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weaning?
Hi guys!
Well i can't believe it as its gone so quick, but Bella turned 17 weeks yesterday!! She's growing up so fast, she can sit up straight for ages (with me holding her obviously) has started grabbing things, and is really chatty! She has a little fake cough which is very cute! She's also just started to try to roll over, and gets very frustrated with her arm getting in the way lol
However both boys were starting to wean by this stage, but she has no interest in food at all. She'll sometimes watch us eating, and will put her hands and toys in her mouth, but she's not over hungry, milk is still filling her up, and when i tried to give her calpol for a temp the other day she had no idea what to do with it and pushed it all back out again! Its not bothering me, i know the guidelines say try to wait til 6 months if you can, and i'd like to give baby led weaning a go (it looks like fun!!)
The problem i'm having is that everyone (family, friends, the neighbours dog, you get the gist!) seems to think i should be starting her now. I keep explaining that the guidelines have changed and that she's not ready, but most of them think its all ridiculous, and that i'm just not weaning her because i want her to be a tiny baby still. And to top it all off, DS1 mentioned today that she likes bread. When i asked him what makes him say that, he said grandad (my FIL) gaver her some bread last night!!! OH and i had gone out for a meal and left the kids with them, Bella for the first time. I called up and asked about it, and he said she was looking at it so he gave it to her! He then went on to say that she didnt eat any of it because as soon as she got it in her mouth she gagged and choked (proving my point that she's not ready then!! He couldnt understand why i was upset, and said that the only reason she gagged is because i've deprived her of food so now she doesnt know how to eat, and will probably be really fussy and not want to eat real food ever, blah blah blah and so on.
Has anyone else been nagged about weaning? I know that the guidelines are just that, and some lo's are ready earlier than others, but surely its my decision??? Was just interested to see what others thoughts and opinions are really! xxx
Well i can't believe it as its gone so quick, but Bella turned 17 weeks yesterday!! She's growing up so fast, she can sit up straight for ages (with me holding her obviously) has started grabbing things, and is really chatty! She has a little fake cough which is very cute! She's also just started to try to roll over, and gets very frustrated with her arm getting in the way lol
However both boys were starting to wean by this stage, but she has no interest in food at all. She'll sometimes watch us eating, and will put her hands and toys in her mouth, but she's not over hungry, milk is still filling her up, and when i tried to give her calpol for a temp the other day she had no idea what to do with it and pushed it all back out again! Its not bothering me, i know the guidelines say try to wait til 6 months if you can, and i'd like to give baby led weaning a go (it looks like fun!!)
The problem i'm having is that everyone (family, friends, the neighbours dog, you get the gist!) seems to think i should be starting her now. I keep explaining that the guidelines have changed and that she's not ready, but most of them think its all ridiculous, and that i'm just not weaning her because i want her to be a tiny baby still. And to top it all off, DS1 mentioned today that she likes bread. When i asked him what makes him say that, he said grandad (my FIL) gaver her some bread last night!!! OH and i had gone out for a meal and left the kids with them, Bella for the first time. I called up and asked about it, and he said she was looking at it so he gave it to her! He then went on to say that she didnt eat any of it because as soon as she got it in her mouth she gagged and choked (proving my point that she's not ready then!! He couldnt understand why i was upset, and said that the only reason she gagged is because i've deprived her of food so now she doesnt know how to eat, and will probably be really fussy and not want to eat real food ever, blah blah blah and so on.
Has anyone else been nagged about weaning? I know that the guidelines are just that, and some lo's are ready earlier than others, but surely its my decision??? Was just interested to see what others thoughts and opinions are really! xxx
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Replies
I pretty much held out with Thea and ignored the nagging. I just kept repeating that we were waiting until she was six months. Thea wasn't showing signs of needing to be weaned anyway.
We are also doing BLW with Thea (very messy but it is fun and lovely to watch them feeding themselves). Thea is quite a dainty little thing and now I get my mum saying that I should feed her properly and if I did she might pork up a bit. I am just doing my best to ignore but end up repeating myself over and over about how this is how it's going to be. My mum also worries about her eating lumps 'she'll choke' but I think Thea put paid to that when she ate a Jaffa cake the other day (nanny likes to give treats which I am not too keen on but it's just another argument).
It is your decision but everyone thinks they have a right to have an input unfortunately. I have to admit I often give Thea a loaded spoon at my mums (just put the food on a spoon and give it to Thea to put in her own mouth) to save on the same discussions. But I loved it when Thea ate the whole jaffa cake and showed my mum she was more than capable of eating whole foods and doesn't need mush would have prefered it not to have been a jaffa cake though.
We get the weight issue thing with Bella too, she's only just 12 lbs, but she was 4 weeks early weighing 5lbs 8oz and is putting on weight steadily, she's just naturally small! MIL hates that i BF and thinks that she's not getting enough. She even said maybe i should express all the time and put baby rice in the bottles to bulk her up!!! Ah well i guess everyone seems to think they have the right to an opinion regardless of how you raise your kids lol xxx
We started of on mainly fruit and veg all made into chip shapes so it's easy to pick up and then moved onto to meat again all cut into chip shapes, toast etc (there is a good recipe for porridge so it ends up like a flap jack on the website) we also do eggy bread. I gave her a strawberry a week or so ago which she ate out of her fist and since then she has had things like mashed potato (very very messy). I tried her with chilli yesterday but she really struggled to pick it up so I did the loaded spoon thing with her. Today for lunch she had vegetable & cheese omlette and chip shaped potatoes and sweet potatoes baked in the oven. This evening we are going to have sausages (good quality ones) with mash, parsnips and carrots.
Mums and Mil's base everything on what they remember. Those kind of things were just what was done. My mum believes all babies should be chunky and that is the sign of a healthy baby and therefore my little Thea is obviously starved as she is only 15lb 2oz although she has little creases on her legs, chubby wrists and ankles she's just dainty.
I think i might start turning up at your house at mealtimes, all those meals sound lovely! xx