Q&A: I want to start weaning my 5 month old baby but he is still not taking his full bottles, should i wait?
Question by lezlee: I want to get started weaning my 5 month old infant but he is nonetheless not taking his complete bottles, ought to i wait?
I dont want to wait until my child is 6 months prior to i start him on solids but he isn’t hungry in between feeds & ofter wont even finish his bottle. He’s having 5oz most of the time rather of the 7oz that he will need to be on. If i give him solids its going to make him cut back on his milk even much more isn’t it?. Has any individual else had this very same issue? If i commence giving solids will his appetite increase or must i wait.
Ideal answer:
Answer by Breast Buddies – Breastfeeding
Why do you want to wean him?
If he is showning no indicators then I personaly wouldnt especialy as he isnt even finishing his bottles.
Formula or breastmilk is the main source of nutrition in the initial year, solids are just to experiment with, there is no rush!
Take care x
Give your answer to this question below!
May 23rd, 2011 at 11:11 am
if he is happy and contented then dont worry you can try in between feed on some babyrice just a spoonful and see what he thinks of it. good luck
May 23rd, 2011 at 11:49 am
well I nursed until 8mos(the biting began and I said no more) but they were on jar food by 3 or 4 mos. So it is what you are the most comfy with . Try it for a few days and see you should be able to tell from that if he likes it or not. or if the appetite will increase. But formula stay in the tummy longer than breast milk. So he should be getting the nursing time with you and then some jar food. So try it see what happens. Good luck
May 23rd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
you should defo wait they say to try and leave them as long as there not hungry…..ive got a son who is almost 5 months old and we are keeping him on bottles as long as we can really i mean his drinking 8oz now so it wont be long….but just wait till ur baby is ready for solids xx
May 23rd, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Who told you he has to drink 7oz of milk? If he is satisfied with 5oz. so be it! Overfeeding in infancy is why we have so many obese children and adults today.
As for solids, it is recommended that you wait until baby has doubled his birth weight. That could be as early as 4 months.
I nursed for 17 months. I started my baby on solids at 4 months when his birth weight had doubled. He’s all grown up and just fine. He was a premie weighing only 3.14 oz. at birth. Eating solids did not decrease his desire to nurse. I nursed him on demand.
The nursing relationship should be comfortable for both baby and mother. If you are ready to wean your baby, do so. He’ll be fine.
May 23rd, 2011 at 1:14 pm
I kept bottle feeding until 12 months maybe longer.
There is different formula for older babies.
May 23rd, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Hi there, many would say wait till six months but i started my daughter on solids at 4months, which was baby rice and rusks and she loved it, she has been on 7oz bottles for a while now she is 10months, but since she was 4months she has been taking 5oz and other times 7oz, but i put it down to teething, some days she goes off her food too. Today she has had 3 bottles and again only took 5oz but she ate well though, and yet yesterday she took two 7oz and one 5oz bottles with her usual daily diet, the solids may make him full and cut back on his milk, but dont worry honest he is getting the extra vitamins he needs from his food. Also you can make certain foods up with his milk like the baby rice. My daughter loved cow and gate strawberry yogurt packet mix, also baby rice with some puree apple or pear. She eats what we eat now. I would give it a go and start weaning. He is doing fine even with the 5oz of milk he is taking and he is obviously gaining weight and thriving. Teething makes a baby decrease in appetite. Hope this helps honey, take care, xx
May 23rd, 2011 at 2:55 pm
My daughter did the same. She only takes 5/6 ounces and then shes fed up with the milk.
Shes 6 months and ive just started her on solids and she loves them and it certainly hasnt put her off her milk! She has started taking her bottles well.
They do recommend 6 months though because of allergies and they do get all the nutrition they neeed from milk so maybe you could try and hang off. If not just plain stuff like rice.
He may just not have a huge appetite. Think about it-do you eat exactly the same amount every day!?
May 23rd, 2011 at 3:29 pm
The World Health Organisation and the NHS say wait until 6 months. I say every child is different. My son needed food at less than 4 months, so did my nephew, but one of my nieces wasn’t ready for solids until about 8 months. He will let you know when he is ready! Don’t worry too much about it. If you wanted, you could try him with a spoonful or two of baby rice once or twice a day, it takes them a while to get the hang of it – but if he’s not interested, hold back a bit longer. If he’s putting on weight it’s not going to do him any harm.