Weaning babies in different cultures and times.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Totally agree!!

Common sense was not working the day my BIL absentmindedly tried to feed my niece pavlova at 8 weeks.

Also when your child reaches for food is not always a good indicator, the first thing mine reached for on the dining room table was her Dad's Chateau Neuf du Pape :lol:

Common sense is not always common.

To me, the logical thing to do is feed babies whenever they seem hungry, and to push the feeding if they seem sick or sleepy or underweight. I know that my views didn't come out of nowhere - part of it is being part of a culture that's slightly obsessed with making sure that kids are fed, and part of it comes from the work that I do and the fact that I had to read updates from an coroner's inquest into a baby's death by starvation every day for months when my oldest daughter was a baby.

Other parents can be influenced by other factors. Waking to feed a baby every 2.5 to 3 hours around the clock is not easy, so having a baby sleep longer can feel like "common sense". Not everybody realizes that a malnourished or dehydrated baby doesn't necessarily cry - they are often lethargic or very sleepy. Not everybody recognizes the signs of reflux, or know what to do about it. Not everyone realizes that things like eczema or excess mucous can be caused by a baby having an allergic reaction. Not everyone knows how to safely prepare bottles, or how to follow instructions to make sure that the formula is not too dilute or concentrated.

[takers401]

Just read a news article that scientists were able to examine the teeth if a Neanderthal and found that he was exclusively breastfed until seven months then had a mixture of breastmilk and food until fourteen months when he no longer received breastmilk. One, I'm amazed that this can even be determined (science is so cool!), and two) interesting that this progression mimics many breastfeeding relationships today.

[LadyBlue]

The iron in the cereal is needed by babies, but otherwise, white rice cereal really doesn't have much other nutrition. It's a way of introducing texture and something other than just breast or bottlefeeding.

One question, then, is what nutrients might a baby be lacking if they are filling up on empty calories?

Babies don't actually need the iron in the cereal. Recent studies have shown that if the cord isn't cut immediately, full term babies have more than enough iron stores to last the first year, combined with the iron they get from breast milk. And formula has excess iron because it isn't as easily absorbed as the iron from breast milk, so more is needed.

As for lacking nutrients, a lot of them. It's why I'm always baffled when doctors tell parents to start feeding solids to increase their baby's weight. Breast milk & formula have far more vital fats and calories, as well as nurients, than any baby could possibly get from solid foods. I have no idea why the first suggestion isn't feed more milk/formula more often.

For a blast from the past, I recently got my adoption paper work, which includes a couple of home study reports after placement. It contains this gem from when I was about 2 1/2 months old "is on 2% formula and strained baby food". I'm kind of horrified. That was in 1974, btw.

[Conuly]

Just read a news article that scientists were able to examine the teeth if a Neanderthal and found that he was exclusively breastfed until seven months then had a mixture of breastmilk and food until fourteen months when he no longer received breastmilk. One, I'm amazed that this can even be determined (science is so cool!), and two) interesting that this progression mimics many breastfeeding relationships today.

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If you read the report, they were careful to limit their inferences to this particular child. We don't know if that one child was weaned at the usual age or not. Some news articles are more sweeping, but science reporting is like that.

[August]

If you read the report, they were careful to limit their inferences to this particular child. We don't know if that one child was weaned at the usual age or not. Some news articles are more sweeping, but science reporting is like that.

Low supply, death of the mother, new pregnancy, interfering MIL pushing gnawed mammoth bones.

[August]

The iron in the cereal is needed by babies, but otherwise, white rice cereal really doesn't have much other nutrition. It's a way of introducing texture and something other than just breast or bottlefeeding.

One question, then, is what nutrients might a baby be lacking if they are filling up on empty calories?

Rice cereal is less calorie dense than milk or formula and takes longer to digest. I'd be interested to see any studies showing adding it helps babies gain weight vs increasing milk intake, and possible reasons why it could work.

[OkToBeTakei]

I looked it up out of interest.

1 oz = 20 calories if mixed with water. 0.24 fat content. But I assume most add it to bottle or breast milk. So the calorific value would be that of milk plus the rice.