Weaning...

[Ernie&Kopka]

Hello Yummy Mummies!

My little one is 21 weeks and showing some of the signs to be ready for weaning...up until now she has been exclusively breast fed and I was determined to keep it that way until 6 months. She didn't take to a bottle nor a dummy so the plan is to go straight to a cup and skip the bottle part full stop...

She is also teething quite full on at the moment ;(

How did you all start weaning? Are any of you doing baby led weaning or are you mixing it with traditional? I think I'd like to do baby led first...

What are your thoughts, ideas etc

Thanks :))

[Mathilda]

Hi, I started at around 5 months as LO was showing the signs. I did traditional weaning, although wasn't all that strict about it, eg didn't bother with the whole wait 3 days after introducing each new food thing. Started trying soft finger foods (eg fruit, toast) at about 6 months.

I found weaning quite stressful as people can be very strident about their way being the "right" way! Also, books all have different advice, some HVs are v pro Baby Led Weaning, others not. So imo its all about finding what works best for you and your baby. Good luck!

[Ernie&Kopka]

Thank you Mathilda! What a lovely name...that's my little girl's name only without the "h"...;)

[Saffron]

We did Baby-Led Weaning, and it was brilliant, very flexible. Little Saff started grabbing fruit and bread out of my hands when she was around 5 months. We just took it very slowly from there. My BLW book is on loan to another Forumite, but you're welcome to borrow it when I get it back. Also the library has a copy. It's an easy and intersting read. xx

[sophiechristophy]

Hi Ernie&Kopka,

We also did baby-led weaning (and are now doing child led feeding), although the term 'weaning' I think gives the wrong impression of what actually happens when you start to introduce solids to your child. Babies and young children can be very inconsistant in their requirements when it comes to solid food, and I would say 'complimentary feeding' is a better way to think of it rather than as a process of coming off one thing and onto something else. If you are happy to, you may find it very helpful to continue breastfeeding alongside introducing solid options for your baby, for as long as you can, as this can give you great reassurance that your baby is still being well nourished, irrespective of how their appetite for solids is at any time. Breast milk still can still provide a child with the majority of it's nutritional needs, even up until 2. The baby led weaning book by Gill Rapley is a great resource, and an important element to the approach is trusting your baby to know when they are hungry, and when they are not, and being comfortable with that. This may mean that there are periods of time when they really are not eating very much solid food at all, even after the age of 1, as babies and toddlers have different needs to adults, and the three meal a day model isn't always what they need.

A helpful thing to have in mind, is you provide and they decide, and also food under 1 is just for fun. If your little one is teething, they may well find something like a carrot something really comforting to gnaw on, even if they don't eat any chewing on it will probably help their gums! Purees are a preference, and absolutely not a requirement for babies.

[Ernie&Kopka]

That's so kind of you Saffron, Thank you! I do have a copy and find it very interesting indeed...Matilda is just days away from turning 5 months and also has been reaching out for our food which got me quite excited and worried at the same time...

Sophiechristophy I really appreciate your comment, especially your summarising the weaning process as 'complimentary feeding' love it! I wasn't sure to be completely honest where to start and so what you said really helps ;)

This evening I offered my little girl softened strips of carrot and I wasn't expecting her to enjoy them quite as much! She wasn't eating but as you said it must have soothed her gums somewhat...very pleased.

[sophiechristophy]

glad it helped :)

[Bonfire2010]

We did/are doing BLW and would highly recommend it. I would go for the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook as it gives you the principals plus some recipes which are handy to start you off. In the meantime you can also get some ideas/hints/tips here

[Ernie&Kopka]

Oooh excellent! Thanks Bonfire2010...didn't know there was a cook book too ;)

[Knomester]

Hello! Exciting times ahead! I loved this stage with Baby Knomester - watching him explore food.

We began to wean Baby Knoester when he was around 5 and 1/2 months. He had showed lots of interest in what we were eating for a little while and had begun to reach out and grab things so we felt it was the right time.

We began by complementing his breastfeeds by introducing some little tastes of puree - rice with expressed milk (which he LOVED), pear, sweet potato, etc. We did take it faily slowly at first, introducing one new food per day. He loved eating and took to it straight away trying everything we offered. Natural yogurt took a while but once he had tried it with a little fruit puree swirled through he took to it and eats it by the bowlful (without the fruit puree!) now. I kept a sheet on the firdge of all the foods we offered, the date he first tried them and what his reactions were. It's lovely to look back at now...

From his first tastes of pureed pear to eating 'normal' but still chopped food was around a month and that was the time when we actively offered finger food too. He had tried banana and other bits and pieces before that but we hadn't deliberately offered finger food at meals or as snacks before then. It was also around that time that he dropped to 3 breastfeeds a day (morning, mid afternoon and bedtime). Since then he has always had a mixture of spoon feeding (normal meals - we cook him mini versions of our meals for the freezer or share our meals minus the salt with him) and finger food.

Hope this helps!

[Ernie&Kopka]

Thank you Knomester, it does help! I didn't think of keeping a written log and so have started doing it just now ;)

I am very excited and actually feeling quite confident since I started looking at the weaning process as an additional/complimentary food, fun food introduction ;)

Many thanks!