How old was your baby when you started weaning them?

Back how ever many years ago before guidelines changed I started weaning my older children now 18,15,13 at 4 months but now they don’t recommend anything before 6 months of age, even though baby pouches etc state from 4 months the guidelines are 6 months I didn’t start my 2yr old till about then

i started at 4 months too with the pouches that state 4 months. Every now and then i let her try a little bit of something new just to change her tastes etc .. nothing crazy just a little suck on something :)

Will start when he’s 6 month as the advice says, as the gut isn’t properly developed before then and early weaning has been linked to IBS in later life.

Just before 5 months at advice of paediatrician as she's had weight gain issues and doesn't drink much milk, otherwise would have waited til 6 months

@Dreia any idea why the difference between breastfed and formula fed? I’m curious!

With my first, 4 months, this time round we’ll do 6 months

Started all of mine at 6 months. Although my current baby is a preemie shes 7 months and 5 months corrected. Started giving her little bits at 5 months and 4 months corrected x

My girl is 6 months old this week and I'll be starting this weekend

Started at 4.5 months with single veg then added in some fruits and done some combos, added a second meal (dinner) in at 5.5 months and now he’s 6.5 months (5.5 months corrected) and on 3 meals a day. He has porridge, eggs, yoghurt, toast, beans etc for breakfast, lunch is always a veggie combo or tuna etc with a fruit puree and then dinner is whatever I had the night before so today was fish pie with a yoghurt with fruit puree for dessert x

@Dreia hahhaa! Honestly he eats better than most adults x

@Lorraine guidelines changed to 6 months in 2003, so your older children were weaned to outdated advice also.

I'm going by "insides are ready when the outsides are ready" ie around 6 months, sitting up, helping themselves, chewing etc. my baby will be 6 months on the 3rd. She is constantly trying to snatch my food, I have now given her a couple of odd things, a piece of broccoli, some toast, a cucumber stick... Will start with meals at 6 months, but for now I'm letting her try bits and pieces as the opportunity arises

Started at 6 months with my first. I thought this one was interested so I’ve given her the odd cucumber stick or mango pit to gum at but she’s not really sure so far. Planning to go straight to BLW again at 6 months this time.

6 months first time and will be doing 6 months again as per nhs guidelines. Baby is breastfed although didn’t realise there was a difference between how baby is fed and weaning age until I saw this post xx

@Emelie what’s IBS?

6 months and not a day less than that, unless the paediatrician advised otherwise

I didn’t put this on to be judged or anything like that. I literally just came on for advice and that’s that. Note for next time not to ☹️ I’m a first time mum, I thought this was for making friends and advice not judging people ☹️

I’m sorry you feel you have been judged. From what I can see no one is trying to shame you here. Just offering their answer to the question that you asked - some of which are different to what you have chosen to do and lots that are saying they have done similar. I definitely am not judging your choices even though they are different to mine. I am just offering my opinion on what I am choosing to do as you asked about what others are doing. Ultimately it’s your baby and your decision. You know them best 🤍. We all parent differently. I think it’s an emotive subject for many as there is a lot of misinformation out there. We are all doing our best by our babies and I hope you don’t let this put you off using the app in the future. X

@Dreia how about because guidelines are there for a fucking reason? They don't just pull this advice out of thin air, there is scientific research behind it 🙄. But ya know, Peanut mums know better than scientists and dieticians, how could I forget...

@Dreia bullying, good grief 😅. Nope, being a nurse holds no weight on this topic.

@Dreia thanks 🙏

Agree let’s not judge or get aggy on here. You don’t need to take others opinions to heart if you feel well informed yourself. @Dreia I didn’t know that about breast vs formula fed babies but it makes sense. See, we can all learn from each other! 🥰

Please don't listen to the miss information Dreia is spreading. The guidelines are there for ALL babies. How they are fed their milk does not make a difference to when their bodies are ready for solid foods! I am a breastfeeding counselor and actually DO have training in this subject!

My boy is 4.5 months and I'm just starting with a little spoonful of puree, he gets so excited now when he sees the bowl. I'm aware of the guidelines, but they are just guidelines not the law. At the end of the day it's your baby so you do what's right for u. As long as u are fully informed with all the information x

@Dreia yes anyone who has breastfed for at least 12 months and completed the (approx) 120 hours of training with a recognized breastfeeding organization can become a breastfeeding counselor. Hv unfortunately don't actually have much training in infant feeding and often give out dated advice. I absolutely have not assassinated your character though. I said the information you are sharing is incorrect. As Ally has said, being fully informed is what's important and I am trying to ensure that people can make decisions with correct and up to date information.

Guys, guidelines are there for a reason. It’s not because you can do whatever you want with your babies and you should do it. Doctors haven’t studied years so peanut mum’s think they know better. Health visitors are not doctors, nurses are not doctors, midwives are not doctors. You might think your child is fine now but the consequences only come later. At the end of the day, it’s your child so you do whatever you want but don’t incentivise other mum’s to follow incorrect information.

This thread has gone wild. Considering all of us were probably all weaned at 4 months and we're fine? Why are people so furious at other mum's choices? "The consequences will come later" lol get a grip? Not all doctors agree on this. It's not black and white. Different countries have different guidance. No one's baby is in danger, everyone needs to chill.

@Hattie this comment was clearly directed at me since you have quoted what I said. As I mentioned in my last sentence, you can do whatever you want as it is YOUR child but if someone is asking for advice on what age to wean their baby, as I have seen here on the app multiple times, please do not spread misinformation. Just because your child is fine doesn’t mean others will be. Have you looked up the consequences of weaning a child earlier than you’re supposed to with medical guidance? Just because we were weaned earlier, as this was the advice back in the day, doesn’t mean it’s correct. Back in the day our cribs used to be filled with plush toys and blankets, do you do that now? No, because it isn’t safe and more research has been done on the subject! I’ll leave you here some articles on weaning babies before time. If you want to read it, fab, if you don’t, fab anyway.

- https://childrensnutrition.co.uk/full-blog/early-weaning/ - https://www.nhsgrampian.org/globalassets/foidocument/foi-public-documents1---all-documents/weaning-booklet-english.pdf - https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2008/02/Start4Life-Introducing-Solid-Foods-2015.pdf - https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/sites/default/files/2019-03/Weaning_made_easy_nov%202018_0.pdf

Just to conclude, anyone does whatever they want with their kids but please inform yourselves of the pros and cons 😊

@Beatriz wow just wow, I’m new to this app but think I’m going to come off this fucker! I’m a young mum for god sake! I know a few people who have started weaning their children early and they have been find. I work in a nursery with kids for god sake! My daughter has been absolutely fine, no bad nappies, she’s not being sick she’s not in any pain either with her stomach so I don’t see the bloody problem! Didn’t realise a question would cause so much shit!

@Beth I’m sorry but I didn’t mean to come across rude or anything, so I apologise if I offended you in any way. It’s your child so you do what you think it’s best for them. However, it’s important to mention that the consequences of weaning a baby earlier than 6 months not always show immediately. Hence why I said, before doing it, it’s always good to weigh the pros and cons or consult a paediatrician. The articles I posted above mention said consequences I keep stressing about, if you can’t be bothered to read them I’ll summarise it for you: - higher rates of iron deficiency anaemia (thought to be cause by gastric bleeding) - may gain excess weight and may develop allergies and intolerances to some foods - increased risk of infections - digestive problems - can cause gut damage leading to developing IBS and coeliacs disease later in life

Now imagine someone who doesn’t have a clue posts on here asking for advice on what age to wean their child and everyone says “oh mine’s been eating since 4 months and is fine”. That person will then go and wean their child at 4 months without having a clue of the problems that may or may not cause in the future. So if anyone’s gonna comment something that is not what it’s advised to do, it would be nice if they also comment the pros and cons and not just what went well. As parents, we obviously want our kids to live a happy and healthy life. If you think it worked for you weaning early then that’s wonderful! You are the parent and it is YOUR child, so ultimately it’s your decision

No one here was asking for advice... In fact the original poster has said she feels bullied and shamed and for some reason instead of being kind and calming down everyone is doubling down? Really great way to get people on side, that. If I want advice I tend to go to NHS website and health visitor before peanut, however a paediatrician advised me to introduce solids early due to my daughter's weight gain. When I even mentioned that here i got people telling me that doctor was wrong and they knew better. It doesn't sound like you guys want people to follow medical advice, you just want people to follow your advice. And comparing it to SIDS is so inflated and scare-mongering... The research is so much less conclusive and the potential poor outcomes are not life-threatening. The reason for the advice is that for most babies, it's easier to feed them if you wait and there's no advantage to early weaning. But babies are all different! There's no magic switch at 6 months.