at what age did you start weening your baby?

Question

my daughter is just over 3 months old. she is a vey hungary baby and although she was born at 6lb 9 1/2 oz she is now the weight of a 4-5 month old(accoring to the guidelines on the back of the formula) i havnt started to give her solids yet because people keep telling me its too early but she has 6 oz every 2-3 hours. ill be lucky if she goes 3. the thing is though she sleeps through the night so im not sure wheather shes eating more during the day because she hasnt eaten in the night? sometimes she will wake up at about 3 o clock but thats quite rare! id just like some opinion on this as it would help me alot to know when you all started feeding your baby solids!
thanks x

id just like to add im in the u.k so i dont know weather its different in the u.s.a but i was told its 4 months and i only meant like baby rusks and weetabix not start to give her whole meals! i just wanted to give her some breakfast in the morning or something! some people are soooooooooo rude and judging!

Answer 1

I believe that around 4 months it is ok to start giving some rice cereal but only rice cereal not oatmeal and definately not any earlier than 4 months. My daughter is 4 months old and due to her having irregular bowls we started giving her rice cereal around 2 months made with apple juice and water. Now she does not want to take a bottle and cries for her cereal (not a good thing because it can cause consipation, dehydration, and easily choking) As a health professional I know that you should only begin giving foods when the baby is ready. It is true that some 1 month olds will display the rediness to begin solid foods (showing interest in parents food, sitting up, holding head up completely unassisted, gumming and chewing food and etc...) where as other 8 month olds still will not. My daughter has been holding her head up since birth and has had perfect posture to sit since about a month and a half and at 2 months tested out on a 6 month olds level and therefore we began her on it. I believe that you know your baby better than anyone else however be sure... VERY sure that your baby has the ability to gum the ceral and swollow it slowly so as to not get choked. I would definately wait atleast another month if not a little longer and to test to see how your baby handles it put half a teaspoon of rice cereal in her early morning bottle so that you have all day to observe how her tummy and body react. If there is no reaction the next day try a whole teaspoon and if baby does well with that then take one teaspoon of rice cereal to 5 teaspoons of water, formula, or breastmilk and try baby on that. Be sure to do this in early morning when you have atleast 6 hours to watch baby and see how the cereal is reacting. For the first few feedings only do one a day and only feed about one tablespoon per feeding.

Answer 2

It's really not a good idea to be introducing foods at an earlier age than 4-6 mos. This is the medical community's guildlines in the US. You can give her 8 oz and see if she'll finish it. I would keep doing what you're doing if she's sleeping through the night. If she is overweight, I wouldn't be pushing more formula - she's probably doing just fine! She could just be going through a growth spurt too and the feedings will taper off.
Otherwise - if you really think she's not getting full, try putting some baby rice cereal in her bottle - you might need to make the nipple hole a little bigger if you do this. Rice cereal used to be given to babies as young as a couple of weeks old a while ago. It won't cause an allergy, chances are.
Best Wishes!

Answer 3

That sounds normal. My baby is two months old and does the same thing. Although I'm breastfeeding so I don't know how much she gets each feeding. She sleeps 8 1/2 - 10 hours at night. then wants to eat every 2-3 hours. She's gaining like a champ. She is to young for solids. 5 years ago when I had my first, doctors suggested starting solids at 4 months. Now especially if she's gaining fine don't introduce solids til 6 months.

Answer 4

I just wanted to add, if you do choose to include solids do so carefully to avoid allergies and DO NOT stop formula. Stopping formula or breastmilk is called weaning and should be saved for well after 12 months. Food can be introduced at 4 months with the a-okay from your doctor, which most give formula fed children at 4 months, I personally would wait a few more months, but that is just me,

Answer 5

My son was the same way! He was eating 8 oz bottles at 2 months old and he was eating them like every 2 hours, i started feeding him solid foods, your baby is hungry and a bottle is not going to do it. my son has been eating solids since he was 2 months old. maybe you should introduce..a bottle is not going to do the trick!

Answer 6

Of course once a baby stop eating at night they eat more during the day, they still need the same formula intake per 24 hours. Which is roughly 20-32oz (600mL - 950mL).

My son was 20lbs at 4 months which according to many sources is the weight of a 12-23 month old, that didn't make him physiologically ready to eat solids, size doesn't equal development. I started solids when my son could pick them up, place them in his mouth, gum them, and swallow them. Which was around 6 months. I was actually planning to wait until 7 months as it reduces the risks of anemia but it became clear that he wasn't going to wait as he was eating grass and anything else he could get his hands on.

England is among the many countries that have signed the Innocenti Declaration which is why you can no longer advertise formula for babies under the age of 6 months, I believe that like Canada and Australia it is also forbidden to advertise other baby foods to babies under the age of 6 months and to recommend its use. (Sadly in Canada it is still legal to advertise formula).

The reason it is illegal in these places to advertise infant foods to babies under 6 months is because it is a serious health risk. Starting solids before 6 months can, in fact, not only cause an increase in infant mortality but due to increasing the rates of asthma, allergies, and diabetes cause health problems that will not only last the rest of the persons life, but in many case shorten their lifespan.

Unfortuneatly while it is easy to look up when the UK Department of Health recommends starting solids for breastfed babies little is said about formula fed babies. But I finally found it, sheesh could they make it any harder?

However, I will state I am impressed that the UK government acknowledges that if you wait until 6 months babies are often able to feed themselves.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4117080
Until six months, your baby has needed only breastmilk
or infant formula milk. From about six months your baby
has developed so that he or she is able to eat solid foods.
Your baby now needs more than milk alone can provide.
By six months, your baby will be developing the skills to
sit up, hold objects and put them to his or her mouth, and
will show signs of being interested in the food you and
your family are eating.

At about six months babies can easily be moved onto
a mixed diet.
Try giving solid foods when your baby:
• Can sit up
• Shows interest in solid food
• Picks up food and puts it in his or her mouth
• Wants to chew and may have teeth
• Appears to still be hungry even though you have
tried increasing milk feeds for a few days.

Answer 7

WIC starts giving cereal at 5 months. I started my 1st on cereal at 5 months & thge 2nd at 4 1/2 months. Talk to the baby's dr. All kids are different and they may start her on them if she is ready.

Answer 8

Weaning? Starting solids isn't weaning. Solids should be started between 6-9 months and not be a main source of nutrition until a year or older. Breastmilk and formula contain all the calories and vitamins/minerals your baby needs. A 3 month old is also no where near ready to self feed, which is the best way to start solids. Wait until she begins to reach for your dinner and start then.

6 oz of formula every 2-3 hours seems completely normal. That is how my older babes ate when I had them on formula.

Added: I agree with making the bottles 8 oz now.



"The major health organizations - including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) - agree that breast milk is the ideal form of nutrition for babies (especially during the first 6 months). However, it's every couple's choice to decide what's best for them and their babies. And commercially prepared formulas are designed and strictly regulated to provide the nutrients your baby needs.

Whether you've decided to formula feed your baby from the start, are supplementing your breast milk with formula, or are switching from breast milk to formula, you're bound to have questions. Here are answers to some common inquiries about formula feeding.


When should I introduce solid foods and juice?
Although in the past many parents started giving their babies solids at 4 months, the AAP now recommends waiting until your baby is 6 months old. Why? Because feeding solids earlier than this can increase the chances of your baby developing food allergies.

Water, juice, and other foods are usually unnecessary during a baby's first 6 months. Breast milk or formula provides everything babies need nutritionally until they start eating solid foods.

Watch for signs of solid-food readiness, such as your baby's tongue-thrusting reflex subsiding and your baby beginning to reach for other people's food. Always start with baby cereal (rice cereal is usually the best one to introduce first) on a spoon before advancing to fruits and vegetables. But do not add cereal to your baby's bottle unless your child's doctor instructs you to - it can make babies overweight and make it difficult for newborns and young infants to digest breast milk or formula."

Answer 9

I started feeding my 1st son rice cereal when he was 3 months but that was because he wasn't gaining enough weight (I was breastfeeding) so the doctor told me to start him then. with my 2nd I started him at 4 months with rice cereal. you should speak to your doctor, because if she is gaining enough weight from what you say, I don't think it's needed to start solids so soon.

Answer 10

increase her intake to 8 ozs she is way too young for solids. no solids til 6 months and talk to her doctor