whats the reasoning behind the new wean at 6 months rule?

Question

my daughter is only 12 weeks at the mo and nowhere near ready yet, i was just wandering why the sudden change from 4 to 6 months?

Answer 1

Originally it was recommended that you wean anywhere between 4 and six months, but in recent years the professionals have been able to research more and have decided that a babies digestive system isn't developed enough to process anything more than milk. I myself started weaning my 2 year old daughter at 4and a half months very gradually starting with just small amounts of baby rice- (a couple of spoonfuls per day) simply because the milk wasn't filling her. Start when baby lets you know she needs it...and don't feel guily about going against the books!

Answer 2

It's to do with the fact that a baby's digestive system isn't usually fully developed until 6 months after birth, and feeding anything other than breastmilk (or formula) can potentially cause allergies.
There's also the issue of motor skills, ideally the baby should be able to engage in some self-feeding and have some control over their feeding habits. In addition to this, by six months old they should have lost the tongue-thrust reflex.

Obviously this is just a general rule, and some babies may be ready for solids earlier (and some will not be ready until long after six months) - best not to think about introducing solids until six months, but keep an eye on baby to see if they are showing signs of being ready for solids themselves - let them dictate the weaning process at first.

Answer 3

HEY It all can get a little confusing. It was changed afew years back cos the "experts" decided that the baby has no need for food until six months and is not able to digest it as easily. I had my son 5 years ago and at that time it was the 4 month rule i had my daughter last year and it had changed. I started feeding her at 4 months because my breast milk just wasn't enough. See how u go but u should definitely start feeding at 6 months cos babies need all the extra vitamins and stuff and also they need to be able to get use to eating different types of foods. My kids were weened early and they'll eat anything yet my brothers kids wont eat a wide variety of food. I think it was because they were weaned late. Good luck!!

When i say wean i mean whilst still giving breast/formula milk till at least 12 months old!

Answer 4

Are these people for real?
They changed it to 6 months as studies showed that babies digestive systems could not cope with the food intake. Their kidneys were also not developed enough until 6 months old and were getting overloaded.
The other reasons why are because babies immune systems were not developed enough and they were more likely to develop, allergies from foods as people are not always sure which foods are for what age.
If people actually took the time to read the sort of crap which is in some of the jars I'm sure they wouldn't even feed them to a dog.
The contain semi skimmed milk which at the very earliest shouldn't be given to a child until they are 2 but they recommend 5yrs. Salt, which should never be added to a babies food anyway, eggs 12 months, pasta 6 months, custard 12 months, I think thats enough examples, but these jars say suitable from 4 months, who are they trying to kid?
So know you get the picture of why they have changed it to 6months as they know alot of parents are going to feed this crap to their babies and the professionals are just trying to do their best to keep the babies healthy.
Sorry I've waffled on a bit, but this subject is something I'm really passionate about x

Answer 5

Ever since that ding-dong Dr. Spock appeared on the scene, information about child rearing has become big business. Everyone wants to have a 'new' opinion that will sell their books and get them on talk shows.

Two things remain true: when breast feeding, the bond between mother and baby is enhanced and the babies tend to learn at a faster rate (for some reason it facilitates learning). I can give you a couple examples .. my brother and I were weaned at just about a year ... I could read and write by then; my brother could also, and he graduated from Harvey Mudd School of Engineering and ..I believe.. is the first person to finish the Stanford Entrance Exam..and aced it.

Dear, if you are not ready, don't wean!

Answer 6

Don't know where you're getting 6 months to wean, none of mine were weaned before 16 months but the pediatricians here recommend at least 12 months. Are you talking about the switch to solid food? That can wait a lot longer than they recommend too, although everybody's opinion on that is different.

Answer 7

Ideas on how to care for babies are changing all the time. When I had my eldest (who's now 33) the health visitor advised giving her baby cereal at 2 months. When I had my youngest (now 19) it was 3 months.
Then it was 4 months and now it's 6.
I think we need to take account of what the experts say, as nutritional science moves on all the time.
But my 4 children are all happy, healthy and slim (but not skinny), and they all started on solid food at different times.
Every child is different. Discuss things with your health visitor if your baby doesn't seem satisfied with just milk at 4 months.

Answer 8

Less chance of developing digestive disorders later in life if following the 6 month weaning thing, but I did start my daughter a little earlier, with the medical go-ahead, of course.

Answer 9

I believe its all about their stomachs and what they can and can not absorb. They are always changing things, I weaned my daughter at 4 months and shes perfectly fine. Personally I think your baby will tell you when they need solid food, Generally not being able to sleep through the night when before they used to. My midwife and health visitor have always said go by what you think, the "rules" they have are just guidelines.

Answer 10

I think it is a figure for the whole world, focussing more on third world countries where everything is not as clean and the longer tha baby is exclusively breastfed, the less risk of infection or disease.
Also people say that babies under 6 months don't ahve strong enough digestive systems.
But I think it is fine to start giving tastes of food, maybe spoonful at a time form 4 1/2 months, as long as its not too much then it wont put strain on their stomach and it will get them used to different tastes:)