Hints and tips for weaning (merged)

craftdaft

Speak to your HV.

My baby is a week younger than yours and my HV came round yesterday for weaning visit (visit was early due to festive period). She gave me a very useful booklet full of info and suggested Annabel Karmel books. HV also said babies should NOT be weaned before 17 weeks (to do with digestive system not being mature enough I think).

DD is growing quickly and seems to have been permantly attached over last couple of days due to growth spurt. HV suggested topping up with expressed breast milk or supplementing with stage 2 formula (?? the for hungry babies - she said it stays in stomach longer) if she wakes up hungry during night (she didn't up until a couple of nights ago).

feelinggood_2

Just to let you know, that hungry baby does not always need weaning early. My LO was a very hungry baby and very big baby, but I fed him on demand and we got to 6 months on only milk!

If you plan on weaning before 6 months, please research it thoroughly, as most (all?) agencys recognise that there are risks to early weaning.

Personally, I'd just feed on demand for as long as possible.

In many cases, finger foods, when given at an appropriate age, aren't really that messy.

Becles

Bear_family wrote: »

I also don't want to do the whole finger food bit, as I'm sure most of it just ends up on the floor!

Some of it will end up on the floor, but you can buy a mat or use a plastic table cloth or something and just pick it up and tip the remains into the bin afterwards.

They don't just eat with finger food - they learn about textures of food. Squishing a banana through your fingers and rubbing it in your hair may seem yukky to us, but it's a lesson in senses to baby.

I found the easiest way of weaning was to wean straight onto the diet you want the baby to have when they are a child. In our case it's usually cereal or toast for breakfast, a sandwich or quiche or similar for lunch, and a home cooked dinner.

At first I was saving a bit of dinner pureed for lunch the next day, but once they were old enough to manage sandwiches etc., I went onto those.

It's worked really well with all three of mine, and we've never had food fads and they eat pretty much anything!

PurpleJay

A lot of babies go through a long growth spurt around 3/4 months so if your little one is feeding a lot it may be that. It rarely means they are ready for weaning. Aim for the 6 months give or take a week or two.

We did baby led weaning - straight onto finger foods. DS never had baby rice. I agree with Becles - go for foods they want you to eat. From 6 months I introduced 1 meal a day - he ate very little at first, just played with the food but gradually got the hang of it. Basically you cut soft fruit/veg into finger shapes so they are easy to pick up and let them get on with it. Sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, brocolli, cauliflower, pear, banana, mango, melon etc. After a couple of weeks we went to 2 meals and from 7 months introduced breakfast which I did spoon feed! Toast fingers/crackers and other dairy, cheese etc from about 8 months.

There is a great website, babyledweaning.com I think - do a google.

I would recommend this to anyone - my son is 3 and eats really really well. Today he has had beans on toast, melon, potato waffle sandwich, banana, pineapple, quorn sweedish meatballs, gravy, potatoes and carrots and a couple of biscuits. We are veggie too and don't do fish. I probably introduced quorn about 9 months, maybe a bit later. He has whatever we are having with the exception of hot curry/chilli. Sometimes I will do a mild version - extra yoghurt/tinned toms and sometimes he has something else.

BLW is messy but great fun (for the li'l ones)! Good luck.

Bear_family

Thanks for your replies.

I wasn't after opinions as to when I should be weaning my son, but after simple foods to try, so when I get to this stage I'm not totally clueless. Of course, some foods depend on whether my son has teeth or not. You can't puree a sandwich, which is why I was after suggestions. Think I'll look in the library.
It's easy to see this is obviously a topic everyone has a different opinion on.

My HV did explain about the whole letting your baby touch food etc, but to me it did seem a little drastic to let them try and feed themselves when they are so young, plus I want to make this process as simple as possible for me..

skintchick

Bear_family wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

I wasn't after opinions as to when I should be weaning my son, but after simple foods to try, so when I get to this stage I'm not totally clueless. Of course, some foods depend on whether my son has teeth or not. You can't puree a sandwich, which is why I was after suggestions. Think I'll look in the library.
It's easy to see this is obviously a topic everyone has a different opinion on.

My HV did explain about the whole letting your baby touch food etc, but to me it did seem a little drastic to let them try and feed themselves when they are so young, plus I want to make this process as simple as possible for me..

The thing is that when you ask a question like this people will feel they really should tell you what the guidelines are, and that is not to wean before six months as they are not ready developmentally for it as their guts are still leaky.

I know people used to wean earlier but new research shows six months is the way to go. Babies have a growth spurt at 4 months so they do need mroe fodd, but of the milk variety.

Also, if you want it to be simple I'd have said baby-led weaning was as simple as you can make it! No purees, no faffing, just give them a bit of what you're having and bob's your uncle!

Up to you of course, but I really would rethink weaning at such a young age. My baby is nearly 5 months, and feeds every 2 hours, so could be defined as hungry, but she is definitely not ready for solids yet, and I breastfeed her so it can be a pain but I still think it is better to wait.

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/baby/weaning/
http://www.baby-led.com/

ETA it makes no difference if they have teeth or not. Those gums are hard! my friend is doing BLW with her daughter and at 6 months she was munching a cheese toastie! Without teeth.

Bear_family

Bear_family wrote: »

Hi,

I'm not sure if there is a thread about this already, so if someone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

My little one has reached 3 months and, although he's not ready for weaning yet, he's such a hungry baby I'm sure it won't be long.

I understand the basic idea of starting with baby rice and introducing one meal a day of a certain fruit or veg and so on until babies have tried everything, but my point is when they are basically able to eat whatever we eat what sort of things do people give their babies at lunchtime - when it's not then main mealtime.

I was thinking things like scrambled egg, but could do with some more ideas for quick meals please? I really don't want to have to be cooking twice a day and I don't want to be relying on frozen meals of potatoes or veg cooked from previous meals or buying jars (as they are too expensive). I also don't want to do the whole finger food bit, as I'm sure most of it just ends up on the floor!

Hubby and I are veggie but eat most fish, incase anyone suggests food with meat in.

Thanks for your help.

Bear x

I'm sorry if anyone has misunderstood my post, but if you read my post I clearly state my son isn't ready for weaning yet, I'm just after ideas, as I'm organised.

skintchick wrote: »

Up to you of course, but I really would rethink weaning at such a young age. My baby is nearly 5 months, and feeds every 2 hours, so could be defined as hungry, but she is definitely not ready for solids yet, and I breastfeed her so it can be a pain but I still think it is better to wait.

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/baby/weaning/
http://www.baby-led.com/

I don't see there is anything to be gained by keeping a baby hungry, and my HV emphatically stated that one of the signs that babies need to be weaned earlier than 6 months was if they started wanting to feed more often e.g. after every 2 hours when they used to go 4 - just her opinion, of course, but as everyone is sticking their 10p in...

skintchick

Bear_family wrote: »

I'm sorry if anyone has misunderstood my post, but if you read my post I clearly state my son isn't ready for weaning yet, I'm just after ideas, as I'm organised.



I don't see there is anything to be gained by keeping a baby hungry, and my HV emphatically stated that one of the signs that babies need to be weaned earlier than 6 months was if they started wanting to feed more often e.g. after every 2 hours when they used to go 4 - just her opinion, of course, but as everyone is sticking their 10p in...

You don't 'keep them hungry'! You give them more milk. Your HV is going against Government guidelines and policy if she is saying to wean earlier than six months.

It is actually a sign of a growth spurt if they start to want more food, they have growth spurts at around 4 months and again at 6 months.

your HV is out of touch and is actually going against Dept of HEalth policy.

babies should not be weaned before 6 months. All the studies and research now backs this up.

We are not 'sticking our 10p in' (although thank you for valuing our opinions at greater than the traditional 2p), we are concerned for your baby as they should not be weaned before six months.

And yes, you did say you weren;t doing it yet but you also indicated you didn't thin it would be long, which implies earlier than 6 months as your baby is only 3 months.

All we are trying to do is inform you what guidelines and policy are, so you can make your own INFORMED CHOICE. Which at the moment I don;t think you are as your HV has misinformed you.

money_saving_diva

Bear_family wrote: »

but as everyone is sticking their 10p in...

sorry I answered your post where you asked for help/opinions...........and thanks for the thanks

:rolleyes:

Bear_family

money_saving_diva wrote: »

sorry I answered your post where you asked for help/opinions...........and thanks for the thanks

:rolleyes:

You didn't actually give me any ideas for lunches, which was the purpose of the post.

I think I'll leave it there, as this isn't getting me anywhere.

Thank you for your time.