what age did you start weaning your baby onto solid foods?

[pommie]

just wanted to know what age people started their child on solid foods. A lot of the information i have read has said 6 months old (even my partner says 6 months) but if thats the case then why do they make food for 4 months onwards. My daughter is nearly 3 1/2 months old and she seems to be taking a huge interest when we are eating and i am tempted to start her off at 4 months slowly to see how she gets on. She seems to be a very hungry baby (weighed 9lbs when born)

I cant remember what age we did it with our other daughter (i think it was 6 months).

any advice would be appreciated

[Pickle]

Current thinking seems to be from 4 months onwards, as I was surprised to be told at a rare visit to baby clinic that I could start weaning my 4 month old.

Personally, having waited until 6 months with my other two children, I am going to do the same with baby Pickle... she can't sit up, to me that makes her too young for solid food. Also, this time I'm doing baby led weaning, and she doesn't stand a chance of being able to pick up food and get it in her mouth yet :)

[Saffron]

Read the Baby Led Weaning book. My copy is on loan to another Forumite, but I'm sure you can borrow it when she's done. The library also has a copy.

I believe historically, the reason baby foods are labelled "4 months" is that this is the youngest age the government would allow baby foods to be tested.

Even if you don't choose to go down the BLW route, the BLW book is a short and informative read. It talks a lot about what signs to look for in weaning. Regardless of age, before you wean you need to look for signs that your baby is developmentally ready for solids. Giving solid food too early will not benefit a "hungry" baby b/c the intestine in not developed enough to properly absorb the food consumed.

If your baby can sit up and hold a piece of food in her hand, then this is a good sign she is ready. Other signs include following you with her eyes when you eat, and moving her mouth when you chew. Some babies even reach for food off your plate.

My daughter was just under 5 months old when she was sitting up in my lap and grabbed a banana from my hands. She could hold it herself and eat, so I let her. But I didn't start full weaning onto beef burgoignon! We just took it a day at a time. If there was something I was eating, like fruit or a breadcrust, that she could hold then she got a little. We worked our way up from there through the BLW process. It was so much fun!

Happy weaning. Do get in touch if you'd like to borrow the BLW book. (Unlike the library, I won't charge late fees!)

[Saffron]

I'm also surprised by your HV's advice. NHS official guidelines are still from around 6 months, no? http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Babies-weaning/Pages/Introduction%20old.aspx

You should start giving your baby solid foods when they are around six months old, as well as breast or formula milk.

Before six months, your baby's gut is still developing and they need only breast or formula milk. Weaning too soon may increase the risk of infections and allergies.

[Saffron]

Also here: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx#close

[pommie]

my little one can sit up on her own and can hold her head up too. she also grabs onto things that you give her and i have noticed her watching us when we eat. Will wait until she is 4 months (got just over 2 weeks to go) and see how we get on

[Ruth_Baldock]

Baby 1, a boy, born 8lb6oz; weaned him onto purees at 4mo (erroneously). I was desperate to get some decent sleep out of him and thought it would solve our problems. Was dead wrong. Gave up on purees around 7mo, and went the BLW route.

Baby 2, a girl, 9lb14oz; weaned her using a BLW/get what you can from your brother style at 6mo. SO much easier not having to worry about food for that bit longer, especially when out and about.busy with my mad toddler.

My HV also advised purees from 17w for both babies, especially my girl as she is a big girl (30lb at 10mo!!!! No, I am not kidding!) which was bollocks, because if she skips food for the day and just had The Boob, she's as satisfied as if she has eaten a 12 course banquet.

[womanofdulwich]

surely you start on baby rice not purees?

[Pickle]

Saffron, I was very surprised to get that advice, although it's fair to say that being on baby no. 3 I'm not going to listen to anything they "advise" based on past ridiculous advice given. To me it seems wrong for her, a perfectly happy little girl, to be given anything other than milk for a couple more months.

Having read the BLW book I'm even more convinced than with the other two that this is right for us :)

[bluesuperted]

I waited til 6 months and did BLW, it was one of the best things we did and seemed to perfectly fit with baby's abilities and needs at that age (plus so much easier just BF until then).

My son got into food slowly but steadily and by a year he was eating well; now at nearly 22 months he has a brilliant and healthy appetite, knows when he is full and isn't drawn to unhealthy food. Yesterday at his great grandparents he was the star of the show eating broccoli, avocado and pepper salad, pasta, quiche, lettuce leaves, bread, pickled onions, guerkins - you name it he will give it a try, they couldn't believe it! Maybe he was always destined to be a non-fussy eater but I am SO pleased we waited to 6 months and so pleased we did BLW, it meant that mealtimes were never a battle (and I did throw away a lot for months but just took it as normal part of experimenting/playing - "food before one, just for fun" was the mantra) and we have eaten healthy family meals together since the word go.

The BLW cookbook and theory books are both brilliant.

[Pickle]

That's great to hear your experience of BLW bluesuperted. It's a logical approach for us this time round, as I prepare one meal that we all eat, so to include the baby from day 1 of her weaning just makes sense. She sits propped up in a highchair at the table with us now at mealtimes so it should be a natural progression to her eating once she's ready.

[Saffron]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> surely you start on baby rice not purees?

It doesn't matter, so long as the food is appropriate, ie not salty or excessively oily or spice. Really any unprocessed foods are fine. Processed foods like bread are fine too, just check the label for salt content. Of all the store-bought breads, I found that pita bread or crumpets had the least salt. They can be cut into strips for Baby to hold. Meat is also fine. Baby is not likely to be able to chew and swallow much meat, but just gumming and sucking on eg a strip of steak will mean that soluable proteins and essential amino acids are dissolved and swallowed in the saliva.

[bluesuperted]

I loved it and found the approach was so stressfree, we did what you are doing Pickle (although only have one!) - started involving him at mealtimes propped in high chair, giving him utensils at first to gnaw on and then moved onto food (just bits and bobs from the main meal to begin with, but pretty quickly he was just having small amounts of everything and making a big mess!).

It's been such a great experience and I think it makes SO much sense for second and third babies, in fact I would be willing to bet they'd ingest more quickly due to peer interest/peer pressure, sure it'll go brilliantly!

[oimissus]

Miss Oi was weaned at 6 months, she'd shown no interest in food at all, and that was the advice. She was, and still is, a small child who isn't that bothered about food at all (like her father, and so unlike me!) I understand that you can wean from 17 weeks (dangerous to do so before this) if you really want to. I tried BLW but struggled with it for a month, then abandoned it and went to spoonfeeding which we found much better - but missed out the whole baby rice bit, and didn't puree much either, just mashed a bit if needed.

I found weaning such a trial that I certainly wouldn't rush into it early!

[Fuschia]

The food is labelled 4m because the manufacturers can get away with it currently under the law

The nhs advice is 6m

Although there is some research going on into whether earlier is better for families prone to allergy

I did read that it was the EEC discussing whether to ban advertising baby food as suitable for below 6m that led to the letter in the BMj last year or whenever it was that rehashed any justification for the earlier date

I don't really see how the sitting up thing can be relevant ... You'd baby could have good head control but duesnt mean their gut is ready for solids

My own view is that 6m

Is much easier ... And introducing wheat etc quite soon after that, while still bf, seems to be a good approach

[moominfilly]

I've started our 6 month old on BLW combined with mashed up food etc.

Has anyone had experience of their baby just immediatley throwing it all up regardless of the fact they have just had a milk feed or not?!

She only seems to throw up if 'puree' is actually mash with lumps in, or whole bits of food. Baby rice goes down ok, I've not actually tried anything flavoursome as a proper liquidy puree yet.

[Saffron]

Hi moominfilly. Have you read the BLW book? It has lots of tips and advice. When you offer mashed food, are you giving Baby the spoon to hold for herself? Otherwise, what you're doing is not BLW. It's traditinal spoon weaning + offering finger foods. That's absolutely fine. I just wanted to make the difference clear.

Even if you feel more comfortable with tradition spoon feeding, I would strongly encourage you to read the BLW book b/c the developmental info in it is very interesting and useful, and the book is a short, easy read. (I'm happy to loan you my copy.)

In particular the BLW book talks about the tongue and gag reflexes, why these are important, and how they change as Baby grows. Personally, I would give up the mash/purees and do BLW (ie, finger foods only), this way Baby progresses with learning to chew and swallow at her own pace respective to development and reflexes, with a lower risk of choking on semisolid food.

You may find that this type of weaning seems slower than traditional weaning, but there really is no reason to rush.

Happy weaning. xx

[reneet]

6 months is the Official NHS guidelines, I have a bee in my bonnet abour HVs who do not follow guidelines and give people whatever advise they deem fit. What happened to evidence based medicine?

From personal experience weaning from 6 months is much easier, most people I know who started before have struggled with weaning. Its dangerous to start before 4 months but there are sometimes when its is advisable to start then, usually with Drs advice.

I know about humgry babies, my 2nd was 9lbs+ at birth and was in the top percentile for ages, I was breast feeding and it was hard, I was drained and tired. The HV wanted me to put him on formula, then early solids but I completely refused, found a HV who agreed with me and with her support I managed to breastfeed exclusively for the 1st 6months and then start solids after. S took to solids well, I could not do BLW (don't agree with the term), I found it too frustrating, now at 9 months I am introducing finger foods and he is doing well, picked it up faster than he would have done at 6 months, pincer grip is better and I can definately offer more now. He is a brilliant eater loves his food and always wolfs it all up.

Bottomline - Its much easier to start at 6 months, more food can be offered at this stage and you can choose which method you want to start with, no method is wrong and it all depends on your child.

[Saffron]

Just curious, reneet, did you read the BLW book? Was it the expression "baby-led" that put you off the concept, or were you frustrated with initial attempts at offering finger foods in general? In any event, it sounds like weaning is going really well for your LO now.

Similar to bluesuperted, my BLW baby was a brilliant eater, and we found it all very stress-free. (Though now as a 2+ yo toddler, I must admit she does have a taste for crisps. Hmm, I think that one's down to Daddy!) I think people who do the best with BLW from the beginning are those who recognise that it is an exercise in free will as much as letting go. (Which is not to say that this doesn't happen in traditional weaning, but it definitely is a big part of BLW.)

I also liked the BLW concept b/c it gave guidelines (eg 6 mo start) but emphasised the imporance of following Baby's lead developmentally. From this perspective, some babies may start a little earlier, some a little later, depending on development. We're not all the same as adults, so of course we're not all the same as babies either!

Whatever style you choose, if you find it frustrating or upsetting, just take a step back from weaning for a while. Weaning really should be fun and enjoyable for Baby and parents. Milk is the most important food under 1 yo. Until then, it's all about new experiences, tastes, and sensations.

[bluesuperted]

I agree people confuse BLW with finger foods and it's more than that, definitely more a mindset. The people who I know who pesevered (makes it sound negative but you know what I mean) with BLW, meaning they gave weaning control to the baby are so so glad they did. Those who didn't like being in the baby led weaning mindset (which involves thinking, if they eat it, great, if not throw it away with no fuss and try again another meal/day) added in spoonfeeding which to my mind as Saffron said, meant the were no longer BLW, just spoon feeding with finger foods.

[reneet]

The frustrating bit for me was the amount of food wasted, and how frustrated he got when trying to hold/eat something and all he did was drop it. I also found the idea of feeding them milk before solids counter productive. Yes I did read the book and the whole thing did not work for us. S was a hungry baby and by the time he was 6 months he was feeding every 1-2 hours and that included night. I was sleep deprived and depressed. Long story short spoon feeding worked for us, he loves and enjoys his meals. As I said he is now eating finger foods fine and I believe its because he is now ready to. I have nothing against those doing 'BLW' from the start, if it works for you then great. It just seems to me as the new big thing and additional supermum bench marking.

Most mum (whom I know ) who do 'BLW' make one feel less of a mum because one choose to spoon feed. One even asked me how I control his potions and truth is I don't, he does. When he has had enough to eat he will not have any more. I don't try to give him more, and thats it. So if BLW is all about they eating as much/or as little as they want, then its not restricted to finger food is it.

[Pickle]

Reneet, personally I would consider a Mum who prepares purees more of a supermum than one doing BLW :).

The only reason I'm doing it is because being on baby #3 I don't have the time or the energy to cook special baby meals - with my first I used to spend whole weekends lovingly spooning homemade meals into little pots. I also did that for #2, until the point where it became obvious she saw them as a means of decorating the walls rather than food.

For now I feel confident that it's going to be good for us, I'll report back in a few months.

At the end of the day, like all baby/milk/food discussions, as long as your baby is happy and healthy that's all that really matters.

[bluesuperted]

Absolutely agree BLW is easier on mum than pur?eing etc, and would never make someone think (or indeed even think myself!!!!) that someone was less of a mum for going the spoon feeding route, each to their own.

As the product of a disciplinarian father who never allowed any waste (I still clear the plate regardless of feeling full!) I found the initial wastage hard to deal with at first but then I started clearing his plate too, whoops! And I actually found it liberating (like lots of my parenting decisions, which are decidedly more laid back than my own childhood!).

[mrsbee]

Reneet - I agree completely with what you?re saying. I am currently weaning baby number 3. I was hoping to spoon feed from 6 mo (as I had done with the previous 2) but he was having none of it so I had to go down the BLW route. And I have to say I really didn?t like it ? the wasted food, the time it took for him to eat anything and the mess. I did read the book and didn?t like the tone of it at all, lots of claims not backed up with any sort of evidence ? BLWed babies will be less fussy, less obese etc. Also was not impressed with the cook book. After about 6 weeks he started taking the spoon so I have taken some of the principles of BLW (i.e. babies can eat what you eat) but puree/ mash it up so he actually eats something. I do still give finger foods but mainly as a snack. I read this book (weaning book)which I thought gave a good summary of both approaches and would highly recommend it.

I do think that BLW needs a certain mindset which I don?t have. Also I actually find having a few pureed meals in the freezer great in case I need something quick and suitable for a baby.

As Pickle says as long as you and the baby is happy then stick with what you?re doing.

[Saffron]

It's unfortunate that anyone would make you feel less about weaning choices either way. (Incidentally, people have made me feel bad about BLW too, so some people are just bound to rubbish anyone else's choice no matter what, I guess.)

I can definitely say that BLW families I have known have been really laid back and friendly about it. It's not a new concept, though it's seemingly sudden rise in popularity stikes one as nearly out of the blue. It's just been rebranded and published under the name BLW, but this type of "whole foods" weaning has existed for a very long time.

I think I must be in the minority with my BLW experience in that we hardly had any mess (aside from clothing) or waste at all! Because my daughter hated the spoon and was brilliant with BLW, I'm always curious to know why other people chose other styles of weaning. Was recently related a weaning story by a friend, that she and her weanling had a go at spoon feeding each other. I thought this was an interesting and useful twist on spoon feeding, esp'y for those who might not want to go down the BLW route. It lets you and Baby see weaning from each other's perspectives! :) I don't think that would be possible with very young babies, so that would be another reason for waiting to wean until 6ish months.