Why we decided to wean before 6 months

At the moment the NHS advise that you wean babies from 6 months. Which is fine for those babies that are just not interested in food. Alby isn’t one of those babies. From around 4 months I started to notice that he was getting really fussy in the mornings and on a night-time. I would try to give him a bottle and he would have non of it. I started to wonder if he was having a bit of colic or something. Then one night at tea time he was beside himself. I couldn’t help but think should I wean before 6 months?

He sits in the high chair whilst we eat so he can be involved in the interaction we have over tea. I think this is really important to eat together as a family especially as they get older and spend less time at home and more time at nursery or school. It’s a time where you can talk about your day and share things that have happened.

So yes as I was saying Alby sits at the table with us and I started to notice that he was so unsettled. He followed my fork with this eye every time I ate and would even open his mouth. This got me thinking is he ready for food. He little temper moment were getting really bad and I just couldn’t find away to settle him down.

Deciding to wean before 6 months

I went to see the health visitor for Ava’s two year check and whilst I was there I talked her though my concerns with Alby. I explained I think he is ready for food even though he is only 4 months old and it isn’t advised till 6 months. To my surprise my health visitor was really supportive and told me to try him with a little bit of food and see if it makes a difference. She did also ask me a few questions about Alby’s development these were

• Can he sit easily in a high chair with his back supported?
• Has he got good head and neck control?
• Can he grasp objects and bring them to his mouth?
• Does he show an interest in food
• Is he still hungry after milk feeds?

The answer to all of these were yes !

She did also explain that we I start to give him food to see if he is able to swallow properly. If he isn’t ready he will just push the food back out with his tongue. So after a really supportive midwife conversation i decided to wean before 6 months. I went to the shop to buy him some bits to try. I am like last time going to do baby led weaning but as he isn’t 6 months i thought it would be best to stick to the puree food until then. So I brought some

• Cow and gate porridge,
• Aldi Mamia pouches both fruit and vegetable ones,
• We also brought some Ella’s kitchen pouches as the Aldi ones are limited and I wanted him to try a wide range of tastes.

How we found weaning before 6 months ?

I saw a change in Alby straight away he was so excited to have food. He wasn’t pushing it out with his tongue he was able to swallow it. In fact if i didn’t feed him quick enough he wasn’t very happy about it. No more do I have the emotional breakdowns we used to have. So it must have been that milk just wasn’t enough for him ! Ava really wasn’t that interested in food this early on so it is strange. Already I have to think about taking pouches out with me if I know I’m going to be out late. At the moment Alby is having two meals a day his having porridge and half a fruit pot for breakfast. Then a pouch of something for tea and the other half of his fruit pot.

I cannot believe how easy it has been with him he has tried everything I have given him. When he hits 6 months I will start to introduce more solid foods and go fully into baby led weaning. I remember when we first started to wean Ava onto solids she loved things like Broccoli, tomatoes and water melon. So I think I will be trying him with these sorts of foods.

I would say though that if your unsure about weaning speak to your health visitor or GP about weaning before 6 months or just weaning in general. It can be a scary time if your unsure what to do so don’t be afraid to ask for help or support.