So, clearly being one of these crazy rambling mummy types now it’s only logical that I browse a few of those crazy rambling mummy type forums. The first baby-oriented site I joined was babycentre. It’s shite; loaded down with adverts and full of total muppets who shouldn’t be allowed to breed. However, that aside, there are also some very funny and very intelligent mums on there who entertain me regularly.
Now, out of boredom while feeding Izz I decided to browse a few of the groups I wouldn’t normally look at. My “birth club” for starters, which I abandoned shortly after the boobmonster was born because I got sick to death of reading about babies being force-fed hungry baby formula to sleep through, and tales of babies being left to cry. From there, I ended up in the “Early Weaning” board. Bearing in mind that the recommendation is to delay the introduction of solid foods until 6 months (26 weeks), because prior to that food can leak from the digestive system as it’s not properly matured, imagine my horror to find:
and…
and…
I just… wow. Words cannot describe how stupid and selfish you have to be to force a child to consume more than they’re physically ready for. I’m well aware that they used to suggest weaning at 4 months, but I’m pretty sure the Department of Health didn’t increase this just for shits and giggles.
Of course, you mustn’t disagree with these women because mums know best!
06 Apr at 4:44 pm
Is it possible that these women are just unaware of how the baby’s digestive system works? I totally agree that they’re being horrifically selfish otherwise. :(
06 Apr at 4:47 pm
My mother started me on cereal & formula when I was 2 weeks. Just at night & just enough cereal to help fill me up. I was getting sick from acid build up & screaming half the night. I don’t agree with weaning babies until they are ready. Adding to the milk, sure if the baby is ready. Mind, what my mother fed me still went through my bottle. I continued to have my formula until it was time for me to quit it.
06 Apr at 4:54 pm
What I find the most difficult aspect to understand is why these women are so keen for their babies to move onto food – once the baby moves onto food feeding becomes more time consuming, expensive and stressful (at least at first), and nappies much more unpleasant! Due to the possible health risks alone, anyone who even considers weaning before at least four months needs their head examining. My GP wants me to consider weaning slightly sooner than the suggested 6 months but I would much rather wait if possible.
06 Apr at 7:04 pm
I’d guess that some of those that weaned extra early do/did so perhaps so that they could dump the bottles sooner and thus have to do less faffing about with the baby? (Those are MY thoughts on the matter)
I dread to think of the problems all those super early weaned babies go through now with their digestive systems.
Jem, stick to your ideals. Izzy is happy and certainly never shows any signs of ‘hunger or starvation’ nor does she appear in the slightest to need solids to help her sleep.
This multi convenience society we live in doesn’t help. Youngsters grow up nowadays getting everything handed to them on a plate, a lot (not all) are lazy and anything that involves getting off their backsides and actually having to do some work must surely have them racing to find a faster, simpler, easier way of doing things.
06 Apr at 9:17 pm
My son’s just started having pureed veggies (six months old) to help him learn to eat (gaw, what a mess!) He has been watching me eat and drink since he was about 2 months old- I noticed it and told Kevin ‘He knows something’s up and doesn’t like he’s being left out’. We knew that just because a kid is interested in something doesn’t mean you HAND THEM THE KEYS, though. Gah. Once he started getting to a point he was actually snatching my food and shoving it into his mouth, though, I gave him veggies ; ) He feels included now, and it’s just once a day every few days so he can get the habit. He loves it. I don’t quite love it, but he does.
I did get pretty annoyed recently when we were at a birthday party and I had to get earfuls from every mother because I let him slurp at some pureed peaches. ‘No! He can’t have fruit yet! It has to be vegetables!’ ‘It’s supposed to be rice cereal!’ ‘Give him formula!’ (as if that was even an issue)
It’s interesting- he doesn’t sleep through the night, but breastfeeding makes that not a huge problem. I can doze while holding him so I manage. Would anyone ever recommend forcing a five year old to drink 32 oz of water at a time because their bladder isn’t big enough and they wet the bed? ‘We have to stretch it out! Then he can go back to drinking what he wants!’
Uhg.
07 Apr at 10:21 am
Leaking food from the digestive system? That was a risk Billy had when he was recovering from gut surgery. Had he developed that, the amount of pain and anxiety the condition would cause would have meant putting him to sleep would have been the most humane thing to do. I can’t imagine why someone would want to put a breathing, living, actual child through that willingly. Lack of education is not even an excuse when they are capable of using the internet and visiting the government health care website! (Cause I did not know about the risks prior to this, but were I to have a child I would ensure that I DID know.)
07 Apr at 2:45 pm
As a guy I don’t feel I can wade in to heavily on this thread but can I just comment as to your last sentence. "Of course, you mustn’t disagree with these women because mums know best!" – I assume sarcasm on your part but there are genuine people out there who believe that they should disregard all advice from public bodies. I appreciate we live in the so called ‘nanny state’ but at the end of the day every rule and regulation was designed to protect the public interest of all inhabitants of this aisle. Not meant at a dig at anyone on tis site, just would like to make the point for future readers of the article.
07 Apr at 3:17 pm
Yes, it was sarcasm; referring to the early weaning intro thread which states:
"Most of all you KNOW YOUR BABY BEST regardless of guidelines and reccomendations"
The ignorance sickens me.
08 Apr at 5:54 pm
And these women will probably complain about their kids being overweight once they hit puberty. They are already putting the health of their kids, obesity wise, at stake at this young age. But they aren’t thinking about that at the moment. Oh no. Because that won’t happen to their child. No. Of course not. Because their little baby is perfect.
Sigh.
Sometimes I want to smack people in the face, but that’s not allowed, now is it?
08 Apr at 11:12 pm
Oh my goodness. It’s so scary how these mothers actually think it is normal that they think such things.
09 Apr at 12:17 am
I still read your blog yes. Occasionaly. When I am not consumed with doctors appointments… Anyhow the mommies do seem a bit selfish. There are people on either side of the fence that can argue forever about what tiem is right to ‘wean’ a baby. BTW I never thought it as ‘weaning’ by adding ‘human food’ to a babies menu. I thought it was a life learning thing… Anyhow. There are times when you have to add rice cereal (as we call it in the US) to a babies bottle. Its never recommended & heavily looked down on the last I knew (8 years ago now). But sometimes a baby has such bad acid reflux that cereal is a must to absorb the acid. This was before surgery was a big thing to fix everything. My oldest son needed that cereal in his bottle. He would have died otherwise. We just now have is acid under some control and he is 12. However never would I put in cereal in a babies bottle or force them to learn to eat just so I could get sleep. You never get over the sleepless night as long as your a mother. It just doesn’t happen. No matter what is fed to the child. Unless I am missing something.
09 Apr at 7:16 am
I know about reflux Jessica, the rice is also used over here for a similar purpose, but these women aren’t doing it for those reasons. At least one specifically said it was to make them sleep. IMO that’s incredibly selfish, and just laying down pathways to serious digestive disorders as they get older. :(
09 Apr at 6:57 pm
I’d have to say the first one didn’t sound too horrible. The woman was only curious if it is truly okay to put her baby on something other then milk/formula. I do think that 42 oz a day is a bit excessive but I generally feel as that if your child is indicating that milk is no longer enough, that you should at least try with a started such as baby rice. I like to keep it milked down a bit at so it’s not thick or hard for them to swallow. Feeding a baby 2 small bowls of rice cereal can cut down the bottle consumption in that particular case. You know, sometimes babies just want something in their mouths as well. Giving them a toy to fondle or chew on can help keep their intake down but keep them happy and not screaming at you.
9 and 10 weeks is way too early to start feeding a baby "solid" foods. Less then 3 months old, by almost any mammals standard, it’s too soon.
Just about any health care professional will tell you it doesn’t really do shit to feed them foods right before bed in order to make them sleep longer. The "logic" is that the rice will stay in their stomachs longer (since it is harder for them to digest), allowing them to sleep for longer periods of time. Rice is pretty easy to digest and doesn’t stick much longer (if at all) then a formula or milk. Winds up being pointless.