Obsession with early weaning..

Competition, status, uneducated, because others say ‘we used to at … weeks’, influencer pressure no doubt etc. I agree with you, just chill and let baby’s be baby’s xx

I've heard a few people say there baby will sleep better if they give them baby porridge before bed along with a bottle of formula from like 3 months. I have noticed these babies seem a lot bigger so I think it's potentially setting them up for a life of obesity. There is also a bit of evidence that the reason a lot of people have intolerances and allergies is because they were weaned to soon as babies before there stomachs were developed enough to process food. So I agree just wait until they pass 6 months, have good head control can sit and are actually showing an interest in food.

I believe it's down to the baby race, they want their babies to be ahead of others and advancing quicker. We early weaned with our son due to severe reflux (he has severe cmpa) as even the omeprazol wasn't cutting it and we were under a dietician who advised it as he could sit and hold his head up on his own and was showing interest in food from 3 months but we started extremely slowly and built up to proper weaning closer to 6 months. With our second due soon unless she's the same she's waiting until 6 months!

In my home country, it’s still recommended to wean babies at 4 months, after their appointment with the GP and paeds nurse. Most people on my family and my husbands family were really shocked that my LO didn’t have any solids by 5 months, and I felt really pressured to start weaning.

@Ana thanks for bringing this to my attention. I was ready to start weaning at 6 months as I hadn’t realised the guidance diverged. Will likely try it sooner now.

I never felt pressured to start foods early but both of my boys around 4 months starting stealing off our plates and grabbing spoons etc if we ate something while holding them and we figured (with the peds approval) why not allow them to have some of their own food. Both of my boys have never needed encouraged to eat, other than the first few days of not quite knowing how to move their tongue to bring food in vs push it out they literally attack anything brought close to their mouths because they want more lol. If they showed that they weren't ready we definitely would have held off on starting

@Ana the guidelines in Portugal (where I’m from) it’s to start at 4 months. In the UK (where I live) it’s 6 months. That’s when I started (well, 5 months, 3 weeks). The WHO advice is for babies to only have milk for the first 6 months. I’d say do your research if you want to start earlier.

@Ana so am I. :) By the way WHO says “around 6 months” not “after 6 months”. And it links it to levels of energy and nutricional needs which, per their advice, are specific to each baby. They also highlight the risks for development of not introducing complementary foods early enough, i.e. when the baby requires it. It def must be done with medical advice and lots of research, but your comment just prompted me to realise that the “after 6 months” is actually not a hard and fast rule, quite the opposite.

If anyone is interested: https://www.who.int/health-topics/complementary-feeding#tab=tab_1

@Ana yeah I definitely think that the 6 months mark is to cover all babies 😊 my LO was probably ready for solids a little bit earlier than 6 months since she was sitting, good neck control, etc

@Emily yes… I think that is also a very good point re weaning: it’s not just age, it’s the quality of foods you decide to introduce. A very smooth vegetable purée with the correct thickness is very different from an ultra processed chocolate yogurt…

I wouldn’t say obsession , yes there’s a recommended Age but it’s just that. Recommended , what people choose to do with their child based on their own decisions shouldn’t really bother anyone. I started weaning my baby at 3 months and it worked well for us , however I would never judge someone who chose to wean at 6 month etc

We started weaning at 5 months and half. I felt a little bit pressured by my family but to be fair my baby was showing all the signs that he was ready. And as @Sophie.. I wouldn't call it an obsession, it's a recommendation. A generalisation. Each individual should make informed decisions and always consult a professional (GP, pediatrician, health visitor, etc).

This post doesn't have a very 'community' feel, this app is for support and to make connections, not to judge other mums. If you are concerned reach out to people, don't leave an anonymous post, it doesn't come across well. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but this is unnecessary and loaded, you will make some mums feel judged and insecure, unless you are a midwife/doctor/health visitor I'm not sure you are qualified to advise. It is called baby led weaning for a reason, only the babies mum will know when they are ready, and I hope that an anonymous judgement doesn't make anyone feel how it's clear this post is intended to make you feel.

We got the go ahead from a dietician and paediatrician, due to suspected CMPA we started on just tasters just before 5 months, but he could hold his head and support himself so they were happy for this. Everyone’s circumstance’s are different & as long as people have made an informed choice around their child and what they want to do, I don’t feel judging people is necessary. As long as they are happy, healthy and fed who are we to judge people’s circumstances based off a few posts on this app.

@Emily wtf?!

@Carrie your comment must be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever ever seen. I don’t agree with early weaning, but a life of obesity over a couple mouthfuls of porridge, come on!! I assume your saying this from personal experience as you don’t exactly look a picture of health. Ridiculous lady

@Emily that's actually awful! Alright it's each to their own but surely everyone would think that's not a good idea! Xx

@Chanel actually I've done my research and know that weaning too early is linked to excessive weight gain which can lead to childhood obesity and there are also links to developing intolerances and allergies. Also giving food before 4 months can cause illness. There is literally loads of research just do a quick Google search. So yes I think giving a 3 month old a full bowl of baby porridge and a full bottle of formula before bed (this is what they said they were doing) in the hope they will sleep better is ridiculous and has the potential to lead to childhood obesity. And to insult my heath based on a few pictures in my profile shows your maturity level. Which I will not stoop to. If you reply to this comment please know I will not respond too you again.

@Carrie you thinking a baby could possibly stomach a whole bowl of porridge in the first place shows how ridiculous your brain works. The fact you had to do research rather than use common sense is the funniest part of all. Telling people their kids with be obese is just laughable

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