At what age did you start weening your baby?

Question

Just curious
At what age did you decide to start weening your baby and in what year did this take place (cos guidelines keep on changing)
Did you find yourself criticised because others thought it was too early / too late to start.
When, in your opinion, should weening take place.

Answer 1

It should be decided by looking at the individual baby, not from going by a certain age. Current guidelines do not account for the fact that some babies are hungrier than others, or that there is a massive difference between a girl who was 5lbs at birth, or a boy who was 10lbs at birth!

I am training to be a Nutritional Therapist and took advice on this issue from one of my lecturers who is a highly experienced childhood nutrition expert. Her advice - boys in particular often need to be weaned before 6 months, and my boy certainly did! I started weaning him at 4.5 months and he SO needed it. He is extremely active and never stops kicking, rolling and moving. Now he is fully weaned and for the first time in his short life, he isn't starving all the time!

Most people, including every health visitor and midwife I have spoken to, think that the current guidelines cannot be applied to many babies. I haven't found myself criticised at all. Some people have made comments about how they are going to wait until 6 months with their babies, but they have girls who weigh 4 or 5 pounds less than my boy.

Don't wean before 17 weeks, but after then take your baby's signals and do it when is right for you.

Answer 2

My first - six months. 1996, when the guidelines were 4-6 months. To be honest she wasn't really ready even then, but the health visitor said we should start so we did, really slowly.

My second - twelve weeks, because he was literally feeding every minute he was awake. And it horrified me, because he'd been three weeks early so he was only really nine weeks! 1999, when the guidelines said 6 months at the earliest.

And I've been repeatedly criticised for it, even though it was on medical advice and there's no question he was ready!

Weaning should take place when the baby is ready. And if that's before the normal recommended age, then you should check with a medical professional, because you should definitely try things like giving extra milk or "hungry baby" formula first.

Answer 3

I breasfed my baby until he weaned himself at 20 months (born in July 2005 and breasfed until February 2007). I started with solids at 6 months and he gradually started to wean himself (nobody believes me, but it's true!), first during the night, then during the day, in the end he only took something before sleeping and in the morning and then one day he just refused the breast. he was never hungry, he was eating everything we were eating, plus of course, breastmilk (I could have given him formula, but I couldn't, have you ever read a formula label? You might be in for a scare!). He was the one who decided when, how much breasfeeding takes place ot not.
There is no right age to wean, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 12 months, the WHO a minimum of two years! Some doctors say 6 months, other 9. But when I hear 3,4 months my heart cries. Let your baby enjoy breasfeeding and you will too. Even if you work, you can express milk and breasfeed when you are at home or in the night.
A nice book about weaning: Diane Bengson , 'How weaning happens'

Answer 4

About 8-9 months, he started walking when we was 7 months old and we decided then to give ti a month for him to start getting around good. Then we took the bottle away during the day all day and only gave hime one at night. Then after about 2 weeks we changed the milk to water at night in the middle of the 3rd week he pitched the bottle out of the crib an never took it again.
We also start to potty train at 22 months, he could understand yes and no so that meant that he could tell us if he had to go.
That took about a month and was done.
Don't let anyone criticise you ability to raise your children, tell them to mind there own business. No two people do things the same and with two parent working families now days it's really hard.
And as far as Docotrs guildlines, Pitch them out the window, no two kids are the same. Some may need that extra security while other don't.
Remember it's you job to raise the children and when something goes wrong your the one to get the blame, so do what you think is best and when your not sure seek advice.
A good rule of thumb after five children, is if the infant is eating baby food or cereal then you can use a sippy cup in the day to get them used to it and a bottle at night.
If they aren't eating baby cereal or foods yet it's to early to take the bottle.

Answer 5

8wks - 5mths varied for all three children. If you have a very hungry baby give baby rice to help fill , do not rush to give other food types earlier than 3 months (minimum age up till around five years ago). The UK guidelines now say 4-6 months is fine. The reason you are advised not to introduce food s too earlier is that the kidneys are immature and earlier feeding MAY be linked to kidney failure in early adulthood! Stress the maybe!

Good Luck Rice only is fine. ( in addition to milk obviously)

xx

Answer 6

Around three months with all 3 of mine (my fourth is my step-son).

The guidelines have changed over the years but babies haven't and my nippers were hungry and ready for food at 3 months so I fed them-with the blessing of my original health visitor (although when we moved the last one was a bit Hitler-ish, but they're my kids and I'm gone 30, quite old enough to make a grown up decision me-thinks!).

Besides, my original health girl had LOADS of children herself-and that's the best advert for a babycare professional in my opinion!

You can tell when they're starting to be ready to wean as they're interested in your food (as in watching you eat intently often with their mouth open), lip smacking and their sleep pattern tends to shift from nearly all the way through the night to driving you insane again!

Word to the wise though, very thin baby rice is the way to start (easy swallowing, digestion and cleaning!).

I weaned my nippers in early 2000, late 2005 and same time again 2006.

Answer 7

I have four children and the guidelines have changed for each. My 15 year old was weaned at 3 months, my 11 year old at 4 months, my 4 year old at 4 months. I am told by my health visitor not to wean my 2 month old until she is 6 months old. She also told me not to change formula to hungrier baby or stage 2 formula as this is thought to do more harm than good.

How on earth are you expected to keep a baby on stage one milk for 6 months!! My older children are healthy and weaning them at 3 and 4 months has not done them any harm at all so I will wean my youngest when I see fit, not when the guidelines say.

Answer 8

it relatively is extremely no longer a good option to be introducing ingredients at an formerly age than 4-6 mos. that's the scientific community's guildlines interior the US. you delivers her 8 oz..and spot if she'll end it. i might shop doing what you're doing if she's drowsing interior the process the night. If she is obese, i would not be pushing greater formulation - she's probable doing basically advantageous! She ought to in common terms be dealing with a develop spurt too and the feedings will taper off. otherwise - in case you relatively think of she's no longer getting finished, attempt putting some toddler rice cereal in her bottle - you may could desire to make the nipple hollow slightly greater advantageous in case you are attempting this. Rice cereal used to take transport of to infants as youthful as a pair of weeks previous a at the same time as in the past. It won't reason an allergy, likelihood is. superb needs!

Answer 9

the experts recommend that u leave it till your child is over 6 months as up till this point there stomachs cant digest solid food correctly n to stop them having so many allergies to things like nuts
i started to wean my son at 4 months because i could tell he was ready for it i started him on baby rice but i made sure i gave him it on a spoon n not in his bottle so he knew the difference between milk n solid foods, there was some foods he dint like so i left them n tried again two weeks later.
he is now 15months old and is a happy healthy boy.
hope this helps you


oh n this was the end of 2006

Answer 10

I think it depends on the baby, I tried my first baby(now 3) with light solids mixed with his usual milk when he was about five months old but he wasn't ready so I waited and tried again a few weeks later when he was nearly 6 months and he took it better.
My current baby is 5 and half months and has been on home made purees mixed with his milk for two weeks.
I take health visitor advice with a pinch of salt because they seem to think babies are born from text books, I have lost count of the times they have given me the wrong advice so now I trust my own instincts and use them as a last resort.
all babies are different and should be treated as such, just the other day at the weighing clinic one told me that they were 'concerned' that my baby isn't responding to his name being called, he is 5 months old for gods sake! of course he isn't responding to his name yet! I don't trust them at all anymore.