Hints and tips for weaning (merged)

karenx

McKneff wrote: »

Have also heard about baby led weaning but worried about her choking.

Have a look at the Baby Led Weaning Website, this explains exactly why babies wont choke. My grandaughter was brought up totally on this since she was 6 months and is a healthy 3 year old. Mind, it is hard work and you have to persevere, but like i say, its worth having a look at.

Can I just say thanks for posting this, Iv had a wee read and managed to get some tips for in a month or so's time to try my son on this! :T

Becles

If she likes the porridge, try mixing things like carrot and porridge. It sounds yuk to us, but baby doesn't know any different.

My eldest would eat fruit but refused all veg. I used to feed him lovely concoctions such as cabbage and apple, and gradually reduced the amount of fruit.

I've done mush feeding with my eldest and a mix of mush and BLW with my youngest. Don't get wound up about it and let things go at baby's pace. I did with all mine and they all eat pretty much anything now.

tandraig

If you wouldnt mind a nans viewpoint - heres mine!
my kids started weaning at four months or three in case of DS1 as he was a very hungry baby and just milk wasnt enough.
my kids and grandkids were weaned the old-fashioned way. that is, they were given mushed up versions of our meals (salt reduced before you all jump on me). at first it was mixed with baby milk until really mushy then over the weeks allowed to become more solid. rather than start with baby rice or porridge they had sunday dinner! a little mash with peas then the other veg added then when older it was mixed with gravy. about this time cereal was added for brekky and mashed banana or custard or yoghurt for tea. by the time they were nine months they were eating everything we ate!
saves a fortune on jar food - which you cannot convince me is healthy as its processed food at the end of the day. also - they get to eat what the family eat and dont become such picky eaters.
also hun, relax! its not such a big issue - I am sure I read somewhere that babies can thrive without solids until at least nine months if not longer. just give baby a taste of different foods and dont worry about feeding more than a teaspoon or two just yet.

xmaslolly76

Hi

I am preparing Food for my baby for when he starts weaning in about a months time food will be frozen until then i just didnt want to faffing about preparing stuff for those first couple of weeks.

This may seem like a silly question but do i have to cook all the fruit he has. I have plums and raspberrys can they just be mushed up or do they have to be softened with cooking a little ?

Also has any one got a simple cheese sauce recipie so i can make cauliflower cheese for him ?

Bitsy_Beans

I used to cook the majority of the fruit first as it was easier to get down to mush - just nuke it a little water in the microwave for things like apples and stuff. Bananas I just mashed. Peaches I had to skin so they ended up in boiling water anyway.

As for cheese sauce - dead simple.
http://www.annabelkarmel.com/age-range/babies-9-12-months/recipes/cheese_sauce_recipe

Now ignore all the fancy cheese she uses - just bung in plenty of cheddar to taste - it's the quantity of butter and flour and milk that I wanted to make sure you could see as I just guess the amounts when I make it!

xmaslolly76

Also forgot to ask if i wizz everything in the blender do i still have to push it through a sieve or will just blending be fine? Sorry for all the questions ive never made baby food before always used jars for the other two but now realise home made is best and cheaper.

csh_2

Hi XL, have you thought about Baby Led Weaning?
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/startingsolids/babyledweaning/

Am thinking of trying this with baby when hes 6 mths, as long as milk is keepimg him full until then obviously!
:-)

M_A_R_I_E

I made all the purees etc for my son who is now 4. I started this with my daughter (who is now 14 months) when she was 5 months old - however this quickly turned into baby led weaning (although I didn't really intend this at the time).

My daughter now eats everything the rest of the family eats and has done for a long time. She has never choked or even 'gagged'.

Good luck and have fun with weaning!

xmaslolly76

Thanks all i think i will just mash the raspberrys but will have to blnach the plums to get the skins off. I have thought about the baby led weaning he is 5 months now and is already making actions toward our food when we eat we let him taste by dipping a finger in if its suitable and he laps it up. He has also had a good old suck on a banana today which he loved. But i dont want to start proper weaning yet until he is 6 months old as advised.

Thanks for the links Bitsy and CSH i will have a good look at both :-) x

Lotus-eater

xmaslolly76 wrote: »

But i dont want to start proper weaning yet until he is 6 months old as advised.

We've started weaning ours and he is just 5 months old. Mashed up bananas, cooked and mashed carrots, potatoes and yogurts. Oh and he loves sucking on a orange if one of us is eating one.