Hints and tips for weaning (merged)

Js_Other_Half

csh wrote: »

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!
:-)

If you do a search on here you'll find lots of people who did it - myself included.

nikki2804

I weaned my son at 3 months (much to the dismay of my health visitor!) as bottles weren't filling him up.

I just roughly mashed food up as he preferred it this wa rather than pureed food. In fact any food that was pureed had to be mixed through porridge or weetabix so he would eat it. Hes now 6 months, basically fully weaned and a brilliant eater.

According to the health visitor though he will be obese, get diabetes and resent me when hes older . Not bad considering shes always adamant that he was under average when bottle fed.

Its really up to the child when they want solid(ish) food. And again if they want it like puree or mush, Just a bit of trial and error!

mookiandco

I made a large batch of purees (carrot, butternut squash, apple and pear) to start with and shoved them in the freezer. We started with 1 meal of baby rice/porridge a day for about a couple of weeks, then began adding puree meal. I made way too much puree and i'm struggling to get through it now as baby likes more solid food and I would prefer to give her 'proper' food than puree to get her used to it. She eats whatever we eat now (apart from the junk food!) and is a good little eater!

I think you are supposed to only store baby puree for 8 weeks in the freezer so I wouldnt make too much to start with. It takes only a short time to stock up the freezer so i'd play it by ear as you may find you have alot of waste otherwise.

For a complete novice like me who is a disaster in the kitchen I really liked Annabel Karmel's New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner book to get me started and gain confidence.

I got a hand blender from asda (smartprice - £4.77) which has been great for whizzing up the purees in small quantities.

xmaslolly76

I weaned my other two early and it never did them any harm they deffinately are not obease or diabetic (they are 11 and 8 now) but they were ravenous babies new bubs is happy with his milk at the moment as far as hunger goes it seems more curiosity with him when he gestures for our food I suppose him being curious and wanting to taste things is a good sign that he may be getting ready for proper food.

daska

xmaslolly76 wrote: »

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.

Sounds to me as if you've done more than think, you've already started BLW - see how easy it is! Save yourself the hard work :beer:

xmaslolly76

Never thought of it like that Daska but your right thinking about it if he asks we give. So i suppose over the next month we could just move it up a notch :-)

Krystaltips

I've been doing BLW, tonight baby had moussaka with us and couldn't get enough of it

I haven't made a single puree and the 2 different baby foods I got given she didn't like at all... She's quite happy to pick things up and bung them in her mouth until she's had enough... It couldn't be anymore different than when I weaned my first baby and that was only 5 years ago

skintchick

csh wrote: »

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!
:-)

I will be doing this with my DD when she turns 6 months in 2 weeks' time. I read the book by Gill Rapley and it looks like it's so much easier than purees! I also agree totally with teh philosophy behind waiting for them to show the outward physical signs of their digestive systems being ready to cope with solids, and as that is 6 months you can then just go straight on finger foods anyway.

I am way too lazy to make purees every day! :rotfl:

And on the last comment - if you demand feed then milk WILL fill your baby up for six months, if not longer. The World Health Organisation says so, and they should know! I have a very greedy baby and she is still exclusively breastfed at 5 1/2 months, but I do have to feed her at least every 2 hours both day and night, which I agree is a huge commitment, but I don't have much milk storage in my breasts apparently most women can store more than me and therefore their babies get more at each feed and so can go longer. But if you try and schedule feeds beyond what they want, then your milk won;t be enough for them IYSWIM.

Krystaltips

Skinty, your breasts don't store milk Hun, it's made as it's needed

space_rider

Krystal, don't know how old your baby is but becareful of the salt in foods like moussaka.