It’s been a grim start to the year with the press leaping on a review and reporting it as fact that babies need solids at 4 months.
Here at Lactivist, I believe that all babies are different and some will need solids before others but that is no reason to stop breastfeeding – especially in winter when mother’s milk protects against all sorts of bugs and baddies.
The fantastic Kellymom have a great checklist for readyness for solids:
- Baby can sit up well without support.
- Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
- Baby is ready and willing to chew.
- Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
- Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.
This competition to win an ‘I’ll wean when I’m ready’ Lactivist t-shirt ends on the 23rd January 2011, it is open to people in Europe only – sorry! A winner will be chosen from the entrants and informed by email and on www.lactivist.net.
Please share this! The more the merrier 
To enter, leave a comment below telling us your experience or thoughts of weaning. Have you got any good advice? Any funny stories? Any good websites about introducing solids? Any fantastic recipes?
I’ll start you off
My son was late to solids, I introduced him to a lovingly dug up and cooked carrot, mashed up and pushed through a sieve and he spat it right out. He has only just started to think of carrots as a viable option now 7 years later and hates mushy food. I worried about it for a bit then decided to just see how it went, trying every now and then and a few months later he grabbed the spoon and ate the lot – he was ready! After that it was a non stop adventure involving removing rice cake particles from every surface of the house and discovering that bananas can stain – and of course solid poo, which, if you are really bored you can read about here : http://www.lactivist.net/?p=8.
There is also an excellent article on Baby Led Weaning by Laura of Brightspark Slings here http://www.lactivist.net/?p=7 and of course Gillian Rapleys book ‘Baby Led Weaning’ which came a bit late for me but has ace reviews.
The competition is now closed and the winner was Jessi!
il go with my youngest, i started tryign him with weanign at 6m, he was showing allt eh obviousl signs yet when he had solids he screamed, i stopped and tried him gain at 7m, still teh same reaction. after seeing a paed i was told to carry on with breast milk as it was fine for now (yay!) and to keep trying him occasionally with solids and in teh mean time they’d cheak for aenemia and different allergies.
at 8.5m he started tollerating some solids, now at 9.5m hes gone from relying solely on boob to 3 meal a day and he prefers water in a beaker than boob during hte day now. he still cnat have some things as it seems hes fructose intollerant so no fruit (which is a HUGE culture shock to me as my otehr 3 kids cost me a fortune in fruit coz htrey love the stuff) so were tryign to find healthy alternative to fruit i can use as a treat/snack/pudding.
he does however feed himself EVERYTHING and theres very little mess (minus messy hands) and becasue hte amount he eats is coontrolled by him weve had no constipation despite him weanign onto solids so quickly.
he still loves boob though and will continue to have it for as long as he wants
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I am a mother to 4 young daughters, I gave birth to my first baby age 20 and I had severe PND. I listened to everything my first health visitor said and when she advised weaning at 16 weeks, she told me as she was breastfed I couldn`t tell how much milk she was taking so I should wean. I was too worried to argue. I weaned slowly and my now 7 year old eats well with no ill effects. My second baby was HUNGRY and despite feeding and feeding I had to wean at 22 weeks. Breastmilk was still her main source of food. I took it slowly. My 3rd baby was different again…she wasn`t intersted in solids until 7-8 months and was breastfed until we started baby led weaning. My 4th baby is 5 months and not ready to wean yet either…my point?? EVERY baby is different, breastmilk should be their main food until one year and my girls WEAN WHEN THEY ARE READY. Not when Joe Blogs says or some pretentious Health visitor. I just wish I had been more confident in my abilities with my first baby, trusted my instincts!
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My boy was a late sitter upper, and so didnt start any weaning until 28 weeks when he just grabbed some fried bread (naughty mommy) out my hand! Whoops!
Anyways, he only really started to show a proper interested recently, nearer 9 months. My eldest boy, who is now 2 1/2 was ready and eager at 24 weeks.
Every baby is different, and mommy knows best.
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I did baby-led weaning with my 4th baby. It just seems a better way to wean babies. They are in control of what they eat and when. She does this when she’s breastfeeding so why not carry it on with food. She was 2 weeks away from 6 months when she grabbed my sandwich so I let her carry on. We’ve not looked back. Weaning has been such a pleasure.
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Before i had my children i only ever planned to breastfeed until about 12mths, maybe 24mths at a HUGE PUSH. My daughter only b’fed for 3mths, so when my son came along i was really looking forward to feeding for at least 12mths. Now he’s 15mths old and still feeding like a champion, and i’m looking forward to possibly feeding to 4yo or maybe even 5yo at a push. I can’t wait for those precious moments where he can ask for “boobie” and more of those cute looks and smiles he gives me while feeding. My family and friends know i’m letting my son decide when he’s done breastfeeding and tho some might not agree with it, they are supportive. So this shirt would be fantastic – my son will definitely wean when he’s ready
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My son was born by crash c section after failed induction due to preeclamsia. I struggled with Breastfeeding and spent many a day in tears. At 3 weeks old we found he had Tongue tie and it was snipped at 5 weeks.
he will wean when he is ready. Not me not some “expert” his life his health his booby juice. Xxx
I struggles so much with Breastfeeding that I wasnt ready to give up at 6 months completely so I had heard of baby led weaning. I tried this and he didn’t drop any feeds till he was well into being 8 months. He now eats anything and everything! Has never been ill and although struggled with his weight at the beginning is on the 75th centile now!
He is coming up to 14 months and still feeds 4 times a day! You can say he is a boobie monster!
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My son was 6mths when I started weaning him. If if was hungry I could bf him and fat over the top of him and he wouldn’t budge. One day he decided he wanted mine and pinched a chip out of my hand. If mainly mushed and played with it so I thought we would start on blw route. I would give him finger foods as if I tried to give him anything on a spoon he wasn’t interested. We were at this for about 2 1/2mths before I started seeing food in his nappy but at 3 1/2yrs he’ll now eat pretty much anything and will try everything. Even when fully weaned he loved his boobies and self weaned at 19 1/2mths.
My daughter is almost 7mths, we started weaning at 5 1/2mths as she would sit on the floor watching us fat breakfast and be screaming at us, that first taste of mummy’s porridge made her face light up and she wolfed it down. Since them we’ve gone onto blw, she’ll happily tuck into anything and will also let me spoon feed her as long as she has one, when we’re in a rush (mainly breakfast when we have to do school run) so far I haven’t found anything she does’t like but I’m sure there will come a time. Bf is still going strong and I know I’m doing what is best for my children. X x
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After struggling to get my first daughter to latch, we find ourselves 3 years later still nursing along with her 2 year old sister. Both girls will wean when they are ready.
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Oppes, sorry not from Eurpoe.
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my 4yr old and 2yr old are still breastfeeding, we did baby led weaning which was really just messy mess messing!! they now will eat mostly everything we eat and still love the boobie!!
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With my son I’d introduced solids too early, and his eczema became a lot worse. I mainly did BLW with him after that initial time. When my daughter was born, I was determined to wait until 6 months with her, but she had other ideas. At 5 months she was sitting up unaided, had lost the tongue thrust, and was very accurate with grabbing at things, and so we started with BLW. She loves almost all foods (the only exceptions thus far are green beans and Brussels sprouts). I do love telling people that both of my children love French onion soup, since no one expects a 3-year-old and a 9-month-old to like that (my son begs for it).
Oh, I do remember, when my son was 9 months old, we were visiting some family. My cousin’s daughter is a little older than my son, and she was in a high chair eating baby food from jars, while I was taking things off my plate to give to my son. The contrast amused me.
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Oh, and both kids are still breastfeeding, too.
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I have two kids who are completely opposites in many ways, including eating. Both were fed with mashed vegetables and fruits as their first food other than mother’s milk.
My daughter started with 5.5 months due to the fact that when I went to university again, granny could feed her something when she got hungry in the meantime. She never ate much, a few spoons in the beginning and then 1/3 of the baby food glasses over month. The first time she ate tiny pieces without coughing was at 13 month. She still is a so called “bad eater” till today, which has caused us many many comments from other family members, but she is fine and well developed.
My son started weaning at the age of 5 months, and from the beginning he tried everything I gave him and liked food – when they shared mashed apple, it was 1 spoon for her and 5 for him in the same time! When he got meat the first time, he ate twice as much as before… He rarely had any problem with chewing bits, even without teeth – he just tried cause he wanted to. At the moment (15 months) he learns how to eat with a fork and – how could it else be – loves the new way of eating!
p.s.: Both are still breastfed quite often – we will see how it goes on.
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Melanie, don’t worry I’ll let you enter
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when I was weaning my oldest who is now nearly 2 and still breastfed I started him at 6 months, everyone told me that was right and being a new mum I went for it. I wish I had of made him wait and I think he had no interest then. But as time went on by 8 months he fed him self with a spoon! clever boy. I made my own food for him as he hated jarred food and them microwave baby food meals. He came up to the garden with me in the summer and we would dig up our own spuds and he would only eat stuff from the garden it tasted so good. I am sure the baby food companies wouldnt want to hear that.
I have a 6 week old to thats breastfeed and where going to wait till he decides to wean! I hate the word wean as it sounds like stopping breastfeeding but where not just adding some food when he wants it. And I am sure my family will be asking me over and over when am I going to give solids like my oldest but I am wiser now and this cool t shirt can say it all to.
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My daughter had her first taste of solid food in the week before she turned 6 months. Apart from a couple of awkward months when I was swayed by the media and all the paraphernalia in the shops, and spoon fed her baby rice and mush, we’ve had a great experience with baby-led weaning. Now at 22 months, she continues to breastfeed and take a wide range of solid foods… we’re in it for the long haul.
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My eldest two (DD1 now aged 12 and DD2 now aged 10) started on solids at 4 months, as was the recommendation then, so it was odd to learn when I had DD3 that the recommendation is now 6 months. I’d also never heard of baby led weaning, but when I did, I knew that was how I was going to do it with my now 9 month old. I was quite excited!
I was EBF my baby, so to my surprise got pregnant again when she was 4 months old. This had an immediate affect on my milk supply. It dropped away and my baby started feeding almost 24 hours a day in an attempt to build up my milk supply again. When she was about 22 weeks, I realised I was pregnant and I decided to start DD3 on solids. She was quite strong for her age (I think as a result of being worn everywhere) and could sit up on her own. She was also showing signs of interest in food, and was grabbing mine.
I decided to give BLW a go. I sat her in her high chair and gave her whatever I’d made for the rest of my family. Oh the mess!! The dogs quickly learnt that hovering around her high chair was a good idea.
My milk supply dropped a bit more, and after a week of breastfeeding throughout the entire night, I decided to add a bit of parent led weaning. Whatever I thought was not a good idea for a 6 month old baby to feed herself, I’d do it for her. Examples are weetabix, porridge and yoghurt.
My baby is now 9 months old, and loves her food!! She gets so excited when she sees me walking towards her with a plate, and cries when her food is all gone. My milk is now colostrum, so DD3 also has water from a bottle when she signs for it. I intend to bf for as long she wants and look forward to tandem feeding when her little brother arrives in a few months. I’m going to give BLW another go and I’d like to wait till 6 months next time , as I intend not to get pregnant again!!
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I can’t imagine weaning your child off the breast at one year. That seems like the absolute worst birthday present you could give a child. My son, who is 15 months, loves nursing so much. I can’t imagine depriving him of that and I can’t see why so many mothers who nurse throughout the first year do. I feel like I have such a wonderful strong bond with him and I don’t see how these other mothers haven’t developed the same feelings I have. He didn’t start an interest in food until he was about ten months and even now he mostly nurses. I’m glad he’s on his way to having a healthy relationship with food!
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We felt pressure to solids as early as 6 weeks! But I knew research was on my side and we gave our DD bananas at 6 months and two days. She had blast smashing them not so much eating. We’ve never done mashed foods unless it was made to be eaten that way, i.e. Potatoes.
Our babies are little for such a short time, why do we want to force them on to solids so soon? As far as resources, I turn to Kellymom and La Leche League. I also really like the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.
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My daughter is 10 months, and we started doing BLW the week of her six month birthday, as one day while having my lunch, she reached out and grabbed a bit off my plate, and awkwardly put it in her mouth and was quite pleased with herself with her discovery! She still breastfeeds as often as she wants and this works out perfectly for us. I am happy to continue breastfeeding for as long as Sadie wants to, and I hope she continues for a long time! I honestly can’t think of a food that she doesn’t really like, and believe me, she’s tried a lot! It’s so easy to go out to restaurants or to friends for a meal, as Sadie will eat what we eat.
I’m so frustrated by the recent reports saying that weaning should be happening at four months, and saying, either blatantly or implied, that breastmilk just isn’t good enough. Why didn’t the reports say that milk, regardless of source, isn’t good enough? Once again, breastfeeding is targeted in the media as being inferior. Just how exactly do people think humans managed to survive before formula companies came on the scene?
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We planned to do BLW with my son and were holding out for the magic 6 months mark. When, a week shy of his half birthday, he swiped a hot cross bun (it was Good Friday) from his dad’s plate and decided to nom it, we twigged that he was trying to tell us something!
It took another 3 months for him to progress from playing with food to really eating enough to satisfy hunger and now there’s no stopping him. Yesterday, at 15 months, he sat through a 2 hour family meal, neatly spooning up and scoffing chicken and mushroom risotto.
Just for the cuteness factor, here’s a 7 month old’s approach to spoonfuls of yoghurt: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7658302&l=9e05cf8e7d&id=522917391
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Lorraine: I just wanted to say that we’ve been through the mill with tongue tie as well. I have yet to meet another baby who had it divided twice (as my son did at 8 and 10 weeks) so I totally understand not wanting to encourage early weaning from the breast, after so much agony spent establishing it! Good on you for not giving up.
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We’re still bf’ing at 23 months and no signs of stopping yet.
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My daughter is 2 years 2 months.
When I first fell pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfed her to 6 months. As 6 months was all i needed to do right?? Well thats all I heard ‘up to 6 months etc’. My daughter got to six months, and there was no way I was going to wean her from the breast, nor was she ready to wean onto solids. Okay she had the odd couple of comps on banana and carrot from our plates, but she was not that fussed. This went on for two more months.
Sadly my healh visitor was not supportive at all. At a weaning session i attend we where shown how to make baby mush blended rubbish. She talked about how a baby might show signs earlier. But not once did she talk about babies who did not need food later. When I asked her about this, she simply said ‘No you need to feed her now, she needs food. If you do not feed her now she will never eat and your be breastfeeding her for years’. I got up and walked out.
That was the best thing I ever did. I did not listen to anyone else (apart from amybe some good baby led weaning books!) and went with what my baby needed. And by the time she was 8 months, her love for roast dinners, cous cous, fruit and even soup arrived. She was ready and so was I.
My daughter will never eat for the sake of eating, she enjoy’s her food and most importanly I know she started eating when she knew she was ready for it.
Sadly I am asked most days when I will wean her from the breast. Most of the time I get asked this whilst I am feeding her, and I simply say ‘Ill be stopping in about 10 minutes’ ! I am a proud mother of a super healthy and happy nursing toddler.
I just asked my little girl when she is going to stop having the boobie. She replied with ‘I love the boobie, lots and lots. happy cuddle, Phebe smile.’ I am taking that as ‘I am not ready to wean’.
So this t-shirt would be a very welcomed funky piece of clothing to wear to those Health Vistor check ups, baby groups, Dr visits and any other time when you can not be borthered to stick up for something natural, perfect and loving. My fingers are crossed
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Our first attempt at weaning was when our son was 4 months old. He had reflux and we’d tried some medication which didn’t work, just made the milk lumpy when it came back up. He wasn’t in any pain and didn’t seem to bothered, he just breastfed a lot. It was the HV’s and Community nursery nurse that kept mentioning weaning in the weeks approaching him becoming 4 months. I had skim read a book on Baby Lead Weaning by Gill Rapley but the HV I spoke to about this approach was very dismissive and made out if we did wait until 6 months then we would some how be damanging him.
So in the week before he turned 4 months I bought lot’s of different vegtables and fruits. I began steaming and pureeing, then freezing in ice cube tray.
My son was quite enthusiastic about about the pureed apple, the next day I tried something new and so on for about 2 weeks. Then he wouldn’t take anything. It was like a backwards step, and he was still having episodes of reflux. So we gave up with the puree idea.
Two weeks later I gave him a piece of steamed carrot, and he loved it. From then on he ate the same as up (within reason). He didn’t really eat anything of great quanity until he was about 9 months old. I have to say doing ‘BLW’ was fab, especially as we like going out for lunch a few times a month. We’d just take his plate and give him a few pieces from both our meals until he was eating enough to order him his own portion.
A few people including my mum thought I was crazy. One day when she popped in I mentioned he’s had rice and vegtables for dinner, she assumed baby rice but when I said it was normal rice she said I was a bit werid.
When I spoke to my Gran (my mums mum) a week later I got talking about weaning and that is how she did it. There were 5 children and she didn’t have the time or hands to be feeding two or three at a time, so they all got the same on plates and learnt to eat for theirselves.
Our son is now 2 and eats great. There are some things he is fussy about even though we have never limited his food choices. I think it’s a bit of toddler rebellion and after a few weeks he’ll be back to eating something he previously refused.
If we have any more children I will definately be using my instinct and not be feeling pushed by HCP’s into early weaning. LO’s reflux stopped when he was about 8 months, I don’t think food had anything to do with it, he just outgrew it himself.
He’s still a bit of a mummy milk monster, I’m hoping to let him self wean.
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My first little girl (now aged 19 months) is Baby Lead weaning, which we commenced from 6 months by sitting her on the table with us at mealtimes. I will be doing the same with my second little girl in a months time when she hits 6 months too. xxx
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We did BLWing with our daughter and she loves all food now
She took to it really well and was on 3 meals within a matter of weeks.
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My Ds is seven months but was six wks prem so is more like a ive and half months. He takeseverything to his mouth. However he does not sit up, can not do the pincer grasp and until now has had little intrest in food. So I am not interested in weaning him in a hurry. I gave into pressure with my DD and weaning took ages. So this time I’m going at my sons pace.
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9 years ago, we started “solids” with DD @ 3.5 months! HV told us something along the lines of “you’re supposed to wait until 4 months now, but nobody does that!” Thus ensued weeks of soul-destroying and time-consuming creation of goop, most of which she spat out anyway because she wasn’t physically ready to start solids. Of course we didn’t know about growth spurts then either…
DS1 was a week short of the exact 6 month mark when he grabbed some mangetout off my plate… and posted it in his ear. The next day he managed to get some food in his mouth himself (mangetout again, I think), but ate very very little until he hit 9 months. Before then he just seemed to play at eating, which we were OK with, as we knew he was still taking a lot of breastmilk.
DS2 was 5.5 months when he started grabbing food off our plates… and off his sibling’s plates and anywhere we hadn’t swept properly. He just went after food like I’d been starving him for the past 5.5 months! This is true… unless you count the fact that I caught my sharing, caring DS1 busily pushing quiche into DS2′s mouth @ 2 weeks old!!! :O Honestly, they warn you about parents & in-laws, but older siblings…?! :S
DS3 is just over 5 months and just starting to show signs of readiness. He hasn’t got the co-ordination to start yet, but he enjoys sitting on my lap at mealtimes, joining in the social occasion with everyone else.
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I have 2 daughters, 8 & 2. Neither took to breast feeding although I did try. With my first, weaning was recommended at 4m. It was a struggle as she has never been a big eater. She is perfectly fine now. With my second, recommendation had changed to 6m. She never took very much milk so I was keen to try her on solids sooner. Took a look of perseverence initially but once she got the hang of swallowing instead of spitting it was fine. Lot more laid back with the second and she has done everything at her own pace.
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I don’t have any advice just yet, but I did find this website with some recipes that I’ll be trying when the time is right:
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/baby-led-weaning-recipes.html
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i was still breastfeeding at 16 months .
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I stopped breastfeeding my youngest on the day he turned 2. My BP was high and GP said they needed to give me meds but couldn’t as it’ll pass into my milk so I stopped breastfeeding him. He cried and screamed for two days (my heart was breaking). Went back to GP after a week to say I’d stopped then they realised I didn’t need the meds afterall. Grrrrrrrr
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My oldest is 16 now and the recommended age for weaning onto solids back then was 3 months, though many mums (me included) gave their babies rice earlier than that! I am horrified now!
)
My 2nd is 10 and when he was born the age for weaning was 4 months…I wanted to wait until 6 months and my HV was horrified. She muttered about missing windows of opportunity and my milk turning to water. Months later when my son was refered for speech therapy she blamed the fact that I had breastfed him for so long, saying his muscles hadn’t had a chance to develop properly.
How things change and what a load of rubbish some (not all) health professionals speak.
Well despite such terrible advice I went on to breastfeed him until he was 6 and have had 2 more children since, I did BLWing with both. I have now been breastfeeding for 10 years solid and my youngest has just turned 2 and yes, she will wean when she is ready
I am proud to breastfeed and count myself as a Lactivist!
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My daughter is 5 months old and I’ve just started to wean her. She is more than ready. I started about 3 weeks ago. She certainly isn’t fussy,she hasn’t spat out a spoonful yet. As soon as she has one spoonful her mouth is open and ready for the next. She is excited by the new taste and textures. We are both enjoying the experience,and she loves the picture at the bottom of her bowl when she has finished.
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8yrs ago i went “by the book” baby hated it but i thought thats the way it went.
6yrs ago i re-read the same book. (both of them were bottle fed from 12 weeks and 10 weeks old)
5 years ago my them 5.5 month old took that book, ripped it to shreads and scatterd it around like snow. And wrote as new book.
He would not eat. at all, not mush, not fruit, not veg, nothing. he was a booby addict for 15 months. his weight started to shallow and health workers were “concerened” and told me i HAD to put him on formual. (i tried, my milk went BuhBYE and i changed my mind, re-lacteted) at 5.5 months old his big sister was walking past with a slice of ham in her hand, he grabbed it and wolfed it down. after that i quick pureeing his food and just let him have it lightly mashed and with a fork and let him have at. His weight was fine after that. chucky little monkey he was and still is.
Kid 4 likes the new book and around 5.5 months started watching and trying to take our food, so we started on mashed avacardo and banaba soon she was on to a whole peeled pear, Cucumber Maki, sushi rice, we had fights over the sashimi when she was 18 months. I have photos of the cucumber maki she was 8 months. (another booby addict, 2.5 years inc during a pregnancy and tandem)
Kid 5 liked the same book as 3 and 4, but wrote a whole new chapter “Im Gonna eat MY WAY” she was self feeding at 5 months, by dipping her fist in rusk and breastmilk mix and sucking it off, then going back for more, over adn over till it was all gone.
She was gumming chicken and burger meat at around the same time. She even took the burger meet out of hubbys hands as he was bringing it to his mouth. Yes, my burly husband lost a fight for meat to a 5 month old! it was hilarious! (we kept a very close eye on her for choking and took the chuck off her after a few minutes)
by 8 months she was stripping a corn cob and eating anything and everything (including fights over the sashimi!) i have video of her eating a spicy curry, and making :0 thats hot faces then going back for more.
I have had comments, both good and bad about how my kids learned to eat. i now nod and ignore the naysayers and say thank you to the positive comments.
im almsot sad to think Kid 5 is my last and i wont get to do it all again. she is 16 months old, and still a booby addict, and will be allowed acces to the milk bar for a while yet.
Kiz
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We are loving Baby Led Weaning! We waited until 6 months, and our little lady was perfectly satisfied with just breastmilk. I am loving the weaning journey, I just wish someone had told me what happens to baby poo after they have banana – I had such a panic. Thank goodnes for google!!
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I’m currently introducing my baby to solids – we started about three weeks ago, and he is six months old today. He is LOVING it, he’s enjoyed everything I’ve offered him so far and even enjoyed quite a spicy curry I made. I had planned to do baby-led weaning but he gets very frustrated with finger foods and loves to be given a loaded spoonful of mashed or pureed food – he’s quite adept at getting it to his mouth. I’m trying to follow his lead as far as possible but we are learning together how much food he needs and what textures and shapes work best.
I am planning to continue breastfeeding alongside solids for at least another year or so, unless my son has other ideas.
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Both of my children were weaned early, I knew the guidelines and intended to follow BLW. My DD took to it like a fish to water and was obviously very hungry. My Son enjoyed small amounts of food then relied completely on breastmilk for about a month at 6 months old, he still gained weight and is happy, we have gone down a 100% BLW route with him since and he is a very happy and thriving little man. It’s just a shame health visitors try to make us feel he “had” to be eating more solid food. My daughters main food was milk up until she turned 1 and he is obviously going down the same route. My babies love Mummy milk and no claims are going to make me stop.
Despite weaning earlier then guidelines i feel they should remain the same but people should be following their babies ques. Some are reasy much earlier then others, and i would never had weaned mine if they weanr’t confidently sitting and taking food well
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I LOVE THESE TOPS, NO MATTER WHAT MY VIEWS ARE ON HOW LONG I FELT I’D FEED MY YOUNGEST HE SURE HAS THE IDEA THAT IT IS GOING TO BE LONG TERM
he turned one last month and still has days where he is happier having milk than any food i dish up, in fact as i type this he is climbing up the sofa to get to ‘his’ boobies!
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I’m in the process of weaning my 4th child and I can honestly say they’ve all been different, from the ages they were ready (from 15 weeks to 6 months) to what they would eat. My eldest was ravenous from the start and would happily eat whatever you put in front of her. I can remember the child free health visitor telling me that perhaps she might be ready for a spoonful or too of baby rice and I just agreed with her, I didn’t say well actually she’s already on 3 square meals a day and the only thing she won’t eat is baby rice!
My 2nd really wasn’t bothered and didn’t like mush so we went down the baby-led route without even knowing there was a name for it. She was (and still is) our fussiest eater and the only one of our children that won’t try new things with glee. Proof, if you ask me that some children are just fussy, however you parent them.
My son would eat anything except potatoes and beans and our youngest is looking like the family gourmet, turning down her beautifully prepared dinner for smoked salmon appetizers instead!
I pay little to no regard to whatever is the latest fad in raising my children. Take advice from people you trust but ultimately we know our children best and are perfectly capable of making those decisions without the aid of a nanny state.
Right, I’m off to scandalise the neighbourhood by still breastfeeding my youngest, despite her being 17 months old!
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My 6-months-old baby Eddie loves his Mummy milk, and is a chubby boy with sparkly eyes. I just started giving him a bit of solids, just as a taste, he manages about a couple of tiny spoons at a time and then loses interest and wants a breast. For him any solids so far are a kind of appetiser. His fave porridge is Holle banana porridge, and I agree with him, it tastes lovely unlike many other branded porridges. I will continue b/f-ing him as long as he wants. With my older son, I breastfed him for more than 2 years, he was eating solids but still loved to be nursed.
I don’t care about all the latest fads in eating, and the official advice on when to wean or stop breastfeeding is not going to change my opinion.
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My little boy was contantly hungry so i got to the stage when i knew it was time for solids but to ease the transition i just mixed the food with breastmilk when blending so he seemed to take it quite well just start slow and gradually build up.
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Try not to beat yourself up about anything – we’re all different and so are our children. At postnatal group, all the mums used to go on about boiling and mushing up veg and putting them in ice cube trays – it came to me & I just said ‘I use Hipp’ (jars). Disdainful looks, but my son is fine – I had a gazillion other pressures and I want to be a mum, not mother earth. First son was also rubbish at breastfeeding – I agonized over it – but I tried for 6 months, so he got plenty.
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The one thing I have learnt about weaning is
1. Have plenty of bibs
2. Be ready for a mess
3. Make sure you have a camera to hand
Also
4. There must be a conspiracy between baby food makers and bib makers as all food is bright orange and hard to wash out.
5. Raspberry blowing babies will coat you in baby food once they’ve had enough by blowing raspberries in the mouthful your attempting to feed therefore coating you in creamy chicken supper
6. A baby with a cold is never a good idea to feed. One sneeze and again your coated.
Lesson is – the whole weaning thing is a messy business but fun to watch. =)
The experiences with Holly May so far and shes only 6m god help me………..(FYI I do have a 7 year old as well though)
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