It is very important that you wean your baby at the right time so that he is not deprived of your breast milk. Sometimes, he may cry out in hunger and as a mother, you would take his increased appetite as a sign for weaning. This is not correct. More often than not, when your baby shows signs of a sudden increase in appetite, you should decide on weaning, depending on his age.
If he is less than 6 months old, he should be fine with some more of your breast milk. If he has completed 6 months and he can move his head, hands, and legs independently, these could indicate that he is ready for weaning. Let’s learn more about these signs in this article.
Signs of weaning
As your baby grows, he will need more than your milk to get his daily dose of energy. Please watch your baby carefully to check if he exhibits all of these symptoms. Some of these symptoms may be visible in your baby even before he completes 6 months. However, it is highly recommended that you don’t wean off your baby before 6 months.
Many mothers introduce solid foods even before the baby turns 6 months, only to get worried when their babies experience gut infections, stomach bloating and other gastrointestinal issues. Your baby’s gut is not fully developed until he turns 6 months; therefore, you have to breastfeed him during this phase exclusively.
After the desired time limit, if your baby shows all of these symptoms, you could slowly wean off your baby and start him on solids:
- Showing signs of rolling over and sitting up independently by supporting their backs well
- Ability to hold their head in a straight position and move it from side to side without any wobbling
- Great coordination between hands, mouth, and eyes (ability to pick up a teether from the ground and put it inside his mouth and grasping objects by holding them tightly with their fingers)
- Showing great interest in picking your food and putting it in their mouths or closely observing what you eat and how you eat
- When you realise that your baby is able to swallow his food completely and doesn’t spit up any of
- Showing signs of hunger, even when you have just nursed him (this symptom alone is not enough to wean your baby; it has to be accompanied by the other symptoms too, for you to take the weaning decision)
When you wean, you should introduce him to first-weaning foods that include a lot of textures and tastes. Mashed potatoes or carrots, well-cooked rice, mashed fruits such as apples, bananas and pears are great choices of foods that you can start your baby on when he is ready for weaning.
What to note?
Sometimes, your baby might wake up in the middle of the night for milk, or he may chew his fist. If you spot only these symptoms in your baby, you should never consider them as weaning signs. Feeding him more of your milk should satisfy him, in this case.