Yes, some Mums may read this and be shocked and appalled, but I would hope you would read all that I write because you may be surprised.
Yes, I didnt wait until 6 months to wean. But that doesnt mean I didnt do a lot of research, talk to medical professionals and think hard before I decided to wean before the 6 month recommendation.
I think there is nothing wrong if you decide to wait until 6 months old, if you did then I am pleased for you and even congratulate you, but I also think there is another side to weaning. The side that considers not waiting until 6 months old.
I found weaning to be a real mine field when I was looking into it. There is no doubt that us modern Mums get a lot of conflicting advice. There is the "old school" view of weaning earlier (before 6 months) that you may often hear from older family members and friends, then there is the current recommendation of waiting until 6 months.
I thought the contention over natural birth and breast feeding was hard to navigate... Then there is/was sleeping through the night and now... Well, welcome to weaning...
My son turns 5 months soon. He is a hungry baby, he weighs the same as some 6 months old... But is tall too so it is all in proportion. Around the time I decided to start weaning, my son was almost strong enough to sit independently, has always had good head control, was showing an interest in food and was showing signs of having developed his tongue thrust motion. All these are signs he was ready for weaning before 6 months.
Therefore I was strongly considering it and decided to do some research into it.
As I mentioned, these days the advice is to wait 6 months. This left me feeling unsure about what to do, I didnt want to be a bad Mum but I had to read the signs my baby was giving me.
However, one think I was acutely aware of was the "weaning" dictators... do you know who I mean? I have read numerous forum posts/topics where one person is considering weaning before 6 months and they get a horrible put down from numerous other parents.
Firstly I think this public putting down of a fellow parent is unnecessary! Why do we insist on doing this to each other?! On a side note, I really think as parents we need to encourage each other and offer advice in a positive manner!
Secondly, upon doing research into weaning I have found that there is still medical contention over when is actually best to wean!
Several articles over the past few years highlight that there could arguably be issues with waiting to wean a baby.
I have read articles that say weaning too soon causes higher risks of potential diabetes in older age and allergies... But I have also read that waiting 6 months or longer can cause the same issues.
So while I am being informed 6 months is practically a must I don't really feel this offers a complete picture on when is best to wean, now that I have done my own research.
Furthermore, bare in mind that the 6 month recommendation comes from research done throughout the world. It takes into account developing countries where breast milk is often a lot more nutritional than the food they would offer a baby, as well as more sterile.
This frustrates me because not only do they not look at the needs of your baby on an individual level when it comes to milestones like weaning, but it seems the guidelines are overly generalised (and include variables which would never apply to my child).
I think we need to, as parents, remember that sometimes guidelines are just that. If you follow them too strictly you may miss key signals from your baby that they are ready for development.
It also seems that one of the reasons the recommendation is 6 months is because women often stop breastfeeding when they wean and these guidelines basically encourage women to breastfeed longer... I think there could be other ways to encourage longer breastfeeding.
Upon doing my research I found that a babies digestive system is usually fully developed around 4 months (which is I waited until after this to wean).
I genuinely feel it is important to consider the guidelines as just that; guidelines. I think as parents we need to be listening to the signals our babies give us. I know that these guidelines are useful tools to enable parents to make the best choices but as I mentioned these guidelines are not based on your child's needs as an individual. A part of me wishes that the NHS would take more time to help parents make informed decisions about subjects such as when to start weaning on a baby by baby basis.
Of course, this is just my opinion, and I always recommend getting the advice of a medical professional (like I did) and doing your own research. I also feel it is important to note that my sons solid food has not replaced any of the milk feeds he is getting, as I read that this is important. I am also not feeding him anything that could be considered an allergen until the recommended age. I found Annabel Karmel's books very useful for this information.
Yes, I didnt wait until 6 months to wean. But that doesnt mean I didnt do a lot of research, talk to medical professionals and think hard before I decided to wean before the 6 month recommendation.
I think there is nothing wrong if you decide to wait until 6 months old, if you did then I am pleased for you and even congratulate you, but I also think there is another side to weaning. The side that considers not waiting until 6 months old.
I found weaning to be a real mine field when I was looking into it. There is no doubt that us modern Mums get a lot of conflicting advice. There is the "old school" view of weaning earlier (before 6 months) that you may often hear from older family members and friends, then there is the current recommendation of waiting until 6 months.
I thought the contention over natural birth and breast feeding was hard to navigate... Then there is/was sleeping through the night and now... Well, welcome to weaning...
My son turns 5 months soon. He is a hungry baby, he weighs the same as some 6 months old... But is tall too so it is all in proportion. Around the time I decided to start weaning, my son was almost strong enough to sit independently, has always had good head control, was showing an interest in food and was showing signs of having developed his tongue thrust motion. All these are signs he was ready for weaning before 6 months.
Therefore I was strongly considering it and decided to do some research into it.
As I mentioned, these days the advice is to wait 6 months. This left me feeling unsure about what to do, I didnt want to be a bad Mum but I had to read the signs my baby was giving me.
However, one think I was acutely aware of was the "weaning" dictators... do you know who I mean? I have read numerous forum posts/topics where one person is considering weaning before 6 months and they get a horrible put down from numerous other parents.
Firstly I think this public putting down of a fellow parent is unnecessary! Why do we insist on doing this to each other?! On a side note, I really think as parents we need to encourage each other and offer advice in a positive manner!
Secondly, upon doing research into weaning I have found that there is still medical contention over when is actually best to wean!
Several articles over the past few years highlight that there could arguably be issues with waiting to wean a baby.
I have read articles that say weaning too soon causes higher risks of potential diabetes in older age and allergies... But I have also read that waiting 6 months or longer can cause the same issues.
So while I am being informed 6 months is practically a must I don't really feel this offers a complete picture on when is best to wean, now that I have done my own research.
Furthermore, bare in mind that the 6 month recommendation comes from research done throughout the world. It takes into account developing countries where breast milk is often a lot more nutritional than the food they would offer a baby, as well as more sterile.
This frustrates me because not only do they not look at the needs of your baby on an individual level when it comes to milestones like weaning, but it seems the guidelines are overly generalised (and include variables which would never apply to my child).
I think we need to, as parents, remember that sometimes guidelines are just that. If you follow them too strictly you may miss key signals from your baby that they are ready for development.
It also seems that one of the reasons the recommendation is 6 months is because women often stop breastfeeding when they wean and these guidelines basically encourage women to breastfeed longer... I think there could be other ways to encourage longer breastfeeding.
Upon doing my research I found that a babies digestive system is usually fully developed around 4 months (which is I waited until after this to wean).
I genuinely feel it is important to consider the guidelines as just that; guidelines. I think as parents we need to be listening to the signals our babies give us. I know that these guidelines are useful tools to enable parents to make the best choices but as I mentioned these guidelines are not based on your child's needs as an individual. A part of me wishes that the NHS would take more time to help parents make informed decisions about subjects such as when to start weaning on a baby by baby basis.
Of course, this is just my opinion, and I always recommend getting the advice of a medical professional (like I did) and doing your own research. I also feel it is important to note that my sons solid food has not replaced any of the milk feeds he is getting, as I read that this is important. I am also not feeding him anything that could be considered an allergen until the recommended age. I found Annabel Karmel's books very useful for this information.
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