Complications of child weaning

Weaning the Child

Sooner or later, the infant’s nourishment plan is accommodated to include solid food. Mammal babies, including human children, first usually receive the mother’s milk, which provides them with all necessary nutrients. However, there comes a time when they need to get used to being fed solid, adult food.

The weaning process usually takes place when the baby is approximately six months old. Note that this period is not the same for every child. Weaning is a step-by-step process, because a baby’s digestive tract is not immediately prepared to digest solid food. Solid food should be introduced along with breast milk so the transition is smoother.

What is usually first given to babies as a part of their new, solid food nutrition plan is soft food. Pulped fruits and vegetables are particularly suitable because very small children don’t yet have teeth and are not able to grind food with them.

Some types of food are not recommended for very small, freshly weaned children. The list includes nuts, gluten-rich food, salty food, and sugar.

Troubles with Weaning

The transition from breast milk to solid food can be a sentimental one, both for the mother and for the child. For example, there are some situations where the mother has decided to stop breastfeeding the child, but the baby just isn’t ready to quit the breast.

Some Tips for Smoother Weaning Process

Regardless of the fact, whether it is the infant or the mother that needs to end the breastfeeding phase, bearing in mind a few bits of info can be beneficial.

Sometimes a mother has had more instances of viral or bacterial affliction. These conditions are usually cured by medications, but the problem is that the medications can enter the mother’s milk. Since the medicament shouldn't enter the baby’s body, the mother needs to stop feeding the infant with her milk.

By weaning we mean the transitional process from exclusive milk feeding (breast or formula) to the consumption of family foods. This may also be termed complementary feeding (CF). This is an area characterized by strongly held beliefs, and guaranteed to inspire heated debate amongst parents and health professionals alike. The timing, the type and quantity of foods offered and the extent to which an infant should be in control of their own intake are all hot topics currently.

Until 2003, recommendations in the UK were to introduce solid foods between 4 and 6 months of age. However, in 2001, the World Health Organisation had issued a revised recommendation that mothers should breastfeed exclusively for approximately 6 months (WHO, 2001) and the Department of Health (DH) guidelines were amended accordingly in 2003.
The Infant Feeding Survey found that 11% of UK mothers of 1-year-olds reported having experienced difficulties in weaning their child. Breaking this figure down by age at weaning, the survey revealed that 17% of mothers who had introduced solids to their infant between 5 and 6 months or later stated that they had experienced difficulties compared with only 7% of those who had introduced solids between 3 and 4 months.
Recommendations from the DoH and the BDA are that first foods be simple and easily digested such as rice, fruit or vegetables, simply pureed with no added salt or sugar or mixed with breast or formula milk.
By far the most common first food offered to infants is baby rice (57% in the Infant Feeding Survey) although there is some variation according to the time of introduction (62% between 4 and 6 months, 43% before 4 months and 44% after 6 months).

✓ Fact confirmed: Managing weaning problems and complementary feeding Lucy Cooke, Úna McCrann, Claire Higgins; August 2013

Practical Steps Towards Weaning

Babies usually suckle from 8 to 12 times a day. Switching from this regime to that where the child is given solid food is a process that requires some time.

The process of weaning can roughly look like this: the mother can eliminate one breast-feeding session during the day and instead introduce, say, formula or some solid nourishment. The body of the mother may require a period of adjustment to this change. After some time, the mother can do the same with another session of breastfeeding, again giving the body enough time to adapt to the rearrangement.

Follow this pattern until all the breastfeeding sessions are substituted for regular, solid food meals.