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Signs your baby is ready for weaning

Nine signs that your baby may be ready for weaning onto solid foods.

There are plenty of signs that you baby is ready for weaning:

Holding his or her head up and controlling head movements.
Sitting well when supported.

Making chewing motions.

Doubling his or her birth weight.
Being unsatisfied after a full milk feed

Demanding increasing and more frequent milk feeds
Attempting to put things in his or her mouth

After a period of sleeping through the night waking in the night with hunger
Displaying curiosity about what you are eating.

If you are unsure or concerned about when your baby is ready to begin weaning you should talk to your health visitor.

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Hey everyone I have a few questions to ask and I hope someone can help.
I spoke with my health vis on wed about weaning my 4month old but i'm still alittle unsure.

I mentioned to her that all day he had been winging and moaning after every feed.
Pretty much all day untill he went to bed @ 10pm.
I said should I offer him some porridge as I tried him with more milk but he just spat it back at me.
I tried him and I think its been ok but its just when he has 'just milk' hes a nightmare again.
He's been taking only some of his bottle... approx 120ml out of 180ml.

I tried hungry baby before and it did nothing but she suggested i try a bottle at bedtime to see how he settles so I did last night and he slept like a log! Do you reckon I should just give him the hungry baby now that its settled him? I no it was one night but i suppose you never no.
I am more confused than ever so I hope this makes some kind of sense.

xxx

by Lord87

17th Jan 2011, 2:47pm

I'm not afraid to admit that I confused the four month growth spurt with being ready for weaning, my son was 18 weeks old and from sleeping 7pm-6am he began waking in the night for a feed, (he was on 4x8oz bottles a day) after lots of friends suggesting it I started him on a couple of spoons of rice before bed which he enjoyed for the first couple of days, but then he seemed to struggle pooing and looked like he was uncomfortable, I stopped the baby rice and introduced a dream feed at 10.30pm and he went back to sleeping til 5.30 am. A week later he settled back down and was happy on his milk again, he is now 22 weeks old and still happy on milk I give him normal in the day and hungry baby before bed. I would like to try and wait a few more weeks as once they hit 6 months you don't need to sterilise feeding equipment and are a lot less limited in what you can feed them.

by catjaf

5th Jan 2011, 9:29am

You do not need to give a baby solids early to make them sleep just give them lots of milk and often. My baby is 4 months and has 6 bottles of 6-7oz and sleeps 12 hours straight a night. I will give her solids when she is ready
by jane1978	17th Nov 2010, 9:00am

My daughter will be 1 year in five days. She eats solid foods...from the family pot, but no matter what I still have to breast feed her: especially when its bedtime. I tried weaning her but she just won't have it.
by Sydonie	15th Oct 2010, 9:24am

my baby is stepped in to his sixth month ,he is getting excited while im eating, what kind of food shall i start for him,im breast feeding him frequently
by arukavi	17th Sep 2010, 5:07pm

My baby is 9 weeks old and seems to be wanting to eat more regularly...I am brestfeeding him and he usually ate every 3 hours now it seems to vary between an hour to 2 hours. I tried to increase his feed as I was feeding him 10mins on each boob now about 15mins or until he pulls off. Can it be that my milk isn't strong enough and will i need to give him formula and breastmilk as to full him more...maybe one feed breast milk the next feed formula??

by joez

12th Aug 2010, 10:51am

my son archie is 11 weeks and im having a nightmare at the moment because he is allways hungry. he had a problem when he was first born and at 6 weeks was diagnosed with pyloric stanosis so had to have a minor op. before his op he was only taking between 2 and 3 oz at each feed and was constantly being sick. he dropped below his birth weight at 8b1oz. since leaving hospital he is feeding so much better. 6oz every 2 hours. this is wats driving me mad he is constantly hungry and if hes not being fed he has his hands in his mouth. i know the health visitor has said he has alot of catching up to do and he now weighs in at 11b1oz which is brilliant but its not so great when he wants to be fed all through the night. hes on hungrier baby milk. iv spoken to friends who said try him on soft foods so i bought sum baby puddings. tried him on 1 about 3 hours ago and he seemed to enjoy it and was really good with swallowing and using the spoon. about 2 hours later though he cried non stop for about 30mins and im worried it may have given him a bad stomach. he then brought up some wind so could it have just been trapped wind????? just dont know wot to do. just want him to be more content during the nite so that we can both get sum sleep. any tips appreciated x

by lisaellen

11th Jun 2010, 5:36pm

to carmenleeanns comment. you should mabye see with the doctor if ur son has reflux,my son has it & he has gaviscion & carobel in his bottles to thicking them.now if hes sick it only mouthfuls instead of half the bottle
by ashleigh1989	18th May 2010, 5:35pm

well my baby boy is 4 months next sunday, and ever since he was born he feeds every 2 hours he still does it now he's on the hungrey milk n drinks 5oz every 2 hours i can definetly say that he will be gettin baby rice as soon as he's 4 month
by rm1987	18th May 2010, 5:27pm

Please help! My baby girls is 7 months, she has been sleeping through the night since about 5 months, when she was just on milk, I have now started her on solids and although eats quite well during the day and has her milk she has started waking up once a night wanting more milk. Is there some sort of chart on the times to have solids and milk....any advice will be helpful, thanks
by Dezi11	18th May 2010, 4:59pm

My son is 15wks and has some of the signs but im not ready to wean him yet. He isnt ready either. Hes just gone up from 7oz to 8oz 4 x a day and sleeps through the night as he has done since 4wks old. Hes never been an overly hungry baby anyway....its gonna more 6 months than 4 months when he weans i think
by Trying81andThomas	14th May 2010, 3:10pm

my baby is 15 weeks old and hes doubled his birth weight and has 10oz of hungry baby formula in his bottle evry 4 hours but "usually" sleeps from 9ish till 7 am . Some times i have to give him 2 bottles and he has 1 and a half so about 15oz and evryone just says keep feeding him milk dont offer any sort of solid . I dont belive they would say this if they were feeding him this much and realised how hungry he actually is.
He is a very strong big boy (hes already outgrown his moses basket) he can roll over both ways stands and sits well when supported and shuffles on his tummy . I think he drinks so much because hes always on the go and moving around so therefor is burning off more calories ! Any advice ??

by sophuls

14th May 2010, 3:09pm

Gosh! This is really interesting. My 12 week old son displays ALL of these characteristics, and has this week doubled his birth weight - very interesting that he might be getting ready for solids as I'd thought they had to be at least 17 weeks old, if not even older
by Mandbaby	27th Jan 2010, 9:27am

to sarah1710's comment. you really shouldn't add anything to your baby's bottles at any age, never mind so young as 10 weeks. i'm not trying to be nasty, or a know-it-all... i've got a hungry baby myself and the best thing you can do is simply feed him more often, not nessessarily larger amounts either, you dont want to overload him and make him sick. a lot of babies will still feed and feed before they actually realise that they're full. just keep feeding him 7oz, but just give hime more than 4 a day. my son has 7oz every 3 hours, and sleeps from 11pm until about 7am. every baby is different, and i know how tempting it is to wean early but it's really really dangerous for your baby. and it really is a bad thing that he's gained 2lbs in 3 weeks, it's good that he's thriving but you dont want to over do it.

i know how you feel when your baby's always hungry lol, but the best thing to do is just feed him milk, and do it more often. ...and stay away from the hungry milk, its nasty stuff

by sarahynes

14th Dec 2009, 9:38am

hi,can anyone give me some advice! i have a 10 wks old son hes ment to be on 4hourly feeds ov 4oz-5oz but sometimes it feels like im feeding him alday an nite,sometimes hes sick quite alot unless i put rusk in his feed he keeps it down and gos 4 hours before his next feed...am i okay to put a little ruck in every feed? an how do i get him to go thur the night withoout wakein up for a feed? i think hes ready to start weaning can anybody help!

by carmenleeannxx

14th Dec 2009, 9:38am

hi could anyone give me some adivce please, i have a 10wk old son that is on 4 7oz bottles aday, normal forumal milk for the 1st 3 feeds and hungry baby food 4the last feed, over the last 2wks he as become even hungrier, so we have given him a 1/4 of a rusk in his lst bottle and 1 teaspoon of baby rice in his morning bottle as this is when he seems to be most hungry, but since doing this i have took him to be weighed and in lst 3weeks he as put 2lbs on, which is apprently a bd thing. does any1 knw what i can do to feed him up but keep his weight gain steady?

by sarah1710

6th Oct 2009, 12:08pm

My daughter is 11weeks old and showing all the signs that she is ready, (she was 2 weeks overdue) i tried her with half a rusk mixed with baby milk and she ate the lot then downed a 7oz bottle lol.
by saznjay	21st Sep 2009, 9:17am

Wow on reading some of your comments, i feel quite lucky that my little boy sleeps for 12 hours at night, he has 4 x 8oz bottles a day at 7:30, 11:30, 3:30 he then has a bath at half six and a bottle at 7, everyone seems to be asking me why he is not on solids yet, hes 13 weeks old and i feel that introducing solids too early wouldn't be too good for him. P.s it was very hard getting him into this routine but very rewarding :o)

by larax25

14th Jul 2009, 5:57pm

With Regard to the babies digestive system being damaged is this really the truth. My two older sons were weened 9 and 10 years ago at 16 weeks like all their peer groups. I do no know one who has problems with their digestive system. I do agree that breast milk is good but not all mums can breast feed successfully or their milk isn't great and would have to feed every hour to give their babies what they need. All babies are different and grow at different rates . Therefore all babies will take to weening or need weening at different stages. A mother knows whether their child is satisfied after a feed or not. Ljw123

by LJW123

10th Jun 2009, 10:01am

i have a 5 months baby boy and his weight is 6.7 is it okay ????? and what food i should give him
by pratim	19th Mar 2009, 9:32am

i think every child is indivadual, if they seem ready and thy are under 4 months then do it, ive got 2 lil boys my 1st wasnt a big eater and i started him on solids at 5 months but my 2nd lil boy seemed ready at bout 7 weeks he wud cry everytime we ate, he wud b v.interested in our food he was finishing all his bottles and still seemed hungry, so we tried him on rusk mixed wiv babymilk and he loved it and we havent looked back since. so as a mother you should trust your own insincts rather than some one who see's your child as another statisc!

by jennat1985

10th Mar 2009, 8:49am

i am a mum of 1 and my son is nearly 4months old he is a vary hungry baby he has7 9oz bottles a day! he also now takes the baby foods and loves them. i dont think there is anything wrong with starting a baby young just as long as you feel its right.
by sarahmoran51108	24th Feb 2009, 9:45am

my baby is just over 4 months and people keep saying is she on anything else yet and i feel that family are so eager for me to start weaning even though ive told them i dont think shes ready as shes on 7 oz every 3 hours an seems satisfied. she crys odd days as i think shes teething. but thier comments are annoying me as she also sleeps through 12 hours some nights. surely she would wake for a feed in the night if she was ready for weaning. just want to know peoples comments on this as they cant judge me

by jamimarie

17th Feb 2009, 9:44am

Sometimes i wish midwives and health visitors should just mind their own business. It's not their baby. If your baby is showing most of the signs as above and is approx 4 months then i think as mum's we should be able to start weaning we see fit! No doubt in another five years the guidelines will be changed back to 4 months anyway
by Vanilla	26th Jan 2009, 9:40am

My little girl is 11 weeks old and was not satisfied after finishing every bottle! I uped the amount, but this was still not enough. I have now started giving her one or two teaspoons of very weak baby rice at the same time as her bottle and she seems so much better. I think every baby is an individual, and as a mum you know your baby better than anyone. As long as you are only giving a very small amount and not replacing milk with solids, surely this is not harmful?

by DollyFrilly

26th Nov 2008, 9:13am

my daughter is 3 1/2 months old and is showing all of the signs of being ready to wean when i spoke to my health visiter she told me very briskly that she is far to young and i should wait till she is at least 4 mths my daughter wasnt prem and is quite forward so i dont know what to do should i just folow my instincts and just start weaning or should i wait ??
by purplefish	21st Nov 2008, 9:10am

When do I start giving my baby a little baby rise or porridge? He is 4 months old now, can I give him some or is it too early?
by Saz9377	14th Nov 2008, 9:24am

my little girl is now 15weeks old and she been eatting baby food for 3weeks . it help her sleep a bit now she sleep 10-6.15
by skyblue07	28th Oct 2008, 9:22am

my baby boy is 16 weeks old and weighed 8lb 7 he is showing all signs of the above and ive been wondering if i shd start weening i am a mother of 3 the others were weened from 12 weeks but back then it wasn't a problem! whats changed between now and then where is the evidence? surely as a parent you have tomake the right decision ..my son is sleeping thro the night but is constant hungry in the dayevery 2 hours having 8oz and throwing alot up..he never seems satisfied. Will i be harming my baby? only my health visitor told mer i could ween him from 20 weeks??? which is it ?

by dan1983

24th Oct 2008, 4:50pm

I am concerned about the fact that people are being offered this advice. Babies have growth spurts that can last a week - but so many people seem to be desperate to move on to food quickly. A 6 month old is likely to only sleep for a maximum of 6hrs in one go, that is considered normal, so I'm not worried about my baby going - 4-6 hrs at 5 months. We discovered that my baby was waking early, not because he was hungry, but because he was constipated. How do I know this? He'd been sleeping well at 12weeks, but at 16 he was only going 1 1/2 hrs. We gave him some prescribed laxatives and within 2 days he was sleeping through 4-6hrs again. A few weeks later and again he stopped sleeping so well, but his bowel movements had slowed, laxatives and he's sleeping.
Babies put things in their mouths - it is part of their exploration of the world - the tongue is very sensitive. Babies watch you whatever you're doing - it is how they learn. Sure, he might watch you eat, but I bet he'll also watch you tie your shoelace. Just because a baby can sit when supported or hold their head up, it does not mean that they're ready for food. When my baby cries after coming off a feed himself, it is usually because he has wind.
From what I have read in the last century we have had all kinds of random 'developments' that aren't developments. Formula was invented at the same time as the washing machine, and I personally suspect that this early weaning (before 6 months) only started in the last 100 years or so, although I have no proof to back up this guess.
I am not in anyway medically trained, but I have read a lot about this issue.

by cornishlass

24th Oct 2008, 9:00am

after reading all of the comments below i feel a whole lot better about feeding my 4 month old. He was showing all of the above signs about 14 weeks and was hungry every 2-3 hours after 7 oz. i started giving him a little bit of baby rice and porridge with his bottle and now he is much more content and goes 3-4 hours between feeds. i was concerned that i was feeding him too soon but it seems many parents have had the same problem.

by jo1ox

11th Jul 2008, 9:02am

My baby is almost 3 1/2 months old and I have just started feeding him baby porridge. He is also breast fed, however I found that he was watching whenever I ate anything and moving his mouth as if he was eating himself. He absolutely loved the porridge and have now began feeding him baby porridge once a day for the past 3 days and I have not noticed any problems with him, I know 3 days is no time at all but I think you know when your baby is ready for weaning. Hope this helps.

by nike78

7th Jul 2008, 9:07am

My baby is 14wks old, and isn't satisfied with just milk. He was sleeping through from 6.30pm until 7.00am from 7wks, and has started waking between 4-5am really hungry. He can only manage beween 6-7ozs milk, but doesn't seem full after. He can not physically take any more fluids. He was holding his head up unsupported when he was 5hrs old, and can almost sit unaided now. He has been watching the rest of the family eat, and puts everything into his mouth. So I gave hime some baby rice yesterday and he had all of it. I gave him a bottle first then the rice. He had no probs swallowing it and would have had more if offered. Did the same this morning and he seems much happier. He is still drinking the same amount of milk. My daughter was weaned at 16wks (she is 4 1/2) and has had no health problems. Lots of friends have weaned their children earlier than recommended, again without problems. Am I doing the right thing?

by SexOnFire

27th Jun 2008, 8:51am

I knew my daughter was ready for solids when she would watch us when we were eating and also her weilght had dropped. I took her to the health visitor and asked if it is ok for her to start as she was only 20 weeks, and the health visitor agreed with this, even gthough they say start at 6 months, but I knew my daughter was ready. I started off with baby rice then later with vegetables which i kept slihtly lumpy and she was fine with it and she chews her food like we do.

by raman

30th Apr 2008, 8:45am

My baby is 4 1/2 months old and is feeding between 2 and 4 ozs every 2 hours,but sleeps of a night for 8 hours,is he ready for solids(ie baby dinners and puddings).
by noley	28th Mar 2008, 9:32am

My baby is 7 weeks old and wants food every 1 1/2 hours on hungry baby milk still not enough does anyone have any advice as they say to wait at least 4 months and i really want him to settle he is worse at night then sleeps between 2 - 7
by TraceyB	4th Jan 2008, 8:58am

my friends baby wasnt satisfied with just milk even hungry baby they would be feeding her every 30 - 45 mins an she would still be crying for food at 5 weeks old they decided to mix rusks in with the milk which she guzzled down and still not satisfeid so then they tried a bit of baby food and she snatched at the food like she never been fed i thought that possibly it could be down to problems with her tummy as they decided not to take her to the drs my self i would of if the milk wasnt satisfying the child but the baby is now almost 3 months old and loving the food i was just wondering if anyone else has a simalar experience and what they did

by mcflurry

26th Oct 2007, 8:51am

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