying

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spidermama · 16/06/2006 19:11

DD1 4 months (When I didn't know any better.
DS2 10 months
DS3 7 months
DS4 7 months

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looneytune · 19/06/2006 13:50

I weaned ds just before 4 months but this was before the new advice came out. Next time round I will wait.

I was weaned at 3/4 months and my parents always say 'you turned out fine' BUT I (and my brother) suffer from IBS and it's very possible this is from being weaned early.

You don't really tend to see the problems until adulthood so I am definitely going to wait next time!

HTH :)

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dewmeadow · 23/06/2006 17:30

Theres also huge pressure here to start DS on solids. People cant believe I havent and he's only 16 weeks!!

However he is massive and has started to wake at 2.00am starving, so who knows?

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MumtoBen · 26/06/2006 20:16

I weaned my son at 4.5 months. I was intent on not weaning until 6 months, but milk alone was not filling him up. He was an exceptionally hungry baby. I only gave him fruit, veg and baby rice though until 6 months, all homemade and the low allergen foods to try and compensate for earlier weaning. At 6 months he was having 1 litre of breast milk a day, plus 3 meals.

Where I live everyone seems to wean at about 4-5 months.

I was weaned at 8 weeks. I have suffered a lifetime of stomach problems, that has hospitalised me about 5 times. I wonder if that was due to very early weaning or my Dad giving me whiskey as a baby...

I asked my Nan when her generation weaned. She said they didn't have advice in those days, so you just did it whenever you thought the baby was ready.

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MrsDoolittle · 26/06/2006 20:25

My dh was weaned at 9 weeks!!
He was given egg yolk and liver!!!! Bleurgh bleugh bleurrrr

He's from NZ

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Tortington · 26/06/2006 20:48

your supposed to wean them?

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ScummyMummy · 26/06/2006 20:49

lol custy

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ladymuck · 26/06/2006 20:51

Between 4 and 4.5 months. Just as the hv recommended!

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bramblina · 26/06/2006 20:52

Wanted to wait the 6 months but started waking twice through the night from sleeping through so put off a week to get him to 5 months. IME it was good timing for both of us.

HV told me last week the advice is now changing BACK to 4 months as the tastebuds are at their best between 4 and 6 months and if we leave it any longer they don't get the benefit as much as they could. Or something like that!!! Defo changing back to 4m, as for tastebuds, can't quite remember actually! Sorry! Has anyone else heard this?

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foundintranslation · 26/06/2006 20:53

Weaned ds at 6 1/2 months, pretty gradually (despite pressure from SIL and even from dh). Am only now (13 months) introducing wheat and cow's milk. He has been fine - no allergic reactions to anything yet, as far as I can tell.

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Thomcat · 26/06/2006 20:57

6 months, give or take a week. It was basically just the perfect time for her, personally. Up until a week or so before she had shown no interest in food, then she started staring at mine, then reasching out for it, then making interested noises etc. Started her off and she virtually bolted it down. So far, in a couple of weeks she has had ready brek, carrot, baby corn, avocado, rusks, rice cakes, banana and peach.

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